Black & White Casting Blog

Of topic ranting!

2011-12-09T15:27:00.000Z

I've popped a note about my current display of stuff at The Castle in the Exhibitions section which turned into something of a diatribe about the council attitude to arts and culture in Swindon... go have a nose!

In the meantime, I've been contacted by Swindon 105 Radio about the possibility of doing an interview based on my art... watch this space for details...

EDIT - more info and stuff

2011-11-19T12:26:00.000Z

I promised some new photos in my last posting - here we go:

Here's a new shot of the still unnamed piece installed at the Solsberry Outdoor Museum in Indiana. A big thanks to Allison and Gerry for getting her so beautifully installed.

... And heres a shot of the completed plaque made for Mr Chris Chilvers:

A Long Update

2011-11-11T13:35:00.001Z

Well - its been a while once again!

Last month I spent a very enjoyable time playing with the folks down at The Bullpen in Stanford in The Vale. It was my first foray into ceramic shell casting - which was interesting (I can claim to have been there and done that now!) - but I was somewhat unimpressed by the results. There's no doubt you get a fine surface finish - but it seemed to me that it was poor compensation for the huge increase cost in materials - and the sheer horror of having to chip your piece from the resulting concrete like white mould. If you want a fine surface finish, why not cast in sand and work a fine finish? It seems like the quicker and easier (not to mention cheaper!) option to me. Of the three pieces I cast in ceramic shell, one has broekn trying to remove the shell, one did not fully cast and the third DID come out extremely well. However, this was a small and relatively simple form with flat plains which meant breaking off the shell was relatively easy. Horses for courses I guess - I have much yet to learn!

Other news is that Gerry over at the Solsberry Open Air Sculpture Museum has installed the piece I cast over there in the summer. Bathed in the dappled light of an Indiana forrest in the fall, its looking very nice (and situated in a location which brings a smile to my face!). Gerry has sent me a rough photo or two which I'll post here later - and I'm hoping that Allison will be able to take some more photos for me so I can include them in a brochure I'm planning for the new year.

Other news and musings...

The Bullpen pour was jolly good fun (cursing ceramic shell aside!) Particular highlights included a visit to the excellent Pitt Rivers museum, where we were entertained to a video on primitive casting, and lots of chats, flights of casting fancy and theorising with the other artists and artisans. Two things to come from these conversations may well find their way of the B&W Casting project list. One is a concept for a centrifuge for detailed castings - the other is to more fully explore the possibility of using thermite for casting in iron. More on this soon!

Something which I'll add to the exhibition list soon is that a bunch of my stuff is currently on display up at The Castle on Prospect Hill. Given the parlous state of arts and culture in this town, post political meddling and cuts, its good to see that local businesses are stepping up to the plate. The hosts get free decor and artists get a place to display their work. Pub regulars get a change of scene and some art which hopefully stimulates a bit of conversation - and small minded or unsophisticated binge drinkers prefer to move along to a theme bar with wipe-clean posters. Everyone's a winner!

Other things on the 'to do' list are to make sure I cast up a load of some ornate aluminium 'salamander' door handles for Kiss The Frog Again (who are interested in stocking them - and who have, incidentally, been in receipt of some high level architectural and design praise and for their signage, the very letters for which were cast by your's truly cast!)... and once thats out the way, I also need to take things forward with a possible commission to cast a pigs head for a local pub (and if you're local to Swindon, I'll let you work that one out for yourselves!)

Oh, a big thanks to 'Mr C' (He'll know who he is if he reads this) for his patronage regarding 'Autumn 3 and 3'. That people are prepared to support artists is what makes this endeavour possible - especially when funds are limited!

I'll come back to this post soon to add you some links and photos.

Back out in the States - a very busy month!

2011-09-13T04:36:00.001+01:00

An empty blog for over six weeks - not good! Well, I do have an excuse (or a long list of them). One goes by the name of Allison (more on this in due course)- another is Swindon Open Studios - and the other is my latest trip out to the USA. Yes, thats right - I'm back, after only a few weeks gap.

I've just discovered that I've been given the fantastic opportunity to participate in this Year's 'Paradise Pour' - otherwise known as The Columbus/Indiana Cast Iron Invitational 2011. Its not every day you get an invite to something as cool as this. I've got to get cracking as it kicks off in a just over a week.

And if all of that wasn't enough, I've got The Bullpen pour to look forwards to (better dust of my leathers!)

I'll let you know more about all of these adventures in due course...!

Reaching the end of my time here :-(

2011-07-26T16:56:00.000+01:00

Yep, the end of the month is fast approaching. I can't believe how fast its gone. In five days time I will be flying back to the UK with a head-full of really happy memories. Hopefully (provided I don;t sit here for too long gossiping with you!) I'll also have finished a piece which I will have the pride to see installed here at Sculpture Trails. When I fly, I'll be thinking about all the new friends I've made and how a sculpting extraviganza like this bridges so many gaps in our modern world. Does that sound a bit over-blown? Maybe the furnace fumes and the heat has finally got to me - but think about it: Art as practiced in the western world is about the most overt study in elitism that there is. Think artist, think creative person desperately trying to to work a medium and earn respect (if not money, alas) whilst itching the compulsion. That can lead to introversion and can make artists into slightly lonely people: non creative people often misunderstand the work - and their own peers often denigrate their work as its all part of the critical competition... What do you end up with? Ahem - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhUMRgZjKr8 (a pretty typical example, at least in terms of what I see in the UK...)

Well, an event like the work study programme at Sculpture Trails breaks those barriers. A process as complex as mold making and casting means that no-one can particpate without being absolutely ingrained at every stage - and those few who do sit back and let other do the donkey work miss out on the real value as to what this sort of endeavour is about. It becomes a leveller - you work and exchange ideas with people you might not have given the time of day. It forms bonds of trust and friendship. It makes you re-assess what the value of an individual is and appreciate that we're all different and approach things in different ways - but by being open minded to the other possibilities extends your knowledge. It really is a beautiful thing - no different perhaps to any other group of people who bond through an extreme challenge.

Anyway, I have a final mold to sprue and ram in sand, so I'd better get going.

Speak soon!

