tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80139315353843724432024-02-19T06:44:17.790+00:00Artisan BlacksmithingThe works of Mhairi FraserMhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-22077244112560544782017-10-16T09:15:00.000+01:002017-10-16T09:15:03.982+01:00And I would drive five hundred miles...And then I drove five hundred more!<br />
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It's been over a year since the last post and a lot happened...<br />
I moved from the beautiful bothy to a beautiful cottage just outside Cardrona in the Scottish Borders; I had the chance to work on one of the best and most challenging pieces yet at The Blazing Blacksmith;<br />
I helped design and make a piece of sculpture with a great group of Scottish blacksmiths;<br />
I played at Belladrum for the second year running and met my cousins for the first time in my life; And finally, the big news...<br />
I'm writing to you from my room in Steneby, Sweden, where I'll be studying a masters in applied art and design specialising in metal work!!!<br />
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I applied very late in the year and didn't think I'd get in, but because of Brexit it means this was the last chance for me to apply to the course and be exempt from paying tuition fees as I'm still (for now...) a resident of an EU country. I had a lot of help with my application from a few wonderful people who put up with my panic so thank you!!<br />
I received an acceptance email about a month later and started to plan my move to Sweden which all happened very fast. I went to Hebcelt in Stornoway for a lovely ten days and spent a lot of time with friends and family and had a few long chats with the wonderfully down to Earth Dougie MacLean!!<br />
From Hebcelt I went to the mainland and got a flight to Oslo, then travelled down to check out Steneby, travelled back, had a full day as a tourist in Oslo then flew back to Edinburgh late on Sunday to start work again on Monday.<br />
I then had a weekend at Belladrum which was the best and muddiest year yet (thank you to everyone who came to hear me play and special thanks to my wonderful cousin and her team from National Trust. You guys are the best!!!) and ended up working the Monday before leaving for Sweden so had four days to sort everything and pack and make sure I had the correct documents etc.<br />
It was a stressful week and difficult to say goodbye to Jim and his family. I'm really going to miss my job there, but I think it's the right time to do this and gain more confidence in my craft and myself.<br />
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I set off on Saturday 19th and drove from Scotland to Newcastle, got an overnight ferry to Amsterdam, drove through Holland and Germany, then got a short ferry to Denmark and stayed with friends in Køge for a night. In the morning it was an early start to get to the Øresund bridge to Malmö in Sweden. From there it was straight up through Gothenburg and all the way to Dals Långed which is where my course is taught. It was a very long but exciting journey and it's so beautiful here I think I'm going to love it.<br />
I miss the mountains in Scotland (here there are Christmas trees as far as the eye can see!) and I'll miss my job, friends and family, but this place feels good for my soul. <br />
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Anyway, back to filling you in on the projects I was working on last year and the beginning of this year. First of all I want to share some images of the banister that Jim designed and I helped make and install. It was for a private house in Stirling and incorporates Oak trees and ivy vines which intertwine and create a truly stunning banister for the main staircase.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forged ivy leaves</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting to form oak leaves</td></tr>
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The oak and ivy leaves were marked under the flypress to make the veins and then heated in the forge and shaped with some anvil tools and lot of hammering. While making the leaves I found myself counting the number of hits from the flypress tool and each oak leaf had between 120-200 hits for the veins. So there's quite a lot of work in each element of this piece!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cleaning and polishing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More cleaning and polishing...</td></tr>
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The next stage after forging the leaves, acorns and stems/branches (Jim made the tree trunks while I was away) was tig welding sections together. This had to be done in a way that each section could be cleaned and waxed and then welded together into bigger sections which could still be 'easily' brushed and waxed...</div>
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Luckily that was Jims job and all I had to worry about was not getting too many metal wires in my arms from the cut brushes. It was a long process but it worked well so I kept track of which sections needed which coat of wax (four coats in total on everything) and Jim worked through welding everything together.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting up in the 'spare' workshop...</td></tr>
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On one Monday morning I got to work to find an extension on the workshop...</div>
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We made a jig of the staircase in the extension and Jim built up the banister around it to see how it would sit and work out any issues with spacings and trip hazards from the lower leaves. It was really nice to come in each morning and see the tree growing!</div>
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So eventually we got everything cleaned, polished and welded into manageable sections then packed up and set off to install the piece in a beautiful private estate in Stirling.</div>
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So that was the spectacular Oak and Ivy banister which I had the privilege of working on!! It was challenging and frustrating at points but it turned out beautifully in the end and I'm very proud to have been on Jims team!</div>
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Thank you and well done Jim!!!</div>
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Okay, I'll update you with more on my Swedish adventures soon!</div>
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Take care and bye for now x </div>
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Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-21091339779272518422016-05-29T09:48:00.000+01:002016-05-29T09:50:51.589+01:00Of leaves and leaving...So lately there has been a flurry of projects which incorporate leaves into the design in some way. In fact it seems to be a running theme this year which I'm quite happy about. I do like a good forged leaf. As the title of the post suggests, I'm also moving...<br />
I'll admit that I'm a bit sad...more than a bit sad...but hopefully that won't last long.<br />
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As promised I'll try and update you on all the projects I've been neglecting to write about, starting with a really lovely, stylized, forged tree.<br />
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The first thing that always happens with a project is the design (done by Jim) and then the full sized drawing (also done by Jim) and then I start work on measuring out materials and cutting lengths ready to forge, form and assemble. This design was nice to work on because it involved making four identical sections which would then be fitted together with the trunk. It was good practice for me getting to grips with cold bending on the flypress (something I was not enthusiastic about when I first started working at The Blazing Blacksmith') with varying sizes of material.<br />
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The main frame of the tree, branches and some of the leaves were made up of different sizes of round bar which were shaped, cut neatly and welded together.<br />
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The rest of the leaves were plasma cut, dressed off and then forged on the power hammer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaf blank ready to be heated</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6NUFWhGOble9JI4_G1VPgVPem5FvRz7OTbFSOhbSVr0yGdfTPe-R6n5NmyAh7Rvls8goWVWtKGFel7vxkNpMj-vdq9SjhP3Q3flMLKMjR7a7RRgSdfvKPwS7s_mbtrQv4-E1jb1_RA8/s1600/20160113_115253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6NUFWhGOble9JI4_G1VPgVPem5FvRz7OTbFSOhbSVr0yGdfTPe-R6n5NmyAh7Rvls8goWVWtKGFel7vxkNpMj-vdq9SjhP3Q3flMLKMjR7a7RRgSdfvKPwS7s_mbtrQv4-E1jb1_RA8/s320/20160113_115253.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Central vein marked using the power hammer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrNH0AjnDg8wO3nC46Sf2j71D8BjNaKi4Tz6TJY-JIboqvXOraCLwTNzVLWVARBhJSvAjJMdIBauP2mLCuinQbW6o_A6s1Hp-QPO6oPfinKIfyucDMz2dxWafZcEIQx4utIid0mwMTpQ/s1600/20160113_115026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrNH0AjnDg8wO3nC46Sf2j71D8BjNaKi4Tz6TJY-JIboqvXOraCLwTNzVLWVARBhJSvAjJMdIBauP2mLCuinQbW6o_A6s1Hp-QPO6oPfinKIfyucDMz2dxWafZcEIQx4utIid0mwMTpQ/s320/20160113_115026.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First side of the leaf done</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVTJkXSBE3_382M-2B-h-aso3-kXfGKYkgYf4S-vM8rUCYi25EugTzBDJsg3HGHAD2tnJxtLp2tNmVxcy8rabr58QHasSux55i3ZFRhRzYGI3KekAe4FPEjM5m1KSiUEFTNmMVm_S1jI/s1600/20160113_120541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVTJkXSBE3_382M-2B-h-aso3-kXfGKYkgYf4S-vM8rUCYi25EugTzBDJsg3HGHAD2tnJxtLp2tNmVxcy8rabr58QHasSux55i3ZFRhRzYGI3KekAe4FPEjM5m1KSiUEFTNmMVm_S1jI/s320/20160113_120541.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished leaf</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Tvo2-fgAvBUxUbwoiGgUOQt0x1hS6exbJJCjjMZTwhAKlu_juX3nScuRQ_yCdBapdLHCXTpka2VrOxmNvh9yRUOeA7CDOJYXUkwC4K6RrAh2lkIjd8GuP41HdbWrvz_soT-u_4V4G1s/s1600/20160113_120911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Tvo2-fgAvBUxUbwoiGgUOQt0x1hS6exbJJCjjMZTwhAKlu_juX3nScuRQ_yCdBapdLHCXTpka2VrOxmNvh9yRUOeA7CDOJYXUkwC4K6RrAh2lkIjd8GuP41HdbWrvz_soT-u_4V4G1s/s320/20160113_120911.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many finished leaves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So once all the leaves were forged I had to plasma cut a section of sheet for the trunk of the tree to give it some stability.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWh-WLRqfslskhzEjrqzetDa6f5A1Z8cqZIYORWmEBZ2Ghqdendfx1vdlfna5A1mwH-qE3_Z7AIAH6cQaaQYquXJqMi2yyRHl07GNxcJ89MF7_2ubRUNmuweCxAdCyHyvCTfYz_jm_l8/s1600/20160121_151017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWh-WLRqfslskhzEjrqzetDa6f5A1Z8cqZIYORWmEBZ2Ghqdendfx1vdlfna5A1mwH-qE3_Z7AIAH6cQaaQYquXJqMi2yyRHl07GNxcJ89MF7_2ubRUNmuweCxAdCyHyvCTfYz_jm_l8/s320/20160121_151017.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Then everything was set up and welded together.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTA22SBSoCQlF90T1hZSGoY9-Pd3z6X1SHExukP7-rQfmiZkSnXy-g5H3bS1eep2jcoEZOAF9CqJutwDRGpNBs4xxFbXlV9wYqfgUr7KzxmzbpzEaDFfuaJZWcqZBKBIR7JfuZQLw_s7s/s1600/20160121_141024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTA22SBSoCQlF90T1hZSGoY9-Pd3z6X1SHExukP7-rQfmiZkSnXy-g5H3bS1eep2jcoEZOAF9CqJutwDRGpNBs4xxFbXlV9wYqfgUr7KzxmzbpzEaDFfuaJZWcqZBKBIR7JfuZQLw_s7s/s320/20160121_141024.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
After it was welded, it got sent of to be galvanized and came back looking like this...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOG0wGJeLj7maBZhhiDewaetTrPAWAIilrjOJyX61xJ3lWbvls9J50cGIkpzOx24CQmHb6Ak8mihpZr6tQgiJK0sN-60e36dAQXu1iIYYcrkG6yfwnlgpQYLM7vyje-6VdRATRVCLNJw/s1600/20160215_154052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOG0wGJeLj7maBZhhiDewaetTrPAWAIilrjOJyX61xJ3lWbvls9J50cGIkpzOx24CQmHb6Ak8mihpZr6tQgiJK0sN-60e36dAQXu1iIYYcrkG6yfwnlgpQYLM7vyje-6VdRATRVCLNJw/s320/20160215_154052.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shiny tree...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Unfortunately it didn't stay shiny for long because it needed to be T-washed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhS3f-d5VaVE79NiXDOV-_cFHGYMz10Z9FqWLdQXZuk02fivmtBgwPx1CIySH270UFsG4O2W9Myu7NDePLe7nJSCws6nuKP2xZfq3SXJnT7dZqGpN8HEX67wk9Cj9DG65NYWYZ7_QAl0/s1600/20160310_165100_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhS3f-d5VaVE79NiXDOV-_cFHGYMz10Z9FqWLdQXZuk02fivmtBgwPx1CIySH270UFsG4O2W9Myu7NDePLe7nJSCws6nuKP2xZfq3SXJnT7dZqGpN8HEX67wk9Cj9DG65NYWYZ7_QAl0/s320/20160310_165100_resized.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished tree next to me...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So there's the finished tree. I really enjoyed this project and I think the tree looks lovely. The client loved it and actually commissioned some brackets to be made in the same style with the leftover leaves that I'd forged.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmqgShiPhdRWPv0Zbi1aQavnRP-bHuFvvbFM-kzr2uAvqGdb0pP3B0fV6JWeRuSWiPxIYodqfz6_RhVvN7zVIG4lnFRN9qrlh34hmp37ajuZNFe5MRI2kAA5-EMuMRPGFgYuah7vVa_I/s1600/20160321_153122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmqgShiPhdRWPv0Zbi1aQavnRP-bHuFvvbFM-kzr2uAvqGdb0pP3B0fV6JWeRuSWiPxIYodqfz6_RhVvN7zVIG4lnFRN9qrlh34hmp37ajuZNFe5MRI2kAA5-EMuMRPGFgYuah7vVa_I/s320/20160321_153122.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Design drawing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOrR_j_0Et3fW_sJK37WN6SIHaob3RgFqnDWsG_voXL1WaX1dHgccQVeghJ46JrTscaRzN_AVfRMZOS5TuInXwbD5y73Rjeck8H1KZoAVVO0G18_rllQF-iYK4Ui4IrrzkJkF87zg0p4/s1600/20160331_112156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOrR_j_0Et3fW_sJK37WN6SIHaob3RgFqnDWsG_voXL1WaX1dHgccQVeghJ46JrTscaRzN_AVfRMZOS5TuInXwbD5y73Rjeck8H1KZoAVVO0G18_rllQF-iYK4Ui4IrrzkJkF87zg0p4/s320/20160331_112156.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Componants for brackets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CfRSl_bGLRuPXluctJERr2INgCVNQ_8XSZAjjo55HX3IFE2cgZZiPMDDLj9FvmOZEOlm5pXfknu0Vg5DazNnT1cHKN2760_lv5igg0lTAn-HKzhY7clzyBCHuT1afY7MjDJBFIXksNk/s1600/20160331_131810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CfRSl_bGLRuPXluctJERr2INgCVNQ_8XSZAjjo55HX3IFE2cgZZiPMDDLj9FvmOZEOlm5pXfknu0Vg5DazNnT1cHKN2760_lv5igg0lTAn-HKzhY7clzyBCHuT1afY7MjDJBFIXksNk/s320/20160331_131810.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tacked and ready to weld together</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqaG8NwSgJgw5uhfFPLqBgas1GkWHSCzr82Es7KPkKTVySZuAFwBzp-Vi8UTU8XxZ1YOj9fiFw6lQXZRu6Wx8o4ge9u9D2wMduEcUBbVe1SQW45agA2qkfcGgjjd5LMK8p2W2mJ3_zrA/s1600/20160331_153351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqaG8NwSgJgw5uhfFPLqBgas1GkWHSCzr82Es7KPkKTVySZuAFwBzp-Vi8UTU8XxZ1YOj9fiFw6lQXZRu6Wx8o4ge9u9D2wMduEcUBbVe1SQW45agA2qkfcGgjjd5LMK8p2W2mJ3_zrA/s320/20160331_153351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUaAASLkDsJ8F4P3Lh5wpmESnP7xohL9iRJc_eaKKXHflX93HoipuL4KWezSrqRWpxJGtvOCLSyZI1VDXQx1pMCSdNjBLINrAaqvzLnNOBtQ0aSFlV0qqnNZ9BFF0pJtR82hLMfTIvJg/s1600/20160331_175907_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUaAASLkDsJ8F4P3Lh5wpmESnP7xohL9iRJc_eaKKXHflX93HoipuL4KWezSrqRWpxJGtvOCLSyZI1VDXQx1pMCSdNjBLINrAaqvzLnNOBtQ0aSFlV0qqnNZ9BFF0pJtR82hLMfTIvJg/s320/20160331_175907_resized.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four finished brackets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So that was another wee project I enjoyed a lot.<br />
