Jim Glazzard

As well as being a maker of reproduction Artefacts, I am also an experimental archaeologist. Which means that I try to reconstruct the ways things were made thousands of years ago, so l have tried out lots of different ways of making objects, like this brooch.

I haven't really had a serious go at making fire steels before
These are as close as I could get to the shape of a common type of Viking-age fire steel. And they work really well!
If anyone wants one of these before they hit the website, drop me a dm. 😁

I've been playing around with some iron age bits and pieces recently.
Yes, I know this seems to be all the rage at the moment! 😂
But i have a very specific objective in mind for the trumpet brooch.

First firing of my new demonstration hearth. Designed to come apart for transport to events the hearth itself is based on a bunch of early mediaeval examples. I've used my experience of operating a ground basdd heartht to, hopefully, make casting easier than it was on my old portable hearth.

I don't think I know those ingots. It sounds like a different approach to casting them than that we see on the hoard ingots in Britain. Interesting.

My 1st steatite mould in its current state. It was 5 years old and I cast many ingots in it.
Now it is metalworking waste! 😂

In what way did the steatite not work? I have been using it for casting silver ingots for years. These are some I cast in May this year as part of my research at the YEAR centre in York. And that is my 2nd steatite ingot mould! The 1st now closely resembles finds of ingot moulds! 😂

If you want to see how they were cast let me know.

I made a thing!
This is one of the new designs I have put into production just in time for Xmas.
It's based on a ring from Burghead fort, in Moray, Scotland.
It's only available in pewter for now, with a garnet cabuchon. But I should be able to put it into other metals in the new year. 😁

We had a great day yesterday at the Dunoon Dazzles festive market and light switch on.
Lots of historical designs on offer, and a few new items to show off to the people of Dunoon before the rest of the world gets to see them. 😁

Yes. I made one of these a few months back to investigate the likely manufacturing method. It's great as a demo piece, but the ultimate objective of being able to cast them is no closer as I'd have to make larger versions to allow for shrinkage.

Yes. With a serious proviso that I don't know much about it!
I'm familiar with all sorts of objects, and particularly interested in how they were made. But that's currently way down a long list of things I should be concentrating on!

Well this seems nice. 😁
I'm going to have to remember what to do with this style of SM - I haven't been on twitter since Musk bought it. Now look, everyone's here! 😂