Garden Gate
06-05-2009
I have completed forming the radiuses for the vines in the left hand corner of the gate. I tried to conform to the shape of my original sketch as much as possible. I am experimenting with one of the forged leaves I had lying around the shop, but I am not liking it - and for a good reason - it is part of the same vine, but obviously, the leaf is from a different species of plant. Now, there are some species that actually have two distint leaf patterns, but I feel another copper leaf would be a better fit in this case.
A close-up of the texture the copper leaves on this garden gate now possess, due to the annealing and hammering I described earlier.
Here is a good shot depicting the slice I made in the end of the taper on the steel vine, in order to merger the leaf with the vine. Of couse, the leaf will be seated at the bottom of the slice prior to brazing or riveting into place. As you have probably already figured out by now, although the garden gate is rather small, it will exude detail and character.