Eight notes

Bench notes

Working notes written between jobs, on heat, form, surface, marks and money. Eight of them, from 2020 to now.

The metal in a hand raised bowl is a small fraction of its price. Here is what the rest of it actually is.

Very little silver in this workshop is new. Offcuts, filings and old pieces go back to a refiner and come back as stock.

A hallmark is an independent test of the metal, not a decoration and not a maker's signature. Here is what each part of it is doing.

Tarnish is not damage and dips are not a shortcut. A cloth, a drawer and a bit of use will keep silver right for a lifetime.

Silver solder is silver, but it is not the same silver. Under close light the seam will always be findable, and that is not a fault.

The surface decides how a piece ages more than the shape does. Mirror is the least forgiving thing you can ask for.

A spoon bowl is not stamped out of sheet. It is driven down in stages, and the metal gets thicker at the rim as it goes.

Silver work-hardens the moment you start hitting it. Annealing puts it back, and knowing when to stop is most of the skill.

The pieces these notes are about.

Five stages, honest ranges, a third down.

The bench the notes are written at.

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