tzonoqua

Hello I have just finished a commission for this fire basket and companion set. The companion set is quite large, stands 1m tall (40 inches) and will compliment a very large fireplace! The broom I made from local heather. I used cast components for the feet of the basket, (I find upsetting, well, upsetting!!) and for collars on the stand for the set, and steel balls for the ends of the set and tops of the basket. You can call it cheating if you like, I don't mind. (Or you could call it creative use of odds and ends lying around, as I like to believe!!). My customers were very happy with it - which makes me happy! Just thought I would share. Colleen

well, I guess I may as well explain myself too... About 10 years ago I began to paint UV light sensitive murals and backdrops for parties in London (UK), by parties you may read anything from organized festivals like Glastonbury, contemporary dance shows, theatrical events to squat party psy-trance 'raves'... When I first started out, a friend of mine wanted to write an article about my work, and I was also getting bookings for events and they wanted to know, what name do they put on the flyer? A lot of the inspiration for my paintings was based on northwest coast native american animal totems, I had to come up with something quick, and at the time my friend who is part native american suggested Tzonoqua, because of its quirky spelling and it fit in with what I was doing at the time. Tzonoqua is a Native American (NorthWest Coast) sort of she-devil, an evil witch living in the forest. Sort of like the archetypal witch in handsel and gretel. I never really thought about it at the time, it was just a quirky name but I still use it for web stuff, login names etc. I used to have a page up on my website with my paintings on it, but I have recently removed it, because its not really where I am at right now. I love my paintings, but I have moved on. My real name - Colleen du Pon is my web address, which is my signature, so I am not trying to hide from anything, its just like MENDE said, I am just used to using tzonoqua!

Thanks Frosty- it seems that I too, have now gone down in history as the first female Blacksmith to work from "The Old Smiddy" - I was featured in the local paper in the summer (as you can see not too much happens round here!) Our village museum has an exhibit dedicated to The Old Smiddy- here is a link about the museum Visitscotland Atholl Country Life Museum Blair Atholl Museum Welcome Now they have posted the article in the museum up along with the exhibit which is really nice! (more of that good publicity too!) This place was run as a Blacksmith's until the early 1970's when it closed and lay vacant for many years. When it closed the Blacksmith gave most of the tools and the bellows to a local farmer (who is the man responsible for the museum). It had become a woodturners, a store room for the local post office, and a few other things before it fell into disrepair. A friend of mine bought it about 5 years ago and spent a couple years doing it up, kitted out the workshop then got married and moved to the Isle of Skye. When he asked me if I wanted to come and take it over, I jumped at the chance! It's amazing that it is now again in service as a Blacksmith's although now I make decorative objects, sculpture and the occasional gates and railings, and sell my metalwork and some paintings in the Gallery, rather than the traditional work of fixing things, (having said that I have fixed the golf club's mowers a couple of times, oh, and forging some custom bolts for a friend's horse carriage, oh, and forging some custom parts for the watermill, hmmm, ok, so maybe I DO do a little bit of traditional work...). The village I live in is very special in that we have a Castle (Blair Castle, which has a private army!) and we also have a working watermill which was built in the 1600's. My neighbours are the millers, and I think its just hilarious that ''the Blacksmith's children play with the Miller's children" all in a 21 Century manner though!! Blair Atholl Watermill So ya, a little bit of history, in a beautiful highland setting, and I feel privileged to live among it. Colleen

I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity earlier this year to take over a hundred odd year old purpose built smiddy- main workshop is about 22m (thats metres!) x 10m, with metal store/cutting room 10m x 12m, which has a sliding barn type door with a good ''ventilation gap'' around it. There are also two gallery/showrooms one 8m x 5m and another 8m x 8m, so as you can see I am blessed for space. The walls are made from granite and are just under a metre thick- just think of a cave!! It keeps it cool in the summer, and hey, cool in the winter too! In the metal store room there are still the rings on the wall where horses would have been tethered to be shod. (this is going off topic a bit now but- I had an elderly lady come to visit me in the summer, she looked around and explained that she was a local, lived here all her life of 86 years. She was just being nosy she said, and wanted to see what we had done to the place, apparently this was where everyone met, exchanged stories, was the centre of village life in ye olden days, and she used to get her pony shod here. I asked her what her pony's name was. Queenie, she said. When I moved in I found bundles of old rusty (proper hand made) horse shoes, some of them still in sets, bound with twine with Horses name's on tags, and wouldn't you know it, one of those bundles had Queenie scrawled accross the tag. So I disappeared into the back and dug it out, and when I gave it to her, it almost brought tears to my eyes, let alone hers! I gave her the shoes, which she later told me she has proudly displayed on her mantlepiece. (she also went around the village and let everyone know how she was reunited with her long lost pony's shoes!) anyway, I digress! One day recently when it had been cold for a good few weeks, (just above freezing) then suddenly warmed up one day there was actually condensation on the outside of the windows! There is no heating, but a great big hearth in which I have been lighting a (wood) fire when not doing forge work, but when its going or when I get the gasser on , keeps me warm. I think its its in the Edge of the Anvil book , where author Jack Andrews talks about setting up a smithy in a tipi, now THAT really appeals to the romantic in me. I wouldn't complain about my set up now, but somehow working in a tipi in the right surroundings (nice valley, woodland) would be a little bit magic!

