Leaves Taking a Bit to Make

[Forging Carver]

I started making leaves when I realized they take me a very long time to make. They take around 4 hours with me using a 3 pound sledge on 1/2in steel. I am using steel I got from my uncle, so I was told it might be high carbon. I did a spark test and I do not think it is HC. I will show the video below. It takes me a while to move the steel for some reason. Any suggestions besides me showing a video of me forging a leaf? Thanks

Vid of the spark test won't work here's some pics:

Damaged Video removed

 

[jeremy k]

After about 75 of them you'll have them down to less than 15 minutes each.

 

[JME1149]

I would suggest heating the steel first to an orange/yellow color. Should cut your time significantly.

[Daswulf]

is this vid or am i off? it wont play for me.thinking it's two images...

looks like higher carbon steel to my untrained eye

 

Edited October 21, 2015 by Daswulf

[John McPherson]

In four hours you should be able to make one leaf that doubles as a serving platter, or enough small key fobs to give as presents at your next family gathering.

I am a hobby smith who only manages to get a couple hours a week at the forge, but can get a new student that has never picked up a hammer thru one of these in under a hour as a first project. Consider finding a local smith to show you the ropes, or join a local group. Better yet, take an Intro class somewhere. The travel time and chapter dues/class fees will be cheap in the long run. You will learn things from watching others demo in person, and being able to interact in real time, that you will never, ever, get out of a book or video. Being able to match the instructor step for step is even better.

Edited October 21, 2015 by John McPherson

[Charlotte]

from the shape of some of those sparks that is definitely some kind manganese steel alloy.  Local hardware shop will have a steel products rack somewhere.  get a couple of 3/8 pieces to practice on.

[Forging Carver]

Those are only two pics I tried to put the video but it wouldn't load. I I'll try again, and just buy some more steel and see what happens. Dale told me a project I could do that starts from a 2' 3/4" bar and turns into a 4' 1/4" bar. This will hopefully get me quicker at moving the steel. I'm gonna buy some more steel at the hardware store too. What size steel do you guys make for keychain leaves, and about how large do you make the stem?

  Thanks

[Rashelle]

Leafs in 1/4"-3/8" for key chain starting stock. Not very large stem. Note 3/8" can make a rather large leaf. So depends on thickness you are going for. You can go relatively thick and fuller in the veins if needed. Remember to reduce weight for key chains though. Key chains can also be used for pendants. Fullered or, chisel cut veins, texturing hammer, wrinkled edges are all nice touches on leafs.

[DSW]

For demos I use 3 1/2" of 3/8" square to do 2 leaf key chains. I'll take the hack saw and score a light groove all the way around so I can easily feel it on the hot cut when I go to separate the tow when I'm done. Then I drill one hole on each side for a split ring. I like to leave the end with the ring at the original 3/8" square so people can see what it originally was, By doing 2 at a time, it gives me more to hold with the tongs. I've also prepped longer lengths in a similar way separating them with a groove. So basically it's the same 3 1/2" blank repeated over and over on the same piece of stock.

[Judson Yaggy]

Looks like mild steel to me, but you never know for sure with internet photos.  Can you make 10 short tapers in an hour with your 1/2" stock?  If you can't it's your technique not the material.  

The first shop I ever worked in the boss said "You are going to forge 10 tapers by hand at the top of every hour no matter what they look like or how long it takes.  When you are done we can work on other things for the remainder of the hour."  Week one was in 3/8" round 2" long, worked up to 1/2" square 4"long.  By week 3 I'd forged well over 1000 points and had the other 50 minutes to do other things.  

Leafs are 2 tapers and some spreading.  Practice and muscle memory play a huge part in blacksmithing.  My long winded point is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

[Forging Carver]

Leafs in 1/4"-3/8" for key chain starting stock. Not very large stem. Note 3/8" can make a rather large leaf. So depends on thickness you are going for. You can go relatively thick and fuller in the veins if needed. Remember to reduce weight for key chains though. Key chains can also be used for pendants. Fullered or, chisel cut veins, texturing hammer, wrinkled edges are all nice touches on leafs.

what's a texturing hammer?

For demos I use 3 1/2" of 3/8" square to do 2 leaf key chains. I'll take the hack saw and score a light groove all the way around so I can easily feel it on the hot cut when I go to separate the tow when I'm done. Then I drill one hole on each side for a split ring. I like to leave the end with the ring at the original 3/8" square so people can see what it originally was, By doing 2 at a time, it gives me more to hold with the tongs. I've also prepped longer lengths in a similar way separating them with a groove. So basically it's the same 3 1/2" blank repeated over and over on the same piece of stock.

that's sounds cool. So you basically have 2 leaves connected by a stem then you cut it in half? Any pics of the finished keychain? Thanks

Looks like mild steel to me, but you never know for sure with internet photos.  Can you make 10 short tapers in an hour with your 1/2" stock?  If you can't it's your technique not the material.  

The first shop I ever worked in the boss said "You are going to forge 10 tapers by hand at the top of every hour no matter what they look like or how long it takes.  When you are done we can work on other things for the remainder of the hour."  Week one was in 3/8" round 2" long, worked up to 1/2" square 4"long.  By week 3 I'd forged well over 1000 points and had the other 50 minutes to do other things.  

Leafs are 2 tapers and some spreading.  Practice and muscle memory play a huge part in blacksmithing.  My long winded point is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

yeah I can do the taper part for sure. The main difficulty I have is that I use 1/2in and it takes me a while to work the stem to around 1/8. Also it seems I loose heat very quickly cause when I work on flattening the taper it takes me a few heats. I see guys like Brazeal on the internet who can forge the entire leaf in like 3 heats. I know that he is VERY more experienced than I am but his steel stays hot a lot longer than mine and can be made in only a few heats. Thanks

[DSW]

I'll have to look and see what I have in picts. Many of the leaves I made I sold almost immediately at the fair to people who were watching. There may be a few picts of the stuff on the table that shows a few. I think I may have a couple "feather" key chains tossed in my box from the last demo. If I get a chance I'll try and excavate them from the pile and take a pict or two for you.

[Rashelle]

A texturing hammer has different textures on the face. Not the normal smooth face instead a structure that when hit against the steel leaves surface marks. I use a small double pein with slightly different sized peins for texturing leaves, often. The pein marks I use make it look like surface ridges, when hit upon the leaf surface.