Newbie from Nr London UK

[Merrik]

Hi All,

Thought i`d introduce myself and see if i can`t get settled in having spent a couple of days lurking in this wonderful resource!

I`m 36 and from Chelmsford, Essex nr London in the UK.

When i was younger i was always intrigued by ancient egypt and thier metal work which is one of the things that got me into silversmithing. My old school ran classes but only for girls so i had to wait till a decade or so before i could attend an "evening class" at a local college to pursue that passion. I tended to specialise in making chains and jewellery bits and bobs rather than the traditional smithing skills. I have some old pics of some of my work on this picture hosting site for those that want to have a gander.

Unfortunatley my work commitments mean i don`t have the time to attend such classes anymore (even though the Guv independantly set up his own classes after the college scrapped the course). I still dabble with bits and bobs at home when i have the time but without access to some the equipment it does limit what i can do.

Towards the end of my time at the classes i started to play around with various Braiding techniques and chainmail. Did have a great book with various braiding, mail & "knitting" guides. Can`t find it at home so think it must have been a non-returned loaner. Will see if it is still available on Amazon and post a link here.

Since then i have also taught myself the art of making garments and other erm.. accessories.. from Latex/Rubber sheeting.

Having seen some really nice (and some quite shoddy) whips in my local stores it has re-kindled my interest in such crafts.

So.... I hopefully i`ll be able to bring ideas to the table and learn some new skills and make some new friends in the process.

Have devoured the "how to make whips(bushcraft)" book so far and am reading through the "Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding" at the moment. Oh and another source that got me interested was the "Ashley Book of Knots"... awesome tome!

Well enough from me for now..... off to try and find a decent source of paracod here in the UK and work out where i`m gonna eventually get my Roo hides from... joy joy!

Take care all!

[UKRay]

Welcome Merrik, it sounds like you have come to the right place. I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures of your leatherwork! Ray.

[badger]

I'm new here too.

These are lovely people, really friendly and helpful. A huge information and goodwill resource.

Cheers,

Karl

[Merrik]

Hi Guys,

Many thanks for the hullo's.

Am off to the TLF store in Northampton tomorrow (Saturday) for a mooch about. Must not spend too much....must not spend too much....

sooooooo much reading... so little time

Cheers!

PS: My first ever piece in Sterling Silver....

Edited November 7, 2008 by Merrik