Tobes

breakin' iron

2011-07-21T15:56:00.001+01:00

As I type, our artists are busy finishing molds, breaking iron, patching the furnace and doing the 101 things necessary to make an iron pour possible. And thats one of the things which makes an endeavor like this so much fun and so different from other forms of art. You can't melt and pour iron alone. It takes a team of people each with their own individual skills to come together to make it happen. It also takes trust and dedication - after all, this is molten metal we're dealing with: you HAVE to be able to trust your fellows with your life and limb.

We're gearing for a night pour - most of the action should be taking place from about 9.00pm in the evening cool. A few more of my pieces are ready - so I should (fingers crossed) be in a position to let you know how they poured tomorrow.

Other news? Well, I appear to have lost ten pounds over the last fortnight - though I'm unsure at the mo whether that was in sweat or the displacement of blood which ever bug that flies or creeps upon the earth has seen fit to drain from my body. My bites have actually started to overlap! And they said English food was bland eh? The local critters seem to be thriving on it!!!

On the subject of food, I cooked for all last night - cottage pie, which I think went down really well, although it was weird eating English winter comfort food in the sultry warmth of an Indiana summers evening.

OK - I'm off to add thgis to the Sculpture Trails Facebook account. If you're following all of this, please take the time to ask your friends to 'like' the sculpture trails FB pasge. It would be great to hit the 400 mark before the end of the month!

Tobes

Another day, another pour

2011-07-16T21:17:00.001+01:00

Hello all,

I have mentioned that its hot here, haven't I ? ;-) Well, those of you who may have spotted a theme from previous posts will be unsurprised to find out that, once again, the hammer of the mid states summer sun is beating down on the anvil of Sculpture trails. All the fans are running in the workshop (though it is much cooler up in the woodland amongst the sculptures - so don't let the heat put you off visiting folks!)

As I type, I can here the sound of those more accustomed to the heat, pounding iron into fist sized chunks for the 'charges' which, along with batches of coke, provide the fuel and iron which feeds the furnace, our metal matriarch, 'Lady D'. She has a prodigious appetite, and turns these charges into boiling iron at an incredible rate, once she's up to speed.

Last night I had the pleasure of working alongside our very own foundry Methuselah, Nathan Goodeson. Nathan 'wrangles' the furnace, tweaking it, adjusting it and ensuring that all runs as it should. His most exciting - and to my eyes, terrifying - duty is to tap and 'bot' (no giggles at the back please!) the main pour spout. That means breaking through a plug of clay bused to bung the pour spout to release the iron - as well as re-plugging it after the tap to allow the sump inside the furnace to refill. Sounds pretty spectacular, hey? Well, he does this not using some piece of machinery, but by hand. As you can imagine, this requires complete concentration, dedication and a dose of bravery. Nathan is also a thoroughly decent fellow. I'm hoping to tell you more about the process he's developed called 'eclectromelt' in some subsequent postings. Anyway, it was fascinating working with him and to see the operation of the furnace right alongside. Normally when you work as crew for the pour, your concentration is totally absorbed by the ladles and the molds, so it was a great way to be able to see another side to the process.

Right, I'm going to crack on, as amongst my chore list, I've giot to get some links and photos posted up on the Trails Facebook!!

All the best,

Tobes

Hotter still!

2011-07-11T17:13:00.001+01:00

Today there was a heat advisory - which means we're doing odd jobs and then hiding back in the shade. I know this blog is starting to look and sounds like a running commentary on the weather - but at least I'm not longer alone on this aspect - we have two new slightly wilted brits on site, the lovely Caro and Phillip.

Duties today include wax oiling a sculpture, whacking weeds (Gerry's stripped to the waist and running the 'hogger' over the main field - lets hope he doesn't burn the top of his head. Wear a hat Gerry!)

Moulds and forms are progressing well - hopefully I'll have some time to post some images later. Works range from Alisons 'interesting' Squid, Devin's form in styro foam and my 'prongs'. I believe Caro has brought some wax patterns with her - these are currently located in front of the air-con in the 'wellness' cabin. Wax things are in serious danger of melting into puddles in weather like this.

Last night saw us take a late night walk and tour into the woods to see the weird phenomenon of 'fox fire' - a brightly glowing fungus which we inadvertently spread around the clearing we had made. It was very unearthly to stand amongst the trees and see this green carpet of flourescent chippings glowing like the feint coals of a camp fire.

I'm off in a minute to go wax-oil a sculpture of Gerry's which has been partly dismantled for renovation. Yes - wax oil (or should that be oyl?) This fine British product has been established as by far the best alternative to paint for the colouring and preservation of the metalwork. (Quick pause for a moment of national pride). That said, after a trip down to WallMart last night for some essentials, its best to concede that our American cousins beat us into a cocked hat when it comes to innovation and King Capitalism. Swept along by a holiday mood, I spent $90 on such essentials as a Millar Lite hat with integral beer bottle opener (for those hot sultry nights) - and an industrial pile of pants and socks (getting through at least two pairs a day due to the heat) - Cheetos cheesy crisps, the unbiquitous Gatorade (who ought to be sponsoring this year's Sculture Trails programme, given the amount we have consumed) and a pound of chewing gum.

Right - signing off for now. I'll be back when its cooler to correct the typos and spelling mistakes and to add a few photos.

Tobes

hello

2011-07-10T04:39:00.002+01:00

We're here discussing the joys of blogging!

Hiya

2011-07-08T03:56:00.002+01:00

Another scorching day - filled with mud moving, stone wall building (retaining walls behind new pieces on site), putting down concrete pads and burning fallen wood.

I had hoped to post you a load of images of what I'd been up to, but sadly, the linux photo editor seems a bit crap! A few will have to suffice:

... restoring sculptures...

... setting up new bases for forthcoming sculptures...

...the crew contemplating the next move...

6th July - 1st pour

2011-07-06T21:31:00.000+01:00

Instead of my usual loquatious ramblings, my blog is going to have to be a little on the short side as there never seems to be enough time in the day to put aside to write as much as I'd like.

