Rustnstuff: Functional works

Showing posts with label Functional works. Show all posts

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Off to market

Over the weekend I had to get the the Tea Caddy Leafspoons and the Coffee Measuring spoons completed so they could be sent to Myrtleford Victoria and be there before Easter.

Well after a big effort, and help from Fiona in the riveting process, I managed to get 12 Tea Caddy Leafspoons and 10 Coffee Measuring Spoons completed (plus a couple of casualties that can't go to market).

Fiona also assisted in choosing the 6 Tea Caddy Spoons and 6 Coffee Measuring Spoons below that will be express posted to Myrtleford tomorrow. The coffee measuring spoons deliver about 7gms of ground coffee as a rounded heaped spoon.

Riveting the small twisted brass handles to the small bowls of the Coffee Measuring Spoons was a real challenge. Metal on metal on metal resulted in the bits slipping at different stages of the drilling and riveting process. I could not have done it without Fiona's extra set of hands; and even then it was a challenge. There are some commissions one is happy to have completed.

Sunday, March 26, 2017

A whole lot of hammering

Today I got to finish a couple of rings I have been working on - a commission - I will share this somewhere down the track.

And then I changed over to perfecting the prototype of the bowls for the coffee measuring spoons so I could go into production.

I found that 'sinking' the bowls in a metal form was leaving marks on the metal; and hammering them in one direction did not integrate the marks into the bowl. So I hammered in the direction of the marks and was able to incorporate them into the final product.

I marked up all the rough formed bowls (and the couple of prototype); and got into hammering. I calculated that in hammering the 14 small bowls (about 45mm across) I did about 5,000 to 6,000 hammer strokes. The bowls are now ready for grinding and polishing.

I also played with streamlining the forming of the handles including length of brass rod. I that worked out now.

I think I will feel the result of all that hammering in my hands and forearms tomorrow - still a good achievement.

Friday, March 25, 2016

Trash to functional treasure

I had an unusual request - could I make some interesting garden plot name stakes-signs. They needed to be something that had a bit of interest in their shape, colour, material etc.

In my metal stash I had an old very patinated, worn and dirty brass tray. I decided that if I cut it into wedges like a pie it would produce interesting triangles with a curved top. I could stamped the words on two ledges using 10mm plumbers metal stamps. And the backside (which is the front of the tray) would have the beauty of the worn pattern. Basically I was simply adopting the existing shapes and design of the tray and repurposing them in the new design.

I think they have worked out well - quite a funky thing to have in the garden as a functional ornament.

Friday, March 6, 2015

Functional hammered metal

Over the last week I have been working on a serious stash of ladles - possibly destined for a funky food store in the Melbourne area.

I wanted to make quite a number to give the store owners the chance to see a range of ladles that can be used for different purposes - hopefully to give some choice if they wanted to purchase some ladles for retail sale.

In the end I made 18 ladles. I completed the task today. All the ladles are made from recycled silver-plated EPNS - small trays; or goblets; or butter dishes; or lids; or drink coasters. The handles are made from new brass rod of various gauges or very heavy gauge copper wire.

They were mainly made in threes.

I think the shallow ladles are great for serving curries.

Though there were a couple of deeper soup ladles made from repurposed and stake hammered silver-plated EPNS cups.

And a single ladle that ended up with a central copper rivet to close off the hole on what was one a silver-plated EPNS lid.

The stash is now complete; and ready for consideration by the prospective client. I'll send some of the photos off to them.

It is now time to get ready to head out to dinner with friends.

Friday, November 7, 2014

Restocking

Quite a bit of my making effort recently has gone into making pieces to restock Maleny Additions. They sold out of Leafspoons and Leaf Letter Openers - which I restocked; and then was told they were all but out of Ladles. So I was off to the garage-studio and hammered up a storm; or at least a stash of Ladles as you can see from the photo below - 11 ladles in all.

All shapes and sizes appeared from the anvil, hammers and stakes. And as you can see different types of handles from straight brass rod; recycled silver-plated EPNS tray handles - some with a bit of twist; and twisted copper and brass wire. All handles are riveted to the ladle bowls with copper rivets. All ladles are made from recycled materials.

Fiona and I applied her swing tags to 6 of the ladles and delivered them to Maleny additions. It means I have a bit of stock in the gallery shop in the shed.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Found and reformed

When I'm making Ladles I often start by taking bowl like objects and cutting them down; and then reforming them to suit the sort of ladle I'm making. It can be a small silver-plated liquor 'glass' for a small chocolate or sweet sauce ladle; a silver-plated coaster for a shallow sauce ladle; or a larger silver-plated goblet for soup ladles. Original patterns are hammered over but still show through though a little softer.

All these objects get annealed and seriously hammered on a stake with my Japanese style handmade raising hammer; and then they are planished with the polished flat faced panel beating hammer.

Ready for grinding and polishing over at the shed.

Looking good on the polishing bench.

And even better on the rust pile.

And a bunch of handles from trays will be straightened and reformed for the ladle handles that will be riveted to the bowl forms.

A production process I know - but it produces unique functional pieces with the maker's mark on them.

Friday, May 16, 2014

This and that

Today included some starts and some finishes. In the finishing department I finished: a small bowl; my Steampunk lamp; and a ladle for Fiona. In the starting department I started: a Steampunk pen-brush holder; and a bunch of brass and copper leaves for an up coming event.

The bowl was made from a small ornate plate (about 12-15cm in diameter) with a pressed pattern of flowers and leaves. I sweated the base off and after annealing it I sunk it, hammered the inside on the anvil and them planished the back on a stake. The end product I was going for was a simple beautiful hammered bowl in which you could still see the underlying original pressed pattern.

I finished the Steampunk lamp by adding some additional decorative bits, wiring it up and testing it. And yes it does work; and no nothing shorted out. I will however have it fully checked by a licensed electrician.

Recently Fiona offered up a ladle I had given her. A friend wanted a present urgently and wanted a ladle with interest. Today I made a similar ladle. Note the company mark on the soldering iron head - JS. We think not means 'just a soup ladle'.

The Steampunk pen-brush holder is being made from a discarded blowtorch. I intend to have a sealed off section on either side of the blowtorch element to hold the pens-brushes. I could not finish this piece off as I have set the copper sides of sealed section in cold epoxy - which will probably take a day or two to set.

And at the end of the day I finished cutting and forming a stash of leaves. The photo shows the leaves drying on the annealing pit.

Looking back I did get quite a few bits and pieces done on this art Friday. Time now to think about creating a couple of pizzas to be accompanied by a glass of red.

Rustnstuff

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