THE GOLDEN SMITH

Kitchen Conversation

2012-02-06T22:52:00.000+11:00

David: Hey, you know what I think is great?
Alice: Oh! I was just about to say; "hey you know what I think is great?"!
David: You go first.
Alice: ....our dishwashing system!
David: I was going to say "The Beatles"

Test

2012-02-06T21:08:00.000+11:00

Gold Sunrise

2012-02-02T22:50:00.003+11:00

So... I made a 22k gold version of the Sunrise ring. I think it would make a beautiful wedding ring.

Here's some of the process. It has been made in a slightly different manner to the brass version.
I completely forged it from a lump of gold- that is, the shape and the thickness of the ring were made by hammering alone, rather than by sawing or filing. There is a small amount of copper in 22k- that's why it sometimes goes black under high temperatures. The copper rises to the surface and oxidises. I simply soak it in warm citric acid, which dissolves this fine layer, and then gold gleams through again!

And then I fused* the ends into a band. So there was very little lemel* and no flux* fumes.

It takes a little longer to hammer it out this way, and the result is more rustic, but in a good way.

*sorry for the jargon:
Fused means to join the parts by melting the surfaces together (not the usual method of joining).
Lemel is precious metal dust, or filings (this sounds like it might be a yiddish word (?) can anyone help with the etymology?)
Flux (Latin for flow) is a substance that aids the flow of molten metals.

Bangle Calligraphy

2012-02-01T13:51:00.000+11:00

Custom version of Ulno bangle; iron and 22k gold

Yes You May

2012-02-01T11:11:00.002+11:00

Eyes Ring is now available in The Golden Smith Shop

About time too!

2012-01-30T20:47:00.001+11:00

I was having a productive morning... when I received a letter in the "mail". How delightful!

But when I opened it, it turned out to be a bill from "The Bank" for $11,100,006!

So I quickly minted the first installment. "The Bank" was rather chuffed.

*Actually I did study at RMIT- as did Stuart Devlin who designed the real Australian coins (+ those of 36 other countries)- Above is the old 1 cent piece. Can you just see the tiny "S.D"? Perhaps I'd better lift my numismatic game.

** To that end; I'm seriously on the hunt for a FLY PRESS- does any one have one for sale / know of one?

Please Please do let me know. Australia only. It looks like this:

Or even this:

Other Gold

2012-01-30T10:53:00.003+11:00

Bon Papa brought some comb honey around- apparently he's keeping a hive at my Grandparent's house nearby.This stuff looks pretty free-form. I love comb honey the best- I think there are some delicate floral flavours that start to disappear as soon as the wax cell is broken open. So it MUST still have the cap on top if you're buying any. Whereas, supermarket honey is heat-treated and filtered- not nearly as subtle and complex.

Picture Story

2012-01-27T11:57:00.002+11:00

My wife Alice has had Pinocchio since she was a kid. His feet got lost, (as did his alternative nose) so I made him some new ones! They should be gloss black I suppose...

Love and Paper

2012-01-25T11:42:00.002+11:00

A recent commission for his and hers 22k gold wedding bands. Congratulations R and J- Best wishes to a beautiful couple!

The brief was kind of challenging; crinkled paper texture on the surface, but thicker than actual paper and both rings to be cut from the same block (but different finger sizes...). I began by making a textured strip, parted that into two widths, then bent up the rings from those.

And then the join....! Now, how would you make an invisible join with an irregular texture? What I did was make a scarf joint, cut on a steep angle, which meant that the join had an irregular line on the face of the ring, that gets hidden in the crinkley texture. The solder used was ≈20k gold, with a slightly higher copper-to-silver ratio for a near-invisible colour match. ( I was not game to try fusion here- the texture would get melted...) The soldering had to be super-careful and the amount precisely judged, because I would not be able to clean up any excess from the face of the ring without damaging the texture...
Can you picture that?
No, its near-invisible.

Now

2012-01-23T21:44:00.000+11:00

Pine Needles pendant is now available in the shop.

