Craftsmanship Quarterly: Latest Stories
Spring 2021 - Metalwork's Eternal Allure
The Wootz Hunter
Sometime in the 1800s, long after the Persians had beaten back the Crusaders, the technique for making the mighty swords that won those battles was mysteriously lost. In the centuries that followed, Europe’s best metallurgists repeatedly tried to revive this craft, with no luck. Then, in the 1980s, a lone horseshoer in Florida named Al Pendray started tinkering with steel recipes. A Craftsmanship mini-documentary
By TODD OPPENHEIMER
Featured Videos
Alfred Pendray, Wootz Hunter: An Homage to a Remarkable Blacksmith
A country blacksmith rediscovered an ancient sword making technique that has eluded the world’s greatest metal scientists for centuries.
By Craftsmanship Quarterly
Charlie Musselwhite and Richard Bargel perform “Mississippi Beat Part I”
Blues Legend Charlie Musselwhite & Richard Bargel perform “Mississippi Beat Part I” at Altes Pfandhaus, Cologne, Germany March 26, 2007.
By GregoriusMundus
View All Videos
Blog
New Mexico’s Modern Saint-Makers
The carving and painting of santos, or devotional art, is one of the oldest living folk art traditions in the…
By ROSEMARY DIAZ
When Life Handed Her Yarn, Adella Colvin Spun a Bright Future
The founder of LolaBean Yarn Co. didn’t expect to move from New York City to rural Georgia, or to become…
By RUTH TERRY
For Lifelong Artist Kimberly Camp, Art is Life
“There’s no retirement for an artist; it’s your way of living, so there’s no end to it.” ― Henry Moore…
Written by PHERALYN DOVE
Photography by VELVET McNEIL
View All Blog Posts
Podcasts
The Wizard of Old Wheels
As today’s motorcycles become more high-tech, the simplicity of a vintage bike becomes more appealing. Among the simplest are Japanese…
Written by Owen Edwards Narrated by Göran Norquist
Occupy Your Bathroom
One man’s quiet fight to save your face, your bank account, and the environment from an endless case of shaving…
Written by TODD OPPENHEIMER Narrated by TODD OPPENHEIMER
Is Digital Craftsmanship an Oxymoron?
On a funky old pier along San Francisco’s waterfront, Autodesk, a world leader in digital tools for makers, runs a…
Written by TODD OPPENHEIMER Narrated by IZAAK SIBLEY
View All Podcasts
