Early Signs of Success
The pall of steam emerging from the kiln body signifies that the wood pile is getting hotter‚ and has therefore been successfully lit!
Photo: Deirdre McMurray‚ June 2011
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Smoke and Flames as the Kiln Hots Up
Once the central core fire begins to catch‚ copious amounts of smoke and some very intense flame are seen at the top of the kiln...almost time to put the lid on and attach the chimneys.
Photo: Deirdre McMurray‚ June 2011
View of Hellfire and Brimstone
This photo was taken looking up one of the air vents...seems like some sort of fiery dinosaur to me!
Photo: Deirdre McMurray‚ June 2011
The Kiln Chuffing Away for the Next Few Hours
The burn phase is well underway‚ and now is the best time to get on with other things as this stage will take several hours.
Photo: Deirdre McMurray‚ June 2011
Fred CARVING GYPSY FLOWERS at WGWC
Here I am at the Wiltshire Greenwood Collective meeting carving those Gypsy Flowers. I love these‚ a real traditional craft of the underwood...my grannie used to sell these from door to door long before I was even born.
Photo by Mike Slater - Thanks Mike
CLOSE UP - carving Gypsy Flowers
Here is the technique in close up. You have got to concentrate - or OUCH!
Photo by Mike Slater - Thanks Mike
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GYPSY FLOWERS - The Garden is Growing!
Photo by Mike Slater
GYPSY FLOWERS - Close Up
Photos by Mike Slater
OGHAM STICKS by FRED ('The Forager')
This photo shows the Ogham Sticks that I make.
They are made from 20 different woods as described in the mediaeval Book of Ballymote. Each of the characters is inscribed into the wood by burning with a pyrography tool‚ so that they don't rub off. I then coat the burned character with clear lacquer to provide a nice finish.
The sticks come supplied in a nice velvety drawstring bag‚ and are available on our 'Book and Buy Stuff' page.
Fred the Forager
Twisted and Scrolled COPPER TORC bracelet
Photo by Kelly Saunders
Unity BIRTH RING forged from a SILVER COIN!
It took 20 to 30 thousand hammer blows to forge this ring.
Photo by Kelly Saunders
IRON TORC - NE Europe CELTO-SLAVONIC inspiration
This was one of my earliest blacksmithing projects‚ and I still wear it today. It feels very protective‚ and due to a secret used in its manufacture‚ it does not rust.
Photo by Kelly Saunders
STERLING SILVER TALISMANIC RING
This ring was inscribed with a design supplied by the customer‚ using an age old salt etching technique.
It was the assertion of alchemists many centuries ago that 'the salts open the pores of the metals'.
They were definitely right!
Photo by Kelly Saunders
First go at a tension tray basket
Tension tray basket making
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Tension tray baskets
Beginners basketry students first tension trays
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Swedish fruit basket
Swedish fruit basket - the open lattice base prevents fruit spoiling by increasing air flow
.jpg "Smoke and Flames as the Kiln Hots Up")
.jpg "GYPSY FLOWERS - The Garden is Growing!")
.jpg "Tension tray baskets")
.jpg "Swedish fruit basket")
