Why the Leaf Hook?

The decorative leaf-end hook is a staple of ornamental blacksmithing — and for good reason. It's approachable for intermediate beginners, teaches multiple core techniques in a single project, and produces a genuinely beautiful, functional object. A set of these hooks looks striking on a wall for coats, keys, or kitchen tools.

This project will teach you: drawing out a taper, creating a leaf texture, bending a scroll or hook end, and punching a mounting hole.

Materials & Tools You'll Need

  • Mild steel flat bar — approximately 3/8" × 3/4" × 12" (one piece per hook)
  • Forge and anvil
  • Cross-peen and rounding hammer
  • Tongs suitable for flat bar
  • Center punch or hardy chisel (for leaf veining)
  • Pritchel or punch and drift (for mounting hole)
  • Bending fork or horn of the anvil

Step 1: Draw Out and Shape the Leaf End

Start by heating one end of your flat bar to a bright orange heat. You'll be working this end into the leaf shape.

  1. Using the cross-peen hammer, spread the very tip of the bar — strike perpendicular to the bar's width to widen the tip into a flattened fan shape.
  2. Use the flat face to even out and thin the spread material. You're aiming for a rough oval or teardrop footprint — this will become the leaf.
  3. Work the sides with angled blows to create a tapered, organic leaf outline. It doesn't need to be perfectly symmetrical — natural variation looks better.
  4. Once you're satisfied with the overall shape, let this cool slightly and move to texturing.

Step 2: Add Leaf Veining Texture

This step transforms a flat paddle into something that genuinely looks like a leaf. Reheat to orange.

  1. Using the edge of your cross-peen or a hardy chisel, strike a center vein down the middle of the leaf — a single line from tip to where the leaf meets the stem.
  2. Add angled side veins branching out from the center line, alternating left and right. Work quickly while the metal is hot.
  3. If the leaf has cupped or distorted, reheat and gently flatten. A slight natural curve is fine and looks organic.

Step 3: Form the Hook Curve

Now work the other end of the bar — this becomes the actual functional hook.

  1. Measure approximately 3–4 inches from the opposite end and mark it mentally.
  2. Heat that section and bend it over the horn of the anvil to form an upward curve — roughly 180 degrees for a standard wall hook.
  3. Refine the curve so it sits cleanly and the tip of the hook points upward and slightly outward.
  4. Optionally, draw out and taper the very tip of the hook for a more refined look.

Step 4: Punch the Mounting Hole

You'll need at least one hole to mount the hook to a wall.

  1. Identify the center of the flat bar section between the leaf and the hook curve — this is your mounting zone.
  2. Heat the area to orange and use a punch to drive a hole through the bar. Strike from one side, flip when the punch starts to show through, and finish from the other side over the pritchel hole of your anvil.
  3. Use a drift to open the hole to the correct size for your mounting screw.

Step 5: Finishing

Clean up any rough edges with a file or angle grinder. Wire brush the piece while still warm to remove scale. For a finish:

  • Wax finish: While still warm, rub beeswax or paste wax over the surface — it burns in slightly and gives a lovely dark patina.
  • Oil finish: Linseed oil works well and provides rust protection.
  • Paint: Flat black spray paint over bare metal gives a clean, uniform look.

Make a matching set of three or five hooks and mount them on a reclaimed timber board for a wall display that will genuinely impress anyone who sees it.