Mindful Metal books

 

I tend to categorise the above small silver-plated metal books in both my Mindful Metal and Artists' Books online shop categories because they have both function and form.

From a function perspective, because each small book (about 4.5cm high, 3.7cm wide and 2.5cm across page opening) has a word stamped on the centre page, each is meant to encourage contemplation on or holding onto that word of the action it invokes. Each book could be used as part of meditation; or sit beside one's bed or computer to encourage a gentle focus on the word. Because each book is unique and hand made from silver-plate from salvaged placemats I also see then as small 3D artists' books - small sculptural pieces.

A few process photos follow. I usually tape the three book leaves together to hold them firm when I drill and rivet the book leaves together.

A couple more photos of four of the completed books follow.

At least one of each of the books (shine, love, hope and dream) can be found in my online shop. 

Behind the scene - making Daily Leaf Words sets.

 

Some folk ask how long it takes me to make different metal items. I mostly;y wander that I don't know because I don't time it. But what I do know that to make sets of Daily Leaf Words, as pictured in the images above and below, involves many steps over 4-5 sessions in the  workshop.

Some images of some steps involved follow. From the top down - from finished leaves at the top and the starting point of cut rectangular metal blanks: 

leaf forms ground and polished on the wheel; bowls hammered into shape with nylon and wooden hammers; disks of silver-plated metal annealed before hammering; leaf forms given a twist; tools used to open leaf forms in three stages; stash of folded leaf forms cut on the guillotine; leaf form being cut on the guillotine - watch your fingers; rectangular leaf blanks cut, stamped and folded.

The Daily Leaf Word sets shown in this blog are heading into my revamped online shop at as part of my Mindful Metal shop category.

Words to live life by?

 

I'm making four sets of Daily Leaf Words and 12 small metal books for my online shop. After cutting the leaf pieces and the 'pages' for the small metal books I grabbed a bit of time to stamp the words on: seven words on the Daily Leaf Words and four on the books.

The opening image shows the stash of stamped metal for the word leaves.

Below are the 'pages' for the books with stamped centre page.

A few more process photos follow. I love the images of the metal stamps and the stamped word "wonder".

When time permits the leaf metal will be folded and cut into their leaf shape etc etc - several more steps to go yet. The book pages will be riveted into their book forms after polishing and grinding. I will blog on the Daily Leaf Words and the small Metal Books when they are ready for the shop.

Beautiful salvaged metal

 

Two different aspects of salvaged metal in this post: metal from salvaged trays -platters; and recycling precious metal.

First - turning the salvaged trays metal into beautiful bowls that eventually will hold sets of Fiona's rainbow daily words. I just love the lustre of the bowl in the opening photo - 13cm in diameter and 2.5cm deep. It was made from a very worn out vintage silver-plated copper platter. The silver in the centre of the platter had been totally polished-worn away. On the edge of the bowl you can see a faint rim of silver; and the back still has a good silver coat - see below.

Some process photos below - including the other 3 bowls on the go.

In my future art life I will no longer make jewellery from found objects etc. I am exploring the possibility of making a limited range of jewellery from silver plate. In preparation for that exploration today I did a high temperature (925 degrees) metal melt of many bits and pieces of silver including short lengths of chain, Fiona's silver wire and silver plate offcuts and other bits and pieces I had collected over the year. I pored the molten metal into a steel form to create sheets that are about 1.5mm thick. In all I ended up with 130gms of silver plate.

Below - silver in the graphite crucible in the furnace; the steel form; and the sheets of silver.

New beginnings for and from salvaged metal.

Mindful metal - hearts and stars

 

There was not a lot of time for making this weekend as Fiona and I have been sorting and sifting stuff, purchasing storage boxes and making up Ikea as part of our transition from our public studio-shop.

I did make some time to melt some metal to make some hearts and stars as you can see from the opening and following photo. 

You might ask why I have used the term mindful metal in the title of this blog post. In a recent conversation with Fiona it came to me that one of the aspects of my metal work was making bits that supported quietness, a focus for daily living or just wishing folk gentleness in their lives. 

The metal work I sell takes the form of Daily Leaf Word sets; trios of silver-plated leave with inspirational words stamped on them, Meditation-Insense Bowls, Memory Keeper Bowls. However, I also have mindful metal I give away - metal hearts with go gently stamped on the back and stars. 

Recently there has been a bit more of a need to give more hearts and stars away so I was glad to get a bit of time to replenish my stash. Progress photos follow.

Go gently hearts are a simple way to wish people well; and stars to remind us all to shine.

Sometimes the metal speaks

 

The metal I cut from the humble vintage laundry copper (see earlier blog here) spoke of creating simple bowls that, whilst rustic in form, were to serve sacred roles.  

As you can see from the image above and immediately below I have made a simple Meditation or Incense Bowl and a Memory Keeper Bowl. The bowls are about 14cm in diameter and 3 cm deep.

As seen in the photo the Meditation-Insence Bowl is a set - a bowl, a copper stand and a brass incense holder. The Memory Keeper Bowl is a single simple bowl. Both bowls have been given a coat of varnish so that the copper patina does not stain timber or fabric when in use. I think the images show why each piece is given its name.

As you can see from the image below both bowls started as circles of patinated copper cut from the salvaged patinated laundry copper metal.

The copper stand was cut from a salvaged 5cm round copper pipe; and the incense burner was cut from a salvaged hexagonal length of brass. 

Following are some additional images of both bowls.

These bowls are part of my mindful metal works and join other the mindfulness works of mine such as the Daily Word Leaf Sets.