Small metal boats and patinated leaves

 Creativity has taken a couple of forms over the weekend - finishing some small metal boats; and making a couple of stashes of larger copper leaves.

The finished boats are in the opening photo; and a couple of process photos below.

I'm making two sets of copper leaves: one set from cleaner meta; and one set from heavy and brown patinated metal from an old copper washing boiler. Photo of the ones from the cleaner metal is below - patinated and ready for final grind before going into DEP shop.

 on stalksThe second set will become a Bending sculptural piece - with 15 leaves. Process photos follow.

Mixed bag of a weekend but good outcomes. 

The little things

 

As Fiona and I get closer to departing for Scotland there always seem to be those little tasks that pop up and need doing before we head off. Over the last couple of days this included: making a replacement key hole front for an acquaintance; painting workshop stools so that they might be used in public as part of Celebrating Books Maleny; and totally cleaning my workspace in readiness for holding an informal  half day metal workshop with a couple of visitors.

The opening photo shows the wee key hole cover - the original  which was very flimsy and the one I made. A few process photos follow. The task took 1.5-2 hours as it included some fiddly cutting, filing and grinding. The piece is about 2.5cm long.

The refurbished stools.

And the tidy-clean workshop - including the work bench with some metal and prototypes in readiness for the metal workshop.

There will be many more such little things to do before departing I'm sure.

Progressing sails and hulls; and testing new fixing arrangement

 

As I have said in an earlier blog post doing multiples in metal can be tedious and time consuming. I am making process with the sails - a stack of 100 cut and ground blanks above.

I have started to drill holes in the blanks for the mast to go through - see below. I'm doing this before I anneal and form (hammer) the sails.

I also wanted to test a new more stable but detachable way of fixing the boats to mesh - photos below. As you can see the new design clips around one strand of mesh and over the adjacent strand.

Because I got bored and my arm got tired  with drilling holes for masts I made a start on folding the metal for the hulls. I have worked out that I can use a groove in my aluminium vase jaws to bend the blanks in half - saves a lot of hammering on the anvil.

The copper patina on some of the hull blanks is gorgeous.

This and that

The blog post is as the title says - a bit of this and that: started production of functional pieces; finished some earrings and pendants; sorted and packed a bunch of letterpress stuff to go out into the world; and tested a button maker. 

The production of ladles (roughly formed ladle bowls above), leaf spoons, tea caddy spoons and pate knives started with cutting up metal.

The smelted-melted pieces for earrings and pendants were drilled, ground, polished and assembled.

There was quite an array of stuff I sorted to send out into the world.

I assembled and tested a button maker. Next step is to print the subject matter and make buttons.

All in all a busy couple of days - but also fun.

Word books and a Christmas related poster

 

I got to finish seven small (4.5cmX3.5cm) riveted silver-plate metal books with inspirational words stamped on the middle page. The photo above is looking down on the riveted pages on the dining table through one of Fiona's flower arrangements before taking them to the workshop for grinding, polishing and opening.

Books - ground and polished; opening the books; and seven books opened on the anvil. I use an oyster knife and a bone paper folder to open the books in the vice.

The seven books on timber.

Two different takes on a mini-poster for Christmas - about calmness - maybe helped with wine - who knows.

The posters were a bit of fun. I love the blue ink - you can't see it but the posters are printed on pale relaxing blue 300gsm paper.

Product off to market

I managed to finish stashes of product to send off to Entangle and Maleny Additions; and also a bunch of leaves and Peace Leaves for giving away.

First the leaves and Peace Leaves on rust - just because I love the contrast of the silver against the beautiful rich rust background.

©2017 Barry Smith 

©2017 Barry Smith 

The work and grinding-polishing benches can often look quite full when one is doing quantities of stuff.

©2017 Barry Smith 

©2017 Barry Smith 

The final pieces looked good.

©2017 Barry Smith  - Leafspoons on sandstone

©2017 Barry Smith - Leaf Pate Knives on rust

©2017 Barry Smith  - Swing tags by Fiona

©2017 Barry Smith  - Swing tags by Fiona

It is strange that I often don't think that making 'product' is about art; and yet the folk who buy the individual pieces often remark how they love the unique, creative and handmade nature of the pieces.

Leaf Sculptures finished

©2015 Barry Smith -  Rust wall, copper patina and leaf forms

As indicated on Friday I intended to finish the leaf sculpture (Bending 3) for Fiona made from the recycled leaves fro the Leaf Spiral post sculpture; and also finish a new version of this sculpture - Bending 4.

A few photos of Bending 3 installed at the entrance to our house. It looks like it just belongs there. I can see why Fiona was not so keen to sell the last version (Bending 2).

©2015 Barry Smith - Bending 3 installed at the entrance to the house

If you look closely you can see the nail holes where the leaves were attached to the post.

And we have installed three leaves on the right hand side of the entrance - connects well to the set of 14 on the left hand (as you enter).

©2015 Barry Smith - Bending 3 installed at the entrance to the house

©2015 Barry Smith - Three outriders from Bending 3 - elegant I think

The new version (Bending 4) has 15 leaves in all. The leaves are slightly smaller (about 220mm long). Bending 4 will stay out in the open curing - it has no sealant over the patina.

©2015 Barry Smith - Bending 4 - curing

©2015 Barry Smith - Bending 4 - detail - shadow play

©2015 Barry Smith - Leaf shadows

It takes a bit of time to make these installations - not only the forming and working and applying the patina to the leaf forms; but also cutting and forming the rods and then riveting the leaves onto the rods with solid copper rivets. I was pleased with this as a weekend outcome.