Tommasini Colorado class wrap up

[bobadame]

A few thank you's are in order. First, Peter thank you for sharing your craft with us. You've given us a solid foundation to begin our metalshaping journey. Thanks to Larry Robinson and Craig Peterson for working out the logistics for Peter's classes. Thanks to Ralph Selby for hauling about a half ton of metal back from Oblong for the students. Thanks to Joel Tanner for bringing his beautifully made English wheel. Thanks to all the students, it was great getting to know you. And thanks to my better half Kelly for keeping us all fed.

A few words about the class. Peter explained the subtleties of stretching and shrinking sheet metal. I watched him move metal around on the sheet by hammer and dolly and with the wheel. I watched as he struck the sheet with slapper and dolly in one area while he watched another area until is settled down onto the form. I watched him bending the sheet through the wheel to create curves and reverses. He showed us a different shape to carve into a stump that worked very well for stump shrinking. Ways to modify common ball pein hammers and framing hammers for blocking and tuck shrinking. Aggressive blocking with a 2 pound hammer. He showed us a method of embossing a detail into a finished panel without causing distortion to the panel. It was a full 3 days of hands on instruction. If he decides to do this again next year, I'd like to take the class again after having practiced for a year.

[RockHillWill]

Thanks for the report Bob, I am sure you all gained similar knowledge to other that have attended Peter's classes. I too, would like to have a refresher course after the recent things learned.

[crystallographic]

Originally Posted by RockHillWill

Thanks for the report Bob, I am sure you all gained similar knowledge to other that have attended Peter's classes. I too, would like to have a refresher course after the recent things learned.

Those are lucky students to have taken the time and effort to learn from Peter. Very fortunate, if they are sincere about the craft. I used to spend a day traveling to spend an hour or two or three with an old man who really knew his stuff. There were no dvd's, no internet, and no classes, and very few texts that anyone knew of.