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Wrought Iron Yoroidoshi Sculpture
A forging exercise leading to a sculptural tanto form for study and enjoyment, part of the Artist in Residence project at the museum. Forged from a piece of lovely fine-grained salvaged wrought iron railroad plate more than a century old. A little large for opening letters, this piece would function as a collectible, art object, […]
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Break Test for Wrought Iron
A simple test for wrought iron is to cut partway through a bar and then break off the rest. It will bend and then finally break, revealing stringy iron fibers rather than the homogeneous matte-gray internal structure of modern steel. The linear striations are caused by the residual slag left between layers during smelting and […]
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Inome Tanto
The inome (pronounced “ee-no-may”, 猪の目, eye of the boar) name comes from the pierced heart-shape designs of the decorative o-seppa (washers) on either side of the tsuba (handguard). This lovely motif is ubiquitous in Japan, seen often in architecture, furniture, and sword mountings. In this context, the inome symbol conveys the idea of the focused, […]
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Japan Photo Essay: Chashitsu-goya
Building a small farm shed in an inaka area of Japan. The materials were mostly reclaimed and from what was on-hand on the farm. Incorporating elements of local architecture, the design allows farming tools and materials to stay on site at the field and provides workspace at a convenient height for grandpa. Affectionately named chashitsu-goya […]
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温故知新・On Ko Chi Shin
A true and accurate understanding of the past is an important step towards a good future. 温故知新 (on ko chi shin) is an expression that most directly translates to, “study the old to know the new”. This one-of-a-kind project represents the current progression of my work based on the study and practice of historical techniques, […]
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An Inside Look at Kobuse Construction
Though the majority of tanto are muku (one-piece construction), after the beginning of the edo period larger swords (katana, wakizashi) are often intentionally constructed of multiple steel components containing differing carbon content. The reason partly stems from the increase in brittleness of steel made from mass-produced tamahagane which began around that time and also from […]
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Touzai Tanto
Touzai (東西) can be literally translated “East West” and carries the idea of spanning across distance or covering and including everywhere. There is also a saying, “kokontouzai” (古今東西) which means for all time and all places, literally “old, now, East, West”. This project began with the concept of ideas from different times and places coming […]
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Making Sekigane for a Wrought Iron Tsuba
Guards for classical Japanese style takedown knives are generally formed as variations of flat discs that slide over the tang. When working with wrought iron or steel, small copper inserts called sekigane (責金) are often used to prevent contact between the blade and the tsuba. This photo essay will attempt to portray a simple approach […]
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Maple Wrought Iron
This clay tempered blade was hand forged from an automotive leaf spring about 20 years ago. Some natural texture from fire, file, and hammer marks have been left on the surface of the blade. The guard and pommel are hand forged and shaped from some heavy duty dock chain from the Jordan River area, a […]
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Solid Wrought Spatula
A section of large wrought iron dock chain from Vancouver Island is hand forged in a single piece to create this kitchen tool.
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Forged Blade Workshop
A collaborative instructional blade forging session with a Vancouver Island Blacksmith from Foggy Mountain Forge
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The Old School House
The Old School House (affectionately known as TOSH) is a community supported arts centre and gallery in Qualicum Beach.
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Dagger from the Sea
A desktop sculpture and conversation piece, this heavy duty double edged letter opener was forged from an ancient bolt from the sea. The raw material for this piece was another find from cleaning up the seaside at one of our beautiful Vancouver Island beaches. Recently I found a heavy duty bolt that seems to be […]
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Wrought Iron Relic
Forged from an amazing piece of rough wrought iron pulled from the sea, this heavy duty letter opener is a piece of history. When I am at the beach I tend to pick up and bring away any rusty pieces of steel, partly to clean up the beach and help keep Vancouver Island beautiful, and […]