It's great to see how humans like to problem solve, and come up with all sorts of inventive ways to overcome a problem or puzzle. That form for the silver vase thing is pretty ingenius, with the central bit that comes out so you can remove the 6 outer segments.
One of my clients was in the same building as Metal Spinners. I used to linger there, observing them making rather pedestrian items, such as nave-plates, scientific laboratory wares, etc.
Really interesting, I bet spinning is much harder than it looks. And quenching Silver during the annealing process - totally unintuitive when you're used to working with Steel.
Between 1980 and 1984 Britain's metalworking industry was decimated, I was an apprentice toolmaker at the time and remember Friday's ITV News would list the companies that went bust that week...........it was the death of engineering and complete f*cking carnage, I'm NOT exaggerating btw!!!
There were dozens and dozens of companies in the UK mainly based in Birmingham, Sheffield and London that did work like this. There are probably less than 10 spinners left in the whole of the UK that can do this work now. Dont know is Steve Gifford is still around? I have heard his name mentioned in the past but never met him. All the work went abroad thanks to a couldnt care less government and then the demand fell off anyway. The silverware and gift trade is dead and buried now.
Sadly I'd guess this guy was 'layed off' probably 1981-82 like tens of thousands of other skilled men..........Northern Britain was no more than industrial ghost cities.
I remember working on this film. made by us a Sheffield poly film dept.
It's great to see how humans like to problem solve, and come up with all sorts of inventive ways to overcome a problem or puzzle. That form for the silver vase thing is pretty ingenius, with the central bit that comes out so you can remove the 6 outer segments.
One of my clients was in the same building as Metal Spinners.
I used to linger there, observing them making rather pedestrian items, such as nave-plates, scientific laboratory wares, etc.
Amazing, I never realised silver was worked like this! I have seen tankards like this, now I can see how they are made. Thanks
Really interesting, I bet spinning is much harder than it looks. And quenching Silver during the annealing process - totally unintuitive when you're used to working with Steel.
Between 1980 and 1984 Britain's metalworking industry was decimated, I was an apprentice toolmaker at the time and remember Friday's ITV News would list the companies that went bust that week...........it was the death of engineering and complete f*cking carnage, I'm NOT exaggerating btw!!!
and now it's all imported and people wonder why we have NO money for the NHS
Thanks to that now decomposing piece of maggot food, Margaret Thatcher!
Thatcher's legacy.
What a destructive, vindictive horror she was.
The Devil himself slammed the gates of Hell shut in her face when she arrived.
There were dozens and dozens of companies in the UK mainly based in Birmingham, Sheffield and London that did work like this. There are probably less than 10 spinners left in the whole of the UK that can do this work now. Dont know is Steve Gifford is still around? I have heard his name mentioned in the past but never met him. All the work went abroad thanks to a couldnt care less government and then the demand fell off anyway. The silverware and gift trade is dead and buried now.
What a craftsman
Google comes up with 41 companies in the UK, two of those are near me in south London,
Sadly I'd guess this guy was 'layed off' probably 1981-82 like tens of thousands of other skilled men..........Northern Britain was no more than industrial ghost cities.
No, he's still working at the age of 77 and I was his apprentice. We are still hard at it on this same lathe in Sheffield
@@warrenmartin8146get outa here?!?! Seriously?