Archibald Sliman, Cumnock, 1837-50

An 8 day, 2 weight longcase clock with anchor escamement, made by Archibald Sliman between 1837-1850. I've only really lightly cleaned this dial and re-inked the numbers, but I thought I'd post it because it has an interesting layered look after various restoration jobs. I think that the painting at the top is original, but the corner paintings have been added at a later date (the rose and foliage is quite poorly done in comparison to the top), along with the maroon decoration around the edges. These areas have subsequently been painted with an ageing varnish, but for some reason they've chosen to keep the dial area free from varnish. The central area has been covered with gold leaf and then varnished also. I wonder if this is a relatively modern restoration job, gold leaf used like this is a new fashion, I wonder what they were covering underneath?

Mochdre Council Regalia - Wording

I finished cutting this out yesterday and thought I'd put a quick image up here. The medal was designed by a boy from Ysgol Cystennin, I'll post an image of the winning design alongside the medal when it's finished.

'Mochdre Is A Team' was drawn out using Adobe Illustrator, then printed and fixed to the metal for piercing. It took about three hours to cut out, and is a bit fragile at this stage because I used 0.5mm silver. When it's soldered to the back plate I can start deburring and polishing.

Wheel Cutting Engine

I just thought I'd add this little vid of my Dad using his wheel cutting engine, much fun will be had with this machine (provided he lets me use it hehe), so watch this space!

'The Silver Moon' pendant, Silver, July 2008

A pendant representing the moon with a rich matt white finish and a burnished shiny edge to catch the light. I'm pleased with the smooth texture on this one, it took a bit of experimentation with the Water of Ayr stone, the barrel polisher, then whitened and burnished to finish.

'Little Buttons' Pendant, silver, July 2008

Some shapes I made whilst playing with the doming block the other day, I've been leaving things finished in the raw white state lately - it emphasizes the form more and makes jewellery really stand out when worn.

A Heavy Heart, Silver, June 2008

This pendant is based on a commission I did a while back, it's designed to look a little like a real heart, and it's heavy. You're meant to feel it all day long, a heavy heart thats always on your mind.