Making Decorative Leaves from Flat Bar Stock

Forged leaves are one of the most rewarding projects for a blacksmith working with modest kit. They demand control, not strength, and they teach the core skills of drawing out, spreading, and veining. A length of mild steel flat bar and a few hand tools are all you need to begin.

Why Forged Leaves Are Worth Mastering

Leaves appear everywhere in traditional ironwork — gates, railings, candle holders, fire tools. But their real value is as practice. Each leaf compresses several fundamental forging operations into a small, repeatable form. You learn to move metal precisely, to read heat colours, and to adjust your hammer blows. Because mild steel is forgiving and inexpensive, you can make mistakes and recycle them. A finished leaf also gives you something attractive to show for an afternoon's work. Make a dozen and you will notice your hammer control improve dramatically.

Steel, Tools and a Sensible Starting Size

Start with mild steel flat bar. A good size is 25 mm wide by 5 mm thick. Cut a piece about 200 mm long. That gives you enough material for a stem roughly 100 mm long and a leaf blade around 80 mm. You will need:

• A forge or a gas torch capable of bringing the steel to a bright orange heat.
• An anvil, or a heavy vice with smooth jaws as a substitute.
• A cross-peen hammer (the peen does the veining) and a ball-peen or rounding hammer.
• Flat tongs to hold the bar securely.
• A hot cut chisel or hacksaw for cutting.
• A file, wire brush, and a punch if you want a hanging hole.

Work in a well-ventilated space, wear eye protection, and keep a bucket of water nearby. Mild steel at forging temperature moves like stiff clay.

Drawing Out the Stem

Heat one end of the bar to a bright orange. Place it on the anvil with the hot end hanging over the edge. Using the flat face of your hammer, strike the hot metal with controlled blows, rotating the bar a quarter turn between strikes. This is drawing out: you are reducing the cross-section and lengthening the steel. Work from the end back towards the middle. Aim for a stem that tapers from the full width of the bar down to about 3 mm square at the tip. Take two or three heats. Do not rush. If the steel turns a dull red, stop and reheat. Forging below that temperature risks cracks. Once the stem is formed, you can set it aside to cool slowly or keep it warm near the forge.

Spreading the Leaf Blade

Now heat the other end of the bar. This becomes the leaf blade. Place the hot section flat on the anvil and strike with the flat face of your hammer, working from the centre outwards. The goal is to spread the metal sideways and thin it, creating a broad shape. Use overlapping blows, and turn the workpiece over regularly to keep both faces flat. If the edges begin to crack, you are working too cold — reheat. For a natural leaf shape, leave the base of the blade slightly thicker where it meets the stem, and taper the tip to a point. You can use the horn of the anvil to curve the blade gently as you spread it. A typical finished blade might be 40–50 mm wide and 80 mm long.

Veining and Shaping the Edges

Veining is what makes a forged leaf read as a leaf. Heat the blade to a bright orange again. Take your cross-peen hammer and strike along the centre line, with the peen running lengthwise. A single firm blow creates a groove; a series of overlapping blows creates the midrib. Then add side veins by angling the peen and striking diagonally from the midrib towards the edges. Work from the base towards the tip. You do not need many veins — three or four per side is plenty. After veining, refine the edges. Use the flat face of your hammer to forge the edge slightly thinner and to smooth any irregularities. A gentle curve along the length, achieved by striking with the peen on the anvil face, gives the leaf a natural droop. If you want a serrated edge, use a hot cut chisel to nip small notches before the final shaping.

Finishing, Curving and Displaying

Let the leaf cool slowly — bury it in vermiculite or leave it near the forge to anneal. Once cold, remove mill scale with a wire brush or a flap disc. You can leave the steel with a brushed finish and a coat of paste wax, or heat it gently and apply linseed oil for a dark, traditional look. For a hanging hole, punch or drill a small hole in the stem before final assembly. To curl the stem, grip it in a vice and bend it with a pair of pliers, or forge a decorative scroll at the end. Leaves can be mounted on a wall, used as a key fob, or welded into a larger piece. The best part: each one you make will be slightly different, and each will teach you something new about moving metal.