Nice, I can picture it as a garden feature, with lots of lush foilage surrounding it, or even at the centre of a water feature. That is some thick plate to cut through, I bet you went through a bit of Oxy/AC! I think you are right, the stand will ultimately depend upon where its final destination is. My only one suggestion, (and it is only my opinion), is that on the right side, it seems to have a straight up and down edge, which catches my eye and stands out as a straight line, whereas most other lines are curves. You could think about putting some curve in there (Or not, only a suggestion!) Nice work.

When I text my husband to say, "I need you to hammer something for me this evening" and he knows that I am (most likely) NOT speaking in innuendo, but actually need his help striking for me!! ;)

I know what you mean.. I love it!! I love being able to tell people when they ask, "Yes, I really am a Blacksmith!" Often people think I am joking until I show them my hands and the burns on my arms to prove it! It does feel a little bit magical after you've created something! And I also love showing people what I do- they are always interested to see a red hot bit of metal twisted about. Whats more, here in Scotland they still perform marriages over then Anvil. I have heard that a Blacksmith can perform the ceremony, but I don't actually know if that is still true today.

I can tell you what the Gaduliya Lohar (blacksmith nomads of India) carry with them and I would tend to agree with them! -about three hammers (ball pein, cross pein, sledge) -anvil (large chunk of steel, railway iron, whatever!) -two pairs of tongs -chisel and punch -hand bellows (sometimes the leather airbag type, sometimes more elaborate hand turned wheel and fan) -hand file -small bag of coal/coke -assorted scrap In fact, that is their tool kit whether they are in an encampment or on the road -They build this tiny little forge in the earth and work magic!! It's pretty amazing what they can do with just that!!! (which tended to be more than I can with my welders, grinders, gasser and air tools!) oh ya, and I almost forgot- they also bring along their whole family to assist!!!

Hi All, Some photos of my fairly rudimentary stall from our village Highland night. We did fairly well even though the skies opened up quite fiercely! Also, my showroom/gallery.

hello, I will post some pics later next week, I have a Highland show to do on Wed. I did one the other week and forgot to take some pics. whoops! My biggest sales pitch so far has been my partner declaring- ''It's the lady who is the Blacksmith, I just do as I am told, as she usually has a hammer in her hand, and you don't argue with a Lady with a hammer in her hand!" which generally invokes laughter and then conversation about whichever item the customer is looking at. When I have done a fair, I generally use a plain cloth over a table (calico canvas sheet- which I normally paint on, but serves as a pretty useful neutral background) and a couple of tree stumps to put items on. I will post some pics in a couple of days of my gallery/showroom which is painted white... bit boring really, but it shows off black metal in a classical way. Regards. Colleen

hahahahahaha! hilarious... i chanced upon this whilst searching for something else... Deserves resurrection... :)

Great, thanks for the suggestions, good idea (skunkriv) to trade with other stallholders, I have lots of yet unmade designs for items of all sorts incorporating ceramics/glass etc, but was thinking I would have to commission someone, now I will just try to do that ''networking'' thing that my business advisor keeps telling me to do... and yes, mtforge, I wish I didn't feel that I were slogging it out, but I regret I am not a natural salesperson, I prefer to just make the stuff! Ta.

Hi All, I realize that markets vary from region to region, market to market, but perhaps you might share with me your bestselling items? I am booked to do some craft fairs in the summer, and am looking for ideas... (what I really want to get my teeth into is some good commission work, but until that comes my way I need to slog it out at the craft fairs!) Any tips highly appreciated. Regards, Colleen

Thanks for pointing that one out, I tend to always use vegetable oils, but I am sure that even smoke/fumes from that aren't too healthy either!!

Thanks for the suggestions, I think I am leaning towards just giving the items the hot oil treatment to look presentable, and then giving the customer care instructions. Ta.