Leaf Triangle Bell

How to forge a Leaf Triangle Bell

Step 1: Step 1

Supplies:

A way to safely heat and hammer metal

A well ventilated are

Water (in case of fire or burn)

Hammers (Cross or Ball-peen)

NO claw hammers (dangerous, and can cause injury)

Chisel

Tongs (sized for the metal being worked)

Other tools (depends on what you finds works best for each step)

Metal rod (I used 1/2in by 2ft rebar, depends on how large you want the bell)

Safety:

Safety glasses or goggles

Gloves (not leather)

A mask to filter the air (depending on what is used to heat the metal)

Do NOT look directly into flame as it could cause eye damage

Leather apron

WARNING: FIRE AND BURN DANGER: Working with fire and extremely hot metal, be careful, use the proper tools and safety gear, and use your common sense, do not do anything dangerous) Keep water nearby

Step 2: Step 2

Heat the end of the metal until yellow, and re-heat when needed, do NOT hammer cold metal

Brush off any scale that is formed with a metal-wire brush

Hammer the tip down till it makes a point (imagine a square pencil point)

Depending on how long you want the leaf will depend how far down you hammer a groove around the rod to compress the steel and create the stem

Once the stem is created flatten the section that is the leaf

Step 3: Step 3

At this point, take the chisel and score down the middle of the leaf

Use the ball of the ball-peen hammer to create the leafy texture

Add a slight curve to leaf tip by hammering the tip over a rounded surface

Step 4: Step 4

At this point, mark where you want to bend the metal to create the triangle, try to make sure all sides are even

Heat each point where you want the bends to be

Bend each corner till you create a triangle; try to keep angles the same

Make sure that you leave the end with the leaf longer to create a loop to hang the bell by

Step 5: Step 5

I heated and looped the leaf end over, along with part of the other end to create a branch look

You can either keep the non-leaf end even with the rest of the bell and just have the leaf loop, or decorate that end either as shown in the picture or with another leaf for added decoration, with the ends looped in any direction you want them to face

Step 6: Step 6

To create the rod used to ring the bell, complete the first few steps needed to make a leaf on another piece of metal, hook the leaf end slightly so it can hang on the bell, and cut the rod to how long you want it to be

Make sure bell is completely cool

Clean and finish with oil, paint, or another medium if desired

Design is subject to your own imagination, metal is fairly easy to manipulate in the right conditions so do not be afraid to make a mistake as they can be fixed in most cases

The more you practice the easier and nicer your work becomes

Have fun and be safe