Thanks Tools ! / Merci les Outils !

This is a bilingual Blog Post, Please let me know how you feel about it. Is it pleasant to read or would you rather have 2 separate posts in English and French ?

Ceci est un article bilingue, merci de me dire ce que vous pensez du format. Est-ce agreable a lire ou prefereriez vous deux articles differents, l'un en Francais, l'autre en Anglais ? 

Art is the meeting point of 3 components: the Artist, the Tool and the Support.

L'Art est au point de rencontre de 3 elements: l'Artiste, l'Outil et un Support.

The Artist uses a Tool to shape a Support.

L'Artiste utilise l'Outil pour transformer le Support.

Sometimes there are several tools, artists or supports. It works the same way.

Parfois il y a plusieurs outils, artistes et supports, ça fonctionne de la meme façon.

Without a Tool and Support there is no Art, there is no Artist.

Sans Outil ou Support, il n'y a ni Art ni Artiste !

So we should be thankful for them, and for the people who made them !

Et donc ce serait une bonne idee de leur etre reconnaissant de nous permettre d'exercer notre passion.
 

Be mindful and thankful of your Tools and of those people who made them and brought them to you ! 

Soyons conscients et reconnaissants pour nos outils, et pour ceux qui les ont fabriques et amenes jusqu'a nous ! 

Detail of Yezidi 37 / Detail de Yezidi 37

Yezidi 37 is the 8th pair of eyes of Yezidi people.
Yezidi 37 : 8eme paire d'yeux du peuple Yezidi.

You can see the whole set of my "Yezidi Eyes" here.

Voyez toute ma collection "Les Yeux des Yezidis" ici.

 

You can contact me by email at  frederic.lecut@mosaicblues.com 

or by phone at (334) 798 1639

You can also subscribe to my NEWSLETTER

Contactez moi par email a :

frederic.lecut@mosaicblues.com

ou par telephone au : (334) 798 1639

Vous pouvez aussi souscrire a ma Lettre d'Information

Home Made Martellina and Hardie

The Martellina and Hardie have been used since ancient times and are still one of the preferred methods for smalti & stone. The smalti or stone is placed on the blade of the chisel at right angles and by delivering a sharp blow with the martellina a clean-cut is made.

The Martellina is a heavy hammer with a short handle and sharp edges. Often the chiseled edges of modern Martelina are made of tungsten carbide.

The hardie is a sort of anvil, also with a sharp edge. It is traditionally mounted in a log.

These tools are not cheap. I found today a company selling both for $199 out of Canada.

This is ridiculously expensive. You actually can substitute actual stone mason tools for them...

I built this stone-cutting stand myself and it is fitted with regular mason tools. The Hardie is a classic brick cutting Chisel and the Martelina is a stone mason hammer.

I purchased both tools from Lowes. The Chisel cost me $9.00, and the Hammer was on sale at $2.00 (its regular price should be more like $15.00).

The log comes from a tree I fell last fall. I screwed it on top of an old wooden stool. Basically, the whole thing cost me less than $15.00...

I find using tools of my own design and make is very rewarding. If they cost me 5 % of the regular retail price, it is twice as rewarding...