Flat Knot

2012-01-23T21:29:00.003+11:00

Flat-knotted flax bracelet with whale bone toggle- I made this sometime around 1998. The whale bone was found on a Tasmanian beach. It was definitely a whale(!) From memory I wast trying to replicate some part of a chinese(?) scroll-box that I had admired.

I keep seeing flat-knotted bracelets lately, but made from 6ft of paracord- must be a survival thing- I blame Bear Grylls. But the people wearing them are not eating scorpions.

2012-01-23T08:02:00.002+11:00

Cut free

Sunrise...

2012-01-16T22:35:00.002+11:00

...or Sunset Ring.
For the occaision of New Beginnings.
(good riddance to 2011-what a biffer!)
Or maybe you just like sunshine.
Brass version in the shop now.
(I will gladly do a gold version- just ask!)

Draw a Bike

2012-01-14T13:24:00.002+11:00

I've started a collection of bicycle-rider drawings- that I ask people to draw for me on-the-spot.
A bicycle-rider is a tricky kind of arrangement of tubes and wheels and legs that people find hard to remember and visualise... so the drawings are often naïve and vigourous.
What did Kandisnsky say?
"A naïve rendering of an objects outter shell will reveal a greater truth about that object".
Or words to that effect.
This one was drawn by my Mum.
How do you like those wheel clearances, you track fiends?
(pity about the rip... I quite like this one and now we'll never know how she resolved the handle bars)

Climbing

2012-01-12T09:38:00.002+11:00

Hey, Tree Climber is up to something like 1,469 notes on Tumblr... not bad...
I guess I should probably maybe try... selling them?
Its an earring, actually, but I could do a pendant or badge too.
Argh! I need some sort of... retail manager? Shop?

Pendants

2012-01-09T18:40:00.001+11:00

This afternoon the hammer sang;

Three Pine Needles pendants.

Forged brass.

On a chain... or string?

Which do you think?

Window problem

2012-01-09T11:44:00.000+11:00

The abbreviated window is really frustrating me!

Grandmother's Axe?

2012-01-07T17:02:00.000+11:00

Remember when my Nana gave that Seiko watch?—oh, wait... maybe you werent here for that...
Anyway, Nana gave me a watch which had a metal band that I wasnt into, so I swapped it for a webbing strap. Then I un-polished the case. And then I jumped into the deep end of customisation and changed the face and hands!
That was pretty tricky, especially the second hand; its titchy.
Thanks to Harold from Yobokies for the goods.
So... its kind of a ~~grandfather's~~ grandmother's axe , so to speak, but it is still the same watch.
Don't tell Nana- its better if she hears it from me.

2012-01-07T10:22:00.000+11:00

Fan of Fans

2012-01-06T09:47:00.001+11:00

It was 40º (104º Farenheit) in here Melbourne the other day, and we needed a fan in the house.
So we bought a Delonghi, (bottom) which is ok to look at, being all metal. But it sounds like a B-52 roaring past. Maybe there are too many tines in the guard for the air to rush over? Maybe the edge of the blade is too thin, making it swoosh like a sword?
I dont know, but I do wonder if the classic Peter Behrens AEG ventilator is as quiet as it is iconic?
Somehow I think so. I see the early version has no guard at all!

Eyes Ring

2012-01-05T23:56:00.001+11:00

Eyes In Your Size

Looker

2012-01-04T22:52:00.000+11:00

Eyes Ring!
This is a raw casting in silver... tomorrow I'll burnish it.

Texta-Spoke Bangle

2012-01-04T09:40:00.000+11:00

Collaboration with Esmé. Texta bodies and a bicycle spoke

spikey

2012-01-03T13:21:00.000+11:00

Saw this echidna down at Walkerville - making a run for it. The spines are hard, but not that sharp. And they dont shoot out or anything. ( I know because I did give it a pat!!)

Signal storage

2011-12-29T11:01:00.001+11:00

You can send messages with these, for instance; "U-R-A-Q-T" or "N-E-1-4-10-S?"

Danger

2011-12-28T18:17:00.000+11:00

Alice: "Oh- that looks dangerous- must be a Serra..."
David: "Heh. Yeah... its called.... Shovel Plate Prop?"

