Reflecting on the skill it took to use an english wheel before hydraulic presses took over

Noticed this is happening everywhere, not just metal work. Our phones have flat glass instead of real buttons, cars drive themselves now. We keep making things easier but it cuts out the need to actually learn the feel of stuff. That connection to the material is just gone, traded for convenience.

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marymason6mo ago

Real hand work. My uncle had a 1948 English wheel in his garage. It took years to learn. You had to feel the metal bend. One mistake made a flat spot. Hydraulic presses just push down quick. No art in that.

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barbara_kim936mo ago

Totally @marymason, feeling the bend is a sixth sense for metal.

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kelly.patricia6mo ago

That sixth sense barbara_kim93 mentioned, is it just gone for good now? Or do you think it shows up in other kinds of making?

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