learn – louiseforbesdesign

So much fun!!!

We (me, Sarah and Islay Spalding) had Mip and her lovely family up to the workshop last week for this brilliant class. It was Mip’s birthday and she wanted to do something special with her family, and decided this was fun for everyone!

Mip, her boyfriend Callum and her mum Liz went with Sarah and Islay, they played and experimented with copper and then went on to make themselves a unique silver ring each.

Mip’s Dad, Den, came with me and made himself a new coffee scoop for his morning routine.

To start the spoon Den carved out the bowl, this is probably the most tricky bit. Hook knives are amazing once you get the hang of them, but getting a feel for the motion can sometimes take a while. Den picked it up pretty quickly and got scooping. I did a spoon alongside him so he could watch me and my technique.

Blow torch fun being had by the metal makers…

Lots of bashing too..

And some careful sawing.

Once Den had scooped out the bowl, I asked him to draw out the shape of the rest of the spoon, then we cut it out on the band saw.

When the rough shape is cut it’s back to the hand tools. Using a rasp and then a couple of files Den got the rough edges and saw blade marks off his cute wee spoon.

Then it’s sanding time! This bit always takes a while!!! Working up the grades of paper to make sure it’s super smooth at the end!

Working away.

Getting the saw blade changed.

Rubbing.

Just as Den was finishing up the spoon, a couple of wee marks in the grain got exposed and Den didn’t like them and wondered if we could cover them or fill them. We suggested a bit of brass rod and he was right up for it, so Islay took Den to the metal side and sorted him out with a couple of wee bits of brass. It’s a lovely wee detail!!

Once Den had sanded the spoon up the grades of paper to about half way we went and soaked the spoon, let it dry, then continued up the grades. This raises the grain of the wood to the surface, then when you sand it again and then oil it, it stays super smooth!!