5 Questions for Those Who Make
In 25 words or less describe who you are, where you’re located and what you make.
My name is John Truex. I’m the owner of Borough Furnace, a craft manufacturer of cast iron skillets in Syracuse, NY.
What made you want to be a maker?
Coming from the design field, my background was in designing products for other people to produce. I found the most fulfilling projects to be those that were the result of collaboration between the design team and the manufacturer. I started Borough Furnace to explore whether it was possible to create a new production system, on a small scale, where the value of a product is tied up in its making process.
Why should people support your business/products?
We hope that people will find value in the story of our production process – that we use waste materials and alternative fuel to create a long-lasting cooking tool.
Favorite product that you make?
My favorite product is our 9” frying skillet, made from reclaimed scrap iron. I designed the handle to dissipate heat, so it remains cool to the touch when cooking on the stovetop over a high flame.
List five of your favorite tools.
1. The Skilletron – our homemade waste vegetable oil fueled furnace
2. Optical Pyrometer – My dad found this in a pile of discarded equipment at a university physics lab. It’s a scope that allows you to read the temperature of molten iron from the frequency of the light emitted from the metal.
3. Pneumatic sand rammer – Picture a mechanical fist that compresses sand at 1,600 beats per minute (replacing the chunk of 2x4 that we used to use).
4. Sand Muller – The sand muller is a machine that uses a concrete wheel and radial arm to smash and mix together the sand and clay we use to make our reclaimable molds. Building the muller was the first big challenge we hurdled when putting our shop together.
5. Brake drums – We got a load of break drums at the scrap yard for some early furnace tests. Those that didn’t get melted down are pulling their weight all over the shop. We use them as door stops, props to tilt our molds up for a better pour, weights to hold the tops of our smaller molds down, pencil holders, storage bins for old gloves – you name it.
(photographs from Borough Furnace)
5 Questions for Those Who Make
In 25 words or less describe who you are, where you’re located and what you make.
My name is Issa Dixon and I make essential oil fragrances for my company Hollow and Ridge. We blend and distill artisan grade oils and plant material from our workshop in Narberth, PA.
What made you want to be a maker?
Growing up in a self-sustainable community in rural West Virginia taught me the art of “making” at an early age. I had a plethora of talented makers around me. Everything from master herbalists, wood workers, artists, midwives, weavers, naturalists, sliver smiths, we even knew a fella that could build car engines out of melted down beer cans. Not having modern amenities within reach made perfecting ones craft a necessity. Barter and trade within our small community was a way of life. My family used native plants and herbs to treat pretty much all our ailments. Peppermint and Eucalyptus for coughs, colds, and nausea. Lavender for insomnia, fungal infections and burns. Rosemary for arthritis, muscle pain and fluid retention. Our house always had large bunches of freshly dried herbs that eventually ended up as some sort of salve or tincture. My parents believed teaching us kids the importance of sustainability and living off the land was as important as what we leaned in school. My father taught me how to be patient with nature. My mom gave me a green thumb and the basic Aromatherapy building blocks. My love for the art of distillation came from years of watching tabletop plant distillation. Stumbling onto a few backwoods chemistry masters in my youth didn’t hurt either.
Why should people support your business/products?
By supporting Hollow and Ridge, you not only support our beautifully crafted oil fragrances, but you’re also helping the small self-sustainable farms we support and partner with.
Favorite product that you make?
My personal favorite is blend 505 (balance). This blend took the longest to get right. Balancing the right amount of similar therapeutic aromatherapy properties along with a balanced scent was important. Having a blend people could wear all year long was another goal for balance blend 505. I also love this blend because it really is a great fragrance on both men and women.
List five of your favorite tools.
1. Leather Aromatherapy notebook - My Hollow and Ridge notebook is my favorite tool. This is where I write down all my trial blends, batch notes, and directions to my favorite rural gardens and farms. There isn’t a day that goes by I don’t have to reference my notes in this little book.
