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This is one of two mirrors recently completed. The mirrors were hand made using the traditional Embossing and brilliant cutting techniques from over 100 years ago.
The design was hand sketched onto paper and transfered to glass by hand .I had seen a design I liked in an interior Victorian design book and so I decided to use elements of the original artwork but changed all the centre panel to my own style .This mirror was started in March of 2010 . I took longer than usual to make these mirrors as I wanted to capture the richness of a genuine Victorian piece plus also working on other jobs always get in the way of the bigger works as we all know,with these panels I wanted to create a wide variety of techniques that the original craftsmen would of have employed. I have put together alot of photos from start to finish to show the procedure , some are taken from different angles to show off the light on the faceted cutting , please excuse the amount of pictures taken.
These are the exact kind of mirrors you would see in Lavish surroundings ,opulent grand Houses and Beautiful Victorian Pubs around London and the British Isles. Not to mention places like Las Vegas, Dubai, Monaco where beautiful mirrors and furniture are the norm.
Thanks
Dave
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Wow Dave, that's quite the masterpiece... done by a true master.
Thanks for all the effort in keeping this type of glasswork alive for us and
generations to enjoy! I seem to come up short on words when viewing your
work. Beautiful stuff Mate!
Thankyou all, real nice , I know how much you all like doing this work and your own individual passions for creating something that sparkles like these mirrors. That's why I post here on this forum. Here is the other mirror which I will keep for my family slightly taller but not as long. I nearly ended up with two as I have another wall it could go on. Yes Larry this is for a client, hours wise it took ages never kept a log should of really but I did get good payment for it, Just alot of work holding the bigger panels and scary at times when moving them around.
I signed them both on the back 1 and 2 with dates and a picture of me pulling a face so if someone does open the back they either will laugh or just think I was some sort of nutcase working in 2011. I also put a picture of Milo the dog in the back as he sat on the floor hour after hour watching me make them,they may think he made them.
Dave,
That is a really nice screen that is, however,
Like so many new movies out recently , I see you believe in blatant product placement. But I think I would have gone with a bigger product name something like Coke or Pepsi. Somehow next to your stunning mastercraft, window cleaner doesn't grab me.
Pat
I should have hidden that Pat trust you to spot that stuff, works nice though. Kelly Thanks ! you know me always down to earth and looking forward to seeing Doug B. He is in Bristol today UK and then down here tommorow ,Thursday up to see a friend again in Bristol and then over to Pinwood Studios to see another good friend who works on all the main films we see on the big screen should be fun. Thursday also looking at new pubs- well kind of old pubs around London that we have not seen before. I think Doug should be a Londoner by now,he looks like one. Thankyou Pat and Anthony much appreciated. Onto the next one which needs to be ready by September for the Old Portabello Rd,this one is for a Gin Pub called the Ginstitute a private members pub, will keep you posted on how it all goes.
1) That's quite unusual with the cut pineapple and other fruits. Is that your own invention, or have you seen large fruits done elsewhere before?
2) I have been playing mostly with #220 AO wheels, but see that larger cuts will take a great amount of time. May I ask, is this all cut with about #220 AO or do you start your rough cuts with carbide sometimes? Diamond too?
Thanks for sharing,
Inga
Thankyou Mike appreciate that mate. Same to you also Ron .Ingrid it's
Common to see fruit on these types of mirrors over here, I gilded the fruit to give contrast against the silver I have not seen that effect before but it probably has been done many times on the older panels in pubs around the country.
As for the wheels I have used diamond in the v cuts and then gone in with a stone wheel to smooth off, the rest is just like normal cutting.
Nothing much I can add to these comments. I'm just glad you keep posting Dave. When I look at this, I get nervous thinking about transporting works like this. Please post some info and pictures about preparation, getting it out of your shop and installed on site. Do you or your client take out special insurance for the trip? Crikey, I'd need a Cardiac Specialist standing by.
Thankyou Duncan. I am insured but they picked it up and installed it, They were insured I asked them. I will get some photos once I am up there again. I need some for my portfolio. Thanks mate.
Dave
Thanks Miles. I got my machine in a sale last July from Walmart. They gave me a guarantee also.
Nice piece of kit! all the paints are water based from Russia,they stopped making them now so no more left.
Dave
Dave, just read your Letterville forum posts on this work...... I hope you don't mind my sharing this post with the folks here...? Thanks again for letting us see your world ...........
David A Smith
Visitor
Member # 5671
posted June 21, 2011 04:27 AM
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Neil. After producing the website and also the little film about this art my clients kind of stepped up a gear. I am used to dealing with pubs and small businesses which have been my clients since I started. I don't mean to drop any names here but customers such as Jameson Whiskey, Sony Records New York and some of the Disney guy's in Florida and many more world famous names are contacting me now for commisions which is brilliant but kind of scary at the same time. I'm just used to dealing with shop owners and small businesses . Some of the London customers don't mind spending good money on these higher end panels of glass, and that is how the money is covered for this work.
Some days like all of us I feel I need cloning . I bet a few of you here feel that way also.
It's all good and I feel very lucky to have these commisions in these harder times.
Thanks..
Dave
[ June 21, 2011, 04:31 AM: Message edited by: David A Smith ]
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David Smith CHAPMAN and SMITH, 5 SHIPHAY AVENUE, SHIPHAY,
TORQUAY, ENGLAND TQ2 7ED
01803 613753
DAVE SMITH wrote:Thanks Miles. I got my machine in a sale last July from Walmart. They gave me a guarantee also.
Nice piece of kit! all the paints are water based from Russia,they stopped making them now so no more left.
Dave
DAve, I'm gonna Bite.
You bought a machine from ASDA (WAlmart) ?
Which shelf area, off off to buy one....err how much?
Denver Chapter of the Letterheads