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I Made It at Market S01E01 Stained Glass and Metal Art
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00:01Our country is full of incredible makers dreaming of turning their talent into money-making careers.
00:07It would mean everything to be able to do this full-time.
00:11So, with a team of fantastic professional mentors...
00:14I know your talent, and I know what you're capable of doing.
00:17I run a one-of-a-kind boot camp, showing them how to do just that.
00:21Perfect.
00:22My proudest moment, I'll go share that.
00:23Yes.
00:24Now I'm on my way to catch up with those who have made their dreams come true.
00:28Hello.
00:29There he is. Hello, mate.
00:31I'll be hearing about their amazing achievements.
00:34I've been able to put down a deposit on a house.
00:36This is my full-time job.
00:37And finding out how much money they're making.
00:40I took £20,000.
00:42In one month?
00:43In one month.
00:43About £35,000 this year.
00:45So join me and meet the fabulous makers who have transformed their lives and made it at market.
00:51You can kind of say I am living the dream.
00:54I think it's fair to say.
01:04What I love most about my boot camp is seeing makers grow in confidence as they realise their passion could
01:11make them enough money to become a successful full-time career.
01:15Just like the two we're catching up with today.
01:18Later, mentor Zoe will be checking in on the jaw-dropping progress of metal sculptor John in West Sussex.
01:25I did £20,000 worth of business in a day.
01:27I've sold to, I think, pretty much every continent on the planet.
01:30But first, I'm going to find out how stained glass artist Emily in Derbyshire is getting on.
01:37When she first arrived at my boot camp in the summer of 2023, she was new to the craft, but
01:43had big ambitions for her business.
01:47My wildest dream would be to have at least one of my flowers in every single windowsill in the UK.
01:53And I know it's utterly ridiculous, but I love them and I want other people to love them as well.
02:01Emily may have had big plans, but when I first met her, it quickly became clear what one of the
02:07biggest hurdles to making them come true was.
02:10I didn't do a course in it, so I feel like my technique could be very much improved.
02:16My soldering is not amazing.
02:18I feel very much like an imposter and I would like to move myself forward from that mindset and feel
02:26a lot more confident.
02:27To figure out the best way to help Emily get the sales she needed to boost her confidence and her
02:33business, I set her three challenges.
02:35The first of which was to make a volume piece, something she could produce quickly and sell for an attractive
02:42price.
02:43She chose to make a small bouquet of stained glass flowers priced at £82 that could be delivered through a
02:49letterbox with each of the six stems standing between 30 and 43 centimetres tall.
02:56I'm scoring the glass, which makes a really satisfying noise, I think.
03:00And then I'm about to tap it, which will be another, like, quite big noise, and then hopefully that will
03:06just go and break apart and sound like it's completely broken.
03:20Once the glass was small enough to handle, Emily clipped around the edges of the flower to make the shape.
03:25There are pieces that I haven't cut out and you'll see that the edges are not particularly smooth.
03:33There's some bits that I've missed cutting, but I've got a grinder which will actually really refine the edges, make
03:39them much smoother.
03:41To help Emily gain the confidence she needed to achieve her dream of making money from stained glass, she was
03:47mentored by Derek Hunt.
03:50Derek's been successfully designing and making stained glass artworks for public spaces, private homes and churches for over 40 years.
03:59Emily is still at the very early stages of our stained glass journey and she's still got a lot to
04:04learn.
04:05I think if she comes with an open mind and a willingness to learn, the sky's the limit.
04:09Derek spotted that if Emily used less cuts, she could speed up her flower production and make them more cost
04:15effective.
04:16Let me just show you how I would cut that little circular piece of glass.
04:19What I would do is I would make a small section here, slightly larger than the size of the circle.
04:25I'm going to use a pencil grip here.
04:28I'm leaning over it and I'm using the weight of my shoulders and just looking at the wheel and applying
04:34a little bit of pressure.
04:36Sort of done a half-shaped moon, as you can see there.
04:38Yeah.
04:39I'll turn it around and do the other half.
04:40It's all about muscle memory.
04:43We then just tap it.
04:49Now that I've created the fracture all the way around, I just add additional breaks to make it easy to
04:55break away the extra glass that we don't actually need.
04:59And it should just all come away.
05:02We do still need to do a little bit of grinding to tidy up.
