Ted Ewert Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 I've been trying a number of swages and shaped tools to aid me in the making of flowers and leaves. Here's a few I have built recently.. The rings are nice for bending the edges of the leaves or ends of the petals. The one with the three 1/2" round bars I use for putting ripples in the leaves. I also stuck a 3/8" fuller on the end just cause I needed one. Here's a couple of the products these helped me make... Ted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 Convex shapes will give a different bend and look to the metal. Things like trailer hitches, caps to oxygen bottles (without the bottle of course), heads of some rr track bolts, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFC Snuffy Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 I notice they all have a through-hole. Do you just bolt them to your workbench or other fixture? Nicely done on the pieces. My leaves never have a nice transition into the stem, whereas yours is very smooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Ewert Posted October 25, 2018 Author Share Posted October 25, 2018 I have a small utility anvil I built which I attach my fixtures to. They bolt down nice and solid and I work the piece there. My system isn't very traditional but it works for me. The stems are the trickiest part to get right. I usually weld them on and then spend a lot of time carefully grinding and filing. I have a MIG welder with flux core wire and it's anything but a clean attachment. I over weld and then grind to suit. Nice clean metal helps, but I still get pin holes. Someday I'll get a nice TIG welder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Ewert Posted October 25, 2018 Author Share Posted October 25, 2018 I forgot to add that the leaf above was not welded, but part of the parent stock. This makes the transitions smoother, but I also used a guillotine tool with a fullering die to help taper down to the stem. Nevertheless, I seem to get better leaves when I cut them out of sheet metal. Maybe it's a result of fewer heats, less scale and an even thickness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 I get a good stem transition by doing my necking- down on the horn with a rounding hammer. I neck in close to where I want it, then work my way up till I'm happy. Then I just go the other direction to do the stem. I do the whole thing on the horn, with minimal cleanup on the face. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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