235 Years of Craftsmanship with Smedley: David Snoo Wilson

In 2012, David started Bristol-based travelling foundry Ore and Ingot, sharing and teaching metal casting and taking commissions. He also became a scholar of The Queen Elizabeth Trust (QEST). In keeping with his aim to preserve traditional arts in contemporary practice, David used his QEST Scholarship to question the folklore of bell founding, researching how different alloys and casting techniques affect harmonics.

Speaking about expanding his craft David stated that “I’ll create an archetypal pattern with the UK’s leading bell designer. Bell bronze has been assumed best for the last three centuries, but there are many more alloys to try. And variables in the casting process, from fuel type to cooling rate. Gathering this knowledge will further my bell foundry work hugely.”

David also forms part of John Smedley’s collective of British craftsmen in celebration of their 235th anniversary as the oldest manufacturing factory in the world. Together they will be showcasing their collective crafts via retail windows, consumer workshops, special product launches and exhibitions throughout 2019 and 2020.