<br />
I'm going to leave this here (pun intended...) and will continue to update you on previous projects before letting you see what I'm helping Jim with just now...it's a good one!!!<br />
<br />
Take care<br />
<br />
xMhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-27397834162245446222016-05-02T01:02:00.001+01:002016-05-03T23:46:36.161+01:00Nearly a year later...So a lot has happened since my last post in work and life, as you would expect after several months...so I'm going to update you on all of it.<br />
<br />
First off I want to talk about Karine Polwart, who I mentioned briefly at the start of the last post. If you haven't checked out her music yet, please do. She is an exceptionally talented and inspiring woman.<br />
<br />
The reason I want to talk about her is because I have just been on a songwriting retreat/course up in the fantastic creative writing centre, Moniack Mhor. It was run by three singer/songwriters - Findlay Napier, Mike Vass and Karine Polwart who spent a week teaching me and thirteen other lovely people as much about songwriting (and everything else it entails) as they could fit into each day. By the end of the week every one of us had the chance to record a song we finished with the help of the amazing Ben Seal and his pop-up recording studio.<br />
<br />
I booked this course a few months ago and I was thinking about dropping out quite a few times because I was sure I would be out of my depth. I even had to email the course manager just to make sure that it wasn't just for professional musicians because I've never done any big performances, just music nights and small gigs for friends.<br />
<br />
Then in February my granny died. She suffered for a long time with Parkinson's disease and the end stages are heartbreaking. I knew it was happening and had been dealing with the prospect of losing her and how it was going to happen but there's always a little naive part of you that thinks some kind of miracle will happen and suddenly everything will be okay. Obviously that didn't happen and when she died it felt like a part of me died as well.<br />
I couldn't listen to music at all, I couldn't pick up my guitar without crying and I didn't talk to anyone for a while. Work kept me busy, but grief really does wash over you like a storm. It comes in waves of emotion which overwhelm you at times when you really should be concentrating - like working the power hammer for example, or the middle of the night when you know you have a long day of work ahead of you, or when you're walking through town and you think you see the person you know you've just lost.<br />
I think the worst thing for me was that the day before she died I received the final mix of a song I had written and recorded with the help of some musicians who were writing an EP. I had planned to put it onto a disc and play it for my granny but the next day it was too late and I can't ever fix that. My own song haunts me.<br />
<br />
So you can imagine that going on a songwriting course was the last thing on my mind.<br />
<br />
Thanks to a few words of wisdom and encouragement from my boss and my friends I decided not to drop out of the course and I can honestly say it was the best decision I've made in a long time. I had the chance to travel somewhere I'd never been before and spend a week with people I didn't know and my only goal was to get through one song without crying. I think I achieved that on the first night when we had to perform a cover of a song that we liked so from that moment I felt I'd accomplished something. (I performed a slightly altered version of 'A Place Called Home' by Kim Richey - another amazing and inspiring singer/songwriter who has some excellent musical and lyrical skills. She has an absolutely beautiful voice so I hope I did her song justice!)<br />
<br />
Here's where I want to move onto more positive things and tell you about my week away so I'll start back at the beginning ...<br />
<br />
I set off with far too much packed into my car with a worry that I wouldn't be able to fit anything else in let alone another person - a stranger no less - who was going on the course and I had offered to pick up in Inverness en route to Moniack. (I had my bike, climbing, hiking, formal and informal gear, two guitars, note books, sketch books and a lot of blankets...)<br />
I had a couple of appointments in the early morning and then made good time up the road (even after falling into the A9 roadworks trap that I should know to avoid by now) and arrived in Inverness an hour earlier than I thought. I went and found Simon who had flown up from London that morning. We set off and got to know each other a bit along the way and it was nice having some company in the car!<br />
We arrived a few hours early at Moniack Mhor (after Simon kindly asked for directions from a passing farmer) and were greeted most graciously by the staff at Moniack.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGvw9hDVVDg-WieNR11EZSdhoqij_Fd4xaKP8_JM-fvwDCrqaVsPU9S7FdVHmRUskx5M8Y8JKLVp1U4nrKwrZWVoPYebXK6yfNGqJLt8VKT1II70nE4Fgyd9NTXYlHF8XdAG1STBiMiM/s1600/P4232508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGvw9hDVVDg-WieNR11EZSdhoqij_Fd4xaKP8_JM-fvwDCrqaVsPU9S7FdVHmRUskx5M8Y8JKLVp1U4nrKwrZWVoPYebXK6yfNGqJLt8VKT1II70nE4Fgyd9NTXYlHF8XdAG1STBiMiM/s320/P4232508.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moniack Mhor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Simon got shown to his room and I was informed that I was staying in the cottage at the bottom of the garden...alarm bells immediately started going off because I'd only been there five minutes and couldn't possibly have done anything to warrant being put out in a separate building...then I was informed that was where the poetry library was so I was instantly filled with so much joy I can't even put it into words. To put it simply, I love reading.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVgzicnbXcGidXZ894Yl5uc3QaWw49LDJjDNOvjnRYqmwm8mN9Zc0redFCrrTlM-hg6fiGMVwA2v5L19e0BtdBcpjKA3OCALrfgEd_zaiw6dXBoNDcXbNsvS342QONJkM5iiYtkPoaGI/s1600/P4192503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVgzicnbXcGidXZ894Yl5uc3QaWw49LDJjDNOvjnRYqmwm8mN9Zc0redFCrrTlM-hg6fiGMVwA2v5L19e0BtdBcpjKA3OCALrfgEd_zaiw6dXBoNDcXbNsvS342QONJkM5iiYtkPoaGI/s320/P4192503.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Livingroom/Library/Kitchen/what my future house will look like...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Then I was informed that the tutors would be sharing the cottage in the rooms upstairs and under no circumstances was I to bother them.<br />
My joy instantly turned to a horrible mixture of excitement, awe and outright fear. <br />
Don't misunderstand me. The thought of being that close to so much talent was great for a moment until I realised that I was really nervous about meeting them. I had promised myself to be totally cool and calm because every other time I've had the chance to talk to Findlay and Karine at gigs I end up being far too excited and can't string a sentence together...not exactly the look I wanted to go for if I was spending a week in their presence.<br />
At this point I also remembered the last time I saw both of them together was just after I had been on a short, morning songwriting course with Karine in Inverness last year. I was being far too excited at having just spoken to her and I was driving out of the car park when at that moment Karine and Findlay walked out to cross the exit of the car park in front of the car and I had to stop quite quickly (I wasn't very near them...I am a very observant and safe driver). They saw the car stop and both looked up and I ended up grinning and waving far too enthusiastically and then when they moved off I nearly stalled the car because I was busy being in awe and slightly shocked that I could have potentially run over two of Scotland's finest singer/songwriters of my time...<br />
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So anyway, I'm sure you can understand what it feels like to have the chance of a lifetime - meeting someone you look up to and admire - and then realise that you wish you were just a bit more cool and hadn't nearly run them over the previous year.<br />
<br />
I unpacked (thankfully there was no one around to see how much I had brought. My roomate for the week - Malina - hadn't arrived so I managed to stuff a lot of things under my bed) perused the library/living room and then went back up to the main building for a cup of tea. Just after making said cup of tea, Findlay, Karine and Mike arrived and I got to meet them before anyone else which I'm quite happy about. Karine actually asked if we'd met before and I did a sort of long held 'Ehhhhhhh...' hoping she didn't recognise me as the crazy girl in the silver freelander that nearly ran her over...and then said I'd been to the short course in Inverness last year and left it at that. Thankfully there was no mention of my driving or manic waving.<br />
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More people arrived and I introduced myself and was grateful yet again at how good a conversation starter my job title is. Artist Blacksmith. It always helps to have something to start talking about and I love talking about my job!<br />
I met my roomate, who turned out to be an absolutely lovely woman called Malina who lives quite near Moniack. <br />
After everyone arrived we got a quick intro from the staff at Moniack and then had to go to what is known as the 'Hobbit House' to play a cover of a song that we were supposed to have prepared.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 'Hobbit House'</td></tr>
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I have had my guitar tuned to DADGAD for a long time now so I was a bit worried the song I picked would sound a bit strange or I'd forget the chords. I ended up playing last because I kept chickening out of going next - and I was shaking from cold and a bit of nerves - nightmare! However, after listening to the group (and can I say now that they are a very talented group of musicians) I thought that as long as my voice didn't shake too much I'd be okay because they were all lovely and had positive things to say after each performance.<br />
As I said earlier, I managed to play and sing without crying or with any major faults that I could hear and to be honest I liked the challenge of playing a song I know very well in an open tuning. It was really fun and although I think I sang very quietly I think everyone enjoyed it. I may record my version and let you hear it at some point...<br />
With that out of the way I did begin to relax a bit and headed off to the cottage to read and try and get some sleep for the next day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The path heading down to the cottage</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Each morning started out the same for me.<br />
I think that every morning I got up slightly earlier than the previous morning which was good in a way because it meant I fitted more into the day, but it also meant I was pretty tired in the evenings.<br />
I'd creep out my room, try not to wake Malina, go up to the main building and have first breakfast, go back to the cottage with some fruit, read a few books, go out a cycle or a run and then have second or third breakfast depending on how hungry I was. I was pretty much hungry the whole week. I'm sure it was because my brain was working so hard to think of lyrics and to try and get songs written and remember everyones name and to be calm and collected and not too obviously in awe...<br />
Actually I want to say that I checked something pretty amazing off my bucket list. So on the first morning, I saw Findlay go out for a run and I thought to myself...I could not bother him, or I could just ask him if he'd mind the company...needless to say I asked him and the next morning I went on my first outdoor run (after breaking my ankle last year) with FINDLAY NAPIER!!! (After having breakfast with Karine Polwart...So really two things checked off the bucket list that day!!!)<br />
<br />
The days were packed full of writing tasks, group and singular activities. The group activities were great but it's a bit intimidating when asked to read out something you've been given five minutes to write in front of a group of people you've just met...and I'm going to honest, I did not complete a couple of the tasks! Luckily when I was working with Malina, she felt the same way. I'm not great at working under pressure so the time constraint was really challenging.<br />
In a good way.<br />