05:05But I think you can see, hopefully...
05:06It's amazing, aren't you?
05:08It's less work.
05:09And if you're doing that every day, you're going to save minutes and you're going to save hours as you're
05:13working.
05:14Nice and slowly.
05:18Whilst Emily concentrated on her volume piece, I caught up with Derek to talk over her second challenge.
05:26Before she left home, I asked her to bring a high-end piece, an item that came with a steeper
05:31asking price.
05:33She brought along a 54-centimetre tall stained glass window called Lady Moon.
05:39This complex Art Nouveau design of a woman surrounded by moons took nearly three weeks to make and was priced
05:46at £500.
05:48Derek, what are your thoughts on Emily's lovely window?
05:51My first impression was that there are a lot of cuts that could have been designed a little bit more
05:56carefully.
05:57Glass likes to be cut in a certain way.
05:59So, for example, if you're cutting into a piece of glass, you're cutting up into the glass, you're creating a
06:04potential weakness where the glass could fracture.
06:06You'd move that sharp internal angle to a corner or make it an end join or something.
06:11Exactly.
06:12Emily's asking £500 for the piece.
06:14What do you think about that?
06:15It probably could do with being a little bit more than that.
06:19There's a lot of cuts and a lot of delicate pieces of glass in there.
06:23What do you think about the saleability?
06:24It's quite exotic and I think there are customers out there for it, but I think she has to think
06:28carefully about how to find them.
06:33Back at the glass station, Emily was grinding the individual pieces of her bouquet of stained glass flowers.
06:43After cleaning and drying the glass, she attached copper foil to the edges, as solder doesn't stick to glass itself.
06:51I need to add a lead solder onto the flower.
06:56That's the glue that holds the flower together.
06:59There isn't anything else that would look as nice or fix as well onto the foil.
07:06After that, I solder the flowers together, which is very satisfying to do.
07:14I feel like I've had imposter syndrome since I was quite young.
07:18I was fostered and then adopted when I was seven.
07:22Being adopted, you're put into an environment that's very different to what you came from.
07:26That's then carried on throughout my life.
07:29And the same in stained glass, you know, I haven't been professionally taught, I haven't done any lessons,
07:33and so therefore I do feel like a massive imposter.
07:41Once Emily finished soldering her flowers, she cleaned them up before adding the patina,
07:46which is a liquid used to change the colour of the solder.
07:49The patina really does hide a multitude of different sins, like my baggy jumper.
07:56So it's great.
07:58It makes me feel less inadequate about my soldering.
08:03Emily's bouquet of six glass flowers took around four hours to create,
08:07had material costs of £35 and came with an asking price of £82.
08:13Emily, I think they're really lovely. You should be really pleased.
08:15Thank you very much.
08:16What do you think, Derek?
08:17I think they're fantastic.
08:18Looking at it from a technical point of view,
08:20I think we need to sort of work on things like our soldering.
08:22Your copper foil work is overlapping and there's a little jagged edge.
08:25There's lots to learn and I think you're keen and you want to learn, which is fantastic.
08:30What are your thoughts on the £82 price tag for all six?
08:33I think that's fair. You're entering quite a crowded market
08:35and there are a number of people doing this type of work,
08:38so you have to find your own market.
08:40Perhaps it might be a good idea to think about seasonal bouquets.
08:43You know, you have your winter range, your autumn range,
08:45even Easter and Christmas, so you can sort of theme it.
08:49Valentine's Day, a bunch of roses.
08:51Absolutely.
08:53We'll find out soon how Emily's flowers are selling now,
08:56but for her last task at the boot camp,
08:58I asked her to produce her favourite piece
09:01to find out if what she loved making the most could be a money spinner.
09:05She decided to create a picture window of a beetle called Beautifully Dead
09:10using iridescent green and opaque pink glass.
09:14Priced at £120, it stood 12 inches tall
09:17and was finished with a zinc frame.
09:20Once Emily had traced the design onto the glass,
09:23she cut out the individual pieces
09:25and compared them to her paper template.
09:28The bug itself has got some tight corners on the face area.
09:32They don't have cheeks, do they? Bugs.
09:34I don't know. On the cheeks.
09:35And there's some really, really small, fiddly pieces just here
09:38that need some intricate grinding,
09:41and I need to try and get those as symmetrical as I can.
