What's on the Work Bench?

Following a photoshoot with John Hersey I now have a beautiful collection of new photos of my work. John also took photos of my hands and tools as he got excited by the opportunities offered in my tiny workshop. The photos were taken just as the light was going down on what had been a bright November day in 2021. John was keen to capture the light as it was offered, so the photos are rich in chiaroscuro (strong contrast in light and dark as seen in the paintings of Caravaggio!). I hope you’ll agree that the photos are beautiful works of art in themselves.

hammering a centre point on copper

One photograph shows the frequent process of hammering a centre point into metal prior to drilling a tiny hole. The hole could represent an eye on a character like a whale or it could be an entry way into the metal so that I can use a fret saw to cut a more complicated shape. Either way, I have been using the same centre punch and hammer since 1990. That’s the wonderful thing about the traditional metal working techniques I use, the tools are truly lifelong friends.

I felt an affinity with metal from the first time I tried silver soldering as a teenager. My mum is a potter and back when I lived at home I would often help her out at craft fairs. On one occasion she introduced me to one of her jeweller friends who showed me how to solder two bits of silver together. It seemed like magic then and still does. I love the fact that many of the tools I use today could have been used by our ancestors in the middle ages, or a similar version could have been used as far back as the iron age. There is a warmth and a humanity to hand tools that comes from repeated use, wearing the wooden handles into the shape of the maker’s grip.

Another photo captures me using a block of bees wax to ensure the tiny saw blades I use in the fret saw run smoothly to cut more intricate patterns into sheet metal. I can’t think how many of these saw blades I’ve burnt through over the years - they have a horrible habit of going ‘ping’ just at the wrong moment, there then follows a quick scurry around the workbench to find another.

People often assume there is a high tech option to cut copper into the tiny shapes and patterns that I use. If anyone knows of any that work then please let me know - I’m told that laser cutting copper is impossible because its so heat conductive that it seals itself right back up again - genius metal! However, I have to say that I really do enjoy the hands on approach. It ensures that every piece is entirely unique and adds that all important human quality that can’t be achieved any other way. So I will carry on using my fret saw, my snips and my decades old hammers to make my work.