I felt bad at the time because for a few of the tasks I had incomplete songs/ideas but now I look back and think it was a good challenge and maybe I just need to push myself a bit more. I think my problem is that I'll come up with a line I like the sound of and then a minute later have another line in my head that has nothing to do with the first line and so I have lots of little ideas but none of them are finished. For example, I had an idea for a song after looking at one of the photographs from an idea generating task, although when I say idea I really mean a line:<br />
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'Searching for a stony silence' </div>
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Which came about after looking at an image of a woman sitting on a washed up tree trunk on a stony beach, looking out to sea. I liked the idea of the story of why the woman was there and then the way that the beach wouldn't be quiet and peaceful because of the noise of the waves hitting the pebbles. Then there's the added twist that a 'stony silence' is describing the kind of silence that you create. So by using the word 'stony' for the pebble beach it also describes the type of silence, adding something to the story. You want someone else to feel awkward so you make it like an awkward silence but with more force. (I know a lot of different silences...)</div>
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So this kind of task really gets me thinking and in case you can't tell I love words and how you can change them around to create different images and play about with the implied and literal meaning of the word. Words fascinate me. And I had read a lot of poetry the night before so I was feeling particularly inspired.</div>
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Anyway, my point is that after writing the initial first line I had another idea:</div>
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'There's a silence here and it feels wrong'</div>
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It was something I had been thinking about when everyone was quietly scribbling away. There are a lot of silences...some good and some bad. I was thinking of the silence in my granny's house at that point and how it's a different kind of silence when you know it's never going to be filled in the same way because the person is gone.</div>
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Then I had another idea because one of the other photographs on the table caught my eye and so on and so forth...needless to say, my problem isn't that I don't have any ideas, it's that I have too many which are small and get cast aside in the wake of the next idea hence why I hardly ever finish a song unless I have a year or two to work on it...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Studious...</td></tr>
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Day 3 was a bit better and I had a lot more fun with the tasks and it was less scary when I had to read out my ideas. I even managed to write about a horseshoe...and actually several people later remarked that they wouldn't look at a horseshoe (or any other metal object) in the same way. I'm quite proud of that. I like saying something that makes people think about seemingly everyday objects in a different way.</div>
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I had my one-to-one tutorial with Findlay later in the day and I found it surprisingly easy to talk to him. He's a really nice guy and had a lot of constructive comments and ideas to help me progress with my song idea. I was struggling a bit at this point because my ideas were all over the place and it was good to have someone tell me to concentrate on one idea and work through a proper structure. Like forging a scroll. You have to start at the end and get it right, then move on to the next section.</div>
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So after that I started to knuckle down and freak out that I was going to be the only one not to finish and record a song by the end of the week...</div>
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I was going to lie and say I just got on with it, but I hit a block that day and was pretty close to driving off somewhere to cry...however I did not.</div>
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I had my keys and my notebook in hand and then I saw Emma sitting on a picnic bench outside and decided to not go off in a mood and go and talk to someone instead.</div>
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It was really good to bounce some ideas around and she ended up making me feel a lot more calm and ready to face the challenge of finishing a song or at least getting as close to a finished song as possible. At this point I was hoping inspiration would strike like lightning before my tutorial with Karine the next day so that I could show her something worth looking at...</div>
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I did not get struck.</div>
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I did make a bit of progress which was good but I felt like I was letting myself and the tutors down and I know it showed. </div>
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My physio used to joke that the reason she thought my shoulders were so strong is because I hunch them whenever I'm nervous...I'm beginning to think she was right.<br />
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That evening we all set off to Findlay and Karine's gig in Abriachan and it was a really enjoyable event. Findlay has a great sense of humour and fantastic stage presence, as does Karine so it was nice to hear a mix of their songs in such a lovely venue.<br />
The Moon looked incredible that night but unfortunately I did not have a fancy camera to take a photograph so you'll just have to take my word for it. I spent a little time in the library trying to become inspired to finish another verse of my song, but decided it would be better to get some sleep.<br />
I fell asleep to the sound of Findlay, Karine and Mike chatting and singing in the Library. </div>
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I woke to the sound of my own panic-stricken heart...<br />
Anyway, with much trepidation the next day I went to my tutorial with Karine. I think it went a lot better than I was expecting. She had a lot of advice and was very helpful, she even made me a worksheet...I'm not kidding. It felt like I was in primary school again. In a good way. Although if I'd done a bit more work I feel I wouldn't have needed such a big worksheet. I had to fold it several times to carry around.</div>
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I set off to find a quiet place to work before meeting up with her later to show her my progress and found that in such a secluded place there are surprisingly few places to find a spot to muck about with chords and lyrics. Thirteen other people had the same idea, so there were musicians everywhere!!!</div>
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I ended up working in the boot of my car, which sounds silly, but it is very comfy. I've slept in the back quite a few times when I've been on solo hikes and adventures and it was perfect because no one knew I was there and therefore I effectively disappeared for about an hour and a half and managed to get some work done.<br />
Eventually I emerged from the boot of the car and went to find Karine. She ended up sitting on the floor of my room (I did offer her a chair obviously but she didn't want it) and we had a brainstorm for a long time with me constantly remembering what the woman had said when I arrived at Moniack - 'Under no circumstances was I to bother the tutors especially after classes finished '...so I kept reminding her that she was free to go off and explore or chat to other people. Looking back I realise that was probably quite rude of me and probably quite annoying. I did apologise later.<br />
So we worked a bit more, then went to the main building for dinner.<br />
<br />
I had a bit of an embarrassing moment when I thought I inhaled a bit of rice and kept coughing and then a couple of minutes later got the fish bone out from where it had lodged in my throat...not pleasant for the folk sitting close by...so embarrassing, but now I can tell you about it and laugh. It could have been a lot worse.<br />
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After dinner it was back to working on the song and this is the part I'm kind of proud of...<br />
I had written a lot of small ideas the days before, but one of the ideas really inspired me. I wanted to work on it at a later date, but I wanted to see what Karine thought about it.<br />
I read out the couple of lines I had written and the first thing she said was 'Oh no' which felt a bit like being punched in the gut...however she quickly followed with something along the lines of we should work on that song. I can't remember exactly what she said because I was recovering from shock. I can take creative criticism but when someone outright says 'no' it knocks my confidence.<br />
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So we switched to working on that song which was a lot more personal and I felt I needed to get it out of my system. I wanted to write something for my granny or rather about what I was feeling. I've not been able to talk about her much with anyone but it was good to talk to Karine. It was the first time I could talk about the things I remember about my granny in a happy way. I feel it was good for my soul. And also that was another thing checked off the bucket list - writing a song with the help of Karine Polwart!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The creative process...</td></tr>
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After hours of work we finished the song and then she got me to play it in front of Findlay and Mike!! I am not going to lie, I was very nervous. Seeing them all together was a bit intimidating and I was very aware that my guitar was out of tune and that one of my nails had snapped and wasn't plucking the string very nicely...however I made it through and they were all pretty positive. I felt bad having changed my focus after Findlay helped me to work on the other song idea but as I said I think writing this song was good for me.<br />
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I slept a bit better that night although in the morning I woke at 4.08am. I remembered I was recording at 10am that day, so did not get back to sleep. I went out to find a frost covered, beautifully peaceful sunrise filtering through the pines. I read a couple of books, waited to see if Findlay was going a run (he wasn't) then went off mountain biking and worked myself into a worry about my song all over again. I climbed a few trees, nearly fell out of one and then headed back to Moniack after patting Hamish for a while (Hamish being one of the Highland cows in the field just next to the writing centre). Unfortunately I timed my arrival pretty badly and met Karine at the top of the hill. I say badly because after cycling up the hill I probably looked and smelled a bit worse for wear...mud-streaked, scratched and gasping for breath with a slightly panicked look in my eyes...not exactly how you want to greet someone you look up to. Nevertheless she offered to go through my song before I had to record so I was very grateful for that. I only played through it a few times the day before so I was a bit worried about how the whole song flowed and if my guitar part was strong enough to stand on it's own without the help of Mike.<br />
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After she returned from her walk I played through the song a few times and we sorted out the guitar part. Then I went off to my doom...<br />
Well, not really. Ben Seal is probably the friendliest person in the World and instantly made me feel at ease. When someone greets you with, 'How are you doing pickle?' it's hard not to smile and feel relaxed!<br />
The recording session went very well. I thought about playing guitar and singing seperately but I quite like a more natural recording so did everything in one take and then played through twice more to make sure it was good enough. Then all I added were some harmonics I started playing when Ben was playing back what he'd recorded and that was that.<br />
We had a cup of tea and I went back to the main building to find out what everyone else was up to.<br />
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At 4pm I headed to the kitchen to cook dinner with Heather and Richard and had a lovely time. It reminded me so much of working at Loch Croistean Cafe and it was good talking a bit more to Richard whom I hadn't said much to during the week and I had a good laugh with Heather.<br />
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After dinner (which was presented with a bagpiper and all!) we gathered in the Hobbit hut to listen through all of the tracks that had been recorded. I don't like listening to my recordings with other people there. If I've recorded it myself it's fine, because I'll have made sure everything's in tune and the right volume but when I haven't heard the finished piece it's horrible. I knew it couldn't be that bad, but it felt like everyone else had put so much more work into their songs.<br />
When my track came on I couldn't look at anyone and I clenched my stress bracelet so hard I ended up with scrolls imprinted on the palm of my hand. (I made a mild steel bracelet for myself - the first thing I forged for myself actually - and I hardened the material so that no matter how hard I try I can't break it...yet...I might still get stronger...but it's a good way to take my mind of whatever is making me feel nervous. It's a good thing to hold.)<br />
After everyone's tracks had played through I felt a bit better and it was good to hear other people were as nervous as me about hearing their song for the first time. It turned into a good night after I remembered that not only did I have a brand new external hard drive to copy the songs from Karine's laptop, I also had a box of cds I was going to use to make driving cds for the way back down to Kirkhouse.<br />
