So, my HedgeAndCave thingy AKA skalla's soon-to-be misadventures in crafting

After experiencing one too many



moments here, i effed off for a break as is my typical remedy.


Kinda great as i no doubt missed an almighty sh**nado of epic proportions, but also a thing of regret - two guys who i liked and admired enormously passed away, and maybe i'd have selfishly got to enjoy interacting with them for a bit longer. I'll really miss Woody and BlupBlup.

My little wanderings off (which i've often done from certain communities in "real life", whatever that is) are often some dumb-arse symptom of making changes in my life, and i've been seeking one, or rather putting one off for a few years - at heart i'm a guy who just likes making stuff.. harnessing my creative side and doing stuff in nature.

Soooo i've finally made a change that i've put off, and doubted my abilities in for way too long.

I've quit working for other folk, got some help making a business plan and working out some facts and figures and finally struck out on my own.

And yeah, scary but good.

I guess a few here remember my kind of stuff, but i'll push it on you again

I'm a nut for sticks, stones and bones and frankly there is nothing i can do about it. I've spent the last few months enlarging my already wife-enraging store of wood.. been endlessly boiling, frying and clamping bits of horn in an effort to bring the stuff under my will. And filling my kitchen-come-workshop with less than healthy bone dust as i work on making my antler and bone work more efficient.

take a gander! Everything is entirely hand made by my occasionally good self, using traditional hand tools.



i've made a crapton of antler rings, got pretty good at it, and a lot quicker than i used to be.
Here be a few in more detail:









i've been mekkin more sticks too. I have too, as i'll probably get a sex ban if i don't reduce my stock of spider attractions soon









Stick making is possibly my favourite passtime, especially ones that double as cudgels - but i'm trying to branch out into wizards staffs too, as you do.

Been making combs for gnarly folks with gnarly beards too, from cows horn and antler


Besides this i'm doing more bone and stone knives - i've shown some here before and all my "new"ones are only part completed, and have some bone and stone spears in progress too. Pretty excited at how some will look as i finish them up in the next week or so. Other experiments include fantasy/grotesque mirror frames from antler and stuff like weird coat and hat racks, table wear and the like.

Basically i'm making stuff which i hope will be increasingly out-of-the-ordinary for discerning folk of individual tastes.

Plan is to use Etsy to sell online, and i'm experimenting with some other sales sites too. I had to re-open my long long dead FB too to make a business page, which i don't like but i just bit the bullet....

Fairs and festis beckon too, hopefully i'll be getting gigs at some as a demonstrator/workshop leader in trad skills and crafting and we shall see what happens.

My online persona/name for all this business stuff is HedgeAndCave, as some of my stuff is more hedge, and other bits more cave. There is a link in my sig, and i have to thank Springer for ok'ing that, it's genuinely appreciated, as is the encouragement i've got from people here over the last few years,

And yeah, even though i actually only officially started this new venture a week or so ago i absolutely should have done this a long time ago. In spite of the uncertainty, i'm feeling good about it.

So check out my page linked below and give me some feedback. Heck, buy stuff if you want but honestly, advice from online sellers and crafters, and feedback from viewers if what i really value right now.

I'd kinda imagined this post being a bit more cheerful when i logged on yesterday for the first time in about 18 months, but yeah, woody and blupblup.

Beautiful work! Congratulations on setting out on your own!
Kudos to you.

Superb! Glad you're back!

a reply to: skalla

I have been in the craft/designer/artisan world for 30 years. Currently back to being a part time potter.
It's been my experience that marketing is more important than I thought it would ever be.
I can't really offer any suggestions. But I wish you good luck on your biz. Great work btw!!

I like the mediums you use, very cool! Have you ever tried scrimshaw on any of them?

WONDERFUL!!!!
I love to see work done with found and natural things. In fact, I have a honker of a wedding set.. but Im putting the solitaire and band in my jewelry box ( kids can fight over it when Im dead) and the husband is getting me a band made from meteorite and dinosaur bone and stone.. with a wood lining thing. OMG.. wonderful! Similar to these
static.dudeiwantthat.com...
images.custommade.com...=/custommade-photosets/12978/12978.878957.jpg

I LOVE your antler rings!

I work with copper and glass now. and mud and moss LOL!

Keep pics coming... love to see original art!

a reply to: BlueJacket
a reply to: and14263

Ta muchly! So far i think it's good to be back. That may change when i get all annoyed and inexplicably feel the overwhelming urge to go take a pooh in a politics thread, but we'll see

a reply to: skalla

When I started reading your thread, the first thought that came to my mind was "I wonder if he's ever heard of Etsy?"... and I see that yes, you have. LOL.

I'm an Etsy "veteran". I've been shopping on Etsy for years, not only for gifts and the like, but also for a lot of my jewelry supplies and tools that I can't find locally where I live (raw metals, wire, stones, beads, pendants, specialty hammers/anvils, etc). I've been chomping at the bit for a couple of years trying to decide if I want to set up an Etsy shop too.

