back from school

Well, I'm back from school! It has been a long and hard week with early and late hours every day to maximize the ammount of things we could learn.
Above is pictured the design of the piece that I wished to make. The design is one I saw in a catalogue book of wrought iron pieces, and I altered it and drew it full scale to my liking.
As previously mentioned in my last blog, I went to the John C. Campbell folk school, this time accompanied by a blacksmith I know by the name of Chase Saxton.

Time for a photo run!

"CHASE! On gaurd!"

Me.....actually being normal!

Finishing up a warm-up piece!



You have to be cautious giving Chase advice.........



"Hey Chase, do it this way..." "Hey Dave, WAM!"

Intermission:

My Dad and Chase's Dad took the "building an oak casket" class. I'll let my reader's ponder on that one for a while, but here are a few starting photos.

Day one!

Dad...ummmmm....modeling his casket!

Back to the more uhhh "lively" class; metal working!

This is the instructor demoing some!

The whole class!

This was a funny picture....my friend Chase with the assistant instructor.

The instructor asked me to modfy this treadle hammer to fit some of his tools. So he handed me a file and I set to work.

It looks like a ghost is behing me in this one! Actually it is just the instructor.....

It seems I filed a bit too much 'cause his tool fit a bit on the loose side. When I realized this I looked at Chase, who had the camera, with a series of different levels of concerned looks. Well, like I said, he had the camera!

In fact he had the camera alot!

And again!

I did get one of him in my hat though....Chase has a big head.....literally!

Making a tenon for my piece!

I got Chase addicted to power hammers pretty quick.....it took about two seconds!

Though the vast majority of our time was spent working and that very hard, we did have a little time to see the sites! And so, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I present the North Carolina mountains.

I'm not up to speed on my flower identification abilities, but I think these are called Mountain Laurels.

They were in bloom everywhere!

Back to the shop:

We did actually crack down and work and not just goof off. Here are the parts of my project.

Wax pans:

Legs:



Spacer:

Left center scroll:

Candle cups:

All of the above:

In the mean time, the wood shop progress came along, but not so rapidly!

With the instructor......

The general concensus on campus was that the casket class was a little "dead" but the participants were just "dying" to "get into" the project! That's just hear-say though 'cause the blacksmith shop was much more "lively." 

I needed an extra hand to hammer so Chase loaned one....well actually two!

This is called striking! Striking is where the master smith (me) tells the 'prentice (Chase) when, where, and how hard to strike with his large sledge hammer.

This is what happens when the 'prentice gets tired of being told what to do!

Back to work:

The beginning stages of assembly:

And from that it went to this!

The wood shop finished up...

...Chase took pictures.....

I had fun, I learned alot, and the tools and test pieces I made in preparation did me much good. I also made a little leaf business card holder and some hooks, but the candle holder was my main project.

Chase is sure to have pictures up soon along with "his side of the story." His blog is HERE!

I'll be heading back to the school in a week to take a colonial hearth equipment class.