Moving across the internet

The content of this blog has been moved to 

www.tessmyers.com

(Most of the project pages will still link back to this blog until I finish making everything look pretty)

Chalice restoration

I toyed with calling this entry "Indiana Jones and the Holey Grail", but eventually decided against it on account of A) copyright infringement, B) puns are the lowest form of humor and C) Indy looks better in the hat than I do.

We recently had a swath of ceremonial chalices come in for repair. The jobs ranged from fixing a snapped stem and reassembling the entire piece to simply "make it shiny". I will walk us through the repair adventure of the chalice shown below, wherein we will learn how to build a precise supportive sleeve and also discover what kind of innuendo can be derived from making screw threads.

The finished chalice

Hippodoptera under glass

A wonderfully odd art piece came into the shop recently. Two glass domes arrived, each covering a delicate and very curious arrangement. 

The locomotive coffee engine enigma

About two weeks ago, I posted photos and a description of a puzzling device on Facebook, and offered anyone the chance to guess how it worked. Here's the original problem (edited for clarity), with the explanation after the jump.

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This beautiful coffee engine (circa 1850) came into the shop today for repairs. The owner didn't know how it worked or if it ever had, so I had the pleasure of tinkering around with it to determine the mechanism. Anyone want to see if they can guess how it works? 

Some important details: There are two chambers that liquid can go in. The front chamber (Left, towards tap) is completely closed off except for the chimney, and does not seal. It does not directly connect to the other chamber, nor the tap. The rear chamber has (left to right) a tight connection to the U- shaped tube spout, a stoppered funnel to pour water into, and a whistle with a valve that closes. 

The u- shaped tube spout is open all the way through, and ends with a perforated strainer. The strainer does not open like a tea ball. 

The engine ensemble (both front and rear compartments) balance on the carriage in  such a way that it may rock back and forth slightly, though the rear is much heavier. Below the carriage is a spirit lamp with a hinged lid, and when the engine rocks forward it pops a small lever to flip the lid closed. 

There is a small box on level with the engine, probably for holding dry tea/coffee grounds. It is not involved in the mechanism. 

Done guessing? Follow the jump! 

The Adventure of the Lost Wax casting

Some of you have expressed curiosity about what I do at the shop, so I'm going to do my best to show you all a few snippets of the projects I work on.

Today we have an example of the lost wax casting process and all the lovely details therein. This is how I clone items without using my science degree!
Now with slightly out-of-focus pictures, and a little explanation of how I got into this whole business.

One ring to rule them all... wait, nuts.
Sauron you tricky bastard!

The tale continues beyond the cut

Final prints: Beardsley-inspired design and a bit of symmetry

The last of the prints!

Here we are, several weeks post-graduation. I had a fantastic time with this printmaking class, and it will stand out as the only art class I had the time to take while I was at Reed. Au revoir, Portland and Reed college; it was lovely to know you.

I have now moved to DC, and I'm back in the metalshop! It's a bit like being a kid in the candy store, except with a slightly higher chance of losing a finger. I have loads of projects I'd like to share with you, dear Internet, but let me close up the printmaking business first.

More behind the cut

In Repose

A placeholder for something fun ;)