Color Tips

2011-12-27T12:53:00.000+11:00

Wherein Jonathan wades through thick questions with sprezzatura, and gives colour combo tips.

Silversmith

2011-12-27T11:36:00.000+11:00

This silversmith is using very simple tools to raise very dynamic forms ( up and in and out etc)- starting from a flat sheet. The vessels in the back have very high sides. To achieve this, the sheet metal will be contracted ( ie thickened)- its pretty tricky- requiring skill, patience and hand strength. ( I recall several fellow students with jarred wrists- perhaps more than hand strength, a balanced, clever way of holding the work and striking needs to be developed)
Yes, these days such forms can be pressed or spun on big CNC machines, but the qualities of a hand-raised vessel are wonderous, with subtly modulated surfaces.

Gradients and Arcs

2011-12-26T10:35:00.000+11:00

This is by Hiroshige isnt it?

Pretty sure. Made in the 1800's I'd guess. This hanga really astonishes me.

The gradients are pretty typical for Hiroshige, usually he used them for the sky etc- but here they sing;

in the sky and sea (cut obliquely by the shore) and in green-white-red rainbow; and rhymed with the watermelon rinds- plus the arc of the cart-wheel

To say nothing of the broken sandal and shy puppies!

Mesmerising...

(man, why didnt I buy it!)

Onchi | Onzi

2011-12-26T10:10:00.000+11:00

So why did he call himself Onzi? Funny romaji?

old

2011-12-15T17:54:00.002+11:00

I made this print when I was 17. I had discovered sosaku hanga (japanese, artist-cut and printed woodblocks from the 20th c.) Special favorites then (and still) were Azechi and Onchi, as you know by now.

Sonar?

2011-12-14T23:11:00.002+11:00

Goldsmiths in India. They call them Sonar I think.
Have a close look at what's going on here.
No gas torch, ( the guy in front has a little brazier of coals, he is blowing through a pipe to make it hotter for soldering) also no sheet rollers, no bench, no chair, no wall...

The Wanderer

2011-12-13T12:21:00.000+11:00

The lady in the pith helmet is my great great aunt Violet. She was among the first women drivers in Australia- here she is off on a jaunt to the outback. No air-con, in 40+ degree heat (100+Farenheit)
Still, "The Wanderer" looks like a pretty cool van! She collected some amazing Aboriginal artefacts on this trip- which I did marvel over- like amazing spearheads flaked from glass- most were donated to a museum when she died.

Examples of Bottle-glass spear heads now in the Oxford collection (here) So carefully made!

Not as dashing as Aunt Violet in her safari kit- but possibly more comfortable- Alice and I in the Outback.
It is Vast and Far Away ( the clue is in the name)

Pharaoh and the Box Hill students

2011-12-12T09:18:00.001+11:00

Pharaoh visits the Box Hill TAFE student's jewellery exhibition:

Pharaoh: What is this place?!

Guest Speaker: Err...Thousand Pound Bend

Pharaoh: Those words make no sense to me!

(he looks around)

.. all this traesure- it must be a tomb! Oh no- am I in a tomb?!-- already?!

Guest Speaker: No no, its ok, its not a tomb... its an exhibition

Pharaoh: It must be a treasure room then!

Let me look at all this jewellery- very unusual... there's a lot of silver...not really any gold...

Guest Speaker: Well, you see, they are students, and...

Pharaoh:SILENCE insolent dog!! ...I do get bored of gold actually-
-I happen to like silver-- it reminds me of...those moonlight nights by the Nile, ahh... how we danced..........

Guest Speaker: ahem

Pharaoh: Tell me, TELL ME! Who, WHO made these amazing jewells?

Guest Speaker: Ah, Box Hill TAFE students

Pharaoh: "Bogzil Tayef-Stuzenz"?!?....Strange name... he IS clever though

Guest Speaker: Actually its not a "he", its a group of talented new jewellers form this town called "Melbourne"

Pharaoh: Oh Ho! New talent! ...You know, once I conquered Ethiopia- and I took all the best jewellers back with me to Egypt...that was a great idea- so i will take back one of these "stuzenz" with me!

