Platformtwo

It has been a while since we’ve been back and the quest for the perfect product has not been easy. But finally we have packaged products that we hope, can sell and so help the Lohar.

But before I got to the finished pieces there was a lot of other attempts, some more successful than others.

try,try and try again……..

After having made coat hooks, candle holders, bird feeders, fire pits, hammers, nails, corkscrews, foil cutters, insects and gardening tools, we chose to work on designing sets, so I took on developing the hammer and nails set and an insect memo holder set.

The hammer went though several models before finding one I was happy with.

The finished set consists of one hammer and ten labeled hand forged nails.

Below is the collection of the animals that I made during the design process.

Below is the insect memo holders in their box. The front legs hook over a screw in the wall and the weight of the body presses the back legs against the wall, allowing each insect to hold a photograph or note.

anyone in Jaipur who wan’t to pop by this shop, here is the sign and business card (may need to read hindi).

this is the owner of the shop hand making a stencil by hand from shim steel all cut with hammer and chisel.

a couple of the stencil he made.

the shop also doubles as a locksmiths.

Masala Chai

1-1/2 cups water
1 inch stick of cinnamon
8 cardomom pods
8 whole cloves
2/3 cup milk
6 tsp. sugar (or to taste)
3 teaspoons any unperfumed loose black tea

Put 1-1/2 cups water in saucepan. Add the cinnamon, cardomom, and cloves and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the milk and sugar and bring to a simmer again. Throw in the tea leaves, cover, and turn ff the heat. After 2 minutes, strain the tea into two cups and serve immediately.

(Madhur Jaffrey’s)

to get into the true spirt of india you must drink no less than five cups a day. 

9 men work on rejoining a severed a power cable, while still live. to test what is live a light bulb with trailing leads was used, if it lights don’t touch. 

The repainting of a water tower at Mumbai airport, notice the rope ladder to gain access to the top. 

A couple examples of Indian  electrics - plugs are an optional extra. 

A home made gas welding torch made from two fire extinguishers. 

Unfortunately we failed to record the most extraordinary sight of the blacksmiths wife sitting cross-legged by the anvil using a sledge hammer to shape a piece of metal but at the same time,  in her lap was, a completely unphased, breastfeeding baby - true multitasking.

It has been a real shock to be back in the home of the health and safety officer… 

All the material the lohars worked with was scrap material which we had to buy from from the local scrap yard. All material is sorted buy size and shape and loads up to 1000 kg can be delivered to your door same day by rickshaw! 

A few products with their makers.

Last but not least, the very last thing to be made, Martino’s adaptation of a nut cracker, only suitable for coconuts though.

a few classic snaps of things we had no time to see.

The House of Winds

floating palace

tower of exicution

a marble palace