Finding time in a credit crunch is harder than you’d think!
Well folks, I have to say I’ve felt the credit crunch, and felt it quite a lot. I lost a few commissions because customers I had lined up for either Mokume Gane or damascus steel rings, changed their minds and went for a plain band of gold from a shop instead. This is quite disheartening as you see the £’s flitter away in the wind. I know I’m not the only person to suffer, there are craftsmen and women out there feeling it just the same. But people think economics when in this situation and I can’t fault them for looking after themselves.
So as of late I’ve been decorating the house ready to sell up and move, this being only one of the reasons I haven’t written of late. When there is no work or £’s coming in the motivation falls away, and getting into the workshop is harder and harder. So I’ve had a bit of a break over the last couple of months, taking myself off into the woods for some R and R, and now back with vigor and relish for the new challenges that await.
As I said I’ve been taking some time out and in that time I’ve been playing around with making my own damascus steel, not for jewellery but for knife blades. A dear friend of mine is a blacksmith and has given me the my run of her workshop. I’ve had to prove myself with a hammer before being allowed to spray red hot metal across the floor of her workshop, just to make sure I’m not going to waste to much metal I guess. But I came through triumphantly and can wield a hammer like a pro, or so I think!!! Anyway I should with some luck be able to start producing my own blades in the not too distant future. I’m learning the hard way using a coke forge, when I get back to my own workshop I’ll be using a gas forge, which by its nature is cleaner. But ’til then I guess I’ll be having a few failures first.
Heavy goldsmithing!
Royston
February 6, 2010 at 8:46 am
Royston:
És un goig trobar-te de nou i llegir els teus escrits, tothom esta amb la mateixa situació, els mercats del metall cada dia pugen els preus i els artesanats amb poc capital, pateixen aquest estralls.
El comentari que fas de la forja del damasc, dius que ho fas amb gas, i no amb carbó de coc, se prou bé què és més net el gas, però si tenim em conta que el gas es quasi sempre un foc oxidant, no te sentit fer-lo servir per forjar acer i menys soldar-lo.
Soc de la opinió que el carbó de coc dona més bon resultat, encara que sigui brut i potser massa olorós.
Salut i força
Joan
April 22, 2010 at 12:16 pm
HI Japs.
I appreciate your comments more if they were in English.
Cheers.
Royston
September 9, 2011 at 6:23 pm
It is a pleasure to find you again and read your writings, everyone is the same situation, markets metal prices go up every day and coffered with little capital, suffered the damage.
The comment you forging of Damascus, you say you do with gas, coal and coke, I know well that the gas is cleaner, but if we take into account that the gas is almost always an oxidizing fire, not makes sense to use it to forge steel and weld it less.
I am of the opinion that the coking coal gives better results, albeit perhaps too dirty and odorous.
Health and strength
………..Google translate