I will take.... Lauren Pitt!

Ok?

Guest Speaker: Um, I dunno man, Im just the guest speaker

Pharaoh: Humph! I'm done with you "Thu-gez Peaka"- farewell!

shop

2011-12-08T06:57:00.001+11:00

I will be away from the 18th of December until the 1st of January.
The Golden Smith Shop will stay open over this time, but no shipping 'til January.
So if you'd like to receive your order before the 18th of December;
please place your order now...

Bon Papa

2011-12-07T21:09:00.000+11:00

Two pictures made by my Dad in the 70's- which I have kept.
-A weed. I think he likes certain 'weeds'. So do I.
-My sister and I eating. I am wearing a hat and have a cool shirt.
It looks like peas, but I highly doubt we are eating peas- its probably jelly.

This image is a nautical placeholder

2011-12-04T17:00:00.001+11:00

Freewheelin' Beehive

2011-12-03T13:37:00.001+11:00

Saw this wild beehive at the Royal Botanic Gardens, thanks to Esmé and Joseph for showing me.
Not a good pic- its that yellowy blob in the middle of the pic, which is the wax combs with bees crawling all over it. This is pretty unusual- usually the bees would find a hollow tree or building to nest in, but this colony is just flapping in the breeze. Sadly, the other side of the comb has been harpooned with several different projectiles- thoughtless louts! Some think that beekeeping is cruel- but it certainly provides the bees with an ideal home...
(though perhaps the rent—payable in honey— is high !)

Lego

2011-12-02T09:02:00.002+11:00

Rosalie Gascoigne meets Lego at our place?

this time, gold

2011-11-30T20:27:00.004+11:00

Ulno Bangle, now available on my webshop.

I dared myself—to make a gold bangle- as simply as possible.
For some reason, sometimes it takes courage just to do something simply- I worry that it may not be 'enough'.
But here, I think it is. Something beautiful and robust that you could wear everyday.
Let me know if you'd like one.

And for some reason, when I try to make something simply, it often takes much longer than I think!
In this case I tapered the wire very slightly, 1mm at the terminals, 1.5mm at the nadir- just for a bit of subtle dynamics. I did this by rolling the wire between massive slabs of iron, at a slight angle. This tapering could be achieved with a hammer, I suppose, but would result in a more planished look (planes of hammer-marks)- and besides I wanted to try the massive slabs.

iron—gold

2011-11-29T08:57:00.000+11:00

The Clue is in the name

2011-11-22T23:30:00.000+11:00

Rest your eyes.

press this button:

Dive

2011-11-22T17:03:00.000+11:00

Brancusi's Golden Bird changes course.

Always Be Knolling

2011-11-16T08:44:00.000+11:00

The best of Tom Sach's 10 Bullets (I think) and turning into a bit of a household phrase (for me anyway)
ie; *pointing to an extraordinary mess of toys, clothes and books*:
"Knoll that, Tom Sachs!!"
or just "Tom Sachs!!!!!)

Le Tigre

2011-11-14T18:21:00.000+11:00

E.Neale, at age 4.

2011-11-10T16:16:00.002+11:00

Leafy Gold Ring

2011-11-09T22:41:00.001+11:00

This is the beginning of a gold ring that I make.
I melted the end very slightly, to round it off any sharpness.
That's when the rainbow appeared.

The other side (which will become the inside of the ring) is burnished. I'm getting into burnishing. You don't remove any material, just rub it smooth with a piece of haematite.

I cleaned off the pesky (tho' pretty) rainbow.

Lastly, I bend it round.
And now its a ring.

Princess

2011-11-09T10:30:00.000+11:00

Color Field

2011-11-07T21:28:00.000+11:00

I see a Rothko here- better even.

Thingo

2011-11-06T15:58:00.001+11:00

Who?