First off, as the title suggests, today was the first firing of the 2011 Trails study programme. A little over 800lbs of iron hit the moulds in scorching Indiana heat. From fire-up to pour took a little under two hours. I currently feel like a boil-in-the-bag piece of cheap meat, having acted as skimmer and dead-end on three of the four pours. That wasn't exactly the plan during the pre-brief, but necessity was the mother of improvisation - as the furnace they use here melts the metal so quickly, a few of the crew were caught out. Pouring iron always scares me to be honest - and its always a relief when everything is over and done and you can look back and reflect (and quaff a well deserved cold beer). The others are off cooling in the Masse family pool, making sweaty foundry crew soup whilst I type this!

An artist called Mary was the creator of todays moulds - as soon as I have pictures to show you of the pieces she cast, I'll add them here.

Right - time for me to cool off to as I ought to get cracking with my own pieces, though to be honest, I might snatch a sneaky forty winks first!

Hello at last

2011-07-05T02:21:00.003+01:00

I promised try keep a blog of my American adventures. Well the first 72 hours have seen me too jet-lagged, heat-stroked and sweaty hard crafting in 90oF (what is that in centigrade?!) heat. Internet coverage is possible here - but not in the tiny tent which I'm *trying* to sleep in (beers helps with that). I am grubby, sticky and after only three days in, almost out of clean clothes. The death on the onsite washing machine today in a flash of blue sparks has been a source of major horror!

If you want an idea of the countryside in which the Sculpture Trails park is located, have a looks at the links and the website posted previously: We're right out in the countryside - a fairly hilly landscape dominated by maple trees, little creeks and winding roads. The sculpture park is very reminiscent of the Coalbrookdale set-up (if you're non-cognoscenti, go Google!) - but on a far bigger scale - 50 acres of woodland. The sculptures themselves are spread across the site, focusing in glades and cuttings into the trees and hillside.

Gerry's folks have made us very very welcome - and each LONG (12 hour plus) working day has been rounded off with beers and fine food. On the subject of sustenance, I don't think I have ever drunk so much water in an attempt to stay cool and hydrated. Yesterday I had but a single wee, which was the colour of fluorescene. In fact, come the afternoon yesterday, I was spark out knackered and had to 'take an early bath' after being sick: this involved a three hour kip in the 'wellness cabin' - which has a bed, a bathroom and most important of all: AIRCONDITIONING.

The other artists are divided into participants (who have paid) and work/study students (like me) who are trading graft for the chance to cast later on. Quite when and where this is going to happen has yet to be discussed - though the delay will be welcome, as the frikken baggage handlers have managed, in finest slacker tradition, top ensure that the contents of my bags were shaken, stirred and utterly smashed to pieces - included the pattern for the Vulcan which I was hoping to cast. How on earth people are supposed to travel to the states for more than a weekend with a single piece of small handluggage and one piece containing bomb/earthquake/baggage handler proof contents in the hold utterly escapes me.

I shall tell you more anon (maybe even tonight if I don't polish off to many re-hydrating beers) - as my laptop battery is low and I need to go wrestle with the travel adapter!

Tobes

SculptureTrails.com looks at 2010 Cast Iron Sculpture Workshops - Get re...

2011-04-05T12:06:00.001+01:00

Here's a nice video from Gerry showing last year's Sculpture Trails pour - with an indication of whats to come...

Up to The Stone Show

2011-03-16T19:55:00.001Z

Spent an interesting day up at the Stone Show in London. Thanks to several kind businesses and stand holders, I now have a stack of samples to look through. There is some really gorgeous stone available out there, with such variation in texture, colour and strength. Fascinating stuff. I'm also here to have a look at the updates John's made to the site (hat tip to Mr H!). We've now got a media section for the coverage we've been getting. Fame and fortune awaits...

An interesting day at The Affordable Art Fair

2011-03-13T22:18:00.001Z

I spent a very interesting day yesterday up in t'smoke visiting the Affordable Art Fair up in Battersea Park.

VERY interesting indeed. By 'affordable' the displaying artists and galleries meant that prices were £4k and below - so I guess people's interpretation of 'affordable' might have to be quite flexible (and it also begs the question as to what isn't affordable when you're the sort of type who browses these type of events looking for a new piece to display in sitting room #3). Anyway, it was very inspiring. First off, I felt far from over en-awed. It was good to see lots of cast work on display, though predictably, this was mainly bronzes. It was also interesting to see that there's very definitely a hackneyed style when it comes to form. Most were small figurines - most often depicting humans in various balletic poses - all very obviously having been taken from wax original patterns. Following close behind those were lots of animals - and yes, you've guessed it, the inevitable bronze-bloody-hares! All the bronze pieces had been patinated - most in a standard 'aged' dark brown - with a few of the remainder finished in bright blues with re-burnished elements. None of the bronzes showed much in the way of imagination as far as I could see. I guess the classical 'spindly' human/animal forms are what sell - but it was encouraging to see that all were well within the scale to which I cast, the sort of sizes within the capacity of my crucible and which would sit comfortably on a coffee table or sideboard.

The revelation of the visit though was the work of Marcus Egli. Not only is he working in aluminium and stone (like me) - but I really feel an affinity with his work.

Reading through his CV, he's also self taught, proving that the lack of a degree (with its increasingly diminished value) is no barrier to practising as a professional artist. I'd really like to meet him sometime or correspond. Watch this space - if I get a chance to chat (and he agrees) I'd love to post up an interview. Its not often I venture up into the smoke, but I shall make every effort to go and see his forthcoming exhibition up at the Woolff Gallery.

On to other news - I've bought my ticket for the Sculpture Trails jaunt this July - and have received a flattering note back from Gerry Masse, promising, fun, fire, molten metal and much fun. Subsequent postings from me better include some details of what I'm going to be doing I guess. Until next time!

Exhibition over...

2011-02-19T23:54:00.000Z

Wow - that was a surprisingly busy few weeks!

A big thanks to all of you who came along - and especially to those who bought things and for the many kind words of support and interest. Big thanks to Gordon, Matthew and Stany for the extra fantastic images which now adorn the Exhibition and Finished Works sections on the home page.

Now I've got to crack on with stuff to do over in the states, the wee exhibition down the hive for March and the exhibition Gina and I are planning for the Walcott Street Chapel in Bath. (Gulp!)

Loads to tell...

2011-02-13T13:25:00.000Z

Well, another unforgivable gap in the B&W blog - but I come loaded with excuses, as it's been a somewhat busy period. I shall try and keep the whole thing pared down, as there's much to tell!

