A small pinch of inspiration...?

Having had a long think about the problems with this piece, I decided to try something different. Rather than putting the wood on the outside...how about trying it inside?

Here's my first attempt....any thoughts?

Not sure about this one.....

In an attempt to get my 'Smithing Mojo' back, I started working on a new copper box, but rather than following a design sketched and refined in my sketchbook, as I have in the past, I decided to wing it...

This is the result...

...and I'm not sure that I like it very much. Its a bit like a cartridge for a coffee machine. This is the result of having a limited set of options in forming the base. I had wanted to make an oval shape but was limited to a sphere shaped die.
I added the piece of wood to the top to try to make it a bit more arty...

Ob the plus side, I'm happy with the construction of the box and the hinge;

The piece of wood has also come up very nicely particularly once I treated it with Tung Oil.

I need some advice from the vast array of my followers out in blog land...

Whilst Looking for Inspiration

I'm working on a few ideas for my next major piece, but while playing around with a few ideas, I came up with an idea for a copper box based on an industrial theme. Before we go any further, despite how this prototype looks, I was not looking to make anything which could be described as Steampunk.........

One in the eye for the God of Soldering

We usually say a prayer, or if its a difficult piece make an offering, to the soldering god before applying heat to solder... But, even then, the God of Soldering is capricious...

So, I wondered if there might be an alternative and as part of my new piece, I've been experimenting with 'mechanical silver'. I found a Watchmakers Tap and Die set on eBay which has allowed me to connect silver tubing together without the need to solder.
There's something very satisfying about turning silver tube into a threaded screw, especially when you can spin the die off it at the end... That being said, watch our for enthusiasm, I've already broken a tap...make sure you match the right hole size to the tap.

Here are a couple of pictures of some of the early detail of my new, mechanical, piece.

Astrolabe

I'm posting about another project I've been working on. This one has been on the go for some time and was something I started around the middle of last year. It stemmed from the work I did on the Organo-Box and the Leaf Box which you can find on some of my previous posts. This project was intended as more of a challenge to create something a bit more interesting.

The picture below shows the box; I photographed it in my hand to give you a sense of scale.

 The lid is fabricated from four separate copper elements with the three segments partitioned by silver struts and brought together in the middle by a silver ring. I made a silver stone setting for the center of the lid and set a small piece of amber in it.

 The box is opens to revel its contents. An Astrolabe, is is an elaborate inclinometer historically used by astronomers, navigators and astrologers. Its many uses include locating and predicting the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets and stars, determining local time given local latitude and vice-versa, surveying, triangulation and to cast horoscopes.

 This photograph shows the astrolabe removed from the box and allows you to see the wooden inlay I made for the base. Its made from a piece of Beech which I sourced from a local hardwood timber farmer.

 And finally, here's a photograph of the astrolabe itself in more detail. I calculated the marking and gradations for the copper disc and corrected them to be correct for where I live. I then took the data file to a local engraver and had the copper disc engraved on both sides. This turned out to be a bit of a nightmare as my software and his were not fully compatible and this resulted in the need ror me to go back in and modify most of the lettering and the major lines to allow the engraving machine to correctly lay it out.

Almost There..

I think at long last, I can begin to see the end of this project. It's taken a little longer than I had planned, but that's really because the real world keeps interrupting SmithingWorld...

Today, I managed to solder the mushroom to the lid and refine the join between the lid and the pod features.
I've taken a few photos to give you an impression of how the pot looks now. I've decided to rivet the bug to the pot rather than risk any soldering accidents at this late stage. The God of Soldering is very capricious and it is best not to tempt favour...

But,  before I can attach the bug, I'll need to finish the pot so there is no polishing 'halo' around it once I've finished. I'm planning to have a white silver finish internally but have yet to decide on a matt or shiny finish externally - over to you for suggestions.

                      

The Revised Lid

Well, your comments cam in like a tsunami and I've taken a lot of time to wade through them all and decide on which advice to take AND using this advice, I've modified the pot lid to make it look less flat and rigid and to try to make it fit in with the rest of the piece.

Using repousse techniques, I've put a few 'dents' into the lid. The impression I'm going for is that something has got inside and has started to undermine or overwhelm the pot from within. Ideally something a bit damp and mouldy which has provided a good medium for the mushroom.

I've also continued the nibbling theme from the pot onto the lid to convey the impression of a small bug nibbling and wriggling in and out of the pot.

So this is how the pot looks now, awaiting assembly and polishing. The next step is fixing the mushroom to the top...