After finding everything I needed I basically spent the whole evening burning cds for everyone. I felt very useful and talked to a lot of people and had a lot of fun right up until the point where Simon informed me he didn't need a lift back to Inverness because he and Richard had booked a taxi for early the next morning!<br />
I'm not exactly sure why I was so sad, but I felt like maybe I hadn't made it clear I was happy to give him a lift. I also did not like the prospect of driving alone. After such a fantastic week I knew I would be sad and was looking forwards to the company for part of the journey.<br />
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So the next morning I woke up early again and went to make breakfast with Simon. We had a very good chat and he ended up making me feel so much better about myself and my work and my music.<br />
I really can't thank you enough Simon. It was the perfect way to end the week. I would have loved to repay the favour and given you a lift to the airport, but that will need to wait for the next songwriting retreat!<br />
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So after Richard and Simon got their taxi I went back and quietly replaced all of the books I had taken out and read over the week and packed the car. Then went back to the kitchen for second breakfast...<br />
It was good to chat to folk in the morning and I felt so much more positive I wish everyone had seen that side of me for the whole week instead of just at the end!<br />
I need to mention Emma here and say a special thank you to you because you saw how nervous I was at the start of the week and made the effort to talk to me and seek me out whenever I felt like disappearing. And also for bringing me snacks...I don't know how everyone else managed not to be hungry in the middle of the group tasks but I couldn't not have survived without your help! Even just talking through some of my ideas really helped, so thank you again for that and for the final gift of biscuits just before I set off!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything you need for the long drive home...</td></tr>
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So after saying goodbye to everyone I could find (I couldn't find you Malina, so you didn't get a farewell blacksmith hug...but don't worry, I can save that for when I see you next) I headed off down the road following Emma and listening to the cd of everyone's songs. By the time we passed through Inverness I started to feel incredibly sad. No one else needed a lift down the road so it was sad not having any company in the car just like I knew it would be.<br />
About two miles from the turn off for Carrbridge I was crying so much I could hardly see, so I made a hasty decision and decided to drop in to see my friend Amylou. Luckily she was in because if not I would have ended up feeling even worse.<br />
My sad departure day ended up turning into my super creative and inspiring day with a lovely Spring walk, a long talk and a chance to have a go at raku firing and more writing. It was a much better way to end my weekend than travelling back alone to Kirkhouse and feeling sorry for myself, so thank you very much Amylou. I hope I brightened your day as much as you brightened mine.<br />
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So...<br />
That was my very long, very detailed account of the best week of my life so far. I feel I've made some new friends, met some truly inspiring people and had the privilage to learn from people I admire. I already feel my confidence growing!<br />
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And now onto an update on all the blacksmithing work I've not told you about over the past year...or maybe I'll take a break here...<br />
Yes.<br />
I think that's a good idea.<br />
Although first, just one last bit about music.<br />
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Here is the link to the song I wrote and recorded at Moniack Mhor with the combined help of all the other students, tutors and staff there. Thank you for making this possible and for all your support.<br />
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<a href="https://soundcloud.com/mhairi-4/crook-without-a-master">https://soundcloud.com/mhairi-4/crook-without-a-master</a><br />
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Take care and I'll update you soon with some blacksmithing news! <br />
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Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-33229892407276772002015-07-07T17:29:00.001+01:002015-07-07T17:30:48.138+01:00Progress...So this morning at physio I was allowed to hop and, wait for it...JOG ON A TINY TRAMPOLINE!!! This is a pretty big step (no pun intended) for me considering I haven't been allowed to do any high impact exercise since breaking my ankle in February...<br />
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Anyhoo, I feel I have a lot to say to update you on what's been happening since my last post.<br />
I'm still working away at the forge three days a week and attending a special ankle group twice a week with a fantastic physiotherapist who is unfortunately leaving next week because she got a lovely new job at another hospital...<br />
I'm very happy for her but can't help feeling a little sad that she's leaving.<br />
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I'll tell you all about what I've been up to at work, but for now I want to share some other news.<br />
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I have had an amazing weekend up in Inverness where I saw Karine Polwart (a fantastic and highly praised Scottish singer/songwriter) performing a solo set which was absolutely beautiful. She usually performs in a trio but it was really interesting to hear her singing and playing on her own. After the performance I had the chance to chat with her and then found out there was a short songwriting course the next morning. Of course I thought it was full, but ended up checking anyway and found there were still tickets available, so after a long, long, long time of consideration (I'm very nervous about things like this) I bought a ticket and then didn't get much sleep because I was too excited...<br />
On the Saturday morning I went along and it was amazing. I came away with a lot of tips on how to be a bit more confident and how to collect ideas and information to create songs. I think the best quote which has stuck with me is 'Pursue the ideas that make you care'. I really liked that and since the weekend I feel re-inspired to start (and more importantly for me, finish) writing my own songs.<br />
I think my problem is that I begin an idea and then get disheartened and feel it isn't good enough and I give up. I store it away unfinished and somewhere at the back of my mind it's just waiting there...another unfinished project amongst hundreds. So my goal is to start sorting through all of my notes and finish at least two songs by the end of the month.<br />
I feel this is pretty reasonable although since Saturday I've already written down three new ideas which consist of about three lines and moved on to a fourth...but I'm hopeful I now have the right motivation to finish them!<br />
If you have the time, check out Karine's website <a href="http://www.karinepolwart.com/index.php" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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So...on to what's been happening at the forge.<br />
I did a couple of pretty small projects recently which were nice and simple. This is a tool for stretching canvases which basically involved a little bit of welding and I got some practice at using the tig welder (which I don't use very often).<br />
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The next project was a little wall mounted bracket for a chandelier. It involved tiny forging and for the wrap I used a length of tig wire which turned out very nicely.<br />
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I also made a hand rail which was pretty hard to do with a sore ankle. I didn't realise how much pressure goes through your ankle when using your arms to create a simple square twist...<br />
For now I only have some pictures of the scroll ends.<br />
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Next are a few pictures of a butterfly and feathers for one of the bigger projects I helped with. This is now finished and will hopefully be installed in Motherwell tomorrow (so fingers crossed for some sunshine please!!). I will add some photographs of the finished pieces in the next post.<br />
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The butterfly was pretty difficult to photograph after it was in place, but hopefully the last two photographs give you an idea of where it's sitting. Here are a few photographs of the work in progress...<br />
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This is the lecturn which will hold a book of memories for a dimentia garden in Motherwell. It was all designed by Jim and I made the leaves, feather and forged the wings for the butterfly. I'll add more photographs of the finished piece in the next post so you can see it after it's been galvanised, painted and installed. We were also commissioned to make a bird bath so I'll get photographs of that as well.<br />
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We're currently working together on some pieces for the Boarders Council and Jim's been finishing off some gates which will be installed after we both get back from a wee Summer holiday. (I'm away to the Isle of Lewis to work at the Hebridean Celtic Festival which will be a first for me! I've been many times but never been behind the stage!!)<br />
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So...I have a lot more to say but I'll leave that for the next post. For now, I'm feeling more positive than I have done in months and actually feel like I'm making progress!<br />
Thank you and take care of yourself!<br />
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<br />Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-75212372609772108372015-03-12T19:30:00.000+00:002015-03-12T19:30:32.731+00:00Back to Work!!!So as the title of this post would suggest, I am finally back to work! This week I'm in every other day so I'm not on my feet to much and it's been fine. Today was one of my 'rest' days, and I actually went for a walk even though it was raining. It wasn't a very long walk, and I'm still on crutches, but it made me happy to be outside and hopeful that I will heal faster.<br />
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So anyway, back onto the exciting blacksmith stuff...<br />
I finally have a photograph of the finished 'Cornalee' project that I had been working on alongside Jim until I hurt my ankle!!!! This piece is a sculptural welcome sign to a new housing estate which Jim designed using inspiration from patterns found in textiles.<br />
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I'll start with some photographs of the individual components.<br />
Here's what we started with...<br />
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These parts were laser cut from sheet metal using Jim's design drawings and sent out to us. I then dressed off any sharp edges and made sure the overall shape was smooth with no sharp angles.<br />
Then I was tasked with bending different sizes of flat bar round these teardrop/flame shapes using the flypress.<br />
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This took a while, and the finished pieces took up quite a bit of space although not as much as the rest of the sculpture...<br />
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Then Jim designed and made a set of stamps to use in the flypress so we could punch them onto the teardrops. The one shown below is one of my favourites.<br />
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I think I've already shown a picture of the sheets that have been stamped so I'll move on to what the base of this piece looks like. It looks deceptively light. Let me assure you there is no one part of this piece which can be considered light!! (Except the bolts...)</div>
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So once all the teardrops were stamped, everything started to come together.</div>
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This was probably the most exciting point because until then all the components were separate so you couldn't really get a feel for what the finished piece was really going to look like. I also realised very quickly just how big and heavy it was going to be...</div>
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So after this stage all the other parts were welded together and put into position and finally we set the whole thing up...</div>
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One of the most challenging things to photograph while in the workshop!</div>
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Jim designed this piece so that it could be split into three main pieces for galvanizing, painting and of course moving. The base has two pieces of flat bar on the top which are bolted on. The flowers (that's what I'm going to call them from now on) are welded onto the flat bar. So two are on one side and three on the other, which can be taken off by taking the bolts off.</div>