1. The exhibition of my stuff down at Artsite has gone really well. Five pieces (small ones) sold - and the promise of a few commissions which is exciting. I'll do more of a breakdown of that later.
2. Lots of press and media - coverage in both local newspapers/mags, and interview with local radio and coverage on the regional bbc online section. This is all really good stuff for establishing a credible artists CV. It's a shame but also the reality that there are plenty of people who don't simply buy things 'sold as seen'. The back story of the artists and the snob value of an established past counts for as much (if not more) than the simple aspect of whether or not they like the piece. Well, not having studied art at degree level, it makes having a name and recognised reputation all the more important: (go have a looksee - )

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/8840007.Sculptor_will_play_with_fire_at_outdoor_museum/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wiltshire/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_9384000/9384853.stm

http://www.swindonlink.com/whats_on/233/sculpture-exhibition-at-artsite

http://www.artsite.ltd.uk/robson/

Sitting in the gallery has been an interesting experience. Including the private view, I reckon I should have had around 500 people through the doors by the end of the fortnight. Given Artsite's slightly hidden location and maybe less than welcoming exterior, I don't think that's too bad. Certainly I've had plenty of positive feedback from visitors - not to mention a few swapped tips from casting enthusiasts and old pattern makers. Swindon had a large number of foundrymen working in the GWR railway works, so that side of things shouldn't have come as a surprise! Lovely and interested people make enduring the cold sat on reception rewarding. The trouble is with Swindon that interesting/art interested people are a little thin on the ground 10.00am to 4.00pm during the week. I'm going to try and encourage the mangement team there to open in the evenings and weekends instead. That'll make invigivilating easier to organise, as well as hopefully picking up potential visitors who are looking for something to do of an evening (catching the people going to and from the Wyvern too.)

Andy and Bill at Artsite have been brilliant keeping me company and helping man the desk on my college days - and it's also given us an opportunity to talk through some ideas to help PR Artsite a little more. Watch this space!

The exhibition finishes this coming Friday - next things to consider are ideas for my forthcoming trip to the States (erecting a large sculpture over at Gerry Masses Sculpture Trails in July), putting up another exhibition at the Beehive for March (thinking of casting up a load of simple ally scratchblocks for that one) - PLUS staring work on a load of insect inspired pieces for a week's exhibition in the Walcott Chappel in Bath with Gina Dunsford. It promises to be a VERY busy summer...

OK - I'm going to go off now to start posting up a whole load of images to the Finished Works and Exhibitions sections.

Bye for now - Tobes

Slurry

2011-01-10T19:41:00.000Z

So, the time has come for us Black & White Casting folks (erm... Toby and I) to push the envelope in our search for more detail in our casting work. So far, we've been the proverbial* sand-men, packing our formative objects de wax within a silica tomb before applying a generous dollop of hot metal. However, it can be advantageous in some instances, particularly with work where a high degree of surface texture is required, to use an alternative method - namely ceramic shell casting.

In theory, this is an easy process, you simply make up your wax pattern (in my case a model of a hand), coat it in several layers of slurry, letting each layer dry before applying the next, fire the whole thing (to burn out the wax and to harden the ceramic shell), then tip in your molten metal.

The trick is getting the slurry mix right.

You can buy slurry mix off the shelf (albeit a shelf in a specialist casting shop), but it costs a fortune and we Black & White Casting types "prefer" (ahem) to bit somewhat thrifty when it comes to materials.

Thankfully, Toby had come across a "secret formula" on one of his more recent casting courses, so we used this as our basis for testing.

My first test begain with the creation of a small wax keyring type object. I then mixed up the soon-to-be-not-very-secret secret formula, which consisted of equal parts of plaster, sand and vermiculite (the latter being old-fashioned loft insulation). It was a right pain to grind down the lumpy vermiculite into powder, but I sort of managed it and pressed on regardless, adding water to the mix to make the aforementioned (and very aptly named) slurry.

The slurry was the dribbled (for want of a more arty expression) over the wax keyring and put aside to dry. Once dry (ish) I added a further coat and repeated this process a third time before deciding enough was enough.

I promptly took a couple of months off over Christmas, eat and drank a lot and avoided all things arty (I'm lazy like that).

Having had a long time to dry (in my kitchen) the slurried-keyring had gone rock hard (if a little powdery), so with the dawning of the New Year and a trip over to darkest Wiltshire, the time was nigh to melt out the wax, fire the ceramic shell and get that metal poured.

In short... success. The ceramic shell survived half an hour with of heat blasting in our bespoke melt out oven/ceramic firing kiln (aka a heat gun and Twinings Tea tin) and didn't even collapse/explode when we poured the molten ali in! Additionally, the surface of the final keyring was pretty good considering I wasn't THAT careful in it's construction and I hadn't paid too much attention to having a pour cup (to allow a head of metal to press down into the mould) or sprues or anything any sensible caster would have done.

The next step was to refine the process somewhat. With that in mind I made a better test item (molten wax poured into a metal tin to produce a uniform and smooth shape), modifed with letters stamped into it (for extra detail). I also purchased high quality vermiculite grinding apparatus (a £12 blender from the Argos sale) and chopped that lumpy crap into proper powder. Mixing it with sand, plaster and water produced a much smoother slurry, which acted a lot like that special stuff that flows like a liquid, but is hard when you punch it (look it up on t'Internet if you don't know what I mean).

My final act before close of play was to slurry-ify (technical term) the new wax pattern mentioned above. With luck, when we return to "the Shack" I will be greeted with a strong, solid ceramic shell which I can continue to build up and (eventually) pour molten metal into!

See you next time.
John

* To be fair I don't actually know of any sand-men related proverbs, so you'll just have to bear with me I'm afraid.

Exhibition upcoming!

2010-12-30T17:31:00.000Z

I've posted this over in the Exhibitions section - but thought it worth repeating here (I'm that vain!) A big thanks to Andy Preston for putting the poster together for me.

Dates will be from the 1st to the 18th of Feb 2011 - private view on the evening of the 5th.

More info also here! - http://artsite.ltd.uk/exhibitions

Tobes

Winter is upon us

2010-10-26T14:32:00.000+01:00

The first frosts have arrived, and therefore working in the Shack becomes a bit more... 'Shackleton' like. Although the thin insulation we glued on last year has stopped the worst excesses of the condensation, we still get the odd drip - and in really cold weather, its like being in an ice grotto, complete with stalagtites!

