I put the hammer to the bronze today and started the shaping process :) for several reasons I have decided to break up the hammering sessions on this special cymbal. first, i want to relish this experience as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with some of my favorite artisans. second, it's an effective way to check myself and be sure not to do too much work - that is the real trick in making a cymbal with other people. it's very easy to become lost in the moment, get carried away and do more work than is necessary. i need to be sure i'm sharing enough of the canvas with my colleagues. today i did a very sparse top and bottom session with a 1.2kg Turkish hammer with a large rounded face. a heavy hammer such as this is very effective at "laying the foundation" by equilibrating tension across the blank without too many strokes. for the next session i will switch to a slightly lighter and flatter faced hammer to begin stretching the bronze into a low, even cymbal profile. at that point, i will be ready to send this cymbal off to Mr Collingwood in the uk to do his part. can't wait! that's all for now. signing off...
