Show us you art/craft

Nice signs Bfunk. Do you still make em?

Ok, here are some xmas balls I made this year. I don't get to blow glass to much these days, do mosly lampwork on my kitchen table (MAPP torch) but my family comes to expect it at the holidays. The " full of hot air" comments get old but I'm use to it. I took glass blowing in college to keep my financial aid. 4 yrs ago when I lost my job, I started a little side business and it kept us going. I still make stuff every now and then but my new job has me traveling so I dont get to do it too much

Unfortunately i had to get a real job. I would like to get back into it, they are fun to create.

Since this was pulled up again- might as well post the dogu (and the tanuki with the major junk)

My wife and I make Adirondack chairs. If a relative gets married or has some other special occasion we will make them a pair.

Those are cool Jack! I had thought about trying my hand at some for our place. I met a woman that makes them out of old skis- they are a big seller in ski country

AP, I have an extra set of patterns that I could send you if you want them.

Ive mentioned in other threads that I build R/C airplane models, I guess that qualifies as a craft right? Its becoming a dying art, but I still build all mine from a pile of sticks.

A few older ones... Over the years Ive build over 20, dont have photos of all...

Some more....

That one is VERY cool

Jack- I'mmo think on it. I have so much stuff going at once that I'm probably fooling myself that I would finish that project. Bet a lot of guys here know exactly what I'm saying- very much appreciated though

The plans for the project I am about to start... 4 sheets of 8'x3'

Check back here in about 5 years... *** IF *** I dont waste time...

He he yeah and it was a real handful to fly too - small and squirilly. I gave it away to a flying buddy who still has it, and built the blue and red biplane which is a similar design but larger.


Some of the others did not meet a good end however.

I think I just "liked" this entire thread... A lot of talented members here at hearth...

I've said it before and I'll say it again, some great talent in this forum, ladies and gentlemen! I'm a jack-of-all-trades, master of none.......I enjoy metalworking, blacksmithing, woodworking, carpentry, tinkering on old cars, electronics, etc.....

One of my latest passions is stone masonry. For the past 6 years I've learned how to do stonework (veneer and stacked/grouted), many of you have already seen the fireplace I've been building but for those who haven't, here it is.....

Its all natural stone, taken from the mountains surrounding my house. Some of this stone was carried.out of remote places in my backpack while deer hunting.....but its a labor of love, I guess. I'll be grouting the stone this weekend and installing the 300lb mantel as well.....

Damn Scotty- that's really beautiful. Your treatment of the arch is fantastic- reminds me of one of those roofs on a Japanese lantern

Scotty have I mentioned before that if you lived closer I'd hire you?

Lol, thanks guys. Not sure that I'm quite that good. I can see a difference in my current work versus my older work.......I've gotten much more detail-oriented. AP, I wanted to cut the stones above the fireplace to give the authentic keystone arch look, and after running some ideas past my wife I opted for that "coffin-shaped" keystone. I think it turned out pretty well, as did the stone registers on the sides and top of the fireplace. They were quote the job, let me tell ya....

I love.the work you guys do, too. I really enjoy threads like this...

It's kind of good and bad looking back on old work- nice to see how far you've come, but then there's always the feeling of wasted good materials/time. I recently put a bunch of my "learning experiences" on the back porch and invited people to come take them. Whole sets of plates, mugs, vases were taken away, the rest go into the shard pile. Even that was one time carted off to become mosaic material for a public beautification project though- so it was useful I guess

I'd say your work is better than what Ive seen from many pro contractors Scotty... .

Me, I try my hand at things around the house, so far my biggest project was this humble restoration of the front entry hall. And I had some help. I know what you mean about improving, looking back I already whish that I had found a real antique entrance door to restore rather than modifying a new one to look old, but live and learn. At least the rest is authentic.













Which reminds me... I still need to strip that front door surround, repaint and re-glaze those sidelites.. Maybe next summer



Edit to add - Scotty you might be interested in the small structural project we did. See if you recognize any hearth.com names in the discussion ...

Very nice! Classic, clean, very well done

OK Jags one more for ya.. then I'm all done... Another major hobby is vintage audo (notice a trend with me?... old stuff). The pride and joy of my hi-fi is a vintage 1962 McIntosh MC-240 that I did a full electrical restore on - all new capacitors, rectifiers, tubes, power supply rebuild, etc. I also built a set of homebrew 3 way speakers from plans. My dad made the MDF cabinets, I finished them, installed the drivers and built the crossovers from components.