2. 1972 U-Haul Camper (aka “the egg”) - this is my home away from home. Over the past few years I’ve spent weeks living in this camper while going to Aromatherapy and Healing Practices classes in North Carolina. We frequently pack up the camper with plants and oils.
3. Copper Still - My still was hand crafted in Portugal. A real piece of art. The process of distillation is so rewarding. My still is the muscle behind Hollow and Ridge.
4. Double barrel white porcelain sink - this sink is like a hundred years old. It’s very deep and perfectly fits the plant material basket that I fill and then drop into the still for distillation. Makes for easy, happy clean up. They just don’t make sinks like this anymore.
5. Extra large glass beakers - I love my 2 gallon hydrosol glass beakers. The larger thicker glass beakers are pricey and hard to find. I inherited 2 of these beauties. I am bit of a beaker snob.
(photographs from Dixon Photography)
5 Questions for Those Who Make
In 25 words or less describe who you are, where you’re located and what you make.
Monome is Brian Crabtree and Kelli Cain. We make adaptable minimalist hardware interfaces in upstate New York. We like challenge and sincerity and subtlety.
What made you want to be a maker?
Making wasn’t an active decision— it’s simply always been. We’ve both been fortunate enough to have been encouraged from such a young age and it followed that eventually we’d come to rely on creative pursuits as a method of self sufficiency. My early musical work using technology constantly ran up against limitations introduced by commercial products looking to satisfy a broad market. Much of this conundrum has been overcome by creating open-ended, versatile tools whose function can be defined by the user. Inspired by simple materials and constraints we aspire to make beautiful and useful things of all sorts- be it a highly developed piece of technology like our instruments or a porcelain knife sharpener. We desire to surround ourselves with tools that not only feel good in hands but spark our brains to think differently about process.
Why should people support your business/products?
The music instrument industry is dominated by very large corporations who are all competing to commodify the latest trends. This inevitably leads to a lot of cheaply made equipment that’s fad based and therefore rarely approaches a timeless quality. Recently more and more small creators have been succeeding in producing genuinely new devices, thoughtfully constructed with intentions of community building. Hand-made with locally sourced parts followed by a deep commitment and enthusiasm for the devices’ use and longevity— this is the new old way we need to think. We’re glad to be a part of this movement— we make small editions a few times per year. Our users become collaborators and together we push boundaries.
Favorite product that you make?
The one twenty eight. Black walnut and aluminum. We’ve been revising this design for years now. I think it’s maybe close to perfect. Maybe.
List five of your favorite tools.
1. Moleskine and micron pen. Sometimes technology gets in the way.
2. Calipers. To comprehend one must first measure.
3. Oscilloscope. Reveals the invisible.
4. Wood stove. Warms things warm.
5. Black tea. Ritual and a reminder to breathe and appreciate life.
(photographs from Monome)
5 Questions for Those Who Make
In 25 words or less describe who you are, where you’re located and what you make.
I am Kent Fortner; originally from Kansas. I now craft an annual batch of Road 31 Pinot Noir in Napa, CA. I’m a one man band.
What made you want to be a maker?
My grandparents were Kansas farmers. My dad makes frames. My mother paints. My sister is a woodworker. I like to work with my hands. Science, math, and storytelling were very much a part of my upbringing. I suffer from extreme wanderlust. Wine is an awesome intersection of culture, adventure, story, science, craft, my heritage, and driving a tractor. It’s a dream to make a living this way.
Why should people support your business/products?
The beauty of wine, particularly Pinot Noir, is that it tells a story. It speaks of soil, climate, vintage, fermentation, cellar and barrel. But, it also tells the story of farmer and winemaker. In a world trending towards increased industrial production, I spend time confirming there is an artist behind the art, and I hope others do the same.
Favorite product that you make?
For a guy who only makes one wine a year, the answer is pretty obvious. I guess each vintage is different, but the wines are alive and change over the years, so I have shifting favorites depending on how any one vintage is developing. If I had to pick one vintage experience, it would be 2011, which was such a tough harvest that it was basically the Judgement Day (but I feel like the wine I made got invited to the pearly gates).
