Why do my leaf stems break?

[Mark Ling]

Ever since I started blacksmithing (a little over a year ago) occasionally when I would shoulder down a piece of 1/2 in. Mild steel round stock, and then taper it down to a little over 1/8 of an inch to make a stem for a leaf it would break of where the leaf meets the stem.Also it has happened when I was attempting to make a nail header, and also when trying to make tenons on the edge of my anvil. Does this happen to anyone else? And/or does anyone know how to prevent this?

                                                                                      Thanks,

                                                                                                    Littleblacksmith

[jeremy k]

Don't neck it down so much and work the taper hot "along with the leaf mass hot". Define the leaf mass, then do the taper, then spread and shape leaf - keeping a full heat in everything. After 75 you'll get some consistency. Enjoy the trip.

[Frosty]

AND Shoulder the leaf on a radiused edge or cold shuts will get em.

Frosty The Lucky.

[SoCal Dave]

You could be working the taper to long into the black or to small a taper.  A thin taper can't be worked or moved around to much. As described above, set your leaf area first and then work the taper/stem. Good luck.   

[Mark Ling]

Thanks everybody, I think the problem was that I was shouldering it down on a sharp corner and working it in a black heat.

                                                                                                                 Thanks again,

                                                                                                                                         Littleblacksmith

[Joel OF]

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/43803-avoiding-leaf-stems-breaking/

[Frosty]

That sounds like the problem Lil'smith. Don't worry there will be more to solve so keep us in mind. Save the failures and especially your first few successful leaves (or whatevers) so you can look at them as you progress and see how far you've come. Heck, you might want to go so far as date them so your Grandkids can show their friends where granpaw started out only to become a world renowned master smith.

We LOVE pics posting a few is a welcome thing. Heck, we might even say something nice about you, you just never know you know. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Mark Ling]

Thank goodness I've gotten better at making leaves. My first one looked like a willow leaf- about 2in long and half an inch wide. I'm sure that there will be more problems that need solving in the near future.

                                                                                        Thanks again everybody,

                                                                                                                                   Littleblacksith