I've several projects which need to be got on with - Aluminium Overcast #3 (which I'm hoping will have a home over at ASI, the people who strip down old airframes - www.airsalvage.co.uk ), a piece I've entitled 'Square Pegs in Round Holes, plus I want to make some 'optical moulds' for glass blowers. I spent a fantastic weekend over with my old friends Andy and Becky Potter ( www.pottermorganglass.com ), being given a brief introduction into the art of glass blowing. I had a fantastic time - enjoyed every minute of it, and have come away feeling very inspired. If is wasn't for the fact that I'm nursing a bout of man flu, I'd be cracking on today.

I spent last weekend up at the shack starting prep work for Overcast #3 and having a general tidy up. It has to be said that the shack is *somewhat* chaotic at the best of times - but it felt good making some space and tidying things into some sort of order.

Ok - catch you all soon.

Tobes

Latest news...

2010-09-12T23:06:00.000+01:00

Its been a while - but I'm busy back at college and Johns been off sailing the oceans blue (or at least the lakes and rivers). More casting activity to follow soon!

In the meantime, I've been exhibiting as part of the 50/50 show at Artsite in Swindon. I've had a couple of serious sounding enquiries regarding my piece 'Aluminium overcast #2' - PLUS Matthew Hamilton-Wright has taken this rather fantastic photo of it:

"Project Cage" update

2010-07-13T12:58:00.000+01:00

This week saw significant steps being made with my latest project.

I left off last time having all but finished the (giant) sand mould. Here it is, completely finished and ready to pour (well, actually it was set on its side to pour, but this is near as damn it ready and it looks quite pie-like here, which I like).

Toby and I then poured the thing. We paid extra special care to the quality of aluminium used and to the additives we introduced to the molten metal because (as always) I was after perfection. Here is the piece fresh from the pour:

And now, with the inner sand removed, quite a lot of flashing, but it was all very flimsy stuff:

Finally, after hours of vigourous fettling, I ended up with this:

It turned out quite well methinks. In fact, Toby was so excited, he needed a lie down:

The next step will be to smooth and polish the outer surface and then start work on the interior piece (I'm thinking a brass lost wax effort as per "Tobyesque" would look nice).

Take it easy folks!

John

Busy week

2010-07-09T23:07:00.000+01:00

Just a few musings over a busy week. First off, I spent a charming day in the company of Ms Joanna Bell, restoring one of my babies, Naissance. The unfotunate sculpture had suffered a bit in the heavy winter - but a bit of tlc, some new plaster (and plenty of tea from Joanna!) had everything back as it should be in short order. Here is Naissance looking nice and new is her lovely surroundings:

John's due over early tomorrow and I'm hoping we can both crack on. I need to work on a special request - a contact wants me to make a unicorn, plus I need to get a shift on with a fish for the Waterpark!

Toby

Addendum from John.... here's Toby working on that Unicorn:

Back on the blog

2010-06-29T22:23:00.000+01:00

I have indeed been remiss with my blogging (see Toby's comment below). having said that, I haven't actually done much of late - the allure of being side tracked into various Robson family projects often proving too strong to resist :-)

I have however, made some progress with "project cage" (see the photo of the pinkish carved core in Toby's blog entry below). For now, all I want to say is that it will consist of a cast aluminium "cage" (the carved core) and that there will be a central "item" (for want of a less ambiguous description) trapped within said cage. It'll sit on some kind of lead-wrapped base. Or maybe oiled wood. Or possibly a carved potato. Who knows.

John

Another week, no dollars!

2010-06-28T12:44:00.000+01:00

Yesterday worked out.... 'okay' (let damn it with feint praise). The day kicked off with Bryn's white van arriving over at the shack just after us, so John and I helped him out raising up some steel steps up for mein landlords, Ma and Pa. Bryn's cunning use of tie-straps and the van had the thing hoisted into position in double quick time - though not without my mind quietly playing the Casualty theme and musing over the correct first aid treatment for crush injuries. Anyway, its up in place now -giving Mum and Dad access once again to the top of the barn (which also contains some of my junk - BUT in contradiction to my Pa's goadings, its MOSTLY my sister's!)

Then we adjourned to the house for the dreaded ball-of-the-foot. I won't dwell on the unedifying spectacle of our national team playing like a bunch of strangers - or Capello's frankly bizarre selection. I'll simply let the following photo express everything John and I felt about it ;-)

Anyway, after that I busied myself grinding off some flashing from the three plates I cast over at The Bullpen - though apart from loading the car with the brazier, thats about as far as my efforts to tick things off the to-do list got, I'm afraid. Doh. Well, in addition to the things already listed, lets actually add a few more:

1. Making up polystyrene bases for the 'sea shell' castings.
2. Start making up pattern for fish casting for Cotswold Water Park (potential commission...?)
3. Sending a link for the site over to Garden Art in Hungerford to see if they might be interested in any of our work.

John cracked on with his carved core - a very strong form - picture below. He's been remiss with his blogging of late, so I'll let him tell you about it!

Oh, John's been working on some mighty fine looking cards to help promote The Shack. More on these soon!

Toby

A to-do list for tomorrow...

2010-06-26T23:27:00.000+01:00

Back to the Shack tomorrow (with a compulsory break to go inside the house to watch the dreaded ball-of-the-foot. As it's against Germany, subsequent posts tomorrow MAY be alcohol influenced)

Anyway, here's what I've got to remember:

1. Take unused Alpha-set mold from last week's iron casting to use as possible carved core
2. Take 'sea shell' pieces to develop new mounts (these featured as part of the Belgravia exhibition - I was never happy with mounting all three together on a carved cell-block plinth. I had a moment of inspiration yesterday looking at some barnacles... More on this to follow!
3. Cut top off old beer barrel to make mini-brazier for home garden & fill punchbag with vermiculite as supplied by Bryn (its not all art here you know!)

More soon ;-)
Toby

Here's a nice thing...

