Non-Pointy Utensils

[Ries]

I know, everybody likes to make knives- they are pointy, and sexy, and dangerous. I like em too.

But lately I have really been getting into making non-violent kitchen utensils.

Here are a couple of recent ones.
The spoons are going down to the holiday show that Lisa and Andy curate, the NW Anvil 3 show at Twilight Artists Collective in West Seattle, which opens on the tenth.

Spatulas are a bit older, some may have seen them at the Spring conference.

I am going to start making a bunch more spoons, and ladles, and like that- I use them all the time, so why not make cool ones?

[sam salvati]

I like those Ries, very cool.

[nuge]

Nice. What is the finish on the spoon handles? Is that even steel?

There's nothing like good kitchen stuff. People use it every day and settle for plastic crap. I always thought there is a good market for un-pointy hand made kitchen implements, the knife game being so competitive.

[Ries]

the spoon parts are stainless, about 16 gage, hot beaten into John Newmans spoon die on his 60 lb mini-swage block. Just wire brushed after raising. Big 2hp 8" diameter stainless wire brush.

the handles are naval bronze- I had a project years ago where I made these light bezels, had donuts of 3/4" thick naval waterjet cut, about 8" od 6" id.
I have been cutting the donuts apart into two "C"s, then heating those up and forging them down into 2 foot long 3/4" square pieces, then taking them to Phil Baldwins shop and rolling them, warm, on his fancy italian rolling mill- he has one that is all square dies, you can precision roll a square down to 1/8" x 1/8" if you want. I have some I rolled to about 5/8" square, some 1/2", some 3/8", but these are a 1/2" square stock with rounded corners to begin with, about 8" long, before I cut the slots, hot twist, and then forge the ends and shape. Finish is just needle scaled, then wire brushed. The naval is a bit tricky to forge- it forges like butter, but you have to work it just below visible red- you kind of have to feel how hot it is, because if you can see it, its probably too hot.

[Bruce Macmillan]

Beautiful pieces, very nice......

[Tom Allyn]

Nice work, Ries. I feel an inspiration.......

[D_Evans]

Another great job, Ries. I never expect anything else from you. Thanks for sharing the pics!

[Bob Schade]

I made a bunch of these a few years ago for gifts. Started out with 1/2x1/8x1/8"angle. Spoons are about 6" long.