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So they could be stored outside the workshop to save space...and then this happened...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-wN1Q89Cp-ZGCEWFi8fWLnSQmZLMwJvby518bIJwKpHuTw2q15GUUUEiKOF3V5hZDIAGg24AriGbIm7dJne_FWQGz42HS6sHTiPM2lzqERn5TlxCZgxEqHM3szKI3j1yvi3JBDrYMW0/s1600/20150128_163326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-wN1Q89Cp-ZGCEWFi8fWLnSQmZLMwJvby518bIJwKpHuTw2q15GUUUEiKOF3V5hZDIAGg24AriGbIm7dJne_FWQGz42HS6sHTiPM2lzqERn5TlxCZgxEqHM3szKI3j1yvi3JBDrYMW0/s1600/20150128_163326.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFrreP3jeVsOULRkp1gkqNSet7YelrWbFXdIAS1V22zzmi-oZATJ4mduXvejJrSlbyE2q-wNvMVUvtmOg7NoZp_nenhV5lJNRrzTpZGzJRDpz6AJ3F1DpKNqfFFsFUNcEOzDXxMk4EkE/s1600/20150128_163338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFrreP3jeVsOULRkp1gkqNSet7YelrWbFXdIAS1V22zzmi-oZATJ4mduXvejJrSlbyE2q-wNvMVUvtmOg7NoZp_nenhV5lJNRrzTpZGzJRDpz6AJ3F1DpKNqfFFsFUNcEOzDXxMk4EkE/s1600/20150128_163338.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just a little bit of snow in the morning which turned to this... <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyhGAO0FE6t0rfBDAz3r_wY-OuTY_lEkNqsB95LX_QW5AnJvnWJrGFKKhTsr8vQSXuWHqJl3NzYTT-e11LNHMvER_4iRGDqcCwyji7lAYSXE_jlEvcdsSWbd0yTfPfrLe3fwQ3Q9wmS0/s1600/20150129_084229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyhGAO0FE6t0rfBDAz3r_wY-OuTY_lEkNqsB95LX_QW5AnJvnWJrGFKKhTsr8vQSXuWHqJl3NzYTT-e11LNHMvER_4iRGDqcCwyji7lAYSXE_jlEvcdsSWbd0yTfPfrLe3fwQ3Q9wmS0/s1600/20150129_084229.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_u3liwrmInwFQERQ2fvy5LA2uB1Ubj7Br6k0sT_KAVhmdAn8evHedt36GRHHhyphenhyphenEScsOvRxcsubUlfUwoO2CIdZv0YtX2L-__AlNz04DqfcOBIF8bemvWwch_MeTKp6D_xYXn42UaU_c/s1600/20150129_084215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_u3liwrmInwFQERQ2fvy5LA2uB1Ubj7Br6k0sT_KAVhmdAn8evHedt36GRHHhyphenhyphenEScsOvRxcsubUlfUwoO2CIdZv0YtX2L-__AlNz04DqfcOBIF8bemvWwch_MeTKp6D_xYXn42UaU_c/s1600/20150129_084215.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I may have gotten a bit too excited about the snow, so I feel I should apologise to Jim again. I love Winter, I can't help it!!</div>
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Anyway, the next thing to be made was the final piece for the base. I got some more use of the plasma cutter and then it was back to bending flat bar.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_rGCit11s_AWxUpg1NlyYTy7MlAmnvL9Oocrb54SlPOp9ZLzE4HzdyWYrLOcX8mAmVD7SQ0x9cQTJnTHmh8ZU0kh4IJv9PYjQAq-vaDqnJRkKhjo9dLMRTSTDLgBOODODCPmiYcc4qg/s1600/20150122_102413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_rGCit11s_AWxUpg1NlyYTy7MlAmnvL9Oocrb54SlPOp9ZLzE4HzdyWYrLOcX8mAmVD7SQ0x9cQTJnTHmh8ZU0kh4IJv9PYjQAq-vaDqnJRkKhjo9dLMRTSTDLgBOODODCPmiYcc4qg/s1600/20150122_102413.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vmkqVnZHS85PD5UNMJBB5gsHxSDtg4VDMhFscL7jwl66e-6JuUKWiGbMqrF5lBI8Nws9I4lZfpQCaz7ygGAuvteMr3B5_n3f1WEAYvo9izkZTYRXFjZyquK9wSqsVneIrax1Ry0YOHs/s1600/20150126_170508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vmkqVnZHS85PD5UNMJBB5gsHxSDtg4VDMhFscL7jwl66e-6JuUKWiGbMqrF5lBI8Nws9I4lZfpQCaz7ygGAuvteMr3B5_n3f1WEAYvo9izkZTYRXFjZyquK9wSqsVneIrax1Ry0YOHs/s1600/20150126_170508.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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These pieces were going to be fitted underneath the base like this...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEill7yUBqRN7vK3E-8Jt58AhgkXepnHHWrYqfdrtjhb_UAC7Lf4n_EV1ZJtKjzs5SOlQqpafD1RtC0Pmwe3qtuwEDaQLZTSmotbe7pJ9v5NoYXdYTntbaZVANePFWCZgGHWEqj7Sqcoypo/s1600/20150127_141039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEill7yUBqRN7vK3E-8Jt58AhgkXepnHHWrYqfdrtjhb_UAC7Lf4n_EV1ZJtKjzs5SOlQqpafD1RtC0Pmwe3qtuwEDaQLZTSmotbe7pJ9v5NoYXdYTntbaZVANePFWCZgGHWEqj7Sqcoypo/s1600/20150127_141039.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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However that changed slightly to this...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5DwcU7AWH3O9DDPjCRRN6HF15cu9LJsjlJwKwSG7unqwmu_mb0AL8wMYfO73j3JPcxa8CMczsJJpWmJASRHX_IF0EQHgyfDWkhcSSiSyzS4uzlYEAy8APOTE-qH7AYeEBH_yxIo1Rl8/s1600/20150129_120608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5DwcU7AWH3O9DDPjCRRN6HF15cu9LJsjlJwKwSG7unqwmu_mb0AL8wMYfO73j3JPcxa8CMczsJJpWmJASRHX_IF0EQHgyfDWkhcSSiSyzS4uzlYEAy8APOTE-qH7AYeEBH_yxIo1Rl8/s1600/20150129_120608.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Which I think worked really well.</div>
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So the last thing to go on was the lettering which Jim welded on and then sent everything off to be galvanized. I didn't see it go off or come back because I was off work but Jim got it cleaned, painted and put together and it looks incredible.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwAH3JAl48Z_Urn7hHwCa2jXoutlFj7rKhis8unEJmIKirIIlxaozlU5XcAiAoMOu_RkcPV2qF4G7RbmCp_xutgeEZGNKOZx9Og6AkJZArsBWFVw87gWN7cFr7RzkLsGi6aLM2FuEqI8/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwAH3JAl48Z_Urn7hHwCa2jXoutlFj7rKhis8unEJmIKirIIlxaozlU5XcAiAoMOu_RkcPV2qF4G7RbmCp_xutgeEZGNKOZx9Og6AkJZArsBWFVw87gWN7cFr7RzkLsGi6aLM2FuEqI8/s1600/image.jpeg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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So there it is.</div>
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I feel very privileged to have worked on it! Hopefully we will be installing it soon so there will be more photographs to follow.</div>
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That's about it for now but we've got a few new projects on the go so I will keep you posted of what's going on. </div>
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Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-41326186424176450202015-02-28T18:39:00.000+00:002015-02-28T18:39:09.108+00:00Feeling blue...?So it's now nearing the end of week two and I've still not been back to work which is rubbish and to be perfectly honest I'm getting bored and lonely and fed up.<br />
I had a physio appointment the other day and got some sport tape on my ankle to help support it a bit as I ended up twisting it (which was quite sore and didn't help the healing process) because the muscles/tendons/ligaments are still weak. It's great because it means I feel a little bit steadier so can start to put a bit of weight on it and it covers up all the bruising which is still gathering at my heel! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Y6uyNYyTnCmiuaJJU_PEAyRavP2SG0ZG9MxcseouPz6gjaaCWTDTYmWItKbJ4o8Rosp204fhMIpglb_hoez5lsM6XkWreLQQr1OLTHm9N6RV_FwjG-vtKAq38N-4G7MimVL_vuyed5U/s1600/20150227_122616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Y6uyNYyTnCmiuaJJU_PEAyRavP2SG0ZG9MxcseouPz6gjaaCWTDTYmWItKbJ4o8Rosp204fhMIpglb_hoez5lsM6XkWreLQQr1OLTHm9N6RV_FwjG-vtKAq38N-4G7MimVL_vuyed5U/s1600/20150227_122616.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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So that's been making me feel a bit blue, however a couple of things have cheered me up. First off I've been doing a little bit of sketching for the next project I'll be helping with. Hopefully I'll get in to work next week and me and Jim can do a bit of designing together and come up with something that incorporates the clients ideas. I'm pretty excited for that because it's been a while since I've done any proper sketching and will be good to get feedback from another artist.</div>
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Secondly, I found something today which has pretty much made my day. I haven't been able to do much (in fact I haven't even been outside today...) so I was having a sort through my sketchbooks and paperwork and found a gift my Summer boss gave me last year. It's a lovely printed copy of 'The Great Book of Gaelic'. Now, when I got it I didn't want to crease the pages so stored it away in a plastic folder and haven't taken it out until now.</div>
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Inside I found this...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzliOlYV3ahTOR_BsZ-0aDr1SyLqfW0YcW9ToeKRJy8kQU0iJ2sT2HUr731WxaVQDrhFKLjAeRuT0yj5eiQhY1y92e3p12fmWcxgBxp06n-UVKaDDmpuHKIe4UKr7jNwk-oJhqN7LQPtA/s1600/20150228_171347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzliOlYV3ahTOR_BsZ-0aDr1SyLqfW0YcW9ToeKRJy8kQU0iJ2sT2HUr731WxaVQDrhFKLjAeRuT0yj5eiQhY1y92e3p12fmWcxgBxp06n-UVKaDDmpuHKIe4UKr7jNwk-oJhqN7LQPtA/s1600/20150228_171347.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Which contained this...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwk9t_ZhoJhg1Wb-Xgms1wNJpPfJy8V7rURGOpwqnD2h7ZIY3wTErcCUdUwBgYjG9ls_CuyFSE7hqQM_zJhtBJkSnztEA_-1Dp5qPL7iXjCGJy8J5R_lTcH3xV9zti5S5_0GwFnMpliQY/s1600/20150228_171507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwk9t_ZhoJhg1Wb-Xgms1wNJpPfJy8V7rURGOpwqnD2h7ZIY3wTErcCUdUwBgYjG9ls_CuyFSE7hqQM_zJhtBJkSnztEA_-1Dp5qPL7iXjCGJy8J5R_lTcH3xV9zti5S5_0GwFnMpliQY/s1600/20150228_171507.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Which may have brought a tear to my eye.</div>
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I can't put into words how guilty I feel for not finding this last year, or how thankful I am that I found it when I was feeling so low. It's lovely to read such kind words and to know that I worked hard enough to deserve this note of thanks (and a rather large bonus!).</div>
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Anyway, so that's my news so far. Not a lot about blacksmithing, but hopefully I will be back to the workshop soon with pictures of the piece I wanted to share with you. I was really sad not to have seen its return from the galvanisers, or help with cleaning it up before painting...but I hope to see it soon and do what I can to help get this piece installed!</div>
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Here's some photographs of a few parts of the piece...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqNL35CLlOfOTQ-HnJIyE4QcOgLBdbdUCZjStuoLFfT5a6UjmArpcpsPOjWlnOa_Dx91NMTLvz5qP8740nz-dHi8utSRpyYwdgp7mere1HJ82j2GEbBJFSpsam25l8Mvq6DMwsRQJlIU/s1600/20150119_094446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqNL35CLlOfOTQ-HnJIyE4QcOgLBdbdUCZjStuoLFfT5a6UjmArpcpsPOjWlnOa_Dx91NMTLvz5qP8740nz-dHi8utSRpyYwdgp7mere1HJ82j2GEbBJFSpsam25l8Mvq6DMwsRQJlIU/s1600/20150119_094446.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you can see, there's some stamps involved and they were made by Jim specifically for this project. I thought it was going to be pretty tricky getting them to stamp nice and clearly, but they turned out beautifully!</div>
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So that's all for now and I promise the next post will reveal the whole thing!</div>
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Take care, be careful and bye for now.</div>
Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-13248299630800208792015-02-20T21:27:00.000+00:002015-02-28T17:49:44.922+00:00Forging Mountains......and mountains of chairs!!<br />
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Yes, more chairs, and this time Jim gave me a hand making up a set of jigs to make sure all the components are the same. I haven't had the best of times making the chair frames in the past...however with these new jigs it's been so much easier matching up each half and welding everything together.<br />
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So now it's just where to put them so they're out the way...</div>
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I also got the chance to make a lovely house name sign which incorporates the silhouette of the mountains in the area. There wasn't actually any forging involved, but I got some more practice with the plasma cutter!</div>
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So that was a nice little project in between the big ones.</div>
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Here's a sneak preview of part of the next project that will hopefully be installed soon and I can show you exactly what we've (mostly Jim) been working on!</div>
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Very excited to see everything together...</div>
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Anyway, on to the bad news.</div>
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I've actually been off most of the week because I hurt my ankle pretty badly last Sunday. I had an amazing birthday weekend with friends, went for an awesome walk at Tentsmuir beach...</div>
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...did a lot of jumping...</div>
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Then decided to join my friends at the climbing center. This was also awesome, right up until the last minute when I should have stopped and instead went into the bouldering section and had a really awkward fall.</div>
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So now my right ankle is twice the size of my left...</div>
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and is pretty badly bruised and it hurts. A lot. Most importantly though is that I CAN'T GET MY SHOES ON LET ALONE WORK BOOTS! (Or drive safely...)</div>
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So I haven't been into work because I feel I would be a safety hazard and not actually be able to do much as I'm supposed to keep icing it and slowly increasing the amount of weight I should put on it.</div>
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Not the best week I have to say and Jim if you're reading this, I am sorry for injuring myself...again.</div>
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I will be back on Monday and ready to work extra hard!! </div>
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So, that's about all my news for now.</div>
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Take care and have a good weekend :)</div>
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Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-65790292579904304702015-02-10T00:21:00.000+00:002015-02-10T00:21:25.431+00:00It's all about the Christmas Tree...So...<br />
December and January went by far too quickly for me, but so far this Winter has been amazing!<br />
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I'm sure Jim will agree that I got far too excited almost every day on the run up to the Christmas holidays but Winter is my favourite time of the year...<br />
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Just before the holidays I got a bit of welding instruction from a trained welder who was passing by on how to vertically weld some pretty heavy material so that it's up to a safe standard for bearing a lot of weight. The way he explained was to use the 'Christmas Tree' method, so it really is all about the Christmas Tree!<br />