2010-06-14T11:33:00.000+01:00

Was browsing around for sites related to casting when I stumbled across this picture of a piece by Jim Wade which is sat in my front room as I type (http://www.internationalfe10.com/gallery.php). Toby

A Long week of fun and friendship

2010-06-13T18:56:00.000+01:00

I've just come back from a week's frolics up at the excellent Bullpen Arts Center, working on a series of pieces which have been cast in iron. As I type, three of them are sat alongside me awaiting wire brushing, fettling, chasing and tidying up. Another piece, weighing a good 100lbs, is sat outside as I'll trash the floorboards if I try and bring it in on my own!

Although I didn't really try much new in the way of technique, I learned quite a lot this week. The first conclusion to draw is about the limitations of sodium silicate as a mold binder: large mold elements which get handled regularly are extremely soft by comparison with the equivalent made up from Alpha Set. In fact, some of the mold elements which people were working on would have been simply impossible using sodium silicate. All of the other artists on the course said that they'd had bad experiences using sodium silicate at one time or another, so I'm wondering about investing in a tub or two of Alpha Set. Another clincher for me was the way in which Wez and co. mix theirs up: Unlike the laborious and drill-knackering technique used up at Coalbrookdale of running a drill/plasterer's paddle in the mouth of a bladeless cement mixer, The Bullpen crew simply add a few irregular lumps of iron to the sand and chemicals - these bits flopping around seem to mix everything in wonderfully well. The other top-top picked up from a chap called Casey was to add the catalyst BEFORE the resin. This (despite the John Winters instructions) seemed to result in a much stronger and more even mix which set fantastically solid.

I'd really recommend the Bullpen to any potentially interested parties, be you an artist or a backyard caster - Wez and Helen are lovely people with a fantastic set-up.

More thoughts and tales of what went on - but in the meantime, here are some pictures, expertly snapped by the hand of Mr John Hardy:

and finally...

2010-06-02T00:03:00.000+01:00

... before bed - a new and as yet un-named casting in aluminium and copper set on Bath stone poured this weekend and mounted/polished in very short order. This was the wax piece I melted out last session before I went off to Belgium. Despite my concerns that our wood and charcoal melt-out oven wouldn't have got hot enough (maximum temperature I measured was a mere 180oC), it seems to have cast very cleanly. Toby

Next steps...

2010-06-01T23:50:00.000+01:00

A very busy week coming up: Its nearly time to go off to The Bullpen to cast up some new work - though lots of other things seem to be getting in the way at the moment (but, it has to be said, in a good way). First off - my mate 'Grinny' Bryn has told me that one of his building clients may well be interested in a bespoke cast iron fire back based on my piece 'Forever Auntumnal'. If I can seal this deal, I should be able to fund the rest of the course. All this depends upon now is Bryn being able to make me up a suitably large flask to cast a HUGE -scratchblock into... This was one of the calls I meant to make today before being side-tracked by other things. (Doh) ... Then I've got to get over to Ma and Pa's to cast up some large lumps of sand suitable as the cores for some carved core work - and I ought really as well to pen out some more detail for what is as yet, very 'back of a fag packet' plans for what I'm actually going to do! I've bought some interesting polystyrene shapes which I'm a mind to work on with the hot-wire as some burn-out pieces and I've also been collecting pictures of organic shapes where trees have grown through iron railings. This is something I'd like to try and replicate - so I have some cage like forms in mind which I'd like to create using a carved core which I'll then plant saplings within so that they grow through the iron and start to conjoin and choke when they become restricted. OK - I'm not being very erudite or clear here - bear with me as its late - maybe the following pictures will start to make what I've got in mind a little clearer...

The Belgian Influence

2010-05-31T00:48:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks break from the blog, as I've been off holidaying in my favourite European country (good friends, excellent beer, lovely architecture, fantastic food!) After a few recent hiccups, I'm hoping my life is getting back on a more even keel: The break has given me a chance to try and get a better perspective on my life, its value and the value of those I share it with. A new career beckons - hopefully one in which there is the chance to exercise some creativity, avoiding crushing bureaucracy and pointless process to boot, and maybe one in which the people I work with share a bond that stretches slightly beyond their own self-centered career ambitions...

Anyway, that slightly cryptic short piece of apparently self-referential indulgence out of the way, back to the news of the shack! Well, the two things ARE related, as I came back with a boot full of goodies from the stepfather of the lovely Fiona. A big SHOUT OUT (I'm so wid da kidz) to the very generous Stany! He donated me a set of Stilsons, some bolt croppers, two very useful sealable buckets (time to mix some more oil-sand methinks! The last lot is overflowing the cramped confines of a large Tupperware tub), a water pump with a mains powered electric motor which might well be the future power-plant for an air blower for our planned bigger and better butane powered furnace AND, last but not least, a very serviceable vertical mount for our drill... Lots of goodies to play with - enhanced yet further by our old pal Anthony bringing over a ridiculously cheap jigsaw from our preferred suppliers over at Northern Tool - the jigsaw might be a low-rent model but it actually cost about the same as a pint of beer down the local! Bless Anthony - and a curse upon the taxation policies of the politicians! I'm hoping the jigsaw will be just the job to wade into the manufacture of a load more messer blades...

Whilst John very kindly spent most of his time kindly helping Robson senior fit some parking sensors to his car, I cracked on and finished a new piece and to mull what I'll be doing in iron at the Bullpen next week. Pictures and musings to follow tomorrow!

Art as therapy

2010-05-14T01:02:00.000+01:00

Its been a tricky time ... I was about to say recently, but actually, its gone on for more than two years now. Here's a blog toast to my being able to talk of it in the past tense very soon!

Coping with some of life's stresses and disappointments is never easy for anyone, but its fair to say that I've had a difficult time weathering the slings and arrows of the 21st century and have had occasion to battle with visitations from the dreaded Black Dog. Working in the shack on these projects really is a sort of ongoing self-therapy!

Creating art in molten metal seems to work really well for some odd reason: its a wonderful blend of satisfying the creative urge, of problem solving, of teamwork (ya cannae pour safely on your own!), trust ('is the pour full John?' 'Please don't tip that 750oc metal down my sleeve Toby'), adrenalin (opening the kiln to see a glowing crucible full of silvery metal still makes my heart beat faster), comradeship - and, when the finished pieces are on display, of meeting people and sharing ideas. Whatever bullshit, hype or dishonesty that the 'other world' seems to want to keep chucking our way, the shack is our retreat and our therapy rolled into one - helped of course in huge measure by the ministrations of tea and enthusiasm from my Mum and Dad; our hosts and (as its their garden!) patrons.

