The fabrication begins!
To kick things off with the new commission I decided to go right for the good stuff. This is the large center gear that will be on display right in the middle of the clock.
As I started cutting this rather intricate design into 1/4” brass with a handheld jewelers saw I agonized over a question that frequently pops into my head - What did I get myself into?
I’ll have an answer in about 18 months.
The silver chunk of aluminum from the first two pics is a faceplate that I can mount on the lathe and then bolt the brass blank to in order to turn the O.D. and cut the teeth. I should’ve taken a wider pic of the blank mounted on the lathe but hopefully you get the idea.
The design really is a tricky one for me to cut out. I’m pretty good with a jewelers saw but this one is pushing me. Like most good things it’ll just take more time. I’m pretty excited about this gear design. The human brain loves repetition so having the overall design of the clock repeated in the gear spokes should work well aesthetically. I think I might even put paper and tiny painted numbers in the windows.
Since there’s some overlap between the beginning of this clock and the daunting task of packaging and shipping The Grasmere Commission the posts will be a little sparse until the beginning of April. Then I should be back to my usual every Monday progress schedule. Until then I’ll work on “Perth” every chance I get.
Thanks for following.