2011-11-04T12:44:00.000+11:00

I dont remember who this guy is, but he's evidently pretty good at chasing and repoussé.
And could afford this kind of portraiture.
Nice hammer.

superellipse

2011-11-02T16:23:00.002+11:00

Jewellery by Warwick Freeman. Shell and Bone.
This shape is called a superellipse or a Lamé curve, depending on how you feel about it.

Oji at Mr Kitly

2011-11-01T17:26:00.001+11:00

Conversation with Masanori Oji at Mr Kitly:
Me: Have you been to Australia before?
Oji-san: First time! You come to Mr Kitly before?
Me: First time!

*Nodding/ smiling*

Yep, finally got across town to Mr Kitly. Neat! Nice to meet Bree in person, albeit briefly.
Acquired Oji-san's trivet.
Sugoi desu ne?
And it does resonate very clearly when struck, too; "ding-wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo....."
I think the company that produces Oji's brass designs make bells and such also (Futagami).

2011-10-27T22:13:00.002+11:00

Soup in the beard

2011-10-27T09:14:00.000+11:00

Norman Lindsay (For J.)

Note: Lindsay was great at shoes

Gimme Shelter

2011-10-24T12:28:00.000+11:00

Saw this neglected anvil.
Sad, so much potential just going to waste...
Cost about five hundy too.

Twist

2011-10-21T08:04:00.000+11:00

Unremarkable technical prowess and imagination

Bunker Boredom

2011-10-20T18:31:00.000+11:00

Esmé: This bunker is so boring.
Self: It is so boring that it is interesting...
Esmé: Nup

Silver Birch

2011-10-19T10:09:00.000+11:00

Material experiment:

I was rolling an ingot of silver, and soon discovered it to be full of air bubbles.

Usually this is rejected and would be recycled.

I decided to keep rolling it out anyways to see what would happen...

As you keep flattening it out, the bubbles get squashed too, and become lamina (layers).

Then they split and lift.

Then it kind of looked like birch bark, all wrinkly white with black striations.

Interesting.

Yare

2011-10-18T08:54:00.000+11:00

Wooden boats: a beautiful headache

Inverted Cabochon

2011-10-17T09:24:00.003+11:00

I carved out this malachite cabochon so that it dips in!
I don't have a reason. Just coz.
How about a malachite doorbell button?
Might look good on the Taj Mahal... just a tad of green?
Yeah, so...
What if all the tourists at the Taj Mahal had to wear white?
Seems fair. If we were all wearing flouro hats and quick-dry zip-off pants- we'd ruin the scene.
No, I havent been there obviously.
...actually I would probably have gold doorbell button if I lived at the taj mahal...

Moth Sketch

2011-10-16T19:40:00.000+11:00

Rose Petal Jam

2011-10-15T19:34:00.000+11:00

I asked my Nana for her Rose Petal Jam recipe- and she gave me the original.

2nd best jam I've ever had*, totally delicious- try it!

( hmmm. Suddenly I feel like a piece of toast....)

Translated:
4 oz Rose petals (15) ( I guess she means 15 roses??)
½ cup lemon juice
1½cups water
2 cups sugar
pectin "Citrus Hunza"(what is that??)

Put all ingredients except pectin in pan (2" deep)
Stir till sugar dissolved
Bring to boil
Reduce heat, simmer covered for 30 mins
Add pectin, mixed
Bring to boil
simmer 1 min.

*1st Best is Nana's Green Gage Plum Jam –a piquant tongue-sparkling ambrosia,
Worst is Nana's Tomato, Passionfruit and Pineapple Jam- eww! ( my late Grandad's fav‽)

No Hands / Golden Tree

2011-10-14T13:51:00.000+11:00

thanks Fyxo- love this one

Saw Fish Nose

2011-10-13T23:33:00.000+11:00

Professionalism in Graffiti

2011-10-13T18:35:00.001+11:00

"Damien, Sally, Hayley" imbue their graffiti with a certain corporate flavor.

I appreciate the professional touch.

Put a border 'round it people!