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Moving on...<br />
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So the last project was a piece for Dumbreck Court. I think the design is really nice and I feel very lucky to have worked on it.<br />
Here are a lot of pictures of everything going together...<br />
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Some lovely lettering in an art nouveau style as the design is in the same style.<br />
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These are some of the pieces for the top of the right hand posts which have been cut out using the new plasma cutter (which is fantastic!).<br />
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And here they are after sanding.<br />
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Unfortunately it got dark pretty early, so there was a bit of night welding...<br />
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It was also pretty cold so there was a lot of frosty mornings and cold hands...<br />
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Shiny...<br />
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And that's it finally going up on site!<br />
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We'll be going back out on site to get a few more photographs when the weather is a bit nicer. I'm told it was freezing and raining...so not the best of days to be putting up a big, cold steel archway...<br />
I have to come clean and admit I wasn't there when this went in because I was very, very lucky enough to have a week away in France snowboarding with my friends because I have such an amazing boss! (Thank you again Jim)<br />
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So here's a few of my favourite photographs from the holiday.<br />
The team...<br />
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Neil<br />
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Amy<br />
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Me...<br />
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And here's some more...<br />
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So that was an awesome holiday, made me really happy and ready to get back to work!! (Thank you guys for a really memorable and super fun holiday)<br />
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I'm going to wait a bit to post pictures of the other project I've been helping with so I can show you the finished piece, but that will be after it comes back from the galvanisers.<br />
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For now, take care and have a good week!Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-88182201495143190622014-11-29T17:09:00.001+00:002014-11-29T17:09:21.330+00:00Lamb's House and Culross projectsSo here are a few more pictures of the gates at Lamb's House which Jim took the last time he was out on site. He's done a lot of work for the interior of the house as well, but that was before I started to work for him. As for the gates, my job was pretty much just assisting in the installation. It was a great project to work on though and the house itself has been beautifully restored so if you are ever in the area, go and have a look!<br />
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Here are the 'small' gates (which to a small person like myself are still pretty big).<br />
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And here are a few photographs of the bigger gates.<br />
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Another project that I worked on recently was a set of gates which were for a National Trust property in Culross. Jim had a workshop with the kids from Culross Primary to get some ideas for the design and I think they really enjoyed it. The final design incorporated stylised medlar fruits which I had a lot of fun making...after a lot of trial and error on the most efficient way to make them. I also had more tapers to forge so with all this practice I'm getting a lot faster at making them.<br />
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So here are the medlar fruits being made (they were welded together by Jim). <br />
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And here are some photographs of the finished gates.<br />
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Here's a close up of the latch. Jim likes to make sure that the latches on all of his gates fit in with the design so they don't interfere with the overall aesthetic.<br />
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So that was a great project to be a part of and I would strongly recommend a visit to the Royal Burgh of Culross because it is apparently one of the most complete examples in Scotland of a Royal Burgh of the 17th and 18th Century.<br />
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Now, here I want to introduce you to the newest member of the team. This is...TITAN!<br />
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I know what you're thinking...why make such a big deal about a vacuum cleaner? Well for those of you who don't know me, I like to think that I'm one of the cleanest blacksmiths in the country, so having Titan to help out with the dust on site after an installation or just having a clean out of the workspace is just fantastic.<br />
However...<br />
I don't actually get to use Titan very much because I tend to get carried away with cleaning and forget about the work I'm supposed to be doing...<br />
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I also got very excited the other day about another gift for the workshop. In fact I think my exact words were 'Christmas has come early, yaaaaaay!!!'. This was in reaction to these...<br />
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I've been looking for some nice leather work gloves for a while so THANK YOU JIM for finding these and letting me have a pair! It's pretty cold in the workshop so these are great and it also stops little scrapes from the ends of bars.<br />
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So that's what's been happening recently and in my next post I'll put up some pictures of the projects we're currently working on. I know I keep saying this, but I've been wanting to wait a bit so I can get some good photographs of the pieces nearly finished.<br />
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I'll say take care here and also if you're near Edinburgh anytime soon, check out the Christmas market at Princess Street Gardens. I was there last night and it was fantastic! <br />
Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-91242707661543508062014-11-25T23:07:00.001+00:002014-11-25T23:15:37.219+00:00More Work...So, here are some more pictures from work.<br />
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This was one of the pieces that were made for Lambs House in Leith. I don't have any pictures of the set of gates, but here's some of the claire-voie going in.<br />
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Pretty impressive building isn't it? Well I found out recently that my granny grew up in the building just around the corner! Small World...<br />
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The next piece was great to work on and I got plenty of practice forging tapers. This was a set of handrails for a house near Edinburgh which look absolutely beautiful!<br />
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Here are the finished bars ready to be cut to size then carefully placed and welded onto the MASSIVE jig that was set up in the workshop. <br />
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Here is a couple of pictures of my boss lining up the bars to weld into place. A lot of thought goes into pieces like this because it has to look right from a number of different angles.<br />
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This is everything coming together and a nice one of the welding process!<br />
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And this is everything back from the galvanisers.<br />
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And finally some photographs from on site of everything fitting into place!<br />
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Luckily we had some pretty good weather to fit everything and I think it really compliments the house. This is one of my favourite pieces that I've worked on so far, but we're working on a couple of very interesting projects at the moment, so I'll keep you posted on how they're going.<br />
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I think that's me nearly up to date on the things I've been working on, so hopefully the next post will be about the current projects!<br />
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Take care!<br />
<br />Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-29755712717761494742014-11-22T20:02:00.002+00:002014-11-22T20:02:40.562+00:00Saint Cecilia Saturday...So...<br />
Today is Saint Cecilia's day. Saint Cecilia is the patroness of musicians and on this day each year I deliberately don't play or listen to music so that the next day I can appreciate it all the more.<br />
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I had a long drive this morning and it was really hard not to sing in my head or think about making up a few tunes on the way! I guess I just wanted to make a point that it really is a huge part of my life and I'm so glad it provides me with inspiration and happiness.<br />
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Here's a track for the day. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IzoiqDaG4A">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IzoiqDaG4A</a> <br />
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Take care and have a happy weekend<br />
Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-39765766226422339552014-11-18T22:08:00.002+00:002014-11-18T22:08:56.805+00:00Work at the Blazing Blacksmith's...So, as promised here are some photographs of commissions that I've helped my boss with since starting work at the Blazing Blacksmith.<br />
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One of the first things I worked on was making a set of chair frames and to be honest they weren't very easy to re-create. One of the challenges of trying to replicate the chair frame was that the original wasn't symmetrical, so it was a case of trying to even out the measurements to get something that looked almost exactly like the original...<br />
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I think the next project I worked on was restoring a gate for a flat in Edinburgh which was nice, but involved replacing whole sections of the frame because the original had corroded quite a bit. <br />
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After that I made some sign holders...<br />
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Then I made some massive tree guards...for guarding yew trees from hungry deer. This involved me practicing slot punching on a lot of flat bar and it took up quite a lot of space...mostly because I had the bars in different piles depending on what stage they were at. I like to call it organization, but I suppose they may have made it quite hard to reach half of the workshop...<br />
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Then welding everything together took up even more space...it also looked like I was welding very large bird cages... <br />
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And finally the finished tree guards on the trailer ready to go.<br />
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That brings us up to July, although I should point out that there's a lot of small things I was working on (components for gates etc.) that I haven't photographed because I'm supposed to be working while at work, not taking pictures...<br />
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I'll add more in the next post and hopefully catch up to the current work, but for now I'm away to make a cup of tea.<br />
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Take care<br />
Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-23795146119194196022014-11-17T17:39:00.001+00:002014-11-17T17:39:27.834+00:00Summer 2013 - Winter 2014So...<br />
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I'm not going to dwell too much on last Summer because it was well over a year ago now and I'd love to catch up to the present.<br />
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My Summer was great and I had a lovely time living and working on the Isle of Lewis for a few months. I like having such a change of pace in the Summer because it rejuvenates me and makes me feel inspired again.<br />
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I found out that I didn't get the job I had applied for in Warwickshire. I was a bit sad for a while but I know I wasn't right for the job. I spent a few months up in Lewis then headed back to Oatridge College to continue working on my own creations and help out.<br />
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That lasted until the Winter and I decided that I wouldn't continue to use the forge there. I had a lovely time in Germany just before Christmas and got to see a lot of craft markets which were very beautiful.<br />
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Then I had a lovely Christmas followed by a few weekends snowboarding which was absolutely fantastic. It makes me very happy, and when I'm happy I can work very productively which I think is the case with most people.<br />
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Unfortunately, shortly after this amazing few weekends I ended up hurting my leg pretty badly so it was a bit difficult to walk for a while and I wasn't really thinking about forge work at all.<br />
