[TheForge] Disgusting Ironwork

[John Husvar]

Mike Linn wrote:
> Can you believe this??   Do truth in advertising laws hold true for Ebay 
> "ads"
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=22656&item=4310701198&rd=1 
> 

Well, I suppose his hands touched it at some point in the production.

Maybe hand bent, but using some kind of gripper scroll former. Look at 
the _unfinished_ ends of the large scrolls, a flat section where 
something held the iron in place while it was bent around some kind of 
form, probably a scrollmaking machine.

Looks just like the produce of those benders that can be either manually 
or electrically powered. I forget the name, but there are a couple of 
suppliers who offer these.

Nothing wrong with using a scroll form: Most of us probably do use 
something to bend a number of scrolls at one session for consistency. 
But, most smiths also do some kind of treatment of the ends of the 
material so the whole piece and all its parts provide a finished and 
mechanical appearance. (Mechanical in the sense of a compentent 
mechanic's work, workmanlike)

NOVICA can go to Hell for my money. Just this one auction makes them 
seem to me to be exploiting poor Balinese' cheap labor, just maybe  a 
little bit less than some others.

Maybe I'm being too harsh, but would any of  _you_ make something like 
that and sell it for $24.95, especially if you did a workmanlikle job 
with all finished ends and joined by forge welding or collaring?

Yeah....right.

I wonder how much he gets from NOVICA, probably at piecework rates.

Not only can most of us not compete with that kind of product, who the 
Hell would want to?

Ever hear these encouraging words at a show or other public venue: 
"Yeah, it's really nice, but I can buy one at Wal-Mart for $9.95."

Ketut Sudona Antara is probably a fine man and may be a real artist, 
possibly the equal or superior of any of us, but he may never find out 
what his work's wworth if he lets NOVICA handle _all_ of his work, the 
poor guy.