QuiQue's blog

OT: What's QuiQue Up To?

QuiQue - Wednesday, December 3, 2008 - 12:57pm

I know I haven't been around ArtMetal for awhile and felt a need to communicate with the community on what I've been up to. Especially since I just finished witnessing a friend passing from this reality and watching how the local community responded to his passing.

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Peruvian Friend Wins Table Award

QuiQue - Friday, October 31, 2008 - 5:08am

Nicolas Monterroso Ramos, a friend of mine from Lima, Peru recently won first prize and 3,000 sols from Aceros Arequipas Regional Contest for best designed and forged decorative table. He sent me a link to his flicker web site which shows many of the processes used in making his wrought iron table. Nicolas has been taking the workshops I have given in the past in Peru. Not to say that I taught him everything he knows, because Nicolas's enthusiasm for the craft of blacksmithing has taken him to many different resources on the web to learn what he knows. Nicolas would be a part of our ArtMetal community, but has not posted because he doesn't speak English.

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The Marsi Chandelier Part 3 - Assembling

QuiQue - Friday, May 23, 2008 - 11:50pm

This is a 10 minute flash video on the fabrication and assembly of the main body of the chandelier. It's not easy to cram several months worth of hand crafted metal art work into a ten minute video, but I did it. It's action packed and fast moving. Enjoy

Previous episodes can be viewed by clicking the book icon (Guide and Details) below the video and select the chronological tab.

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3-Day 3-Week 3-Cities Blacksmith Workshops in Peru

QuiQue - Monday, December 24, 2007 - 8:45am

Blacksmithing blacksmithing | forging | workshop | wrought iron

I recently finished my second blacksmithing seminar in Peru and wanted to share with you a video and photo album showing footage from the various workshops in Huancayo, Lima, and Piura. The video is also an educational video for beginning blacksmiths. It explains the processes I used to make the Nazca Lines Book Ends.

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Blacksmithing workshop in Huancayo, Peru

QuiQue - Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 7:43pm

Blacksmithing blacksmithing | herreros | workshop

The blacksmithing courses started last week with a 3-day workshop in Huancayo, Peru. I thought I would post a couple of pictures of the first city I will be touring to give these workshops. When I first arrived to Lima, I spent three days with the blacksmithing crew of Aceros Arequipa making hot and cold chisels including removable steel handles. This was quite a task since we had to forge 34 chisels made of 1-1/2" high carbon steel all by hand. No power hammers! This task did help me train the smiths on how to effectively buddy forge with large sledge hammers. They also learned the process of heat treating and hardening the tools steel using magnets for temperature control of the hardening process.

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Completed Marsi Chandelier Video

QuiQue - Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - 4:47am

Blacksmithing howto | lighting | video | wrought iron

This is a brief video of the completed Marsi chandelier. It shows the fiber optic lighting and some of the programmed modes included with the initial setup. Note that the color wheel is an LED main light which has the capabilities of displaying millions of colors.

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Creative Metalsmithing hands on workshop

QuiQue - Monday, July 2, 2007 - 2:02am

Blacksmithing | OT: Sandbox YAK | Welding classes | metalsmithing | workshop

The first workshop I have given in my studio has come to an end. I have to say that it was a true pleasure giving this workshop, not for the money, but because of the students, their individual projects, and their enthusiasm.

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The Clock is Tickin'

QuiQue - Thursday, June 7, 2007 - 7:37pm

OT: Sandbox YAK | Artist Inspiration around the net

As some of you know, I recently returned from Peru where I gave a series of workshops/seminars to metalworkers in Lima. I had a great opportunity to take some personal time after the workshops to visit the sacred site of Machu Pichu - an Inca ruin. I've always had a great desire to learn more about ancient civilizations, especially Mesoamerican civilizations. Somehow, I've always thought that they had knowledge of this reality which we, in our egocentric material world, do not realize we have.

Energy Connection

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My Peruvian Odyssey

QuiQue - Wednesday, March 14, 2007 - 5:44pm

Blacksmithing | OT: Sandbox YAK

I recently went to Peru to give a seminar on blacksmithing techniques to the local peruvian metalsmithing community. The seminar was sponsored by Aceros Arequipa - the main steel manufacturer in Peru. This video includes my experience of the traffic, sightseeing, visiting blacksmith shops, the seminar, and even my travels to Cusco, Aguas Calientes, and Machu Picchu. There is no narration, but there is some really nice Andean music, still photos and live video included in this movie.

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