Monday, October 25, 2010
GhettoBlaster Anamorphic
For those of you who know me, I am obsessed with ghettoblasters, i.e. boomboxes. Check out this sweet anamorphic ghettoblaster I found on youtube, complete with lady ornament.
Loving this long autumn!
It has been especially warm here in Milwaukee. By this time last year we definitely had snow on the ground, but its been more like a VA autumn with the temperatures still in the 60s. Just wanted to take a few moments to enjoy it while it lasts...
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Crusot Steam Hammer
I'm feeling rather badass this week, therefore I feel this post is perfectly appropriate for the week. Thank you to my good friend Isaac for sending this my way.
The most badass hammer in history is the Crusot Steam Hammer. A 19th century industrial marvel created to forge extremely large pieces of molten metal. The process of forging makes a piece of metal extremely strong, and the crystals in the crystaline structure are very close together. This is the best process for tools that are going to be hit over and over again (say an anvil for instance) versus casting, which can produce rather brittle results. This hammer was not for making anvils though, this would have been used to make larger pieces for buildings, which need to be extremely strong.
Originally created in 1836 the Crusot Steamer originally weighed an amazing 750 tons and stood over 5 stories high. The steam powered piston could deliver a blow of over 100 tons but also had the capability of performing rather precise tasks as well. Currently disabled and functioning only as a monument in the small french town of Crusot, this hammer had a long productive life until advances in hydraulics in the 1930's rendered it obsolete.
This is by far the best part. A 1904 Library of Congress film of the historic hammer in action. I can't stop watching this.
I love seeing this huge piece of metal get completely slammed by this hammer. There are about 10 men who wrangle the piece with a rather interesting jig, throw flux all over it before it gets forged (sparks and shale flying everywhere!) and they use some type of hammer tools - I'm not sure if it is to forge it into specific shapes or leave some type of surface texture - either way, definitely worth 4 minutes of your life.
Reposted from thereifixedit.
The most badass hammer in history is the Crusot Steam Hammer. A 19th century industrial marvel created to forge extremely large pieces of molten metal. The process of forging makes a piece of metal extremely strong, and the crystals in the crystaline structure are very close together. This is the best process for tools that are going to be hit over and over again (say an anvil for instance) versus casting, which can produce rather brittle results. This hammer was not for making anvils though, this would have been used to make larger pieces for buildings, which need to be extremely strong.
Originally created in 1836 the Crusot Steamer originally weighed an amazing 750 tons and stood over 5 stories high. The steam powered piston could deliver a blow of over 100 tons but also had the capability of performing rather precise tasks as well. Currently disabled and functioning only as a monument in the small french town of Crusot, this hammer had a long productive life until advances in hydraulics in the 1930's rendered it obsolete.
This is by far the best part. A 1904 Library of Congress film of the historic hammer in action. I can't stop watching this.
I love seeing this huge piece of metal get completely slammed by this hammer. There are about 10 men who wrangle the piece with a rather interesting jig, throw flux all over it before it gets forged (sparks and shale flying everywhere!) and they use some type of hammer tools - I'm not sure if it is to forge it into specific shapes or leave some type of surface texture - either way, definitely worth 4 minutes of your life.
Reposted from thereifixedit.
Bruce Metcalf
Bruce Metcalf came to visit UWM this week and if you don't know about Bruce he is a studio jeweler and critic who has impacted the studio jewelry world for the last 40 years. Bruce was invited by Object - our metals student organization - to talk about his work and interact with the metals students. Along with his public artist lecture (which you can hear the podcast here) Bruce chatted with the advanced forming metals class and did a class critique with 9 selected students. His conversations about the work the students presented were both critical and fun, as you can see Bruce does enjoy a good performance. (You can also catch a glimpse of our new facility..isn't it great?)
Personally I enjoyed the conversation we had with Bruce the most. The class was required to read his 2001 essay from Metalsmith Magazine, "The Problem with the Fountain," and respond to it or any of his other writings in question form. We had a very interesting 2 hour conversation about everything from Duchamp to DIY. It is a very special opportunity to have an open forum with a major voice in the critical craft community and I only wish I had a full hour critique with him instead of only 5 minutes.
Bruce was in town to promote the Wisconsin stop on the tour of his Retrospective, which began at the Palo Alto Art Center last year and may still be traveling after it's stop here at the Racine Art Museum, but I'm not entirely sure, more information about the tour here.
Also very important and exciting to note is the completion of Makers: A History of American Studio Craft by both Bruce and Janet Koplos. The book is the first textbook-like print to document contemporary studio craft and I know other grad programs where this is already a required reading assignment. How very exciting to be living in this moment in time, when we can see the roots of our field expanding and becoming more solid.
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