From what I can see, your shop looks good. You've got plenty of nice big clear pictures of your products (very important as we customers like to zoom in to see the fine details before we buy), great descriptions of each item explaining how they're made, etc.

You might want to make an Etsy banner for your shop heading just so that it stands out visually and gives people something to visually remember your shop by.

I see that you're making rings... have you considered making bone/stone/wood pendants for necklaces ? If there's one thing I know about Etsy it's that there are thousands upon thousands of jewelry makers that purchase their supplies on that site (as well as having their own shops to sell their finished jewelry). Shops like "ScorchedEarth" are very popular and sell a ton of their pendants and dangly matching earring pendants to other crafters on the site.

Most crafters who purchase specialty items to make their own goods usually credit the supplier in their product descriptions to let customers know where, for example, a cool looking pendant on the necklace came from... it's all about networking and sharing the wealth on Etsy.

Having a huge variety of wares to sell is oober important for any kind of success on Etsy... and making goods that appeal to a variety of different types of customers would be a smart move on your part. If you're selling both gift-type items, as well as handcrafted supply parts, you might be able to increase your customer base tenfold on Etsy.

I'd be interested to hear all about your experiences on Etsy once you start selling stuff, how the shipping works, payments, Etsy commissions, etc.



Oh, and by the way.... I just added you to my "favourite shops".

a reply to: olaru12

I had no idea that you had an arts/crafts background, way cool. I've found pot turning so hard when ever i've tried, hypnotic, fascinating, fun - but way hard for me, it always goes tits up! I've done ok with slabs and thumb pots though, and have a small collection of stuff to try primitive firing with one day, and no doubt break them all in the process

What you say about marketing is showing true already, i'm spending more mental energy and time on learning new site's functions/interfaces, trying to take better pics, uploading, filling in forms and descriptions etc than i am on making stuff this last week... i got a lot to learn in that department, and then there is the networking and getting yourself out there.

I'm gonna be busy

a reply to: Night Star

Ta very much, Nightstar. Scrimshaw is one of those things on the "i have to try that asap" list that got lost under a pile of antler dust and sandpaper lol.. i'd say i'm gonna try it this week, i even have some charcoal ready and off cuts of various bones and horns etc set aside for it. But who knows really, i have to do a couple more sticks i reckon then i'm on to some stuff like knives and spears that i think will appeal to pagan-esque folk as ritual items and decor, then i want to move on to the antler coat hooks and jewelry stands/rack etc etc etc

Something i really want to do though and should just make time for a few quick experiments, even made a few stone age designs for horn archer's bracers. Totally need to do it!

a reply to: Advantage

Thank you I absolutely love those rings made from wood, metal and stone, there are some incredible ones on Etsy actually and oh yes, the exotic material ones are pretty mind blowing - no wonder you are so excited about the one you'll be getting.. i'll bet it'll be amazing!

So what is it you do with copper and glass? Sounds bloody interesting

a reply to: skalla

Sounds like you're going to be a very busy and happy man! Keep up the good work and keep sharing with us.

originally posted by: CranialSponge
a reply to: skalla

When I started reading your thread, the first thought that came to my mind was "I wonder if he's ever heard of Etsy?"... and I see that yes, you have. LOL.

I'm an Etsy "veteran". I've been shopping on Etsy for years, not only for gifts and the like, but also for a lot of my jewelry supplies and tools that I can't find locally where I live (raw metals, wire, stones, beads, pendants, specialty hammers/anvils, etc). I've been chomping at the bit for a couple of years trying to decide if I want to set up an Etsy shop too.

From what I can see, your shop looks good. You've got plenty of nice big clear pictures of your products (very important as we customers like to zoom in to see the fine details before we buy), great descriptions of each item explaining how they're made, etc.

You might want to make an Etsy banner for your shop heading just so that it stands out visually and gives people something to visually remember your shop by.

I see that you're making rings... have you considered making bone/stone/wood pendants for necklaces ? If there's one thing I know about Etsy it's that there are thousands upon thousands of jewelry makers that purchase their supplies on that site (as well as having their own shops to sell their finished jewelry). Shops like "ScorchedEarth" are very popular and sell a ton of their pendants and dangly matching earring pendants to other crafters on the site.

Most crafters who purchase specialty items to make their own goods usually credit the supplier in their product descriptions to let customers know where, for example, a cool looking pendant on the necklace came from... it's all about networking and sharing the wealth on Etsy.

Having a huge variety of wares to sell is oober important for any kind of success on Etsy... and making goods that appeal to a variety of different types of customers would be a smart move on your part. If you're selling both gift-type items, as well as handcrafted supply parts, you might be able to increase your customer base tenfold on Etsy.

I'd be interested to hear all about your experiences on Etsy once you start selling stuff, how the shipping works, payments, Etsy commissions, etc.



Oh, and by the way.... I just added you to my "favourite shops".

Ooooh, great post and super-useful! i tip my hat in you general direction!