09:44Whilst she was grinding the glass to make it smooth,
09:47Emily had to keep checking the shapes matched her intricate design.
09:51I'm making sure that they fit snugly like a jigsaw puzzle,
09:54because at this stage, if it doesn't fit from the bug inwards,
09:57everything on the outside, it's just not going to fit properly,
10:00which has happened before.
10:02So I really don't want that to happen today.
10:05After she assembled all her glass pieces,
10:08Emily wrapped them in copper foil
10:10and tacked them together with spots of solder to hold them in place.
10:13I love this stage because it really starts to come together
10:17and it's lovely after working so hard
10:20on something to finally get a good sense of how it's going to come out.
10:25The next stage is to start doing the actual proper solder
10:29and then once that's complete, I will put a zinc frame around it.
10:35Emily's beautifully dead beetle took her around two and a half days to make
10:39and was priced at £120.
10:43Emily, it looks beautiful.
10:45What do you think, Derek?
10:45It's a really nice piece, actually.
10:47It works really well.
10:47And that iridescent glass really adds that extra dimension.
10:51It's very much bug-like.
10:53Yeah.
10:53It's fantastic.
10:54The price is £120.
10:56I think keeping it about that kind of price,
10:59it's affordable and it's collectible.
11:01So, yeah, let's start with that.
11:02That's great.
11:03As Emily headed home to Derbyshire,
11:05we armed her with an action plan
11:07to banish her imposter syndrome and help her business flourish.
11:12First, she needed to polish up her techniques and designs
11:15to give her pieces a better finish.
11:18Next, we wanted Emily to create seasonal ranges,
11:21bringing in colours and jewels to go with each theme.
11:24Finally, she needed to do market research
11:27to help her find the customers for her pieces.
11:33With eight more weeks of Derek's support,
11:36Emily got to work on her plan,
11:38starting with polishing up her techniques and designs
11:41at Derek's studio in Leicestershire.
11:44I'm dead chaffered up.
11:45Yeah.
11:45Yeah, so we're not getting those kind of, like, serrated edges.
11:48It's all smooth, which is exactly what we want.
11:50So that is now going to be our template.
11:52So we're going to use this template
11:54to cut out shaped pieces of sticky-backed plastic.
11:58The idea of these templates, great.
11:59Such a good idea.
12:01Emily also worked on her branding
12:03and created a new logo and website to help encourage sales,
12:07along with gearing up to sell her products in person.
12:11Monday, I cut and ground 50 flowers,
12:14and today I've probably done about 30.
12:17I'm hoping to do another 20.
12:19That will give me then 100 flowers,
12:21which will mean that I've got some for the upcoming craft fair.
12:27Emily listened to all our advice,
12:29and after eight weeks of working incredibly hard,
12:32she came back to the boot camp to share just how well she'd done.
12:36Let's talk figures.
12:37How much money have you made?
12:38In total, I have made just under £2,700.
12:42Absolutely brilliant.
12:43Yeah.
12:43What's going through your head now?
12:45It's so surreal.
12:46I'm excited.
12:47Well done.
12:48It's a really good achievement.
12:49It's brilliant, isn't it?
12:50It's fantastic that you're well on the way,
12:51and we can see everything taking shape now,
12:53which is fabulous.
12:55Even after taking off her costs from her brilliant sales figure,
12:58it was clear that in just two short months,
13:01Emily had shown she had what it took
13:03to build a successful business.
13:07Two and a half years later,
13:09I've come to Derbyshire to find out how she's done exactly that
13:12and how much money she's earning now.
13:16Hi, Dom.
13:17Hello.
13:17How are you doing?
13:18I'm all right.
13:18Thanks.
13:18How are you?
13:19All right.
13:19Good to see you.
13:20Come in.
13:22Running a creative business can be tough.
13:25To keep costs down,
13:26I'm a big believer in doing it from home where possible.
13:29And at first glance,
13:30Emily's garden workshop looks just a ticket.
13:34Oh, look at it in here.
13:36This is amazing.
13:37How long have you had this space?
13:38So, during boot camp,
13:40my husband built me a hobby shed.
13:42This does not just look like a hobby shed to me.
13:45No, no.
13:45Not anymore.
13:45This is my workshop.
13:47This is where I spent most of my time.
