I have the luxury of no longer working to commission, but some of you do, and some of you might be aspiring to, so I've decided to jump right back in and create a video series dedicated to showing how I approach a commission - from start to finish.

In this first part we're taking a deep dive into designing. Why it's important to get your working out done early, how that can save you time and money, and why the client will have their expectations managed and met! We'll also be looking at how to use those designs to draw out a full size working reference on a board and why that is so useful in order to be able to produce accurate jigs, test pieces and, ultimately, beautiful projects that will eventually take pride of place in any aspiring blacksmith's portfolio.

The dirty work will start in the next video, so stay tuned if that's the content you are looking for, but these first steps of a project are vital if you want to be able to create awesome pieces of ironwork!

Let me know what you think of the design in the comments, as well as letting me know which part of my console table you are most looking forward to see being forged!
Tom

00:00 Introduction
00:12 What is a Commission?
00:57 What is the Process?
02:13 My Project - The Table
03:25 The Drawings
04:24 A closer look at the design
09:22 Drawing out on a board
14:50 Drawing the curve
17:09 The technical bit
20:46 Outro and Recap