Cutting the Petals
Pick up a 24 by 36 in (61 by 91 cm) metal sheet that’s 0.5 mm thick. You can use steel to make your rose, but you can also use copper, aluminum, or general-purpose sheet metal. The overall process is the same regardless of the metal you use. You will need roughly 1 sheet of 24 by 36 in (61 by 91 cm) metal to make your rose. Pick up your metal sheet at your local construction supply store. The millimeter listed on sheet metal always refers to the thickness. The thicker the sheet metal is, the stronger it is but the harder it is to shape. You can use something a little thinner than 0.5 mm, but it may leave your petals looking kind of flimsy and thin. If you use anything thicker, it will take much longer to shape the metal. With a sheet this size, you can make a rose head that’s roughly 4–6 inches (10–15 cm) tall and 4–6 inches (10–15 cm) wide.
Score 4-5 circles into the metal in slightly different sizes with a spring divider. Grab a metal spring divider and press one of the pins into any point on your sheet metal. Drag the second pin around the point in a circle. Make the first circle roughly 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter. Then, make a second circle 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) in diameter. Score 2-3 additional circles on different portions of the metal. Make each circle 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) smaller than the last circle you made. You can measure the circles out, or just do this by eye. So long as each circle is slightly smaller than the last, you’ll be fine. The bigger your circles are, the larger the rose will be. You can deviate from these measurements if you want to make a bigger or smaller rose.
Put on cut-resistant gloves and protective eyewear to protect yourself. You’re going to do a lot of heating, cutting, and sanding from this point going forward. Grab some cut-resistant metalworking gloves and put them on to protect your hands the sharp metal. Put on some protective goggles to keep pieces of metal from flying into your eyes as you cut it. You absolutely cannot complete this process without gloves or protective eyewear.
Cut the circles out using tin snips and trim them to size. Grab some straight tin snips and cut your circles out of the sheet in square-like shapes to make them easier to work with. Then, grab some curved tin snips and trim around the circles to cleanly remove the smaller chunks of metal that are sticking out around your scored lines. The circles don’t need to be perfect. It’s okay if there is a little variation around the edges. You’ll eventually bend the edges downwards to give your petals shape, so people won’t really notice any minor mistakes here.
Drive a divot into the center of each circle with a punch and hammer. Set your first circle down on top of an anvil or large block of wood. Place a center punch in the middle of the circle and strike the back of the punch with a ball-peen hammer. This will drive a tiny divot into the middle of the circle and make it easier to cut through the center. Repeat this process with the rest of your circles.
Drill a small hole through each divot with a titanium drill bit. Put a ⁄8 in (0.32 cm) titanium drill bit into your drill. Set a large chunk of wood down and hold the edge of your first circle with a set of slip-joint pliers. Hold the disc on top of the wood and use your drill to drive a hole through the circle where you made the divot. Repeat this process with the rest of your circles. Don’t hold the circles with your hand. Use pliers to keep your fingers away from the drill bit. If the drill bit slips, you want to ensure your fingers aren’t anywhere near the center. You can use an auger to do this if you prefer.
Cut 4-5 lines into each circle to make your petals. Grab your straight tin snips and pick up your first circle with the pliers. Wrap the jaws around the edge of the circle so the tip of your blades rest 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) away from the hole you drilled. Cut a straight line leading from the edge of the circle to just outside of the hole you punched. Rotate the circle 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) and cut it again. Do this 4-5 times on each circle to separate your petals. These cuts do not need to be symmetrical. Just place them kind of randomly around each circle so that there’s some variation in the petals. Each cut you make will separate another petal. The more cuts you add, the more individual petals you’ll have.
Shaping the Petals
Fan out each portion of cut metal at a slight angle with pliers. Pick up your first circle in your non-dominant hand. Grip any petal with the jaws of your slip joint pliers and lift it up at a 5- to 10-degree angle bend it a little bit. Repeat this process with every other petal you’ve cut out to separate your petals and soften the metal a little bit. The goal here is not to shape the petals, but to soften the joint where the petal connects to the middle of the circle. This will make the petals much easier to trim, cut, and work with. You’re going to hammer the petals down in a minute, so don’t worry about the shape you bend the petals into. You’re only doing this to separate the petals and soften the metal.
Trim the edges of each petal down a little to give them some shape. Grab your curved tin snips and cut off the ⁄8–⁄16 in (0.32–0.16 cm) sharp corners on each petal. This will remove the sharp edges and give your petals a cleaner shape. Clean up all of the corners on all of the circles you’ve cut. On every single petal you’ve separated, trim the edge where it meets the petal next to it. You’re doing this for safety and aesthetic reasons. It’s not only safer to work with the metal if you trim the corners off, but it will also give your petals softer edges and make them look more realistic.
Hammer each petal’s edges down against an anvil to soften the sides. Set a circle down on top of an anvil. Hold it in place against the anvil with your pliers. Then, grab a ball-peen hammer and strike the petals repeatedly. Keep striking every portion of the circle until it flattens out. Strike the edges where they meet the anvil to soften them up a little and rotate the disc with your pliers to hit each side. Repeat this process with the remainder of your circles. This makes the metal more pliable and blunts the sharp edges of the petals.