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However...I received a message from my work colleague from Oatridge College saying that my old work had had a phone call from another blacksmith asking if they knew anyone who could help him out and my name had been mentioned!<br />
<br />
I worked up the courage to phone and made arrangements to meet him at his workshop to find out details about what kind of work I'd be helping with.<br />
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I think that must have been about late March or Early April, and I'm happy to report that I'm still working there!<br />
<br />
The gentleman I work for is called Jim Whitson and his company is 'The Blazing Blacksmith'. Here's a link to his webpage<br />
<br />
<a href="http://blazingblacksmith.co.uk/">http://blazingblacksmith.co.uk/</a><br />
<br />
I found it a bit difficult to start with as I'm sure anyone going into a new job finds it...and I'm not going to lie...I made a fair few mistakes.<br />
<br />
I also had a bit of a problem with my back again and ended up getting physio sessions...again...which was difficult to work around although work was in itself was difficult because I had to be careful not to damage my back further. I had a lovely physiotherapist and I'm so grateful for all the help I received.<br />
I'm also very grateful for not being fired for missing so much work, so thank you Jim!<br />
<br />
I think I'm making real progress and I honestly love working here. I don't have as much time to work on my own projects, but the work I'm helping Jim with is beautiful and I'm learning so much from him.<br />
<br />
In the next post I will update you with some pictures of the projects we've been working on, but I want to state that the photographs are of work designed by Jim Whitson and if you want to share them you need to get his permission first! <br />
<br />
Thanks for reading and I will keep you posted about what's going on!<br />
<br />
Take care. <br />
Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-32114326041589949622014-11-12T22:42:00.002+00:002014-11-12T22:42:53.398+00:00A Year Later...So...it's been far too long since I've written anything on here. I have so much to say but I don't think I would be able to write it all in one post, so I'm going to make a real effort to try and fill in what's been happening in my year (and a bit) of blog silence!<br />
<br />
The last post ended just before I was off to my Summer job in Loch Croistean Cafe on the Isle of Lewis, so I will start from there in the following post when I will hopefully have more time to write everything. <br />
<br />
Take care and have a good day!Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-52721403258457017292013-06-13T23:39:00.000+01:002013-06-13T23:39:01.248+01:00Good news, bad news and no news...So it's been a while since the last update and a lot's happened. I finished a log basket which was commissioned by one of the owners of <a href="http://www.thelineonline.co.uk/">The Line Gallery </a>in Linlithgow. I think it turned out pretty well and I'll hopefully get some pictures of it with some logs in it at some point!<br />
<br />
The bad news is that I've damaged my arm quite a bit so I won't be forging for a while. Basically I have a cyst in my hand as well as soft tissue damage from a dislocated finger a few weeks back and because I was working hard without the use of a power hammer, I started getting severe pain through my elbow and arm. I was told it was tennis elbow, but have since had a second opinion and it's not tennis elbow, just muscle and nerve damage. I've had a few physio sessions which helped and have had ultrasound on my arm and had electric pulses sent through my elbow...it feels a bit strange, but takes some of the pain away.<br />
<br />
Anyhoo, while all this was happening I applied for a blacksmithing job at Warwickshire College and got an interview, which was very exciting. The interview itself was good although I think I could have done a lot better in the practical forging exercise...I'm going to blame my arm for that...<br />
The staff were friendly, the workshops were great as was the rest of the campus and it's in a beautiful area of the country so I'm glad I got to visit. I also got to meet Michelle Parker (who was one of the members of staff interviewing me) who is a world famous smith, so I was a little more nervous than I thought I would be.<br />
Here's her web link - <a href="http://www.mjpblacksmith.com/index.html">http://www.mjpblacksmith.com/index.html</a> <br />
Overall it was a good day for me, and I made it back to the airport in time for my flight back to Scotland.<br />
<br />
Since then I have had no news...so maybe I didn't get the job, but at least I got through to the interview stage. I've been keeping busy at the college cleaning and tempering tools, setting up a new fly press and finishing the gardening work at the back of the workshop. It looked a bit overgrown so myself and my work colleague decided to do some tidying and planted some flowers to make the place look a bit more colourful.<br />
<br />
Now I'm packing for my journey to the Isle of Lewis to start my job at Loch Croistean Cafe and move into my awesome caravan! <br />
<br />
I'll leave you with a picture of the log basket and will update soon with pictures of the work in progress if I can get an Internet connection in the middle of nowhere...<br />
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Take care!<br />
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<br />Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-7346958373637680802013-05-17T13:54:00.000+01:002013-05-17T13:54:29.321+01:00Forging a Forest...So after a wee wait for some final measurements, I was able to forge out the rest of the curtain rail brackets I was working on around Easter time. I really enjoyed this project and it was exciting to work on something that I've never done before. I don't usually work with flat bar because I've never needed to, so it was great to experiment a bit and see what I could do.<br />
I went with a range of designs which are sort of stylised tree forms which I think worked quite well and it's brought on some ideas for other products which I hope to make sometime in the near future. I will add some photographs at the end of this post, so check them out and if you have time, let me know what you think!<br />
<br />
I'm really enjoying my work at the moment and the group of students
which are in at the moment are a great laugh and I like being able to
spend a wee bit of time each day giving them a hand with their work.<br />
<br />
I have also nearly finished a log basket that I was commissioned to make a while ago, and all it needs is a few support bars and then it's ready for cleaning and finishing.<br />
<br />
For now though I am taking a wee break as I've injured my right arm...I hope it's nothing serious but I think it's better to wait and see what the doctor says on Tuesday rather than risk damaging it further.<br />
I went to see Kim Richey play in Cafe Borsa in Dundee and she was amazing! I really love her music and she's one of the artists who inspired me to start playing guitar and sing, so it was great to see her again. I saw her about four or five years ago in Edinburgh and I bought all of the albums she had on sale. I got her to sign them, but she kept getting my name wrong on all but one, so this time when I got her new album I got her to write it down first then sign the album...she was like 'Are you sure that's how you spell it?'. I really wanted to say to her that that was exactly what she had said a few years back, but I was too nervous!<br />
<br />
Anyhoo, it was great to have a break from work, but next week I will be back on track and get stuck into making!!<br />
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Have a great day and if you have time, check out this <a href="http://www.kimrichey.com/">link</a> to Kim Richey's website!<br />
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Music of the day is from the album 'Thorn in my Heart' by Kim Richey, so give this song a listen if you have the chance!<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMue_8BkK9M<br />
<br />Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-51964127671869072082013-03-30T10:59:00.002+00:002013-03-30T10:59:39.129+00:00Quick update...So it's now officially the Easter holidays and as of today I will be away from the forge for two weeks!! I'm happy to have a holiday, but also can't wait to get back to the forge and continue the projects I've been working on. It does give me time to work on some other things I've been meaning to do for a while now, like sort out my workshop and finish some work on my violin which has been waiting for a year to be finished!<br />
<br />
The curtain rail brackets I mentioned in the last post have been coming along nicely and all I really need to do is figure out which designs work best together and then have a final check with the clients. I made up a few different versions of the ends of the brackets which will be fixed to the roof.<br />
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As you can see I've just been experimenting with splitting the flat bar, forging out tendrils and then working them into scrolls. I'm not sure how many tendrils work best or how thick they need to be...I think the biggest one in this picture needs to have thicker tendrils, but I might leave it for now and carry on with some design sketches for the rest of the brackets and see where that leads.<br />
I have six brackets to make but may have to make another two for extra support at the walls where the curtain will gather. The two on the right are made out of smaller section, but I decided that they didn't quite look right. I think I might make them into hooks or hinges at some point so the material doesn't go to waste.<br />
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So that's what I've been working on this week!<br />
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I hope that you all remember that the clocks spring forward tonight...<br />
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Have a great Easter Sunday, take care and I hope you have a lovely day wherever you are :)<br />
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P.S.The music of the morning for me was a cover of 'Walk through the World' which is a great acoustic track to get this sunny day started, so give it a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkeJL6kh5Zw">listen here</a> if you have time!<br />
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Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-90637785778995088092013-03-25T23:12:00.003+00:002013-03-25T23:12:25.282+00:00Spring...?Apparently it's Spring, but as far as I'm concerned the snow outside suggests Winter hasn't realised it's nearly April...<br />
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I've been really busy for about a month now with little time to think about writing anything. I said goodbye to the last group of students which was quite sad, but hopefully they all go on to do well. I ended up covering the class for several days and got to know them quite well by the end of the course. I also went to Ireland for the first time in my life, and it was absolutely lovely. I did a bit of teaching with the engineering/agricultural students who I've never met before and they were all great. They needed to make a pry bar and a chisel and learn how to temper the metal.<br />
<br />
I admit I was a little nervous at the thought of teaching ten students I had never seen on my own for the day, but I got in a little earlier than usual, set up all the fires, got materials and tools ready and then had a wee practice of making the tools myself.<br />
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I actually find it quite fun doing demonstrations because once I get into the swing of things (excuse the pun...) I like being able to talk about what I'm doing.<br />
It teaches the students what they need to know and gives me a bit of confidence in what I'm doing because I realise that, yes, I do know what I'm doing after all.<br />
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I had three different groups over two weeks and had no problems at all apart from the odd fire exploding over me. Luckily I'm pretty quick on my feet so no burns to report!<br />
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I've been working on some designs in the evenings after work so I'll be able to make a few samples then get started on the final design after the go ahead from the clients.<br />
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Today I was working on my own projects and has been the best day in a long time thanks to my wonderful colleague. After spending the day doing some samples for a set of curtain rail brackets, we headed out to the site to check some dimensions and figure out where the best fixings were. The visit went well as the clients have a better idea of what's possible and I have a clear idea of what the final design is going to be. (I will post some pictures of the work in progress when I have a spare moment which should be soon because I am off for two weeks on Friday! I will also finally post some pictures of one of my favourite commissions to date.)<br />
After heading back towards Linlithgow, I was invited in for a meal en route, and how could I refuse after a hard days work? The food was excellent, the company delightful and the home was charming, cosy and every bit as lovely and quirky as its inhabitants.<br />
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Tomorrow I'll start work on one of the brackets and try and make some more small pieces of work to sell over the Easter break. The next lot of students are now in their second week so the workshop is a lot warmer during the day which is just as well because I think this cold spell is going to last for a while.<br />
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Take care and thanks for reading! <br />
