"Hand made"

[Larry Bratton]

My stuff is handmade..I used the computer keyboard and a tablet with my hands to make it, I scratched my head a lot with my hands trying to figure out how to create it, I handled the material it was made from with my hands, I put it in the laser, I sent the work to the laser with a mouse in my hand, I took it out with my hands, packaged it up with them..who says it's not HANDMADE???? shhheeesh

[Guy Mathews]

I agree with you Jim and I am glad you stuck to your guns at that show. People who do not use CNC or Lasers Engravers do not understand the amount of thought and computer work that actually goes into producing a piece. It is actually more in my opinion then a traditional woodworker, (what is traditional?) who is doing the same thing. For example, a woodworker lifts the router he is using over a clamp and does not even really think about it. He just automatically knows that at each clamp he has to lift his router. Do you have a CNC machine that spots the clamps and raises the router over them to avoid breaking the bit or damaging the router?

People who are working with computers in the woodshop are cutting edge, pun intended! While it may be a machine that produces our work, it is the intellect, past experience, creativity and our courage to try something new that actually creates the information that is needed by the machine to make the product. We put the human element into a CNC machine, just as a woodworker puts the human element into a bandsaw.

The eggshell challenge for me is one of particular interest. I figured out already that I will have to position the egg in such a way on my rotary axis so as to cut the desired design that I have layed out in the computer on the scanned egg. If I am off by more than half the thickness of the shell, the project will be scrambled. Even being less than half off, still will leave a lot of room for error. Since each egg is essentially different in size and shape, even the same design would be of one of a kind because of the shape of each egg.

Hand made? I don't think so. "Brain made" is what they should be calling our work!!!!

[John Barton]

Then there is the artist that uses a dremel and cuts very intricate designs into egg shells. Anyone here with a rotary wanna empty and dry and eggshell and give it a shot?

Here's a link...

http://theeggshellsculptor.com/

Maybe we can sell 'em on ebay (LOL).

This is what the guy says on his website AFTER he makes it clear that he doesn't use a laser.

"Way back in the 18th century, a French singer perfectly expressed what it is that I do as I pour my soul into my eggshells. He said, "The object of art is to crystallize emotion into thought, and then fix it in form." That is an uncanny description of the process I go through."

Does anyone here go through any different process to turn your thoughts into real things?

What about the eggshell people who don't use dremels? Surely there is someone out there who uses needles or sharp rocks?

Why do these people care so much about how something was created - look at the object - does it have value, meaning, quality?

No one can create ANYTHING on a laser without learning how to use it first. The laser sits there and does nothing until a human directs it. Jeez, when I think of all the material I have wasted because I, the human, made a mistake and either told the laser the wrong thing or positioned my stuff wrong.

At these art shows there are always artists who sell prints of their work. Why is this accepted but a person who uses a CNC or a Laser is somehow looked down upon?

I guarantee that there are people out there who are using the laser to create pure art - things with no function - I don't mean jewelry. I mean using all the capabilities of the laser to create sculpture, 3-d paintings etc.... I seem to remember that at the Cherry Creek arts festival on year there was a guy who made really intricate shadowboxes wit scenes in them, lots and lots of layers and depth - they were very freaking cool and creative. I didn't have a laser then but thinking back on it I bet dollars to donuts that he used a laser to cut those intricate parts. And Cherry Creek arts festival in Denver is very prestigious and hard to get into.

I use the laser to create one of a kind pockets and parts for my cases. It allows me to play and experiment as much as I want to on cardboard without the tedium of using a printer, scissors and tape.

Brain made is right - I plan to start using this term as much as possible!

[Tim Bateson]

Those here that have produced such art on a laser knows it's for their own enjoyment or as a gift. Customers just don't see the artistic value. You'll get a lot of admiration, and pats on the back, but no $$$.

[David Fairfield]

Actually, I've had some success selling intricate nick nacks made on the laser. Obviously they have to be made relatively quickly and look high quality. The less obvious thing is promotion. I don't really enjoy being a salesman, but the stuff doesn't alway sell itself, so sometimes I push a little.

One really good market for this stuff is corporate giveaways, especially around the holidays. I've found smaller local companies to be excellent and reliable customers.

I always keep a sample keychain or whatever handy to show people what I do, drummed up some good business that way!

Dave

[Bill Cunningham]

If that guy took 20 minutes to cut a intricate shape into a quarter with a hand held jewelers saw , and only charged $20.00 for his work, he seems to be on the right track.. How many here, have a $20,000.00 laser and charge $1.00 a minute for laser work? Thats 60.00 an hour, pretty good living for Cancun, and I bet he does it a full 8 hours a day.. Makes you wonder who came up with only a $1.00 a minute 'guideline' laser charge 'standard' eh!

[John Noell]

It reminds me of the debate between film and digital cameras!

With 25+ megapixels DSLRs, still picture film is dead. And, if you haven't heard already, there is a new "video" camera (all digital) that is replacing film cameras for big ticket movie productions. For many years the movie industry has said that 'video' cannot replace film but when they started doing blind comparison with the new RED camera, it came out as more film-like than film. Faster, cheaper, more flexible. In five years I doubt any big ticket productions will actually use film. But I expect the debate about it will last a lot longer than that.

[Rodne Gold]

I think in this modern age some of us slightly older folk (im 50) are overwhelmed by technology and hanker after the "old days" when things were simpler... like "hand made"
I have an overhaulin' business and there is a big demand for 60's and 70's muscle , regardless of the fact that a modern compact car will mostly outperform em. Even the youngsters these days appreciate retro...
So in essence I think the apprecaition and desire for actual hand made stuff is a reaction to the electronic age..

[John Barton]

We are busy making a little Celtic Knot embossing plate for a customer's case. My wife just peeled the tape off of the inner parts on one of the rejected pieces of acrylic. She went and drilled a hole in it - strung a piece of leather through it and made a pretty little pendant.

It made her smile. That's art. I don't care how it's made. She smiles, it's art.

[Dan Hintz]

With 25+ megapixels DSLRs, still picture film is dead.

Check out the Hasselblad H4D-60... 60Mpixels... now that's a beast!

[Tim Bateson]

Check out the Hasselblad H4D-60... 60Mpixels... now that's a beast!

Hmmm there's one I don't own. Maybe with all this money I'm making on my "hand made" laser products, I'll buy one. At $36,0000, I should be able to pay it off in maybe 50 years!

Oh... Is that camera "hand made" too?

[Dan Hintz]

Oh... Is that camera "hand made" too?

I'm sure it was "hand-assembled"

[Jeff Mohr]

I think what some of you are forgetting is that there is a portion of the laser people who buy bulk boxes (or insert thing here) and merely laser a picture or word on the top and then sell it as hand made. I'm not buying the hand made part there. For what it is worth, I'd complain about a marquetry person doing the same thing.

In my opinion, however, the person who makes the box and then carves/inlays the top has more of a right to call it hand made than the bulk purchaser or the add-on people.

[David Fairfield]

Nostalgia for simpler times is an ever changing concept. Eventually people will consider what we do a hand craft. By then, most will have a replicator hooked up to their computer that reacts to a voice command to rearrange molecules into any product imagined or desired. That's what some people think we do now, when you tell 'em you made it on a laser.

Dave

PS Hey Peck, I asked my Laser for a cheeseburger and a Coke, and nothing happened!

[Dan Hintz]

Hey Peck, I asked my Laser for a cheeseburger and a Coke, and nothing happened!

The problem is obvious... you forgot to say "please".






I was going to say because it's not a ULS machine, but figured that wouldn't be taken as a joke ;-)