Lewis's Life

Ok, the Golden Behind set sail on it's spring art car cruise yesterday, so I suppose I should post this blog I started about my trip in March.

I just spent the weekend at my alma mater, the National Ornamental Metal Museum, for their annual blacksmithing conference. It was really good to see everyone and be reminded that I am a part of a larger community of smiths.

There were some good demos. It is always fun to see some striking and to see people with new ideas. It helps to break me out of my stagnation.

Seen above is Jeffrey Funk making a piece that I later bought at the auction. There is a shallow dish with forge welded decoration that they are making in the above photo and then the dish is attached to a forged rock. Yes, a forged rock.

As you can see the dish was forced into the hot rock. It was an igneous rock that had formed from cooling lava and apparently it did not mind being reheated. (I think he said it was manzanite. [sp?] I believe this to have been the first public demonstration of rock forging and possibly the first piece sold.

The Golden Behind (my pick-up/pirate truck, named after Sir Francis Drake's ship) will be on tour at several art car events this summer.

Baton Rouge, LA on 7 April, 2007
Eureka Springs, AR 4-6 May 2007
Houston, TX 10-13 May 2007

of course Louisville will have its art car weekend in August. We like to wait for good weather.

On the table above you can see my latest scrounging finds. I have a bunch of gauges and knobs that are going to be made into my steam control pane. Lots of new lights, including a headlight upgrade and some groovy side-view mirrors. On the right there is a builder's level that will make a really cool telescope looking thing. Unfortunately the optics in the level are not right and you can't actually see anything through it. That's why I got it cheap.

The porthole is going in the side of the topper, it will probably make camping in there a little more comfortable. It is big and brass. I like it.

Labels: art car, calendar