Categories: Instruction and information; Jewelry
Word count/read time: 362 words; 1-1/2 minutes
It seems a good time to compare and contrast machine-made and man-made chains.
Originality - Man takes the cake on this one. While machine-learning is
gaining traction, there are far more important things than making chains.
A machine-made chain means there are others like it, so it's not that original. It doesn't mean it's bad
or poorly made, just not original.
Precision - Machines have the advantage here. As things get smaller, it
becomes more difficult for our dexterity and sight to keep up.
Many machines churning out commercial maille
are not the greatest but overall, they have the advantage.
It is possible to make chains on par with machines
under a variety of circumstances.
Speed - Whiting's invention in the early 20th century proved that machines
were hundreds of times faster making micro-mesh maille like used in chainmaille purses.
Repeatable - Machines will wear out eventually and experience a decline in
performance but they will work like new if maintained. Humans become weary, need breaks, and their
work capacity varies.
Complexity - Machines can be programmed to have the upper hand. Many chain
styles are difficult to create by hand like herringbones and miniature chains.
Even if the weave or pattern is not complex, making them small is beyond the reach of most people.
Quality - Machines can be programmed to tolerances under +/- 0.001 inches.
Correcting something this small is wishful thinking for humans even with magnification.
Yet there's something special about a quality handmade chain that no machine can match.
Appearance - It all comes down to how it looks so I'd give the edge to machines.
They embrace minimalism and aesthetics better overall. However, a proper chainmaker's product will
defy what one would think possible.
Summary - If a machine makes it better
then it will also do so less expensively. Other than the sentiment of it being made by hand,
it generally has little value beyond its scrap metal content.
The chainmakers of this world, maillers in particular, are
collectively incapable of making quality products or being honest about them.
Handmade is supposed to carry prestige so find something machines can't do if that's what you seek.
Posted by M: December 29, 2020
Please email any thoughts or comments regarding this post.
Comment Section
NOTE: Your comments will be included in this section
as long as they aren't illegal. This section is censor-free so show me
your intelligence or ignorance and everything in between!
|
2024
Update Those Displays
Fly on the Wall
Greed Won Out
German Silver
Save It for Desert
Toeing the Line
Time for a Redo
USPS Is Broken
Not Enough Space
Jump Ring Stretcher
Nope! That's Not Green
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
|