School of Hard Knocks

After my jelly-making, Maria, my attendant during the workshop, persuaded me to go for a session at the school of hard knocks. Since I felt like being knocked-up, I went for it. I had read a lot about it, but I thought it was for kids. But it turned out to be another of Royal Selangor's brilliant marketing ideas.

My apron that I get to take home. This time no one wore the apron for me, I was given verbal instructions on how to wear it and I got myself in knots trying to tie the back of it.

It's the school of hard knocks, after all, YOU GOTTA DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF!! No spoon feeding!

Blocks of wood with hammers and mallets and I cannot tell the difference what is what

The workshop with rows of wood blocks..it caters to big groups of tourists all waiting to donate

My tools ready for me to knock

Idiot-proof instructions on how to hammer your initials...but I hammered my full name and my "nama glamour" too

A to Z for you to hammer out your name...you only knock twice, but I merrily knocked till my "L" was mutilated, before he came to tell me to knock 2 times

The words say "apprentice" pewtersmith....maybe when I retire I can take up apprenticeship here

I forgot to take picture of my name and christian name that I had hammered

Hammering the name....I looked tired and unenergised, maybe the scones made me sleepy

So, I cheated, I praised him and he did all the knocking for me!!

It started flat, you are to put the plate on the mould and start knocking from outside in

Wow! It has now taken the shape of a bowl! From No 1 mould he could move on to No 2

An example of No 1 and No 2...No 2 is what you are supposed to get after all the knocking

Another view of the bowls to show you the difference

This is my bowl, almost ready

After No 2 mould hammering, this is my bowl, now much deeper

He checks the depth, (he actually checked already, now he is gamely posing for me, when I asked him to!!!)

The final touches. All done by him...Beautiful bowl!

All done! If I did it, it would be all crooked and scratched!

My bowl!!! I even had a certificate! I had graduated from the school of hard knocks!!

On my way out I saw this.

This is the giant pewter tankard that made the records. Tomorrow there will be a party to celebrate its homecoming after being at the Pavillion and in Penang..but....I will not be coming. Setapak is too far for me.