Some pots for the new gallery

Hello Dale

Your pots are absolutely professional.
The surfaces of the pots all show your own style.
There are good pots for good trees.

Best regards
Peter

Thank you so much Peter.
I've long enjoyed your pots and consider you one of the worlds BEST. Thank you for the compliment
I keep trying new ideas to stay fresh, unfortunately, I can't make pots as fast as the ideas pop into my head.
Regards,
Dale

Hello Dale,

no, no, no that's not good!

There are many different trees.
There are many different pots.

It give many different potters, and many different ways, each goes his own way. The one only briefly, others for a lifetime. "Each of the potters can learn something other potters."
You're already gone a long way and have your own style. Your pots surfaces are so good now and I can not copy it. This is your trademark.
I also go a long way, but I've forgotten the goal. I never found my own style. My question for me has always been, how did ancient Asian pottery as a huge variety of pots and glaze development. Questions, for example, how this surface is created, how it is processed glaze, as pots are painted, decorated like? Questions on questions, thousands. There are no books on pots pottery, if it wants to know you have to experiment yourself.
Without any mould of pottery is probably the most exciting, one life is not enough all techniques to try, so I tried to find out where the difficulties lie in the pottery. Now I am still looking and have the time forgotten.
Old pots from China and Japan, which I have in may hands, that were masterpieces.

Best regards
Peter

While waiting for pots to dry in my cool basement ,I finished a project from one of my other hobbies. I was taking some pictures and thought I'd post a few.
For many years I have made knives, (with and without scrimshaw decoration), powder horns, and other projects revolving around muzzle loading rifles, including building rifles. I haven't built a rifle in a long time but once in a while I dabble with some knives and powder horns. Years ago I grew VERY interested in scrimshaw and began adding art work to my knives and powder horns if the shape/colors lent themselves to it.
Regretfully I have very few pictures and almost all are old crummy prints. I've never sold one . They were all gifts to friends.
Here is a few shots of a massive Bowie style knife I just finished. It has a stainless steel blade with an antelope horn handle. There are many hours in this knife.

a couple other views

Here are a couple 'Arkansas toothpick' style knives with carbon steel blades and deer antler handles. These handles fit the hand perfect!
I made these two knives for my two sons.

The other one. Same blade.

Here is the only sample I have kept of my scrimshaw. You will note the date is 1980. I used this design on a few powder horns and knife handles over the years. All were gifts. My current pottery signature is a derivation of my old scrimshaw signature.
Also, here is a small powder horn for charging flintlock pans ( used with a larger one for loading the barrel with a more coarse powder) . This was a beautiful horn but not enough white on it for a nice scrimshaw.
I have a large horn that is almost all white waiting to be finished. Hmmmm,I wonder about bonsai scrimshaw on a powder horn???
Sorry for straying from pottery.
Dale

Multi-talented Dale....Sure glad I did not know this when you were here (I would have spent more!)
Irene

very nice indeed dale love your knives

Peter

Hi Dale

Love the Bowie and the toothpicks. I am soooooooooo envious . Since a young age I would have loved to have learnt how to make knives.

Many thanks for showing your work

Regards

Andy

Thanks guys.
You know, I have always wanted to learn about blowing glass. I've known a few glass blowers over the years and used to sell a lot in my store back in mid-90's. Kent State Univ. near me has a serious glass studio and I've been invited up to check it out several times over the years. In my 'next life' I would like to combine blown glass with ceramics and wood.
I've always loved hand-made art from woodworking to motorcycles and everything in between.
I wonder if I could fit any more 'stuff' in my garage and basement?

D.

It's always interesting to learn what other interests the artists on the IBC forums have. The knives are great.
How did you make the moose and the eagle metal inlays for the knife butts?

Rob Kempinski wrote:It's always interesting to learn what other interests the artists on the IBC forums have. The knives are great.
How did you make the moose and the eagle metal inlays for the knife butts?

