Shiny things!!!!

 

Yes the above photo seems similar to one from a week ago; but I can assure you that many steps have been completed to take the rough products to this finished, polished shiny stage. 

The objects have had the back of their bowl sections planished on metal stakes; all edges ground and leaves and bowls shaped; and the pieces given three polishing - two by wheel (one brass wire wheel) and one by hand. They are now ready for their swing tags and market.

Some process photos follow.

A couple of the finished pieces.

In all there are 18 objects - half most likely will go to Scotland and half to Maleny Additions.

Finally a bit of workshop time

 

I think it has been about two months since I have been able to get into the workshop to hammer and grind some metal because of infected wounds and virus. As you can see from the opening photo I progressed some product (leafspons, tea caddy spoons and leaf pate or spreading knives).

When finished some of these might go to a local shop and some might head to Scotland to be part of our local pop-up exhibition. 

I reacquainted myself with tools and forms I made and use for making product including my thumb print groove in a piece of hardwood. I had to grind a few of the tools to remove rust that had built up from lack of use and our recent wet weather.

A few more process photos follow.

Though I felt a bit weary after the session in the workshop it was great to be back on the tools again. I might get back to finish these pieces over the next couple of days.

Request for product

 

As the title of the blog post says I had a request for a range of my leaf related items including Leaf-spoons, Leaf Tea Caddy Spoons, Leaf Knives-spreaders and small patinated copper leaves. Leaf-spoons and Leaf Tea Caddy Spoons above.

I managed to get them done during the week and delivered them this morning. So I will see where this goes in the next little while. Some photos of each of the items follow.

A few process photos are included below.

It has been a while since I have made pieces for a local outlet.

Product and more product

 

I have been making leaf form product for a couple of markets - locally and overseas - so the quantise are reasonably significant. 

Today I started and finished 12 leaf teaspoons as you can see in the opening photo.

I tagged spreading leaf knives and tea caddy spoons as you can see below.

Following are some process photos from today's effort.

I'm a bit tired at the end of the day; but also happy that I got this work done.

This and that

 

Saturday was spent in the DEP studio-gallery-shop. As well as attending to customers I set and printed a postcard regarding the importance of seeing and holding on to fragments of beauty in dark times. The words we by John O'Donuhue. I used a 24pt script type - the lowercase is quite small - took a bit of time to compose. You might be able to pick up a typo that I didn't pick up until I had finished printing and cleaned up and put the type away.

Today I managed to finish the last of the leaf tea caddy spoons and leaf teaspoons. The metal working gloves on the bench have just about seen their day.

I also cut up and annealed about 30 largish copper blanks for a future project; and cut and sanded 3 hardwood cubes for another future project. Both those projects will be revealed at a later date. Turned out to be a full weekend.

Functional pieces

 

I sell quite a few of my functional items (ladles, leaf spoons, leaf pate knives, leaf tea caddy spoons) through one of our local shops - Maleny Additions. Apparently they have had a bit of demand for my bits and pieces recently and asked me to replace stock - so that is what happened today - production. 

I quite like the photo above showing a stash of leaf tea caddy spoons after the first couple of stages of production. I like how they are nestled together.

My aim is to make at least: 7 leaf tea caddy spoons; 7 leaf teaspoons; and 7 leaf pate knives. The process photos below show I made quite a bit of progress.

But  I only got the 7 pate knives finished.

More work to be done on Sunday.

Metal on the workbench

©2020 Barry Smith - Stash of leaf pate knives made from metal cut from recycled vintage trays - ground and polished Leaf Pate Knives on the workbench

As you might be aware I have had quite a stash of metal on my work bench. I have been concurrently progressing: ladles, tea-caddy spoons, leaf-spoons and leaf pate knives. I completed the ladles last week; so this weekend I have attempted to get some of the other three finished.

As you can see from the opening photo I did manage to get the Leaf Pate Knives finished; and  the last photos shows the Leaf Tea-caddy Spoons were also finished.

Process photos follow.

©2020 Barry Smith - Leaf Pate Knives - formed and ready for grinding and polishing

©2020 Barry Smith - Leaf-spoons - leaf section formed

©2020 Barry Smith - Leaf-spoons - bowl section hammered - ready for grinding and polishing

©2020 Barry Smith - Polishing the leaf section of a Tea-caddie Spoon with a brass wire brush

Tea caddie spoons were also given a good grinding and polish.

©2020 Barry Smith - Leaf Tea-caddy Spoons 

These functional pieces of metal art shall make their way in to my website shop in the very near future.