Hot Forged Leafwork

[Frank Turley]

I drifted from the recently posted "Repoussé and Chasing" thread to hot forged leafwork, and Ted Throckmorton chimed in that he enjoyed this style. It is not repoussé, as repoussé is done cold on thinner sheet metal. The closest English word we have for repoussé is "embossed work."

The hot forged leaves are worked on stock that is 1/8" or 3/16" thick. On large architectural jobs, the metal can be thicker. After obtaining the initial shape, most of the detail on the leaves is done by the use of variously shaped fullers. Some of the technique is shown on youtube by the Hantel family of Potsdam, Germany. The curves of the work are done hot on ball and dome stakes. I have also sunk the leaves hot into wood, letting the wood take its own negative impression as I worked.

A friend found for me three books, recent partial translations of Max Metzger' s "Die Kunstschlosserei" published in Lübeck, Germany, in 1922. Metzger was very much interested in the revival of this Baroque style. A wonderful example of this style of leafwork on a huge architectural scale was done by George Oek in the 18th Century, in Würzburg, Germany. My journeyman helper, Daniel, and I tried some of these forged leaves using patterns from one of Metzger's book translations, "Pattern Book for the Artist-Blacksmith." Our work was good, but not great. We needed cleaner fullering and better shaping of the leaves. Practice, practice. It really helps to have patterns to work from, since patterns are difficult to develop without spending some time working at it.

The three books are available from Pieh Tool. They are large paperbacks, plastic edge bound. Besides the title above, the other two are: "Classical Techniques of Hand-Forged Ironwork" and "Basics of Style for the Artist-Blacksmith. The translator was Robert Ruhloff of Ashfield, Massachusetts. For some reason, Ruhloff never quite caught on that the Kehlhammer (fuller) was a tool of indirect percussion. He treats it in the book as a swung hammer. It cannot be swung; it is struck with a sledge hammer. Ruhloff never used the word 'fuller.' He called it a grooving hammer. No matter, just so long as we know that the kehlhammer or fuller was not a tool of direct percussion.

Ruhloff translates the process of making the hot forged leaves as "modeling."

"Die Kunstschlosserei" the original book, is written in German and has much more in it than forged leaves. The publisher was Charles Coleman.

[Ted T]

Thank You Frank!

[Ten Hammers]

Indeed thank you Frank. This (these) will go on the list for Christmas.

[Kendall P]

Really good post - will also join my christmas list.

[beth]

thanks for that frank - am having truble finding the you tube thing hantel family? do i need to type in something else??

[Jura T]

Here you go Beth:

[beth]

thanks jura:)! that was a pleasure - how groovy - three generations... i love the little cone mandril on his anvil.. thats really beautiful work..

[fciron]

Frank, thanks for bringing this up. I've made some tools after Wendell Broussard's work, but I've struggled with the heavier hot work. I suspected the approach would involve more anvil work and the guys in the video seem to get things done with ordinary blacksmithing tools. That actually makes it look possible. ;-)

JuraT, thanks for the link to the video.

[Pat Roy]

The iron work in the video is awesome, but then I'm also impressed with the art work on paper. I can't even draw a smudge!

[beth]

i like it best when he gets it over that ball, when it starts to really take on 3 dimensions - so cool. .

[Frank Turley]

These lever handles show some of my leaf form work. These will go on one of a pair of security doors. They are screwed onto the typical American square spindle which has the odd thread of 3/8" - 20.

[Ted T]

Thanks Frank, Very nice!
That is the kind of product I am talking about!!
So now I am taking notes!! --> Hint, Hint, for any and all Ideas.
For some reason I have locked into the beauty I see in the Repousse designs
of thicker Leaves and flowers hot forged.

[Tom Allyn]

These lever handles show some of my leaf form work. These will go on one of a pair of security doors. They are screwed onto the typical American square spindle which has the odd thread of 3/8" - 20.

Very nice.

FWIW, 3/8"-20 was fairly common 90 years ago. I run into it doing restoration work from time to time. Finding the 3/8"-20 spindle stock is the hard part. I've resorted to inserting helicoils and using 1/4"-20 spindles.

[HWooldridge]

I recently had to make several pieces for a customer with about 50 forged oak leaves. These leaves and acorns are nowhere near as complex as the German work but started life as 3/16x3/4 flat. The leaves are butchered with a side set jig in two spots under the power hammer then fullered for the stem with a "blacksmith's magician". Once the basic shape is set, the leaf is formed with a ball peen under my treadle hammer and cut off far enough back to allow stock for the stem. Takes 3 heats to finish a leaf: (1) block and fuller; (2) draw and cut off; (3) draw stem.

[ede]

On 9/6/2011 at 10:18 PM, Frank Turley said:

"Die Kunstschlosserei" the original book, is written in German and has much more in it than forged leaves. The publisher was Charles Coleman.

I found a copy of this recently, but the price tag is kinda high.  I will keep my eyes on it.  I need to brush up on my German.