[TheForge] switchplate

[George Dixon]

T'was said:

It is a waste of time and money all
    around unless there is a specific and sound reason for wanting it 
    absolutely authentic to a period where a given technology was
    not available
Agreed, especially if you are making ELECTRIC light switch plates, try as I 
might I can't find any colonial examples.



"Period" varies.  The style of switchplate I showed, as well as how it 
is formed, harkens back all the way to the second decade of the last 
century.
At that time. electricity was common, switches were mostly buttons and 
decorative plates were made in Yellin's shop for switches (both button 
and toggle).  Light fixtures made in that shop (and others) were labeled 
"electroliers" as opposed to chandeliers (candle-iers).  A decade later, 
the term  'electrolier' had disappeared from Yellin's shop drawings.
While colonial is a period devoid of switchplates, Frank Lloyd Wright 
worked in what we now call a "period".

More importantly, early 20th century blacksmithing represents the end 
and the epitome of a technical age.  The hand and tooling based 
processes which competent smiths had in their range of solutions was 
geared to aiding human effort, more than supplanting it with technology. 
 As a result, they and anyone who practices to their degree, will find 
that the most specific and sound reason for doing many processes as they 
were done in the past is because they are the most efficient way for the 
work to be done....if you are a blacksmith and you want your work to 
reflect that heritage.   Just as there is a difference between a 
painting and a print, the outcome has value based on its intent. as well 
as its execution.

Lastly, there are economic ranges to sell to.  However, at the small 
shop level, the closer one gets to mass production techniques the less 
of a competitive advantage you have in exclusive markets.  Their are any 
number of folks who can invest in purchased tooling.  This, coupled with 
the reality that production most often calls for design simplifications 
and standardization, means that the competitive edge of quality or 
uniqueness is traded for production speed.  That is fine for Walmart or 
Ford, which operate as a different economic model.  Their size and 
markets demand and comprise a level of efficiency which is not possible 
nor desirable in a small shop.  I believe that the model of hand 
assisted process and tooling solutions from the end of the last 
technological period is better geared to making art and a living in a 
small shop than trying to emulate a production model that is based on 
scale and speed.

I like "items & limited editions" as a business model.

George Dixon