Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 13:34:19 -0500
Reply-To: Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Re: Come out of the closet, all (absolutely NVC!)
In-Reply-To: <c4e7c5f90612240954n7779c869mb1557bc5bc5fc58a@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Hey, I once apprenticed to a craftsperson too! To a bookbinder, at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Naah, we weren't working on the Gutenberg
Bibles, or whatever they have in their rare book collection - just on the
ordinary library books.
The most fun, actually, was her industrial paper cutter, for cutting through
a whole book (used to trim edges and other things). It was a rather
powerful contraption, which could easily as a guillotine or for rapid
amputations. So the only way it would work was if you had each hand
pressing down on a different lever, so you couldn't possible have one of
them making last adjustments to the placement of the book before you made
the cut.
I always thought that was pretty creepy. I must have, if I remember it in
such detail 33 years later!
It sounds like more of us are craftsy than artsy - I've also done a fair bit
of sewing, quilting, graphic design, and layout and paste-up back when it
was about x-acto knives and rubylith and transfer type and hot waxers.
(Anyone else remember all that stuff?) Lately I've been fooling around with
photography (which you know, if you've read my website) and drawing and even
water colors. Those last two take a lot of skills I haven't yet mastered,
though.
Yeah, and writing, though I don't quite think of that as artsy.
Of course I make my living mucking with data (GREAT fun!) and writing
analytical reports (definitely not artsy), mostly in weird places like
Mongolia and Malawi and other countries beginning with M.
I used to what to be John McPhee when I grew up. I've changed my ambition,
though, now I want to be Bill Bryson.
Joy
****************************************************************
Joy Hecht
now living in a real house in northern Virginia
and Matilda, 1989 Burgundy Vanagon
now living in the driveway and resting after two and a half years
lugging Joy and her stuff around...
For musings about life traveling in the van or living in one place:
http://www.joyhecht.net
****************************************************************
:::-----Original Message-----
:::From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
:::Of neil
:::Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2006 12:55 PM
:::To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
:::Subject: Re: Come out of the closet, all
:::
:::Oh yah forgot to mention this part of my art.
:::
:::I actually apprenticed (had already gained a few years experience in
:::brass and some woodwind repair) with a local fellow making trombone
:::bells. Yes it's true! This guy had actually designed and made his own
:::mandrels for the bells and associated tubes, for a tenor/bass and
:::trumpet bell. (the most crucial part of the instruments acoustically
:::speaking) I mean talk about an artist. This guy (Joe) was a musician,
:::designer, manufacturer, and repairman amongst other things.
:::Anyway.......
:::
:::I learned to acutally make a trombone bell from scratch (with his
:::tooling. Quite archaic. i.e. Drawing conical tubes through lead!).
:::Trumpet bells were another thing. Hand hammered they were..........
:::
:::Although my memory of the manufacturing process is a little sketchy
:::now, this knowledge has contributed a lot to my music, my skills as a
:::brass playing instrumentalist, (my art) and in fact has helped with
:::repairs to my Westy. I don't repair brass/woodwinds anymore, but would
:::love to get a lathe etc. and keep what I learned alive.
:::
:::As for "artsyfartsy", I don't like that term. Especially coming from a
:::layman. If another muso/artist used that with me, I'd understand that
:::it was being said with "tongue in cheek". Or sarcastically.
:::(musicians? sarcastic??) Hearing it from the layman is like hearing
:::them refer to a "gig". Another term reserved for musos/artists.
:::Anyhoo.......
:::
:::
:::Cheers, and Merry Christmas/happy holidays all!
:::
:::
:::
:::--
:::Neil Nicholson. 1981 Air Cooled Westfalia.
:::
:::http://web.mac.com/tubaneil
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