The Art Deco period has produced some incredibly beautiful plant forms, from aquatic and terrestial sources. Some of the master designers including Edgar Brandt, Nics Freres and Paul Kiss produced hundreds of wonderful examples of ironwork which were inspired by fauna. The leaf above is a simple design that may be easily produced, and will be facilitated by using two hand forged tools. See Deco Leaf Tools for a description. Mild steel bar stock, 1/4" x 3/4", was used for this leaf.

Recently at a demo in Marble Falls, Texas, I asked Dorothy Stiegler if she had ever used bacon drippings for a ironwork finish. Neither Dorothy or anyone in the audience had heard of it, including James Honig. Between them, they worked with Francis Whitaker for over 40 years. Since Dorothy suggested that a process should be named after the creator, this bacon finish shall be called the "Wilson Finish". Even though it's probably been used by blacksmiths for thousands of years! (ha, ha) Bacon drippings were applied to the Deco Leaf above at a black heat. It created a beautiful luster, that appears to be long lasting and non-toxic, although probably high in cholesterol. Not to mention it smells very good!