Little House in The Big Woods

2011-10-12T19:15:00.002+11:00

Call me a greenhorn dude- but I was thinking this might be a sweet little book to read to E at bedtime.
Well, it is pretty sweet- and cosy too- have you read it?
Learn homesteading skillz such as:
-kill deer, skin, butcher, smoke venison in an old log with hickory
-kill pig, scald off bristles, skin, butcher, inflate bladder, play with as balloon, eat tail, scrape head to make 'head cheese', use left-overs for sausages
-shoot bear, eat that too
This is just from CHAPTER ONE!!!!!!!!!
...Goodnight, E.- sleep tight?
:-/

Geodesic

2011-10-11T21:51:00.000+11:00

Always interested to see how the vertex (joiny bit) has been tackled when I come across a Geodesic Dome. I think thats the hard bit. (Well maybe putting a waterproof skin over the frame is the hardest bit, but thats only if you want to like, live in it, man.)

The old tube-squash-bolt trick works pretty good!
Bucky gets rigorously tested at this park- note bent struts!

Blacksmithed

2011-10-11T13:24:00.000+11:00

Charley / Koaley

2011-10-10T22:26:00.001+11:00

Saw this Koala in the wild, climbed up to get close, balancing on one foot, took the shot- she didnt even blink.

Actually she had a tiny little bub clinging to her but he's all tucked up cosy so's you cant see 'im.

Charley Harper did quite a few Koala pictures, but I havent noticed any other Australian animals.
(Did they have them in the Cincinnati Zoo?)

Anchor

2011-10-10T22:08:00.000+11:00

Lately I've been interested in ironwork, so I was awed by this anchor.
Can't remember the ship it came from- one of the hundreds of wrecks around here.
(The Shipwreck Coast)
The usually unseen internal grain structure of the iron here revealed by corrosion/ conservation- most astonishing!
According to the plaque this weighs 2 tonne and was raised by divers from the sea floor using 14
44-gallon drums of air. (Then what? 14 drums of helium to get it up the cliff?)

(Sailor's Tip for The Shipwreck Coast: the clue is in the name)

Update on the Old Bike

2011-10-03T12:38:00.001+11:00

Getting there with the Healing...
+ Soma bars (too shiny, I agree)
+ Brooks saddle
+ French pedals
=Stealthy!

Click on the bicycle picture in my links bar that says VELO- for some amazing old bikes by CollectVelo

Close

2011-09-29T22:51:00.001+10:00

Silver rays on an Aster Earring

Click on it. Now magnify. Yes, you can see scratches made by 0000 steel wool!

David has acquired a macro lens, so look out, world of smallness!
(dont worry, you'll have had time to scurry away by the time I've learned how to use this thingy)

Focus Group

2011-09-28T09:47:00.016+10:00

Rigorous road-testing of my Pure Silver Baby Spoon...

(No I didn't use a food stylist for this shoot. I was going for gritty realism)

The Spoon will be in the shop soon... I will keep you posted.

Just Checking

2011-09-26T18:51:00.002+10:00

...looks good!
This one can be unfurled to fit anywhere.
From The Shop

Fleas at the Flea Market

2011-09-25T18:39:00.000+10:00

Colour Fold

2011-09-22T08:47:00.000+10:00

These are slightly larger in reality, about palm-size.

It would be much better if they were, say, 4 foot or so, I reckon.

Strung

2011-09-19T18:44:00.000+10:00

So! I did get Alice to string these beads and she did a great job and they do look tasty.

Gettin' Round In Gold

2011-09-14T19:18:00.001+10:00

Longfellow ring gets around.

The Fire

2011-09-13T16:57:00.001+10:00

Arcimboldo The Fire
This painter is pretty spooky-kooky ususally, but I liked this one because it is sort of vocational...
I suppose the necklace is a reference to the art of the Goldsmith, being as it is very flamey.
And I particularly like the flint-striker nose and ear!

Yes, I know, Beads

2011-09-09T09:55:00.000+10:00

Not what we usually would do at The Neale Workshop (is that what I'm calling it now?)...

But when someone asks for gold beads... I say yes.

22k and Lapis Lazuli- a knockout combination- tres Egyptienne!

Thanks to Dougal for his assistance.

Now to string them. Might ask Alice to do that bit.

