Fluff Collecting

I made these on my year out between Alsager and the RCA. I went to Swindon to work in the Jolliffe Studio above the Wyverne theatre. I was trying to make new work for an exhibition in Stafford..which I really wasn't ready for. These are all different types of FLUFF collectors, pocket, trouser turnups and belly button fluff. Mail Artists send me samples of fluff from arund the world. (that wasn't a pleasant thing to recieve in some cases.).

more strange scissors..

A selection of strange scissors I made to cut, pierce and crimp paper for Mail Art purposes.
I made them by forging thinh steel rods...but I had a lot to learn about forging!
The small ones were so dainty, so I called them "ladies edge crimpers".
N.B..never try and record your work in strong sunlight..most of the early pictures are taken from slides and are the only record I have.

Drawing "module"

As part of my degree we had to do a sort of "drawing module"..now, I do love drawing, but I didn't see it as a separate thing to my making..so I got a bit shirty and decided to make dip pens and make scratchy marks with them and call that drawing (I had discovered I loved being in the metalwork room room and nothing could get me out of there easily)...All the objects above are my attempt to make pen nibs, using forged steel, nickel silver and brass rivets. I tried various ways to make ink reservoirs so I could draw for a long time without having to re-dip the nib. Joining other metals to steel proved trickier than I expected and I ended up breaking a lot of very fine drill bits as I wanted to connect them together with very fine copper rivets.

Both the pens above were made with two pieces of forged stell, held together by strips of wood and wire, the ones comes in a boxed set complete with blotting paper cleaning tools (as the steel soon went rusty if left).Fig A
The scissors, Fig C, were also forged and were for making holes in envelopes..more Mail Art influence.

Letter Frames

Made in the second year of my Craft Degree at Alsager. postcard sized copper wire frames..soldered with lead solder. Messages attached. On the right there are two 3D ones which slide open, but didn't survive the postal system well. These were made for my first real attempt at Mail Art, after I had been introduced to Michael.