Watch a Master Jeweler Use a Lathe Like a Spirograph

Thanks to Instagram, it’s never been easier for designers, engineers, makers, and just about anybody else who makes something document their creative process. For some of us, it can be educational content—while for others, it can be a way to live through a highly-skilled craftsman vicariously for a few seconds a day.

G. Phil Poirier is one of those guys.

A master gem cutter and Goldsmith, Poirier handcrafts Damascus Stainless Steel and 18K Gold objects using an ancient technique known as Damascene, which dates back to 700 a.d.

The Damascene process consists of welding two different alloys of steel and iron, folding and welding again many times to develop numerous layers. These layers, when revealed by etching, form an aesthetic, undulating pattern on the metal surface.

On his personal Instagram account, Poirier documents various steps of his creative process with a focus on a step that many of us rarely ever see done up-close on a lathe: ornamental turning:

Cutting spirals with a 36 lobe rosette on the amazing #armbruster #roseengine #ornamentalturning #instamachinist #roseengine #guilloche #guilloché #cnc #wood #woodturning #woodturner #riojeweler #snagmetalsmith #holtzapffel #lathe #woodwork #milling #instasmith #santafesymposium

A post shared by @gphilpoirier on May 28, 2017 at 1:58pm PDT

Doing a little index cutting on the face of a piece of #africanblackwood using the #Armbruster #roseengine , the goal is to get precise cuts which yield perfectly pointed pyramids in a radial pattern. #riojeweler #instamachinist #holtzapffel #ornamentalturning #woodturning #woodturner #guilloché #guilloche #santafesymposium #snagmetalsmith #riojeweler

A post shared by @gphilpoirier on Jan 1, 2017 at 3:03pm PST

Doing a little index cutting on the face of a piece of #africanblackwood using the #Armbruster #roseengine , the goal is to get precise cuts which yield perfectly pointed pyramids in a radial pattern. #riojeweler #instamachinist #holtzapffel #ornamentalturning #woodturning #woodturner #guilloché #guilloche #santafesymposium #snagmetalsmith #riojeweler

A post shared by @gphilpoirier on Jan 1, 2017 at 3:03pm PST

Doing a little index cutting on the face of a piece of #africanblackwood using the #Armbruster #roseengine , the goal is to get precise cuts which yield perfectly pointed pyramids in a radial pattern. #riojeweler #instamachinist #holtzapffel #ornamentalturning #woodturning #woodturner #guilloché #guilloche #santafesymposium #snagmetalsmith #riojeweler

A post shared by @gphilpoirier on Jan 1, 2017 at 3:03pm PST

Be sure to check out the rest of Poirier’s impressive turning videos by following him over on Instagram.

The post Watch a Master Jeweler Use a Lathe Like a Spirograph appeared first on SolidSmack.

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