Earmuff choice

2011-09-08T08:32:00.000+10:00

I decided to get Peltor muffs in the end. Quite good... very comfortable. As for the colour, well, its a bit like gumboots on my head. ( aka wellingtons/ galloshes?)

Old Pile Of Triangles And Circles

2011-09-06T23:05:00.000+10:00

A sweet find... a throwaway Healing. Not sure of date. Dig the pin-striping.

Doan know... think I'll just clean this one, throw on some noo tires.

Anyone know where to get these (westwood) rims, but noo?

TLC

2011-09-06T11:22:00.000+10:00

But then if you give your blog some TLC, glue all the bits back together and put it in a nice museum, it will attract many visitors from abroad.

Entropy

2011-09-05T21:25:00.000+10:00

What happens to your blog if you dont post regularly

Deliver Quick

2011-08-22T10:36:00.000+10:00

You can mail-order a queen bee. She comes in a wooden box, bunged up with a dowell and a blob of honey for the in-flight meal. I think that is amazing. In the mail? Really? Years ago I made a series of Queen Bee Delivery Boxes. ( You know, art-school project) English Box wood (fitting) with little finger joints and zinc swing tags. Actual Real Original bee boxes on the left. (much cooler than mine... and I was only given a"pass" for this project too...;"not enough metal")

Clad

2011-08-19T11:42:00.000+10:00

Great cladding. Better than Gehry's Gugg? Imagine this on a huge scale...

Oh Shut Up!

2011-08-17T15:01:00.000+10:00

Useful

2011-08-13T17:09:00.001+10:00

The 'Rillaton' Gold cup. Early Bronze Age.

Dug up by diggers, in 1837, and then handed over to the Crown.

I've read that King Edward(?) had it on his dresser, you know, to put his collar buttons in. And probably spare change, car keys, a usb stick, old Fisherman's Friends and lint.

You'll be glad it is now on permanent loan to The Museum, where its volumes are filled only with the inquisitive gaze of Museum-Goers.

I sort of enjoyed the story that it was once used so flippantly. Would be fun to have a go, Peabody style.

It would not be good to eat yoghurt out of– too many corrugations– but might be perfect for...

Bib, the Michelin Man?

HUNGRY?

2011-08-11T15:22:00.000+10:00

Ja, hvordan kan jeg få en?

Well I only made one.

Yes, you may have it.

...he preferrs turnips?

2011-08-08T15:21:00.000+10:00

Curius Dentatus was a Roman guy who turned down a swag of gold payola, saying he
"preferred turnips".
That's whats happening in all these pitchas- him saying that to all the gold-bearing flunkies.
(so, did they come back with a load of turnips? - I bet he caved then!)

Now, it could just be that I've never had an optimally-roasted turnip– but I prefer gold.

Vice Family

2011-08-07T16:49:00.000+10:00

This here's Dawn and her lil' buddy, Dr. Gem (he's not a real doctor...)

Old Vinyl

2011-08-06T15:01:00.003+10:00

Harvested from my Geepees: I notice this one is labelled "Neale"- I picture some Neale of the previous generation (Uncle? Father?) would take this one to parties. Possibly just to marvel at the Moorish monster on the cover that is about to eat Carloth Montoya!

Inca rendered with Biro- these kids were fresh.

Salts with Adidas, and a nice banjo strap, singing shanties aloft.

