Artificer Made is now a Blog!

That's right. It seems that the things I make and sell are a little difficult to explain sometimes with the tools that ETSY provides. But by all means please go see what I'm selling at my ETSY store Artificer Made.

That is to say, that much of what I create exists within a context that is not always apparent at first blush. That is the nature of creating ... well ... oddities and frivolities I suppose. Things that exist to satisfy the demands of a fictitious reality are just going to need more introduction.

So here's what we're going to do. The current artificers will post as often as we can about what we are building, how we are building it, and ... when it matters ... why we are building it.

I will be producing some tutorial videos whenever a good subject comes up. Feel free to send me suggestions, or questions whenever they arise.

Last but not least, we will be giving shit away. Once we have a few dedicated fans I plan on running a weekly promotion. It could be a straight up give-a-way. It could be a contest. But there will always be an interesting prize.

The prizes will be in the tradition of the fiasco artifica, abject and ruinous failure. Whenever a project fails miserably there is usually something interesting left amid the wreckage. Perhaps some bit of metal or glass that could be used as a decoration or jewelry. I don't know. I don't care. If I could have used it for something I would have so it's up to you. I have all manner of things here I can't use but are still too cool to melt for scrap.

Anyway, there's my welcome message, I hope you enjoy the show.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Best Garage Sale Ever!

You ever get drug out to a garage sale?

"They have tools." your significant other may say to entice you. And then you get there and it's a card table full of store brand tape measures and an unworking circular saw. So now your stuck there for 45 minutes while she paws through the half acre of baby clothes and 20 year old paperbacks.

I've pushed people down stairs for less.

But this time ... Oh sweet gods.

This wonderful man died some time ago and, owing to a quirk in his brain, he liked to collect tools. He had every god damn tool I could ever ask for. He actually had 5 or 6 of each, neatly arranged from smallest to largest. I don't judge.

I've been trying to replace my small anvil for some time now since there was a mishap at a storage facility that claimed my last one. I was on the verge of just buying some shitty poured iron abortion from Harbor Freight and low and behold the first thing I see in this garage is an 18" length of railroad track. Not the best for true blacksmithing but I hate black smithing. And track anvils are great for white and greensmithing. $5.

My air compressor is a loaner. I don't use them much and just haven't got around to getting one. Right there under a card table full of files and burnishers (fucking burnishers!) is an oilless compressor like airbrush artists use or house painters or something. With a half horse motor on it. $5.

Stacy gets a commercial grade potter wheel and motor. $5. A vintage Fischer Scientific burner. $1.

Just insane. So often you roll up on a yard sale and the people think their shit is made of gold or something. That box of paperbacks I mentioned had a sign "Price = 1/2 of list price". I shit you not. I bought an old old dentist drill motor for a buck!

I had to borrow a truck to haul it all home and I don't think we spent more than $50.

Anyway ... had to get that out of my system.
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