One by one, the welded steel armatures for the features of a current project are completed. The theme is mining and a few of the 'expected' artifacts are being created. A recent visitor to our shop asked why we didn't simply use a real shovel, gold pan and pick axe as it would be much faster and easier. There are two good reasons. The first reason, is that the mining tools we create will have more character than real ones. Secondly, is the fact that real ones wouldn't last very long. Show a guest a shovel or pickaxe stuck in the ground and they will try to unstick it - with as much force as they can muster. We engineered our implements to stay put - no matter what.