A very Australian ("Swaggie") pressing of Django

Tintinnabulation

2011-08-05T11:38:00.003+10:00

...is an unusual word. (skip down to the bold if you dont care)
I suppose it is onomatopoeic- that is, it sounds like what it is. Tinging or banging.
I wonder if the name of the metal Tin has a shared root? The eymology of "tin" is a bit hazy:
the english tin, from the german zinn, from the latin stannum, which is possibly from the cornish stean
(Cornwall being a major source of Roman tin). Well now, that's ouroboric, if true. (like a snake eating itself).
But, regarding onomatopoeia, tin is a soft metal that probably doesnt go "ting" when you hit it, really- although it is said to "cry" when snapped.
But I digress...
There's quite a bit of tintinnabulation involved in the making of jewellery and holloware.
So to avoid tinnitus (permanant ringing in the ears + hearing loss) it is advisable for the smith to wear earmuffs for noise over 70dB.
Earmuffs cover the whole ear- thus protecting against acoustic shock through the back of your ear (skull) too, not just the ear-hole per se.
So if you dont want to ruin Beethoven for yourselves, you'll wear them when firing a canon or hammering, ok?
Anyway... I need some new earmuffs. (aka ear defenders)
I'm wanting passive earmuffs- just the simple, non-electronic type.
I dont want to being changing the... (warning: rebus ahead)

Here are my options so far, let me know if you have any recommendations etc.,:

Beretta, made by Peltor/ 3M. Too... tactical?

("dont wear drab unless you've served" is a maxim ringing in my ears)

Nevertheless, I think Peltor is the market leader, good technology, clean lines.

Howard Leight folders. Neat. Great for a Tokyo apartment, or campaign-style silversmithing.

Purdey- again with the hunting/ milspec aesthetic. Yeah, yeah- I know...

but I dont want Hi-Viz or acid blue, see? -actually I see they are made by... "Deben"?;

Ill just search for a non-re-branded version... ok... yes, they are cheaper. Hmm.

Well then, how about a Peltor X Goldensmith collabo in Pantone colorways?

3M marketing peeps?

For a more peaceful-like rebranding?

All you bangers want some goodlooking, excellent earmuffz right?

Milton Avery

2011-08-05T10:38:00.000+10:00

Tortoise sorts

2011-08-03T20:32:00.001+10:00

Outside a shop

Inside a Hokusai. (..."Ties torso" is an anagram of tortoise...)

What

2011-08-02T21:40:00.000+10:00

What I'm tilting at.

What casts a swiss-cheese shadow. ( perforé, por favor)

What is not The Sleeping Muse (but is a found bronze head)

What I Vandalised, (and is yet to be Visigothed)

What is a gold ring, by beautiful E.

Matsuyani- Part II

2011-08-01T22:42:00.000+10:00

Matsuyani is pine sap.
Back in February, I harvested some from a wisened old pine tree.
Remember?
Next I gently melted the pieces of hard sap in a pot. I've never done this before.
(Yes, I was very cautious about fumes and used a mask, and an exhaust fan)
This substance is like candy- hard when cool, very runny and sticky when hot.
I added a little plaster to the mix, for extra body, and a dash of vegetable oil for extra plasticity.
Almost the traditional Japanese recipe... which also calls for soot to make it black.
Possibly because my harvest was so impure- it came out glossy black all on its own.
There was quite a bit of bark and other dross in the molten mix.
So I 'borrowed' a nice sieve from Alice to strain it.

Being, as it was, around mid-morning– not the generally accepted time for sieving, you'll agree– I was most suprised when Alice poked her head in and said:
"...David?! Have you seen my sieve anywhere?"
"...Err.." was the reply.

Yep, tarred it up real good. Like Noah's Ark.
There is now some doubt as to weather Alice will ever be making blancmange for me.
Unperturbed, and cool-headed (as ever) I poured the runny goop into a stone motar, and let it set.
Next episode, I will see if I can actually use it...

Wherein a Long mover Turns up and brightens the day

2011-08-01T09:22:00.005+10:00

G.B. COLLECTION

2011-07-29T11:08:00.000+10:00

George Borrow.
Travel writer. Dubious linguist. Iconoclast. Tumbleweed. Maverick!
Bible in Spain is actually a great read- I assume it to be a true account (other works are embellished) of his journey through spain- cavalier (literally and figuratively), crazy adventures, gets thrown in jail, etc!
My collection is getting there. ( 3 versions of Lavengro)
Hard gaps to fill:
The Zincali
Romano Lavo-lil ( english-romany dictionary)
Gypsy Luke
Songs of Scandinavia
Celebrated Trials
And (possibly fabulist(?) works he alludes to):
Ab Gwilym Poems
The Life and Adventures of Joseph Sell