From the perspective of an artist, working with hand tools provides a direct connection between an idea of form developed in the brain and the expression of that form in a tangible creation produced through muscle control. Using this concept, the bare hands are also considered a tool. The topic here is hand tools but extending the idea a bit further, any part of the human anatomy can be a tool. For example, a finger nail...
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Skill or Tools?
I just finished some cruising on the web looking at what metal-smiths were doing from all over the USA and the world. What I saw was a wonderful selection and variety of items being skillfully produced. It was a portfolio full of “let my imagination run wild” opportunities for creative expression. There is so much variety in metal crafting that with me starting as a retirement age practitioner, I know I can never in my...
Continue reading...Planned Obsolescence
I have a very nice DeWalt battery powered drill model DW929K2 that I have been using for ten years. The model number is superfluous after ten years. DeWalt has probably created and sold over a hundred new models since then. My problem is the two 18 volt ni-cad battery packs that it came with are now in their final days. One won’t charge at all. I consider that no shame after all this time. The...
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