Rich-
I noticed in another post that you mentioned using "Chattahoochee sealer". Are you using the one part acrylic or the two part epoxy? Sounds like just the sort of thing I've been looking for.

Hi travelers!
We're headed to Israel in the beginning of June for a couple of weeks. This is my first trip there. I've been reading Thomas Friedman's book "From Beirut to Jerusalem"- a great read about the history of the conflict in the Middle East from a reporter's perspective.

So, do you ever wonder what happens to the stuff you make once you die? I mean, where will it be 150 years from now. On my better days I fantasize my stuff finds its way to the Antiques Road Show (or the contemporary equivalent). However, my reality is that it probably ends up in a garage sale somewhere ("Uncle Rob made that? Well, put it on the five dollar table."). Not trying to be morose here, but it is an interesting way to think about the intrinsic and enduring value of something.

Hi Rich!
I'm looking forward to seeing you next week in Ashokan. I assume you are still going to be demonstrating there? For those of you that are unaware of this event, our very own Rich Waugh (the same one we all know and love for his amazing artistry and indefatigable knowledge of everything metallic, bright and shiny) will be starring at the Atlantic Coast Blacksmith Conference in New York along with several other artists. Check this out at:

I am getting ready to entertain some commissions for gates and hinges, but I am clueless as how to price them. In part, I am still new enough at this that my techniques are not as efficient as they need to be, and if I price things according to an hourly rate, I would need to charge the equivalent of the GNP for a small nation just to break even. Although there has been a bit of discussion on this site about how to price things, no one ever mentions what they charged for a particular piece. Does asking what someone got for a particular piece they have posted exceed the bounds of ethics and etiquette on this site?