Pendant-y kinda bits (etc) are something i had of thought of and are a line i plan to test before too long, but i really hadn't considered the idea of providing components to others who would finish them off/mount them themselves in some manner, and it's a great idea... i definitely will make some test pieces and network with other makers there. Thanks so much for the heads up

My range of items will grow and become more diverse for sure- i have a bunch of part finished stuff which is being worked through so hopefully day by day new items will emerge. I've made enough rings to sink a small ship, which i felt was neccessary to have a stock of different sizes and styles as well as perfecting my technique and making it genuinely efficient - now i can move on to different stuff.

I'd very much enjoy sharing my experiences on the whole Etsy process too, and ta for the favourite!... if you FB you could like and share my shop-page there too , i'm all about the shares and likes now unfortunately!

a couple more bits:

First a knife i made a few years back, i posted it here ages back, prior to making some additions. It's a bone blade, holly handle, secured with pine glue and sinew that has been protected with beeswax. It's nasty sharp, as in super-stabby. Other blades are on the way, but i figured adding this would give any one who passes through a taste of what's to come as other are on the way. I figured it's either a way cool costume item, a possible Athame, or indeed a pretty practical tool. It's very solidly built.




And a Hawthorn stick i made this past couple of days:






I've left the height to be decided by the user - if someone want to use it as a cane (at the hip, as such) then it needs a custom height or it will just end up creating bad posture... but it's tall enough to be used more as a hiking staff, with the holding arm in an "L" shape as such.
I like my walking sticks to have a bit of the cudgel about them and this fits that profile very well - plus hawthorn is dense and heavy beside having gorgeous shades and beautiful grain. Danish oil helps to create a slight translucency to the wood too. Hawthorn really is so beautiful - often under appreciated, this stuff just gives you more and more, the more you work with it.
The plan is to fit metal ferrules once i know the height/needs of whoever it's for.

a reply to: skalla

You've got some awesome mad primitive skills my friend !

And I love all the natural materials you work with, so glad you're considering making small component parts so us other crafters can find ways of using your goods too ! I was just thinking it would be a great way to use up all those oddball bits and bobs of small pieces of things laying around (and you know we all have those oddball pieces of scrap laying around - LOL) that you're never really sure of what to do with.

But I have to ask: How the heck are you getting such a baby smooth finish on the hawthorne and antler rings using just age-old primitive techniques ?? I can tell just by looking at the zoomed in pictures, that your hawthorne cane for example would be super smooth and soft to the touch. I'm blown away, quite frankly.

a reply to: CranialSponge

thanks again! it's nice that the blood, sweat and tears are recognised

I'm not making these using flint flakes and sand etc btw (though i do use flint flakes/blades for some tasks), by traditional tools i simply mean hand tools - so saws, knives, files, chisels and scrapers plus abrasives. The only power tool i own is a drill, so no band saw, grinders, belt sanders and so on. I'm woodland style i guess.
I've developed a technique/process of my own for polishing wood (how i get the hawthorn glassy and satiny) which i think really pays off (and believe me, it's nice that you noticed), but most of it is just down to sharp tools, careful technique and attention to detail really; which stems from wanting to love the items before i'm happy that they are ready to be presented for others.

I've had some hopefully good ideas for components for other crafters too, and those aforementioned off cuts etc will be put to use (unsurprisingly, i have a lot of these in tubs)- i'll stick them in this thread when i have made a few bits....

Finished this one off today, i need to hug and love this for a while longer before i list it - it's too much fun to swing!



So it's a War-Club (obvs) made from some Ash that has been seasoned for maybe six years - it's heavy and dense. It's got a bone blade, i fitted/glued it onto a carved slot with epoxy, and filled with pine glue. Don't really like using epoxy on a stone-age item, but i cant be expecting customers to be making repairs and mixing their own paleo-glues, and epoxy really does the job. The hand wrap is leather thong, and it's finished in danish oil.

Here's a couple more bits that i finished in the past few days- been busy with stone and bone blades and have a few more pieces to complete over the next few days:







This has an apple-wood handle; and the next is big, with a pear-wood handle and slate blade:







It's possibly excellent at ceremonially removing still-beating hearts, but i wouldn't know anything about that.

a reply to: skalla

A war hammer/club with a spikey bone sticking out of it ?!

Holy impaled skull Batman !



Remind me to never cross paths with you when the end of the world happens.

You've got an entire arsenal of primitive weapons that could scalp me in 2.4 seconds !

Bullets run out, but spikey war clubs last forever...

Aaand here be a few new bits... first a couple of knives (or Athames, depends who wants them and what they use them for)

I don't really see these two as finished, i think they need a couple of finishing touches but i'm just not sure what they would be as yet. One is bone in an antler handle, the other a blade from a slate roof-tile and handle from apple root.



And a few more rings..









I've been carrying on experiments today with jewellery stands and coat hooks from antler; not entirely successfully mind, but i'm getting there i think.