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I Forge Iron

Forging Shamrocks


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I wanted to try to forging shamrocks and was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to get a nice looking clover.  I have some concepts worked out in my head on how to do it but I know I tend to way overthink things and some advice would be much appreciated and I'd be curious to see the ones you have made. Thanks!

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I'd probably "cheat" and forge the pedals and then weld the pedals at the center, and then to the stem. I'd probably forge the pedals the same way I'd do leaves. Section off an end, then taper and spread from center. Then I'd cut the unit from the bar  clean up as needed, and repeat. Cluster all 3 or 4 pedals, then weld them together and to the stem and forge out my tig welds.

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I can't think of an "easy trick but were I looking for one I think I'd try incising a piece of round stock for the leaf boundaries and the center creases. 2 deep incisions and 3 shallow ones. Deep incision 3&4 would define the stock for the stem. Then I'd cut a slice off the bar, maybe 1/4" thick and flatten it drawing the leaves and stem to suit.

I've never tried forging a Shmrock or clover leaf so I'd be starting from scratch and experimenting till I found a method that would be profitable. There may be ways to forge shamrocks that just take so long a person would be lucky to make $0.030/hr. For example, many years ago at a ren fair I was demoing and a person from the crowd started talking about how he wanted to forge things traditionally. Get THIS!, All from a single piece of iron/steel. From what he "KNEW" there was no joinery traditionally, everything was made from a single piece including articulated plate armor but he couldn't do anything but choke when I asked him about ring chain maille.

Sorry for the digression but how's that I got to the point if ONE paragraph! Am I on a roll or what?

Anyway, I'm just brainstorming a technique to make a single piece Shamrock. In this case a single piece MIGHT be easier than a built up one but I've never made either so it's a guess.

Where have you been Darlin? We haven't heard enough from you. Don't be a stranger eh?

Frosty The Lucky.

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What size / thickness metal are you planning to use?

What size is the finished shamrock?

How many are you going to make?

3 leaves or 4 leaves?

 

Suggest you go out into the yard and pick a bunch of clover, or shamrocks. Bring them indoors and with the help of a snack and a cold drink study the way mother nature made her version. Copy mother nature's version in modeling clay. When you get mother nature's copy(s) right, then develop your version in modeling clay. When your modeling clay version starts getting easy to make, take it to the forge. It does not have to be an exact copy of mother nature's clover or shamrock, just close enough to make people smile.

Edited by Glenn
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Frosty, but they are artificial and someone elses interpretation of mother nature. I will give you the fact that they figured out how to make something close and how to mass produce it on their equipment. May want to combine the two to get the best of both.

Edited by Glenn
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 How about cutting a small section of round black pipe down from the top in quarters, that would open up to 4 "leave" sections you could easily round out and flatten, then use a smaller section of round stock and neck it down to make the stem.


I have never done this, but I had the idea of the stem from this awesome acorn tutorial I've been hanging onto for awhile now

Not sure how you'd finish the center off though, and it may be more work than necessary this way.
Just a thought.

 

flcgreen9191.jpg

Edited by JimsShip
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My original thoughts were: take a square piece of sheet, round off the corners, split it into fourths, to define 4 leaves so don't take the split all the way to center. Forge weld a stem onto center bottom. Texture the leaves, then chisel in veins or use a swage.

With Jim's idea above I would neck down the pipe and draw out the stem that way. Then make the cuts to fold out the leaves. Or cut, fold out leaves then neck in stem. Cut corners and forge round, texture, then veins.

I've thought of doing some before for st. Patrick's day.

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Hi everyone! Thank you for all the the great ideas, sorry for not responding sooner, I hardly get on an actual computer anymore. I had thought about splitting a bar but for the size I need that would be a HUGE bar. I'm thinking my best option would be to either use sheet metal and then shape it as needed or do all the components seperately as DSW had mentioned.  The shamrock is for a trellis so it needs to be kinda large.  I will work on some different methods and post how it turns out for everyone.

Frosty, I am doing well.  I wasn't on much during the winter and early spring months because of work. Boo. I will try to not be a stranger in the forums, but I have become a staple in the chat room.

Edited by MarcyP
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if you can find some 1-1/2" weld on pipe caps, split them and give them a try  like John McPherson did above. because of their uniform thickness and dome shape the flatten out to a different shape that a flat disk. Might work,,might not

 

Russell

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You can not tell the difference between thin tin / sheet metal and heavy plate steel beyond 10 feet. Why not just cut it our with snips, add some texture and be happy. Just be sure the size fits the project. Paint helps.

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I'd cut the blanks from sheet metal and texture as needed. If it's going in a windy place I'd use sheet I needed a saber saw to cut just for the strength.

Yeah, work can get in the way of what a person wants to do. Unfortunately without work a person isn't likely to have enough to do what they want to anyway. It's the old, "time vs. money" story I think we've all been there.

Frosty The Lucky.

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I haven't done any that have four leaves....  but I have done many of the 3 leaf variety.  ( I am not lucky enough to accomplish 4.... they are so rare)

The sketch shows the steps that I used and the picture is the result.  Its pretty simple in its set up but when the estimating distance required for the the first half face blow...  I always make the top lobe too long and have to cut some of it off before spreading in the last step....   if I get a chance, I'll do a photo step by step.

Matt

full disclosure: there is some clean up with a file after the last step, but it is minimal.

 

clover.png

IMG_4401.JPG

Edited by mjenki
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Good looking leaves and shamrock. The drawing is especially nice, clear and well drawn. I've seen worse in instructional manuals.

Well done Matt, thank you. Please post more if you're so inclined.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Had some time so I did a quick forging progress, that my sketch described.  Don't know if it helps any more or less to see it in real life.

 

Matt

clover forge.JPG

The sketches alone we super helpful and now pictures of the progression as well! Thank you so much, you have no idea how much I appreciate it. I learn the best by seeing and then doing, I can read words all day but without something to visually reference I must admit I'm lost. I would be making a whole lot of things that were once useful steel if it weren't for you. 

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That's super helpful Matt thank you. I'm in the same boat as Marcy in a lot of ways. some things I can do from a text description alone and I really get a lot from drawings but having a progression of the actual objects is sweet. It's like injecting the project into your brain.

Did you make the dividers too? Those are very nice.

Frosty The Lucky.

Edited by Frosty
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Thank you very much Matt. You make me want to start making shamrocks - it has never entered my head before. It will be a nice ending insted of  plain leaf.

I appreciate both sketch and photo The combinatino is formidable.

Göte

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