Fish Tales and Pigtails

One of the hazards of working in a freelance format is that periodically, actually more often than I want to admit, I get sucked into a situation that requires tremendous amounts of time, effort and resources and ends up yielding nothing.  I willingly enter these productivity cul de sacs because I believe in dreams.  The dream is not the problem.  The problem always turns out to be the dreamer.  So, as you might have guessed, I was recently taken in by a dreamer who traffics in fish tales.  I haven’t developed the ability to recognize that I am standing on the tracks.  I consider this a personal failing but I doubt I will ever change.  As I said, I believe in dreams.  

Among the many things that define producers of anything, is an overwhelming desire to produce.  I know.  Once again I sound like a crank, but I know that I don’t care as much about what I am making as that I am making.  I am driven by the need to make.  I am told that this is not universal but that’s just another thing I find hard to believe.  Anyway, my problem with Mr. Fish Tale wasn’t that he spent all of his time vastly exaggerating everything.  I can deal with that.  I mean, really, all I do is automatically scale down his details during the listening process.  So his fantasy audience of 10,000 becomes the actual audience of 700 or so.  My problem with Sir Fish is that he doesn’t understand how to make.  He clearly confuses manipulating with making.  

Aaaahhh.  What was I thinking?  

The process of making anything is the same.  Yeah, don’t argue with me.  This is my theory and I’m sticking with it.  Whether you are making a cake or a space ship or a movie or a country, the process is the same.  Part A is the plan.  Don’t confuse this with the dream.  In cake world the dream is one of those seven tiered fondanty things with ears.   Or whatever.  The plan is the recipes and the schematic.  So far we have dream…plan…okay I should have recognized the problem.  I really need to work on paying better attention.  Sir Fish had a dream.  No plan. 

Aaaaaahhhhh.  What was I thinking?

Okay, back to the process.  Dream…plan...this is where it gets a little foggy, but I will call it resources.  But along with resources you need the will to complete.  ……which is different than the will to compete.  The resources in the seven tiered cake are the ingredients, the baker, the tools and the time.  The baker brings expertise.  This is huge.  Sir Fish Tale?  Let’s just say he lacked….resources….and will…did I mention expertise………….

Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh.  What was I thinking?

Dream…plan…resources…will…then hard work and presto …….. you got something.  

I snapped.  Not pretty.  Graceless actually and messy.  

And then …cue harps…I got an order for ……..

Fishtails

and.............

Pigtails

 So it was time to actually make some stuff.  Hardware all the way to the end.  Dream, plan, resources and it's time to have some fun.  The order was for a house full of drapery hardware made from square tube.  Poles, brackets, rings and wands.  The fishtails are the decoration on the brackets.  The pigtails are the handles for the wands.

bar in the forge

Fishtails are easy to make.  Basic.  Pigtails take a little more effort.

bar on the anvil

It takes a few steps to make the brackets.                       

several bends later

ready for the final blows

Cooling down

drawing the bar

For the pigtails the bar needs to be drawn first.

bent around mandrel

 And then the project was finished.

Brown finish on rings and brackets.

 Now back to work...........