Newest Success

Hey y'all! I've just finished this. It's coin silver (or thereabouts) from old Washington quarters and a Franklin half dollar. Nice little finished product. It's got some pitting from casting (not visible) and the bottom is slightly narrower in width, but overall it's the best casting I've done yet! I'm so happy about this one. I hope to have more rings done soon, including a wood and metal combination ring. Wish me luck.

A Little Bit I've Done Lately

Just an update with my latest knife and a shillelagh. The knife's a sawzall blade that I annealed, ground, filed, quenched and tempered. It has a spalted maple handle. I love it personally. It cuts very well, has an excellent edge, and is flexible too. It's light too; only weighs 24.5 grams. I can't wait to get it a sheath and make it into an EDC (everyday carry) or camp knife.

My particular favorite is this; my shillelagh. Being the grandson of an Irishman from Limerick, I hold very close to my Celtic heritage. I enjoy the culture, art, history, and values. I wear a silver Celtic knot on my left index finger at all times. I know I'm probably as Irish as the Notre Dame football team, but I  identify strongly with that heritage anyway. Enough of that though. On to the shillelagh.

The shillelagh is basically a war club. The name comes from the village they originated in. When the English invaded Ireland, they cracked down heavily on Catholics, especially during the reign of James VI eventually banning the ownership of weapons for Catholics. The shillelagh served the purpose of a cladestine weapon in the upheaval between Ireland and England in the years that followed.

The English needed wood for their navy and subsequently set about deforesting Ireland's great oak forests. The oak clubs of old were replaced quickly with a new tough wood called sloe. Sloe is a relative to Hawthorn, a thorny, dense shrub. The sticks would be cut from the shrubs in such a way as to allow for more to be harvested every year. The sticks were cut, covered in lard, and left in a chimney to cure.This typically gave them a black appearance. These were disguised as walking sticks, but many had lead in the head to weight it for impact. Even without the given weight, a shillelagh will crack a skull if swung hard enough. They were sometimes used to settle legal disputes and as a gentlemanly way of solving personal arguments, similar to pistols in America.

Since the end of English rule in Ireland, the need for the shillelagh has disappeared. They may be found around Ireland occasionally, but enterprising craftsmen this side of the Pond have made a good bundle selling them to Irish-Americans, especially around March. It's even carried by NCOs of the New York National Guard Regiment, The Fighting 69th (though I can't find any information as to whether they carried it to Iraq or used it when stationed there XD).

I really don't know what the wood is. My art teacher Mr. Black gave it to me. He teaches Sculpture and I'm his office aide that period which just means I get out the supplies, put them away at the end of the period, and help out where I can. One project for the class was a walking staff, just to get the city kids used to carving wood before the launched into a sculpture in it. I did it for the class last semester, but this semester I'm the aide, so I do what I want, when I want, and don't worry about a grade. He said it might be walnut, which is possible, but like I said, I don't know. Enough talk, here it is.

Hope you've enjoyed. Cheers!

Red Dawn

I found this buried in my picture folder. It's probably four years old. I remember it was a Sunday morning and we had just gone outside to get in the car to go to Mass, when I saw it. I ran to get my camera and snapped this. No editing. Nothing fancy. Just point and shoot.

So... I won

Wow, um that was crazy.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201542769484337&set=vb.1630166132&type=2&theater

Senior Year's a Little Crazy... but We All Are

I've been busy lately. My sister got married last November on the same weekend I had a production I was assisting (but due to the wedding, unable to perform in). Right after that the second semester started and with it came college applications, increased school load, closing a play, and starting rehearsals for a musical all while writing another one on the side, applying for scholarships, doing my hobbies, and, oh yeah, spending my last few months as a child. No big deal.

Needless to say, this has been a stressful year and I'm glad to be done with school choir. To sum up my experience in choir, I'd have to say only a few things; the director hated me; too much drama; unprofessional attitude form "leaders"; too stressful. 

Done with that, I have moved on to greater things like joining my schools Acting Ensemble; an elite group of twelve thespians who write plays, perform them, and critique each other. The group is teacher advised and student lead. Everyone is in it because they want to and it makes it much easier to get good results from a group like that.

Having dumped this load upon myself, I have taken on the crap load of writing a musical. Needless to say, that's just insane.

Underlying all of this is college prep. Two schools have said yes and another won't let me know until March   15th. Joy. I'm desperately struggling through College Physics and Enriched Pre-Calculus. I got a nice wake up call last year with AP American Government, that yes, I can indeed receive an D or F on a report card. I did however, in a feat I never wish to replicate, manage to get the D to and A and the F to a weighted B. So now I'm struggling to stay on top of grades and an ever increasingly busy schedule.

I also decided to do the talent show too. Dancing in front of a whole school is enormous... ly terrifying. Aside from natural stage fright, anxiety about being judged for who I am and what I do is making my consider a mask just to keep anonymity in the game. 

Being who I am, I procrastinate when I'm stressed. I find a million and one excuses to not do my schoolwork, rehearse, or write. Because of this, I have been in the workshop late at night when worrying won't let me sleep. Consequently, I've actually gotten things done in the shop. Check it out.

This is a carving knife I just finished. I figure the blades about 1070 or so. That's a copper bolster and a curly maple handle. My art teacher loved it.

I needed chisels, so I made some.

Somebody said that I should make a wooden ring. I'd seen it on the internet and said "Sure, why not?" About one and half hours into this ring here. Now everyone seems to want one. So...

Now with two done and three requests, I have to get moving. Ugh, now it has become a responsibility. Oh well, at least it's one I enjoy. People really shouldn't tell me to do stuff, 'cause then I do it; like this.

Some else said to make a locket. I'm probably going to install a magnet to keep the halves together better, but I have to wait for the pieces to magnetize on the magnet I pulled out of a hard drive a while ago. Man, but those things are strong.

That's all I have for now. Hopefully, I'll have three more rings done in the span of as many days. I've got all of tomorrow really given my schedule. We'll see what happens. Peace.