[TheForge] Grape Leaves

[Dave]

At 07:09 AM 3/1/03, you wrote:
>I recently had a request for some towel bars with grape leaves on the ends.
>I had never made a grape leaf so I started doing resarch on the form and
>discovered that there are a dozen different varieties.
>
>I picked one of the simpler ones and started banging away. I started with
>1/2" sq stock to make sure that I had enough material. ...<snip>... But 
>unless I get much faster there is no way I
>could make this a regular part of my product line. Of course as with most
>new form it takes for ever at first and then with practice gets faster and
>looks better.
>
>Have any of you made grape leaves? Do you have any pointers on the process?
>
>Bob Ehrenberger
>Shelbyville, Mo

Bob,

Haven't made any grape leaves, but have an idea what they look like.

Do you have a TIG welder?  If so, then make the leaves from sheet metal of 
appropriate thickness, form/scarf the transition zones on the stem of the 
leaf and the vine, then TIG it together.

I'm in Minnesota with Gene Olson helping him with a residential railing 
(balconies and stairs) and had the opportunity to try/use a TIG welder for 
the first time.  This is a really great way of welding.  No flux, but clean 
surfaces required.  The pieces are fused together and, if done right, no 
extra filler rod is needed, the pieces provide enough metal themselves.  If 
you need filler, you can use commercial filler rod, or a clean scrap from 
the parent material that you intend to weld.

Headed home tomorrow.  Job's not finished, but I've been here two weeks now 
and need to get home to my own jobs.  Gotta get some money scraped together 
to get the TIG add on's for my PowCon welder power supply.  It's designed 
for TIG (i.e. GTAW) as well as MIG and DC-stick, so the upgrade shouldn't 
be near as much as getting a new unit.

Dave Brown
Green Bay (but TDY to Elk River, MN)