Hon Shirabe [2002]



Hard drive platter spacer, roller bearings, spring, hematite

This was the first piece I made after moving to Sydney in 2002.  Its always been a favourite, and has aged nicely through wear.  The hematite bead has some lovely pitting, providing a bit texture.  The roller bearings - from an old car gearbox - have gone from a shiny chrome-like finish to something more like a dull grey, especially on the reverse side.  This is something ive noticed in other pieces that use steel bearings as parts.  It must be some property of the kinds of alloys that they use in bearings that means they corrode like this when exposed to the skin's natural acids.

The platter spacer was shaped by hand on a bench grinder, rather than using a lathe - a technique I used to use a lot, but not so much any more - you tend to end up with mild burns on your fingers from the metal as it heats up...

I've been drawn back to the simplicity of this piece again recently, and might make a few in a similar style in the coming year.