Ah, the sensuous forms of the Parrot Bill stake! This tool is probably one of the most beautiful tools which I have ever had to make. The form is so voluptuous that it could stand on its own as a work of art. It's a shame that it has such little use in the overall working of the acanthus leaf.

Even though it is only used to form the tip of the leaf, there is just no other way to do it. First of all, there is a V-groove in the tool itself which the leaf vein is worked into as the curve is being formed. This prevents the vein from being deformed. The other use for this tool is in creating the opposite curve, which is awkward, because you are forcing the brass to go into a direction in which it normally does not want to go. Technically speaking, this process is a "raising" technique.

I have to say that I was a little frustrated when I started forming the Parrot's Bill. As I pushed the lobe over the stake, it had a tendency to want to open up. If you notice in the top picture, you will see how the natural curve closes the leaf from the previous sinking operations. Note on the second picture how the natural closed curve is being opened as the opposite curve is being made. This is caused by the stretching action taking place on the outside of the material as the new inside curve is being made.

Using the straight peen, I proceeded to strike in the center over the main vein. This helped pull up the outside sections of the lobe while continuing to create the opposite curve. I then went back over the actual vein with a dulled hot chisel to set and work harden the center vein. This process also helped create the desired effect.

The last tools which I used to make the acanthus leaf were a ball peen stake and a flat face planishing hammer to work harden the edges and also to create a slight opposite curve on the tips of the lobes. These tools are important because of the action they perform on the material.

Since the hammer surface is larger than the stake's ball peen surface, more stress is generated from the hammer than from the stake. This action forces the material to close in the direction of the stake. That is how the opposite curve is created.

I realize that you may be a little confused about some of the processes which I have used in making the acanthus leaf. It is not easy to explain how different hammers and stakes affect the formation process, but I hope that I have given you a craftsman's point of view on how to forge the almighty acanthus leaf. If you are interested in learning more about cold working processes, you may want to get Hiekki Seppa's Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths ISBN: 0-87338-212-9. Hiekki goes into great detail about each type of tool, how it works, and how to use it. He also describes soldering, cleaning, and a variety of finishes.

Anyway, the cold working processes are finished and it's time to do the final finish on the leaves.