Gerald Boggs's blog

Oh No!, not another gallery

OT: Sandbox YAK

Well, the downturn of the economy has finally come home. The Artisan Center of Virginia's gallery has temporary closed it's doors. I picked up my stuff yesterday. Just last summer, they were enjoying record sales, now almost nothing.


Forged animal head's

Blacksmithing

In January, I took a class with Darryl Nelson. He's a blacksmith out of Washington state who forges wonderful animal heads. He also, generously, teaches the techniques. Photo's are rather poor, sorry. the bear's head is mine, the ram's head is Mr. Nelson.


Touchstone blacksmith classes

Blacksmithing

I don't know if this is appropriate for posting of the forum, but thought I'd risk it. Last year, I was the resident artist at Touchstone's blacksmith studio. Part of my job was to help with getting the following year's instructors scheduled. So that's my interest in this.


Forged Table

Blacksmithing

Here's a table I just finished. This was a good challenge for me, as it helped to bring my forging skills to a new level.

The top is a sheet of plywood clad in copper and then a light brown patina


baked on finish

Blacksmithing

I just learned this from a friend.

He was working with a smith out east of me on a large handrail job. To finish it, they contacted the Powdercoat company about using their ovens on the weekend. As the powdercoaters are closed on the weekend, they agreed to rent the use. So what he did was to take all his railings there, coat them with boiled linseed oil and bake them at 400 for about hour and half. I didn't get to see this, but I understand the finish came out beautifully.


Dragos Oh my! well sort of :-)

Blacksmithing

Well, I'm finally getting settled in after my summer travels. It's actually been pretty hard to get back on track and go to work every day. House needs painting, need to build a new and larger chicken coop, been a rough year for the bees and so more work there, etc... As for the blacksmithing, part of what I've been doing, is playing with some of the stuff I learned this year. Trying to make the skills my own instead of something abstract I saw. Here's a couple of the dragon like guys I've been working on. No plans for them besides practice. But anyway, what I wanted to post was a sort of follow-up on Rich's comment of Mark Aspery's teaching. So with that, I thought I'd post a few of the classes he's doing on the east coast next year. May 8th through the 12th, he'll be in George teaching Leafwork and Large Joinery Level two western states. June 1st to the 6th, He'll be at Touchstone in Pennsylvania teaching his basic class "Mastering the Fundamentals" Level one western states. June 7th to the 12th, He'll still be at Touchstone, but the class will be an instructors course based on Mastering the Fundamentals. August 16th to the 22nd, He'll be at John Campbell in NC teaching "Mastering the Fundamentals" I'm of course very excited about the classes at Touchstone and John Campbell, as I'll be his assistant for them :-) You can read more about Mark at his web site http://www.markaspery.net/Calendar.html


The journey is over

Blacksmithing

Well, I'm back. The marathon journey of the last four months is finally over. Four weeks at Chris Gavin's shop in Baltimore, two months at Touchstone as the Resident Artist for the Blacksmith Studio and lastly two weeks at Penland as Mark Aspery's Assistant. Money is low and it's time to try and make some :-) Luckily I have plenty of handyman work to fall back on. (sometimes I think I should just do that, as the standard rate around these parts to $30-35 an hour. But I like the iron too much to ever stop.)


Studio position at Touchstone

OT: Sandbox YAK

Well folks, I'll be gone for the summer. I applied for and was accepted at Touchstone as the Studio Resident Associate of the Blacksmith Shop (Read that as shop slave and general odd job man) I leave tomorrow morning and will be working through early August.


The good and the bad of my Journeyman experience.

Blacksmithing

Ok, except for the last part of yesterday, all in all, it's been a pretty good experience. However, the bike ride where I was clipped and catapulted over my bike by a old lady and her car, was not so good. I came out remarkable good for having been hit by a car. I think it was only her mirror, as it was all busted up. I remember thinking: I'm hit, helmet*, get out of the road. Other then the expected aches and pains of doing a sudden flip on pavement, the only (I hope) injury I sustained was a bashed and tore up left elbow. It was enough to prevent me from using the arm for anything but the most limited of activates. With that limitation, I came home. I'm hoping to go back Monday, but unless the arm starts healing fast, I think I'll be out of heavy work for the next week. That's ok, I can catch up on my paperwork and some letters I've been meaning to write.


juried into ACV

Blacksmithing

My good news of the season. I finally got juried into the Artisans Center of Virginia. Tough juries. It took me two tries to get in and even than just by the skin of my teeth :-)

http://www.arti


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