Leaf and Square Small Tool — Forged in One Piece

• Art. Nr: 300611 / 300612 / 300613 / 300614
• Size: 13 mm, 16 mm, 19 mm, 25 mm
• Construction: Forged in one piece
• Handle: None, integral forged shank

Product Name & Model

Leading Tools — Leaf and Square Small Tool, Forged in One Piece

• Art. Nr: 300611 (13 mm), 300612 (16 mm), 300613 (19 mm), 300614 (25 mm)
• Listed in the Scraper section of the Leading Tools range; construction: forged in one piece.

Positioning

The Leaf and Square Small Tool is a double-ended, one-piece forged finishing tool for plaster, render, stucco, mortar and concrete detail work. One end is a square-cut flat blade, the other a leaf-shaped pointed blade, joined by a slim forged shank that lets both ends reach into places a full-size trowel cannot enter. It is used for designing and shaping decorative details in foam, plaster and concrete, for intricate mortar and masonry work, and for finishing, trimming and shaping in areas larger trowels cannot reach.

When a run of cornice, a molding return, an arris, a reveal, a small patch or a tight internal corner is too small for a plastering trowel and too fine for a filling knife, this is the tool that finishes it. It is not a paint scraper.

Core Features

• Forged in one piece. Blade ends, shank and grip section are formed from a single piece of steel. There is no welded blade-to-handle joint anywhere on the tool.
• Two working ends on one tool. Square-cut flat blade at one end, leaf-shaped pointed blade at the other.
• Slim curved shank. The connecting shank is drawn down far narrower than either blade, so the tool can be entered into a recess or a corner without the hand or the shank fouling the surrounding surface.
• Four sizes. 13 mm, 16 mm, 19 mm and 25 mm are offered.
• Ornamental and detail finishing class. The tool is designed for shaping and finishing decorative and small-area work in plaster, stucco, concrete and plasterboard systems, and for working into tight spaces and corners.
• Straightedge function on the square end. The square end also serves for marking out, trimming back and straightening a line, not only for spreading material.

Product Advantages

• Continuous steel from blade to shank. Because the tool is forged in one piece, the blade-to-shank transition has no joint.
• Reaches what a trowel cannot. It is made for finishing and shaping in areas larger trowels cannot reach, and for working even in the tightest spaces and corners.
• Two profiles, one tool, no tool changes. The flat square end lays and flattens material and gives a straight reference edge; the pointed leaf end works into angles, undercuts and profiled sections. A detailer does not put the tool down to switch profiles.
• A graded set, not a single size. With 13 / 16 / 19 / 25 mm in the series, the range covers everything from a fine ornamental line to general small-area finishing; buyers who need several sizes can order the full set.

How to Use

When to Use

Basic Technique

Ornamental and molding detail

This is the tool's defining application. Cornices, coving returns, panel moldings, rosettes, banding and any run of profiled plasterwork all present sections too small and too shaped for a trowel.

The leaf end follows the profile, the square end straightens the flats between the profiles, and the narrow shank keeps the operator's hand clear of the finished section. It is a tool for designing and shaping decorative detail in foam, plaster and concrete, and for finishing and detailing ornate shapes and unusual wall surfaces.

Internal and external corners, reveals and tight junctions

Where an angle is short, interrupted by a service, or too tight for a corner trowel, this tool works it locally. Pull the tool out of the angle on the finishing stroke rather than pushing into it, and finish the arris on each side of the angle before brushing out. This is also the tool for finishing around window and door reveals, service penetrations, angle-bead terminations and stop-bead ends.

Small mortar and masonry repairs

For pointing detail, joint corrections and small mortar repairs, the tool gives controlled placement into a joint that would otherwise take a full pointing trowel and a lot of clean-up.

Plasterboard and drywall detailing

In board systems the tool handles bead ends, cut-outs, corner terminations, screw-head touch-ups in awkward positions and any patch too small for a taping knife.

FAQ

Q1. Is this a paint scraper?
No. It is a plastering and ornamental finishing tool, used for shaping and finishing plaster, stucco, concrete, mortar and drywall detail rather than for removing coatings. For paint removal, use the Combination Shave Hook (300501 / 300502), the Shave Hook — Straight Blade (300504) or the Scraper (314124).

Q2. Which size should a first-time buyer take?
Please confirm the size with us for the detail to be finished; 13 mm is the smallest and 25 mm the largest in the series.

Q3. Why does it have no handle, and which end do I use?
It is forged in one piece, so the shank is the grip. That removes any handle joint and keeps the tool slim enough to enter recesses a handled tool would not fit. The square end picks up material, levels and straightens, while the leaf point works material into angles, undercuts and profiles; the square end then levels it.

Q4. It has started to rust. Is it ruined?
Not necessarily. Light surface rust on carbon steel comes off with a fine abrasive; re-oil it immediately afterwards. Deep pitting on a working edge changes the profile the tool leaves and is a reason to replace it, so dry and oil the tool after every use.

Specifications Overview

Leading Tools specification data

Sizes. A single size figure is quoted per article number: 13 mm, 16 mm, 19 mm and 25 mm (approx. 1/2", 5/8", 3/4" and 1"). Please confirm with us which dimension the figure refers to.

Blade Design

Square end. A straight, square-cut flat blade. It performs three jobs: loading and spreading a small quantity of material, flattening and consolidating it, and acting as a straightedge for marking, trimming back and straightening an edge.

Leaf (pointed) end. A tapered leaf profile with a point. It works into internal angles, molding returns, undercut profiles and any recess that a straight edge cannot follow, and it is the end that works material into a narrow void.

Construction: forged in one piece

Blade ends and shank are forged in one piece, with no separate handle part.

Selection Guide

Choosing the width

The tool is offered in four sizes: 13, 16, 19 and 25 mm. Choose the size to suit the detail to be finished; for help matching a size to the work, please confirm with us.

This tool vs. adjacent tools

Versus plastering trowel. A plastering trowel covers area; this tool finishes what the trowel cannot enter: returns, reveals, moldings, narrow beads and small patches. They are sequential, not alternatives.

Versus corner trowel. A corner trowel (internal or external angle trowel) forms a full 90° angle in one pass along its length. This tool works a corner locally, point-first, where the angle is short, profiled or interrupted. Corner work is finished by drawing the tool out of the angle and then sharpening the arris with a smaller blade, which is this tool's role.

Versus margin / finger trowel. A margin trowel is single-ended with a handle and is used for mixing, loading and narrow flat work. This tool is double-ended, handle-less and forged in one piece, and carries a shaped point in addition to the flat edge; it is the more specialized detailing tool of the two.

Versus filling / putty knife. A filling knife carries a broad blade for skimming filler over a flat face. This tool is far narrower, and its point lets it work profiles. Use the filling knife on the flat, this tool on the detail.

Versus paint scraper. These are different tool categories. A paint scraper removes coatings from a substrate; this tool places, shapes and finishes plaster, render and mortar. For coating removal, the Leading Tools range carries the Combination Shave Hook (300501 / 300502), the Shave Hook — Straight Blade (300504) and the Scraper (314124).

Full Size Reference

All four article numbers in the series, in full:

Care & Maintenance

Clean before the material sets

Plaster, render and mortar are far easier to remove wet than cured, and a build-up of set material on this tool destroys the very thing you bought it for: a true edge and a clean profile. Clean the tool at the end of every working session, and wipe it between passes on fine ornamental work.

Rust protocol if the blade is carbon steel

Blade steel grade: contact us. If the blade is carbon steel, treat it as follows:

1. Wash off all plaster, mortar and compound with clean water and a stiff brush immediately after use.
2. Dry the tool completely; do not leave it wet in a bucket or a closed bag.
3. Wipe a light film of machine oil over the blades and shank before storage.
4. Store dry. Carbon steel can show brown spotting within hours in damp conditions if it is not oiled.

Edge condition

Dress nicks and burrs with a fine stone and keep the original shape; take particular care on the leaf point, where over-dressing changes the profile the tool produces.

Storage