Thanks Rob,
The bronze and brass inlays are castings available at knife/gun shows and catalogs. They come in infinite styles/sizes.
To install them I first use a dremel to carve/shape/smooth the spot then buff it for hours until it sheens. In the case of the Bowie knife I had to fit the casting to the horn using a dremel. Then I heat the casting with a torch until red hot and let cool. It is now annealed and can easily bend it to fit the area exactly. If a larger one, like the moose, I solder a couple nail studs on the back and drill the spots on the bone and gorilla glue them on. Then I polish them to a sheen using Brasso ( you remember 'Brasso' from the military days! )
Most of the time building these knives comes from HOURS using a dremel, die grinder and hoursssssssss.... using a buffer. The brass furniture is all rough casted and requires a LOT of work. In fact my old father-in-laws inherited buffer motor burned up after about 25 years of me using it. I bought a new cheap one at one of those cargo freight places and it burned up quickly ( never again) and I had to finish it using the neighbors.

Maybe some day I'll post a muzzle loader rifle if I can get some decent pictures ( hand oiled stock finish) .
I wish I had pics of some of the knives I've given away over the years. I've also done a few tomahawk/peace pipes.
Dale

Hi Dale,
let me say: You are great!
Hats off! Thanks for showing.
best regards Horst

Thank you so much Horst.

Here is a sneak preview shot of a couple of the drying pots in a new series I'm working on. I have some great ideas for various versions of these 3D bamboo pots. This is also a newly developed med. brown clay I'm experimenting with. I hope I won't be sorry I experimented on stuff that took so long to make

Dale

Rob,
You know, these are still me and Nanc's biggest hobby!
They pretty much take care of all that non-earmarked cash anymore. I spend very little on my own bonsai any more, and, can't say I really miss it.

Dale

Dale: Interesting work. I"m so glad you were not in my shop class in high school! That would have been unfair competition!

Alan Walker wrote:Dale: Interesting work. I"m so glad you were not in my shop class in high school! That would have been unfair competition!

Thats funny Alan,
In fact, I taught 7th & 8th grade industrial arts woodshop and drafting my first year of teaching in 1977. I had Ind. Arts as my education minor at Kent State U. with major in Vocational Trade and Industry ( putting my electronics tech school and Navy electronics experience to good use). I had to take a semester course in every IA course being taught in public school. I sure learned a lot in those!!
I had EVERY 7th and 8th grade boy and girl no matter what learning disabilities they had. Ditto with the woman Home Ec. teacher who taught all the boys to sew and cook. Those girls sure loved woodworking.
Alas, the lawyers have pretty much taken care of public school industrial arts classes.
I found a job in a vocational high school in
electronics the next year.

Dale

Hi Dale

Love the bamboo pots.
It's very creepy as my collectors pot this year is titled "The Tao of Bamboo" and has come similar themes.

You must have 48hrs in your day over the pond, Bikes, Pots, Woodwork, Knife making, where on earth do you find the time

All the best from a sunny, most probably only for a short while , UK

Andy

A couple more bamboo pots that are slowly drying. 2 views of each.
First a cascade.





Then, an oval with quite a bit of work in it. The oval also has bamboo feet.

Dale Cochoy wrote:Two real nice Dry Riverbed pots using three different clays. The base clay is a new brown test clay from my supplier who sent me some samples. I ordered a bunch!!
These pots are about 7" and 9" across.

I was fortunate to be able to purchase the pot in the top picture last spring in Washington, DC. Yesterday, the pot got it's first tree - a crassula. The quality of the tree is likely not worthy of the pot, but I do think it works well for size, shape, and color. Thanks Dale!

Thanks Velodog.
Thanks for posting the shot. I rarely ever see them in use or get photos of them potted.
Dale

Isn't that a portulacaria afra?

prestontolbert wrote:Isn't that a portulacaria afra?

Why yes! Yes it is. Doh! And I know the difference too. Just a misfire in the brain.