Here's to friendship - and the joy of creation.

Rocky working on some scratch-blocks

The Grosse Messer - passed with flying colours!

2010-05-12T18:57:00.000+01:00

The prototype messer was taken to fight club last night and caused quite a stir of interest. Our in-house cutlery expert and fencing instructor Alan said some very kind words, including 'its the best prototype sparring sword I've seen'! Praise indeed! It also looks like it's secured at least half a dozen extra orders as a result - so a busy June beckons. I'm even hoping to cast and fabricate enough to take some up to this summers 'fight camp' - a gathering of the UKs medieval combat fraternity. Yes, I know that sounds odd, but this is a pluralistic country which celebrates eccentricity!

Anyway, dear reader, if you'd like a messer (historical background in the post below John's) drop us a line!

John in project completion shocker!

2010-05-10T20:49:00.000+01:00

Finally, after many months of toil (and indecision) my latest project is complete. Here is the (long) story of how it came to be.

The starting point was a collection of copper plumbing pipes I had joined together for practise on a course I attended. I wanted to mount these on a base somehow to show off my soldering prowess, but I felt there ought to be something holding the pipes away from the base - partly for aesthetic reasons and partly to enable "proper" attachment (rather than wiring or gluing it on haphazardly).

"What better to hold something than a hand" I thought - hence the idea for the joining piece "Fist". "Fist" was made by first constructing a master from casting wax. Using my own hand as a guide (but reducing the scale somewhat), I simply fiddled around with lumps of the wax until I got the slightly naive shape I wanted (it was never my intention to make a perfect replica of a hand or I would have made a mould of one). Next was to pack it in sand (with the usual hardening agent added) and to burn out the wax in our bespoke burn-out oven (crafted by our tame master craftsman/handy-man Bryn). This process is SUPPOSED to leave a perfect (negative) replica of the wax master in a rock-hard sand shell, however due to circumstances entirely within my control, (i.e. I messed up the sand mix), I was left with an almost-perfect-but-rapidly-disintegrating negative in somewhat soft sand. This was NOT good as the wax hand had taken me AGES to make. Anyway, with a significant number of fingers crossed and with the help of Toby's steady hands (and a roll of gaffer tape), we managed to get the sand-pie to the casting table, whereupon we filled it up with molten aluminium. The mould seemed to hold (he rhymed) - at least it looked that way from the outside, so after a minute or two to let the metal relax we cracked her open... and... we had "Fist" - complete, with no holes and fairly minimal damage - success!

With the top two parts in the bag, the time had come to think of the base. Wood? Stone? Swiss-cheese? This remained somewhat of a conundrum until a nearby bohemian (Toby) suggested making use of a concrete block he'd made recently. Not questioning the seemingly random act of construction on Toby's part, I sprang into action chiselling away like a demented (and decidedly less skilful) Michaelangelo. Some months later I had a roughly cylindrical shaped block with a hole in it ready to accept fist. Here's a photo of the piece at that stage:

But what now...? The concrete looked "OK", but it didn't really have a smooth enough finish to warrant staying in this state as a finished piece. Some weeks of mulling things over and not doing very much ensued, until one day, that familiar bohemian voice squeaked "why not clad it in lead"? Another genius suggestion from the Robson stable I thought and so got to work hammering flat some lead roof flashing and wrapping it round the base. As a final touch, I buffed it up on the buffing wheel using one of our older, blacker mops. This gave a really nice dark sheen to the base and brought "Project Fist" to its conclusion.

What next? A selection of cast cores based around a central theme methinks ;-)

Until next time.

John

.... And they're back (with lots of news!) part #2

2010-05-10T17:42:00.000+01:00

So, here's a picture of the finished piece, all tidied up and ready to go off on show at The Cotswold Water Park in the cafe - http://www.watermarkclub.co.uk/leisure_countrypark.shtml .

What else has been keeping me busy? Well, one of my weekday evening pursuits has been attending what we know locally as 'Fight Club'! Here I am breaking the cardinal rule - blogging, let alone mere talking about it should be verboten, huh?! Its actually a fencing /combat session run by a bunch of people who are interested in the reality of medieval combat - they're called The Messengers. Western culture has become obsessed by the apparent brilliance of Easter martial arts - but has seemingly forgotten that similar (if not superior) forms of combat had evolved in Europe over a similar length of time. Due to the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution, many of the details of western martial combats were forgotten - however, this group are drawing upon the few surviving scripts and manuals from the time to rediscover the skills and techniques which were used. We're currently training using longswords, rapiers, daggers and bucklers. Another form which people are interested in is that of the 'messer' (shortened from the German 'Grosse Messer' - or 'great knife')... Basically the messer is a falchion - that vast array of weapon types which were similar in function to swords, but usually single edged and constructed more like a knife...(read on here if you want some more background!! - wikipedia link about the messer ) We have but one in the club at the moment, which means sparring opportunities are somewhat limited! Only one messer? How difficult could it be to make one? Well, the blade for our sparring version is made out of nylon rather than steel (limbless members of the group were unable to sign their subs cheques, so steel was quickly abandoned) - and in the version our in-house Yoda, Alan brought in the other week, it had a fabricated aluminium hilt. I had a look at it... and to be honest, I was unimpressed. The hilt was too wide and awkward to grip. ... Could I CAST one, I wondered?! Well, first off, I had to acknowledge that cast rather than sheet would be more brittle - but to be honest, the hilt is not subject to too much 'hard' impact trauma. Anyway, to be extra cautious I 'beefed up' the size of the casting to be doubly sure. I made the pattern out of polystyrene, as there had to be a central channel to house the tang of the nylon blade - and I like the fact that a single evening with the wire cutter, some glue and some sand paper would leave me with a functional pattern with out any of the worries of a complex multi-part mould. Et voila:

Here are a couple of pictures by way of comparison as to what I was trying to replicate:

... I wasn't that impressed by the historical authenticity of the 'Karakal' tennis racket grip either!