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<br />Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-70821127912023025682013-02-14T23:22:00.002+00:002013-02-14T23:22:46.726+00:00A day for the heart...So it's Valentines day and I thought I should share some of the pictures I took a couple of weeks ago of the hearts I've been making. I started making them as tree decorations before Christmas time and sold quite a number at a few markets, so I thought I would make some more! I've made well over a hundred of these little beauties and they are all slightly different sizes and designs because I used scraped material from the students to make them.<br />
Happy Valentines day everyone and I hope you had a lovely day!<br />
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<br />Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-55358812696927335962013-02-11T22:56:00.000+00:002013-02-12T19:42:44.311+00:00A very good blacksmith birthday!So normally I wouldn't say anything about today being my birthday, but it was a very good day! I went to work feeling a little lonely, but was greatly cheered by my lovely boss who always manages to make me smile. I got some of my own work done in the morning which consisted of straightening twenty bow shackles, cutting off the ends and re-forging them into useful, 8mm lengths of material! I live by the saying 'waste not, want not' so I like to re-use as much of the 'scrap' material as I can.<br />
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After that I made some tools and then went for a lovely walk around lunch time. Then I was looking after the students for the afternoon which was great because they are all really nice and are working very hard at the moment to finish off folio pieces and practice for their exam! I really enjoy being able to help people with their forging and it gives me a great sense of pride when I can see the students making such excellent progress!<br />
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After a long and eventful day I finally got back to the house to find a few birthday cards at the door and then a multitude of texts and messages from friends who I miss very much!<br />
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Thanks to everyone who made this day so lovely!<br />
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<br />Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-73370307920265232202013-02-08T12:08:00.001+00:002013-02-08T15:00:23.790+00:00Summer, Autumn and Winter 2012So after New Designers I packed up my things and headed out of Hereford to work at my summer job on the Isle of Lewis. It was very hard to say goodbye to all the wonderful friends I made (and all my houseplants) as well as the great tutors, but I will keep in touch with everyone as we all try to move on and use what we've learned to set up our workshops or start our own businesses!<br />
I feel very privilaged to have been able to complete the blacksmithing course at Hereford and work alongside such great characters who have taught me so much and really inspired me to work harder and learn as much as I can about the art of blacksmithing. I think it was a fantastic experience and I feel that my confidence has grown so much in a relatively short amount of time, so thank you to all who helped me along the way, you know who you are!!<br />
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I made my way straight to the island and set up in my wee caravan for a month before travelling back to Hereford for graduation! It was a great day, although I only had enough time to graduate, say a few hello's and then a few more goodbyes so I could catch my flight back to Stornoway.<br />
I think the highlight of that day was when John Makepeace (who was made a Fellow of the university earlier that day) shook my hand on stage and said that he loved my work and was excited to see what I would do next. I had been to a seminar he was running a few months before and I was awed by the quality of his work, so to get a compliment from him made my day that much more special!<br />
If you don't know his work, you should have a look here <a href="http://www.johnmakepeacefurniture.com/index.html">http://www.johnmakepeacefurniture.com/index.html</a><br />
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After travelling back to Stornoway I worked for another few months then headed back to mainland Scotland for a wee while. Then I was off again to Denmark to look at a couple of forges where I might have the chance to work for a while.<br />
Let me just say that Denmark is very...flat! There are hardly any hills which is very strange after coming through the Highlands of Scotland!! It is a very beautiful landscape though, and I must say the architecture I found was absolutely amazing.<br />
While I was there I went to quite a few different places and all of the wee towns were very quaint and had cobbled streets and very old buildings. I think that there is a lot more 'craft' work going on over there because if you walk through any town you will find a blacksmith or a woodcarvers workshop which just doesn't happen in Scotland.<br />
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Anyway, I saw quite a few places which were very interesting and I even got a quick tutorial on how to make a special punch which will be useful for hammer making! I only had a short amount of time there so it was a shame I didn't get enough time to do some real forging but it was great to see the places I had researched.<br />
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After coming back from Denmark I started to work at my old college and get on with some commissions and my own portfolio/gallery work. Since the end of the summer/early Autumn I have been working happily and will continue to work there until I feel I should move on.<br />
I managed to make it to two Christmas markets after a horrible week battling illness and made quite a healthy profit selling little decorations and I also got a few commissions. In all they were very enjoyable and I will definitely try to get a stand next year at both of the markets.<br />
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So far 2013 has been great and I hope to update the blog a lot more frequently, so watch this space! I have recently been working with the freelance artist Michael Doig to give my blog a more professional look, so if you want to check out his work, here is the link <a href="http://michaeldoigart.blogspot.co.uk/">http://michaeldoigart.blogspot.co.uk/</a><br />
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I will add photographs of the work I've been doing after graduating in the next post so take care for now and have a good day!Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-3007045746250961982013-02-07T15:47:00.000+00:002013-02-07T15:55:21.560+00:00London - New Designers!Okay, so I'm going to apologise for not updating this blog in so long, but I have been here, there and everywhere since June!<br />
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Firstly there was the trip to New Designers in London which was absolutely incredible. Basically all of us made our own way to London to set up in one of the biggest design exhibitions for graduating students in the country. It was a great opportunity and I for one was very excited to travel to London, having never been before.<br />
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The day of the set up was pretty stressful and there was a lot to organise but everything turned out okay and we made rotas so that every day each person had a two hour shift. I have to admit I did not enjoy the heat in the building because there was no air conditioning in our area! Luckily the business design centre is in a pretty good location so during the week I went exploring every day using the underground.<br />
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Every morning started at 6am in a lovely wee hostel which I shared with three of my friends. I was out the door by half past and on the underground by 6.45am...<br />
I made a plan at the start of the week to visit as many places as possible and used a map to figure out which line I had to go on and where to change. It turns out it's a lot easier to navigate than I first thought.<br />
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I went for a walk in Hyde park every morning and had breakfast before heading out to one of the locations on my list which included the Royal Albert Hall, Kew Gardens, The Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral and lots more! Every day I took a handful of my contact cards and handed them around places which I thought might be interested in my work, including the Royal Albert Hall where I managed to get a full tour. This was probably the best place I looked around while in London because I have always wanted to visit but have never had the time. The interior was incredible and I learnt a lot about the history of the building which was very interesting.<br />
My second favourite place had to be St. Paul's Cathedral because I love the architecture of old cathedrals and churches as well as all of the ironwork. I also went on a tour there but this time the information was on an ipod! Basically you could walk around the whole building and select the area you wanted to know more about and then listen to the recording. It was a beautiful day when I visited, so the view from the top of the roof was incredible. I also counted the steps on the way to the cathedral and the way back, and in total I climbed over 3000 steps that day!!!<br />
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When I was on my shifts at the Business Design Centre, I had a lot of good feedback from everyone who took an interest in my work and made quite a few contacts at the exhibition. I also managed to get a few commissions from people and was accepted into the Society of Designer Craftsmen, so on the whole it was a very good experience.<br />
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Here are some pictures from London and thanks to everyone who was involved in the exhibition and made it happen!<br />
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<br />Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-38070558670899378992012-06-16T09:04:00.002+01:002012-06-16T09:04:58.056+01:00Exit Interviews and good news...So over the past two days I, along with the rest of my year, have
been meeting with people from the creative industries. Basically gallery
owners, members of the crafts council etc, who offer advice or possible
work placements.<br />
I saw five different creative persons and every
single one of the interviews went really well! I think these chats are
really good for finding out how other makers promote their work, how
gallery owners choose work, and how to make it the business world.<br />
So far I have one confirmed commission and a few other 'maybes' so I'm really happy!<br />
I
also had some rather good news sprung upon me on the last interview, as
the lady I was chatting with pointed out that I had won an award which
had been placed on the wall above my artist statement!! It's a really
great honour that I was picked, and I am so happy that my hard work has
paid off!<br />
Thanks to all who helped me get through this degree and to everyone involved in the show!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCIT2vgxc4CDCDw_zffZxtT4eNe7DR4FXBrm_5W9lAL11P8xnQ1CxvT4w48uNVlOdU1XujQcbBo115_K-Y-eUmYuNsUOszW70d6eWcgR05REUBbkcZwj4Amkd9_B1-v180gTB17mz4Qw/s1600/P6151147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCIT2vgxc4CDCDw_zffZxtT4eNe7DR4FXBrm_5W9lAL11P8xnQ1CxvT4w48uNVlOdU1XujQcbBo115_K-Y-eUmYuNsUOszW70d6eWcgR05REUBbkcZwj4Amkd9_B1-v180gTB17mz4Qw/s320/P6151147.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-19667450294603446162012-06-16T08:26:00.000+01:002012-06-16T08:26:07.971+01:00Degree Show Set Up!So it's been a long time coming, but the degree show has finally been set up!<br />
It's an amazing feeling to know that I've actually finished my degree because if I'm honest, there were a few times where I thought about giving up...<br />
However, thanks to a number of people, I stuck it out and have made it to the end!<br />
Thank you to everyone who has helped me over the past three years.<br />
<br />
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<br />Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013931535384372443.post-7400168269382198922012-06-07T08:50:00.001+01:002012-06-07T08:50:31.991+01:00The three rivets from hell...Okay, so sometimes when you are making something, you make a mistake with what you think is a very insignificant detail, which is what I thought a week ago...oh how wrong I was.<br />
I had a few weeks where my back was playing up, which means I have to work a lot slower and not do anything too strenuous in case it gets so bad I have to stop working for a few days to recover. Anyway, I ended up rushing one day to finish the top section which I thought would be quick and then connect the top section with the middle bar, and the middle bar to the base. Simple.<br />
Well not so simple because I made the mistake of riveting three wee rivets on the top section when I was suppose to do them last, after connecting everything else.<br />
Due to where they were placed, it ment that the bar did not sit flush with the middle bar, so did not line up correctly. I had to then move that whole section up, then reshape, then move the section next to it and finally reshape what was a very nice little detail on the end termination of the bar (the bit on the left which holds the edge of the music score). Then I had to re-position the 'ledge' so everything lined up...<br />
It's taken three full days to sort the top out so that the music is held and is supported enough on the left page. It's still not the way I would have liked, as it does lean a lot to the right, however it is done and looks good enough.<br />
Somehow I still have my old bosses voice in my head saying 'Just enough isn't good enough'...but I think I've done what I could do with the time I left myself.<br />
Some pictures will follow, so watch this space!<br />
Thanks.Mhairi Fraserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536625098017409061noreply@blogger.com0