13:48In the first year,
13:50I spent probably more time in here than I did in the house.
13:53Thanks to her husband and the profits of her business,
13:56Emily's got a fantastic purpose-built
13:59home studio with its own outdoor workspace.
14:03Tell me how the business has been going since boot camp.
14:06Oh, really, really busy.
14:07So, I've sold around 2,000 flowers.
14:09People were buying bunches of bouquets.
14:12So, I had one person bought, like,
14:13four bouquets in one order,
14:15which was hundreds and hundreds of pounds.
14:17And I was like, yeah, I wasn't expecting it.
14:19I am forever grateful.
14:21Forever grateful.
14:22Yeah.
14:22Is the business now solely making flowers?
14:25No, so 90% is about flowers.
14:28Okay.
14:28I would say the flowers are my bread and butter.
14:31So, that is where I get my income from.
14:33Yeah.
14:34And then I've got my bigger pieces.
14:35So, I've got my ivy, my hanging pots,
14:38which the larger ones are 120,
14:40and then we go up to about 250 for the wreaths.
14:42And then I've got commission work.
14:43So, I've got two really large pieces that are going next to a chap's front door.
14:49So, I've got a mermaid and then the other one,
14:51she's going to be a sort of person on the land.
14:54And then the same gentleman also bought Lady Moon,
14:57my high-end piece from the boot camp.
14:59But I re-evaluated it and it took me so long.
15:02And it's a one-off piece.
15:03I put it on for 750 and he snapped it up.
15:06It's great to see that Emily's now recognising the value in her work,
15:11charging 250 pounds more for her high-end piece
15:14than she was back at the boot camp.
15:16And her two large commission pieces
15:18are bringing another fantastic 5,000 pounds into the business.
15:24I'm also delighted that she's expanding her range
15:27and she's going to show me
15:28how she makes her new 85 pounds hanging ivy pot,
15:32starting with scoring and cutting the glass for the pot itself.
15:38Whoa.
15:39Do you mind if I have a go?
15:40Absolutely, go for it.
15:41Can I? You've got one more cut?
15:41Yeah, one more cut.
15:42Pushing down?
15:43Pushing down and going forwards.
15:51Oh.
15:53There we go.
15:54Very nice.
15:56As far as I can.
15:57Line that up with that.
15:58Yeah.
15:59Squeeze hard.
16:00You sure?
16:01Yep.
16:01You ready?
16:02Yep.
16:04Yes!
16:05Yeah?
16:06Yes.
16:06Hang on.
16:08Yes, we did it!
16:09Exactly!
16:10That was immaculate.
16:12Perfect!
16:12Bravo!
16:13Right, we've got our flower pot.
16:15With the pot cut, we need our ivy leaves.
16:18Emily uses a glass cutting machine
16:20that helps cut the smaller, more intricate shapes.
16:25She tidies them up on a grinder.
16:30Ready for us to edge them with lead.
16:32This is actual lead.
16:33This is actual lead.
16:34Hence the gloves.
16:35Yep.
16:35This is a softer lead that I use for my silver-edged products.
16:39Oh, it's incredibly soft.
16:41It's really easy to bend.
16:42Yeah, it's really, really soft.
16:42We're going to pop it on the edge
16:46so that when it's soldered...
16:48It's started up there.
16:49Yes, that would be wrong.
16:53Says who?
16:55Says me.
16:56No, no, I like to make sure
16:57that nobody can see where my soldering mark is
17:00if I can help it.
17:01I'll do whatever you say.
17:02Yes, whatever.
17:02If you're the boss.
17:04Okay, so I'm just stretching it
17:05and pushing it in
17:06and then I'm going to take my device
17:10and I'm going to just push in there.
17:15You know what?
17:15That does look neater than having the join up there.
17:17Yeah, I think so
17:18because there'd be a big blob in there
17:20which would then...
17:21It wouldn't look like a leaf.
17:22Yeah, I think so.
17:23I know that one of the big issues that you had
17:26at the start of this journey
17:28was confidence,
17:30believing in yourself
17:30and the dreaded imposter syndrome.
17:32Yes.
17:33How are you feeling now?
17:34Two and a half years on.
17:35Two and a half years on.
17:36And literally thousands of flowers later.
17:38Some days I am 100% an imposter.
17:42Some days...
17:43Still, really?