Strike the edges of each petal with a drywall or cross pin hammer to add texture. Grab a drywall or cross pin hammer and turn it so you’re striking with the sharp side of the head. Set your first petal on the anvil and strike the exterior edge of the petal with your hammer. You should leave a small line on the edge of the petal with your strike. Repeat this process by striking each petal 5-10 times to leave a series of parallel marks in the edge of each petal. If you look at a real rose, the lips of the petals are kind of wavy and uneven. Striking the metal petals with this sharp edge will help replicate this look.
Crafting the Sepal
Draw and cut out a 5-point star from a new piece of metal sheet. The sepal is the green leafy part of the rose that sticks out from the base of the petals. Grab an erasable marker or a scriber and draw a 5-point star that’s roughly the same height and width as your largest circle. Use your straight tin snips to cut the 5-point star out of your metal sheet. Roses have really distinct, pointy sepals. You can skip this portion of the process if you want, but the final product will look more like a tulip than a rose.
Add a divot and drill a hole through the center of the star. Grab the center pin you used to punch the divot in the circles and use the same process to punch a divot into the middle of the star. Then, drill through the divot the same way drilled through the centers of your circles. Use the same titanium drill bit to do this.
Repeat the hammer and striking process with your star. Set the star down on the face of an anvil and hammer it the same way you hammered the petals. Then, set each point of the star on the table where it meets the face of your anvil. Hit the point 4-5 times to bend it inwards with your hammer. Do this for each point. Finish by striking the edges with your drywall or cross pin hammer. The table is the smaller platform that sticks out from the face of the anvil. Hitting each length of the star against this curved portion will bend the edges in.
Use a vice to bend each point inward to finish the sepal. Slide the first point of the sepal in between the jaws of a vice. Close the jaws to squeeze the edges together like you’re folding a piece of paper in half. Repeat this process with each point of the star to bend the edges in and form your sepal. Do not bend the middle of the star. Only bend the points that extend out from the center.
Assembling the Petals, Sepal, and Stem
Fabricate a stem with a metal rod and a disc sander. Grab a metal rod that is at least ⁄8 in (0.32 cm) thicker than the holes in the middle of your sepal and petals. Turn on a metalworking disc sander and hold the top 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) of the rod against the sander. Rotate the rod as it grinds against the sander to remove layers of metal. Continue sanding the rod until the thickness of the rod’s tip is slightly smaller than the holes in sepal and petals. The petals and sepal will slide over the top that you sanded down but they’ll get caught on the portion of the rod where it gets thicker. The length of the rod determines the length of the stem. You can use any size you’d like, but something roughly 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) will work well if you don’t have a strong preference.
Assemble the rose with the sepal on the bottom and the petals on top. Slide the rod through the hole in the middle of the sepal to attach it to the stem. Make sure that the bent points are facing up. Then, slide your biggest circle on to the rod. Put the remaining petals on top of the first circle so that the smallest petal is on top and each subsequent circle is smaller than the one beneath it. A ⁄2–3 in (1.3–7.6 cm) portion of the rod should be sticking up past the top set of petals. If it isn’t, take everything off and remove another 1 inch (2.5 cm) of the metal rod to continue sanding and extend the portion that holds the petals and sepal.
Use a blowtorch and pliers to fold the top of the rod down. Place the stem in a vice and close the jaws to keep it from moving. Then, turn on your torch and hold the flame against the portion of the rod that’s sticking out at the top. As it heats up, use a pair of slip-joint pliers to bend the tip of the metal rod in any direction so that the petals can’t slide off of the top. Continue heating the tip of the rod down until it melts a little so your petals don’t slide around. You can typically bend the metal once it gets to the point where it starts glowing slightly orange.
Continue shaping the rose with your blowtorch and pliers. Once the petals and sepal are locked on top of the rose, you can begin shaping it. Hold the torch 3–4 inches (7.6–10.2 cm) away from the top of the rose and move it slowly in a circle around the petals to heat them up. Then, use your slip-joint pliers to pull your top layer of petals up at an 80-degree angle. Lift the next layer up at a 75-degree angle so the petals rest just outside of the first layer. Continue working the lower layers up to raise them around the rose. Be careful while you’re doing this. You have to keep heating the petals while you work so just go slowly and keep your working hand away from the flame.
Fold the petals around the center of the rose. Once all of the petals are pointing up, grab a pair of needle-nose pliers. Continue heating the tips of the petals and use your needle nose pliers to shape the edges of the petals in a circle around the center. Bend each vertical petal into a circular shape so that the petals on each disc form a small circle around the center. Pull the innermost petals close to one another to cover up the tip of the rod you bent in the middle of the rose. This requires a bit of hand-eye coordination. Just be patient and take your time to craft the petals into a shape that looks good to you. You may find it helpful to look at a picture of a rose on your phone while doing this.
Bend an outward lip into the edge of each petal. Continue heating the tips of the petals with your torch. Use your needle nose pliers to bend the top ⁄4 in (0.64 cm) of each petal out away from the center of the rose. Bend it downwards and out a little bit to give the rose its distinct shape. You are done once you’ve shaped all of the petals. If you want, you can bend the points on the sepal down or up. You can also leave them where they are. It’s entirely up to you.
Polish the metal carefully using an orbital sander and polish pad. Grab a buffing polish pad and attach it to an orbital sander. Turn the sander on and run the pad around each portion of the rose to remove any dust from your torch or workspace. This will clean the rose up and give it a beautiful texture. You can use a wire brush instead of an orbital sander if you don’t have one.
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