1018 mild metal is good for this project. The knifemaker uses 1095 high carbon metal for knives since he wants them to not only be durable but to hold a sharp edge. The metal used for this brooch is soft enough to work, but certainly durable enough to last.The knifemaker's aunt is going for a leaf/vine circle for the brooch and a leaf stick for the pin that goes from side to side to hold the scarf in place. This will incorporate the curved lines and organic shapes we learned in a previous post that have a positive affect on the brain.
Once the metal is elongated with several forge-to-anvil episodes (as you saw in the previous post), one end is worked into a leaf shape and the other end into a tendril. The whole skinny piece is placed back into the forge to make the circle. The red hot metal is hammered around a piece of pipe positioned in a vise and twisted. In hindsight, using the horn of the anvil may have been more efficient.
The knifemaker's aunt put both pieces, one at a time, into a smaller vise and wire-brushed them thoroughly before wiping each down to remove any metal dust.On the way home, she'll stop by a hardware or paint store to pick up some clear coat to give the pieces a finish. If they were knives, they'd be coated with gun oil or seasoned with another kind of oil. However, these will be used with scarves where oil residue is not desirable. The consideration tonight will be choosing gemstones to add for some additional metaphysical meaning and glam to the brooch. What should she go for? Stones that represent Prosperity? Creativity? Balance? So many options, and so many colors!
