One advantage of being on the 5th two-man team for a 5-object furnace was that I got to watch a whole slew of other first-timers make their mistakes, and therefore only come up with my own, totally new, mistakes.
Plus, the team in front of my partner and I were both actual smiths just learning knifemaking, so I got to watch them and get ideas for proper hammer discipline etc.
Like I said, for my first time, I think it's pretty decent work, and I know my way around filing steel, so I can clean up a lot - it's just not what I envisioned in my head, and I'm a perfectionist in too damn many of my supposedly relaxing hobbies. ;)
*nod* And this is also why I do very few freehand crafts. The braid, for example, came out lovely. It's simple, but the stitching is even. It came out perfect for what it is - which is why I prefer discrete mathematical crafts with algorithms over shaping things by hand.
Still, yeah, it was fun, I spent nine hours at a forge and gave my campmates a scare, apparently, I learned enough to maybe do it right next time, and the result won't be bad, just not good. ;)
I bought a set of 20 kumihimo pattern cards at The Lacemaker, if you'd like to take a look at them. You and Ragnvaeig would be most welcome Tuesday if you can make it. There will be much Pennsic re-hashing and giggling.
OoooOOOooooh. I checked those out, but then said to myself "These are fairly simple patterns - In this age of piracy and dissemination, surely The Internets shall provide!" Little did I know that I was facing one of the last bastions of intellectual property rights in the known world.
It's also just that I've now seen some of the things you can manage on a marudai that just would be a pain on the cut disk. This means that I've spent the last several hours looking at things around the apartment going, for example, "Hmmm, if I glued a CD onto a paper towel spread on a metal ring..." My Hobby-Compulsive-Disorder is activating.
We'll see what happens tomorrow night - ragnvaeig is working, but unpacking is mostly complete, so one or both of us might swing up.
When you next come over to visit, should we perhaps ask if you can help our landlord at the forge? He is one of the best bladesmiths I've ever seen - ask graylion how he reacted to seeing his knives.
Comments 17
Reply
Plus, the team in front of my partner and I were both actual smiths just learning knifemaking, so I got to watch them and get ideas for proper hammer discipline etc.
Like I said, for my first time, I think it's pretty decent work, and I know my way around filing steel, so I can clean up a lot - it's just not what I envisioned in my head, and I'm a perfectionist in too damn many of my supposedly relaxing hobbies. ;)
Reply
Aaaand witness some of my problems with bookbinding and crochet, among others. ;-)
Making new and interesting mistakes is fun, though! And I bet the knife will clean up pretty darn well.
Reply
Still, yeah, it was fun, I spent nine hours at a forge and gave my campmates a scare, apparently, I learned enough to maybe do it right next time, and the result won't be bad, just not good. ;)
Reply
Reply
It's also just that I've now seen some of the things you can manage on a marudai that just would be a pain on the cut disk. This means that I've spent the last several hours looking at things around the apartment going, for example, "Hmmm, if I glued a CD onto a paper towel spread on a metal ring..." My Hobby-Compulsive-Disorder is activating.
We'll see what happens tomorrow night - ragnvaeig is working, but unpacking is mostly complete, so one or both of us might swing up.
Reply
And the internet does provide, at least a little bit. Here's the page with the instructions for the cardboard marudai.
http://www.jennyself.com/Craft_studio/Braids_trimmings/Braids_tassels.htm
I can't imagine a cardboard takadai, but you're an enterprising fellow... :-)
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment