Craft

These are some of the many craft projects I've completed or am working on:

Kitchen Improvements

The house we are in has an irritatingly small and awkward kitchen. Storage is hard to reach and there is little space for working. So when there isn't enough space horizontally, go up.

Added were a utensils rail and a spice rack.

Later I also added a pot rail against the wall, so now almost everything we need while cooking is within arms-reach. This means each pot has a hanging spot, and there is still space for all the utensils on the rail.

Bookcases

OK, so we have too many books (or so I've been told).

Bookcase space is always at a premium. I'm still learning how to get the best finish on them, but considering that the big one took a total of 4 hours, and the small one 2 (and the small one is all dowel jointed. The only nails are blue-steel tacks to hold the back on.) I don't think the results are too bad.

Art Cabinet

On the topic of storage space, here is another one. This was built to provide lots of flat storage space for Ceredwyn's art, while also using up an area that had tended toward being a junk-pile otherwise. This was one of those projects that just keeps going and going. In the end it was finished off in a rush to have it ready for use before a house inspection.

Gifts

This was carved as a 5th wedding anniversary present for Ceredwyn. According to tradition, the fifth anniversary is celebratate with wood, so it seemed appropriate that I make something. This was done in just 3 days in the end, using a combination of the Dremel and a set of very sharp chisels.

This was Ceredwyn's 2006 christmas present. I had ordered a large number of Imps (small perfume vials) from Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs. When they turned up they were loose in a bubble-wrap padded box. I knew thay wood be received with delight, but it just didn't work for me as a way of presenting them. For once I had some time in hand, so I made this stand to display them in. After all what is an alchemy lab without a rack full of test-tubes.

Electrickery

Another area I'm confident in is working with electrical devices. That doesn't mean it's always easy to produce great results.

On this occasion the cover for an aquarium was deemed too dim to be used for growing corals, so I added an additional light. I've used a low-heat flourecent bulb, protected by a cover, and held in place by a carefully crafted brass bracket.

Heavier Construction

I'm also quite willing to turn my hand to larger scale projects. This time it was an extension to our green-house so we could have some space for plants that didn't need so much heat. It seemed a shade house was in order.

On this occasion construction was made much harder by the fact that I tore my AC joint in my shoulder while construction was barely begun. Much of the rest of the work was carried out with one arm in a sling. Still if you use pliers to hold the nail, and you hold the pliers with one foot... Well anyway, I got it finished eventually, with a little help from my friends.

Black-smithing

A good friend got me to go on a blacksmithing course. These are the items I made during it. They don't quite count as craft projects as they were chosen for me and have no elements of my own design, but they were a lot of fun to make, and after all, what's not to love about belting red-hot iron with a hammer.

Here are the things I made...

Firstly, you start by making some of the tools you'll need. Here, a pair of fire irons.

Next came a dinner bell. No, it doesn't have a nice sweet chime, but belt this and everyone will know it.

Next up we made a wall hook. As long as you're wall is strong, this will hold a very heavy pot plant.

This one actually appears attractive and useful. It's a candle holder, again, designed to be attached to a wall, but perfectly usable hand held.

And finally, the tripod. an iron pot hook for hanging a billie or camp oven over the fire. Sturdy and stable, packs away neatly, just not one for when you're travelling light. So far it's only been used as a hook for getting things out of the fire, but that's a good thing to have too right?