Before I started smithing (about 2 years ago) I had loads of abstract ideas for sculptural items but I quickly got sucked into forging the generic items with the generic decorative details. I'm now trying to make a name for myself doing the more artistic stuff so I get commissions for the artistic items rather than the same old fire poker sets etc, which up till now is what's been happening.

Bowls are a particular interest of mine and these are my latest two which I take to markets to feed people's imaginations.

Both made from 3mm steel. The big slatted one is approx 24" wide and 6" deep. The smaller one is about 11" wide, 4" deep and countersunk riveted to a 16" chunk of solid steel.

Both bowls are made by drilling and cutting, the big one was done cold but the small one I heated up.

Bowls are darn hard to photograph as they always look really shallow in pics! Anyhow, there they are.
     

Love the top one, not too keen on the slatted one but appreciate the time it takes to make them as I had a fire pit to make in a similar fashion recently!

 

How did you form the top one? A big cone mandrel or something?

 

Dan

Cheers. Both were experiments really, had the drilling/cutting ideas and just wanted to see if they'd work out as expected, I made up a few elements as I went along.

The the top one was just heated up a little and sunk into a pre-formed dish shape (some kinda cut up gas bottle I found in a rubbish skip). I did purposefully bend one side of the cut out before I started sinking so that one side would go within the other, but it did a fair bit of the shaping on its own, I just tweaked it.

nice work Joel.

I have done a few big spun steel firebowls recently, 2 at 48" diameter and 2 ovals at 48" by 72" mainly for Larpers.

unlike yours I did not make the bowls from scratch

Cheers. I have to admit that I had to Google steel spinning as I didn't know what it was. I'm slowly gathering knowledge of various metal forming tools/processes, but as someone with no engineering or agricultural background I am starting from a stand-still.

Joel, I really like the work and where you're headed, as well as the sentiment behind your impulse. The desire to make something unique is one that I share, but unfortunately, my mind is not one of those overflowing with original ideas. I wouldn't look at making the "standard" smithing items as a bad thing. Only 2 years in, I'm willing to guess you're still just learning how metal moves and just beginning to gain the skill set to move it. This in no way is meant as a cut on your work, but there is not all that much forging going on in them (not that there should be), They are closer to fabrication. At least the bent one. Fire pokers could challenge you for the rest of your life if you set your mind to it (again, not that you should). I guess I liken it to art school these days, students no longer want to learn the basics, one course of human anatomy and they ask what for? Any skill you can master in blacksmithing is going to help somewhere along the way. I feel I did myself a disservice by buying a trip hammer too soon. Should have spent more time with just a standard hammer and anvil getting the basics down. Somehow my post feels a little preachy. I hope you don't take it that way.

Cheers Dognose. I don't see making fire pokers etc as a bad thing, I just find them a bit samey. That probably sounds really pretentious, but I don't mean it that way, I just don't get much of a kick out of making ye olde worlde stuff like that.

 

I am still VERY MUCH learning, (doubt you ever stop learning), but I know that it's my ability to think up the more abstract designs that will make me stand out and hopefully earn me some money, so I just think I should refine my skills in to that end rather than pursueing every traditional element of blacksmithing just so I can say I know how to do X, Y and Z. I've struggled with all that in my head a fair bit, I even tought myself fire welding because I know a lot of people say "you're not a blacksmith unless you can fireweld". I felt like a god for a day or two, then it kinda wore off.

 

I know there's not a lot of smithing in these bowls but I do a lot of traditional smithing in my other work, particularly traditional joinery. Blending traditional joinery with modern design is my big buzz. Case in point - I made a garden bench designed to resemble a spine and rib cage - it was very modern looking but fixed together with keyed mortise and tenons and a double collar.

 

I guess at the end of the day I just think life's too short to get too worried about what other do and the processes they think you should be going through. I'm paying for the coal, I'm paying for the steel...

 

That turned into a bit of an arrogant sounding rant somehow, sorry!

you do what you want and what pays the bills Joel, 

we all have different skills and do things different ways.

I mainly fabricate, a bit of press work and a bit of forgework

Joel was it you on that channel 4 show recently with monty don?

 

Dan

I like the slated one. I think with some kind of texturing it would be really cool. My sister in  law would love it on a coffee table.

Do it large and make it the base for a glass topped coffee table!

Afraid so Iron Tree.

Hi Joel, me again. I think we're more kindred spirits than adversaries, and my apologies for underestimating your smithing skills. I'm a few years in, and still feel like I'm in my infancy. I guess some of us were born with more of a feel for metal than others.  Not to beat the fire poker theme to death, but every once in a while, I see a set a set of fireplace tools and think "never seen that before, totally unique". Kind of like shoes and eye glasses, have no idea how they can keep coming up with so many new designs year after year. I guess my philosophy is to look at it as more of a challenge than a burden. That being said, I have yet to make a set of fireplace tools. My art school analogy was more of a broad observation and not directed towards you. All the best

Understood, Dognose. I've agreed with everything you've said, typed words don't have the warmth of face to face conversation and can be misleading.

 

100% agree about seeing things in a new light and getting new ideas. There's a smith not too far from me whos work I love, mainly because it's so understated, efficient and...well...just really cool. The handles on some of his fire poker sets are fantastic! His design style is quite an inspiration actually. I don't think I'm allowed to post the link so Google "James Price blacksmith wedge table". I love the fullered bends and generally everything about it.

WOW! Very clean lines, right up my alley. Although I love and appreciate all types of smithing, his work really speaks to me. An industrial quality with the right amount of "handmadeyness", not a word in the English language I'm sure. Thanks for sharing that.

Artisanal or in German  handwerkerliche  

 

(German because I hate how artisanal is being abused in the market place like "Artisan Fresh" which is total BS as that could mean they stuffed it under their mattress for a couple of years...)

Artisanal or in German  handwerkerliche  

 

(German because I hate how artisanal is being abused in the market place like "Artisan Fresh" which is total BS as that could mean they stuffed it under their mattress for a couple of years...)

 

Under a mattress eh? Would that be artis-anal?

 

I'm with you, artisan is one of those alert signals on the verge of red flag warning, I almost universally put in the junk file.

 

Frosty The Lucky.