So! That was my challenge.... First off, I managed to get hold of a big sheet of nylon sheet from a local supplier - the stuffs almost identical to what the white plastic chopping boards are made from. I cut a replica blade (though mine is slightly deeper to compensate for the fact that it wasn't quite as thick)

... so, here's my pattern attached to a very complex series of sprues - with FOUR pour ins (one at the pommel end, farthest away) and three up at the cross-piece end of the hilt. Once the glue dried (hence the pot of paints weighing it all down!) I added three drinking straw vents to the sprue, and carved two HUGE pour cups as I wanted to ensure a maximum weight of metal to ensure that it squirted down and through the thinnest sections of the hilt - which on the hand grip was down to only a couple of millimeters.

Behind is one of my trusty sand flasks which this monstrosity was transferred into before sand/sodium silicate was packed round and gassed... The furnace was heated and the crucible loaded with some of my best quality ingots.... A period of trepidation followed! John and I carefully worked out our pouring order and to make sure that the metal went in very fast - again, another reason for such wide pour-cups. When it came to the crunch we liberally sloshed metal into both ends and were gratified to see a rewarding spurt of metal blowing out from all three vents. Hurrah!!! Another off-shoot of this was that excess metal ran of the pouring bench and into the bucket of 'Elf an' Safety' water. Before it melted a hole in it, it solidified into some exquisite shapes. More (and this time deliberate!) experiments into pouring metal into water to follow ladies and gentlemen!

The results were VERY pleasing... There were a couple of holes in the handle where the metal hadn't quite met up over the thinnest parts - but as this wasn't a structural part of the sword and would be hidden under the leather grip, I wasn't at all bothered - all easily plugged with the same aluminium filler I was using to glue the tang of the nylon blade into the hilt anyway.

After an evening's furious dremel sanding, the sword is basically finished. Its currently up at my mate Rocky's place awaiting a final bit of planing on the blade... pictures to follow shortly!

.... And they're back (with lots of news!) part #1

2010-05-10T16:07:00.000+01:00

Well, the last few visits to the casting shack have resulted in a plethora of work and some frenzied mould making, plinth carving and general fettling!

First off, the complex skeleton piece mentioned below is cast, fettled, polished and resting on a nice piece of honey coloured bath stone (cheers Bryn!). That was the complex polystyrene piece which featured in an earlier posting. The skeletal pieces I've cast before were produced in individual pieces which were cast separately and then threaded together along a piece of threaded bar which ran down the spine. This time however, I glued the vertebrae together with the ribs, creating a single piece. This was a bit unusual, but as it was a smaller piece, I thought I'd avoid the faff of lots of tiny elements - though with other attendant risks. I've noticed in a couple of pieces recently (notably the sword hilt - more to follow) that there is a natural weakness along the line of where separate pieces of polystyrene are glued together - and 'gaps' in the glue allow sand into the joint which then creates a stress-line and potential fracture point in the cast...

I attempted something entirely new with the casting of this piece. As usual, I'm running low on casting sand - so in attempt to get what remains to run a bit further, I used some lumps off of old moulds to act as 'plumbs'. Its something I picked up from building site work - to make concrete go further, workers would often tip/mix large lumps of hardcore into the concrete mix (if this is totally against building regs, don't blame me!!!). In the case of the mould for 'Shelleton' it saved an inordinate amount of sand - PLUS by having a solid core (which I shaped to math the pattern), it reduced the amount of warping/deformation of the polystyrene whilst I packed the sand around it... I'll post some pictures, and hopefully this'll illustrate the point...

Here we go - shaping a bit of an old mould to fit underneath the polystyrene..

... and adding some 'plumbs'...!

... and packing in and around with sand. I did this in two layers - one up to mid way and a final one 'over the top' with pour-ins and vents to act as a cap...

... as I said, a fairly complex mould - but one which poured nearly perfectly. The two cylinders are the pours (glad there was two - only one worked properly!!) - and the drinking straws are the vents) The only imperfection was that slight distortion of one of the ribs - caused by the packing process and the tendency of the polystyrene to flex...

We have been remiss...

2010-04-10T17:09:00.000+01:00

Very few postings by either of us. Lazy aspiring artists! In summary, we've been over to the workshop several times since January. Challenges over winter have included battling with condensation dripping off the inside of the roof (solved in part with some more insulation!) - and we've also had problems with our sodium silicate not setting the sand as hard as it should - again, we suspect the dreaded moisture. We mights have to think about adressing the problem over the warmer summer months... I've got several pieces in the making at the moment and I'm hoping to have these cast (with the evidence here!) over the next few weeks. In fact, lets start with this piece in progress - another variation of the ribs series. This one will be a lost polysterene (and will present something of a venting challenge!). Toby.

Setting up for the Beehive exhibition

2010-01-31T14:53:00.000Z

It's Sunday 31st Jan (2010) and Toby and I are preparing works for exhibiting at the Beehive, a pub on Prospect Hill in Swindon. They have wallspace that they let local artists use for exhibiting works and Toby is making good use of that :-)

All the sculptures/castings/pictures are basically ready, with just one or two needing some last minute attention with a pot of paint or a lick of wood oil before we take the long walk down to the pub (it's about 200 yards from here).

The art will be available for viewing for a month, so do drop by if you are in the area.

Pictures of the display to follow shortly.

Fine snow sculpture pic #2

2010-01-06T17:46:00.000Z

a fine snow sculpture....

2010-01-06T17:38:00.000Z

New year casting

2010-01-05T13:01:00.000Z

We braved the sub-zero temperatures in the wilds of Wiltshire on Sunday in the name of casting.

My work on "Fist" continued apace - have roughed out the concrete base and wittled the stub on the bottom of the aluminium fist so that it will fit into a hole in the aforementioned base. Next step will be to grind the base smooth and properly cylindrical, fit the fist, clean up the soldering on the plumbing pipes that will fit in the grasp of the fist and voila - a masterpiece :-)

Toby worked hard on an classic aluminium aeroplane which will form the basis of another majestic work of art from The International House of Robson (TM).

John

Welcome to the blog!

2010-01-02T16:12:00.000Z

Hi folks,

Welcome to the Black & White Casting blog.

Over the coming weeks and months we'll be publishing news, info, photos and our thoughts and musings here, so please join us and follow the goings on in the casting shack!

See you soon
John