List five of your favorite tools.
1. My Green ‘66 F100 Twin I-Beam Ford Truck : it was willed to me by my grandparents, who lived on Road 31 in Kansas. It’s on the label, and it is indispensable to my work and identity.
2. Refractometer : pulling it out of the drawer, cleaning it, calibrating it, and putting it on the dash of my truck signals the beginning of the excitement of harvest….
3. Bulldog’s Pup : an ingenious way to gently and quietly move wine out of a barrel. It requires a calm hand to monitor and takes about 4 minutes per barrel, which is very zen.
4. Leatherman Wingman Multitool : 90% of life’s problems can be solved with it and a roll of duct tape.
5. A Kadar Oak Barrel from the Tokaj Forest of Hungary : not only is it very important for the flavor of my Pinot Noir, but it’s inspiring to craft using a “tool” that is itself an incredible work of craftsmanship and heritage.
(photographs from Kent Fortner)
5 Questions for Those Who Make
In 25 words or less describe who you are, where you’re located and what you make.
My name is Jude Kirstein of Sugar Wheel Works. I live and work in Portland, Or and I make handmade bicycle wheels.
What made you want to be a maker?
I wanted to be a maker because I have seen so many things moving towards proprietary systems. There aren’t as many people concerned about sustainability and repairability. Wheels had gone the way of disposable systems. I also wanted a career path that allowed me to work with my hands. Sometimes, it’s challenging working in front of a stand for the duration of the day but most days I really like what I do. I primarily true using sound so there’s plenty of room for both innovation and skill and that’s what’s great about what I get to do.
Why should people support your business/products?
It’s really because we care. We care to a fault—almost obsessively. We care about getting the build right as well as the design. If my name is going on it then it has to be perfect.
Favorite product that you make?
I like designing wheels of all types, and I especially love making touring wheels!
List five of your favorite tools.
1. DT Swiss Spokey wrench (made in Switzerland)
2. Morizumi spoke cutter (made in Japan)
3. Scribe (made in USA)
4. Tensionmeter calibration device (made custom for me in Portland)
5. Coffee mug (made in Portland)
(photographs from Sugar Wheel Works)
5 Questions for Those Who Make
In 25 words or less describe who you are, where you’re located and what you make.
My name is Ian Clark, I’m a chef and the brewer of BRU handbuilt ales in Boulder, CO. I build small batch “chef beers,” unique takes on classic styles from my garage nano-brewery.
What made you want to be a maker?
I’ve always had this uncontrollable desire to build things with my hands. Cooking started at the age of 14, but before that I was building skateboard ramps for me and my friends, cars with my father, sheds, dirt bikes, the list goes on. There is so much more gratification when you use, eat, look at something that you have made. Something that you spent the time and care to create. It really makes it worth it.
Why should people support your business/products?
Our beers aren’t just beer, it is an expression of who we are. Our craft, our passion, and our love captured in a bottle (or a glass) for you to enjoy. It starts with writing the recipes and the thoughtful selection of the ingredients that go in them. I choose ingredients that I know, as a chef, that will build on the flavors that are already present in the styles of beer I am creating. Our beer also takes time and patience. We don’t believe that great beer can be created without allowing for natural carbonation so we bottle and keg condition all of our beer. We also don’t filter and pasteurize our beer because after we put in all of that good stuff, why would we take anything out? Last our beer has our values in it; like using wind power and eco-friendly cleaners, as well as composting, recycling, and donating 1% to the planet. We hope that all of that passion, joy, creativity, technique, and sleepless nights makes our beer taste that much better for you.
Favorite product that you make?
This depends on the season, but right now with Spring coming I’m really enjoying Citrum, our IPA handbuilt with lemon zest and juniper.
List five of your favorite tools.
1. chef’s knife (there is no knife more useful)
2. hydrometer (tells me when my beer is done)
3. spoon (might be the most perfect tool)
4. google (research, questions, I’m a geek!)
5. pint glass (for enjoying what I created)
(photographs from Bryce Clark)