17:43Stealed it, yep, still.
17:44But then there are other days
17:45where I get called an amateur crafter
17:47and I'm like,
17:48hang on a minute.
17:49Excuse me.
17:51Excuse me.
17:51What are you talking about?
17:53This is my job.
17:54This is my business.
17:56I'm not just a crafter now.
17:58This is my full-time job.
17:59This is a business.
18:00This is a business.
18:01This is a full-time job for you.
18:03Yeah.
18:03You're heavily invested in machinery and equipment
18:05and tooling
18:06and you're in now with both feet.
18:08Yeah, absolutely.
18:08There's no going back.
18:10With all the petals wrapped in lead,
18:12Emily lets me solder the ends
18:14to join them together.
18:16Oh, oh, there we go.
18:17There we go.
18:18Once the leaves and pot are all ready,
18:21we solder them all in position,
18:23use wire to create the structure
18:25of the hanging ivy
18:26and solder the leaves into place.
18:31Then we add detail to the leaves.
18:34There's one more blob.
18:36Okay.
18:37Nice.
18:38To finish,
18:39Emily adds a thicker wire
18:40to give the design extra support,
18:42then attaches hooks
18:44and another piece of wire
18:45to hang it.
18:46Okay.
18:48And that is all done.
18:49Is it finished?
18:50It's finished, yeah.
18:51Well done.
18:52Look at that
18:53with the light shining through it.
18:54Emily's new hanging ivy pot
18:56will be cleaned and stained later,
18:58but I think it's a marvellous addition
19:00to her range.
19:01It takes her around 90 minutes to make,
19:04has material costs of 25 pounds
19:06and comes with a price tag of 85.
19:09Her whole range is now looking fantastic
19:12and I can see she's worked hard
19:14at honing and improving
19:15the finish of her pieces
19:16over the past two and a half years.
19:19And I'm keen to find out
19:20if the rest of the tips and tricks
19:22we gave her
19:23have also helped to fuel her success.
19:25Emily, when you came to bootcamp,
19:27we gave you an action plan,
19:29some pointers to work on.
19:30One of those things was
19:31to try and create
19:32ranges of flowers seasonally.
19:35Are any of these those?
19:36Yes.
19:37My autumn bouquet
19:38is my bestseller.
19:39That's this?
19:40That's this one.
19:41This is the one that I've sold
19:42the most of
19:43throughout the last couple of years.
19:44And then I've got
19:45a spring bouquet.
19:47I've also got
19:48a couple of other bouquets.
19:49The pink one
19:50and the blue one.
19:51It's worked?
19:52It's worked.
19:52100%.
19:53Another thing we suggested
19:54you look into
19:55was market research
19:56to really get to know
19:57your audience.
19:58Have you done any?
19:59I did
20:00because I went to a craft fair
20:01and I got to learn
20:02who liked what,
20:04what colours were popular,
20:05what pairings.
20:06At a craft fair
20:07you're getting first-hand experience
20:08from the public.
20:10Yeah, so it gave me
20:10a real insight
20:11into what I should be
20:12sort of working towards
20:14and what I know
20:15is going to be popular.
20:16Since then,
20:17actually,
20:18the market research
20:19is through my website
20:20so I can see
20:21what is selling,
20:22what is not selling.
20:23And then what I can do
20:24on my website
20:25is order things
20:26so I can put
20:27the most popular things
20:28at the top of the list.
20:30I see.
20:30So because of the stats
20:31and analysing all the stats
20:33you're constantly changing
20:34and your website's
20:35constantly evolving.
20:36Yeah, it's brilliant.
20:37And it sounds like
20:37that has been helpful
20:38and has brought in more sales.
20:40Oh, yes,
20:40it definitely has, yeah.
20:42It's great to hear
20:43that Emily's action plan
20:44has played such a big role
20:46in the growth of her business
20:47and it's time to find out
20:49exactly how successful
20:50she's been.
20:51Do you mind if I ask
20:52how much money
20:53you're making now?
20:54Of course, yes.
20:55I've been making an average
20:57of £25,000 a year.
20:59Really?
21:00Yes.
21:00That is a big number.
21:02It's a huge number.
21:03And that's taken out
21:05costs, overheads, materials.
21:08You're making a profit.
21:09Yeah.
21:09It's fantastic.
21:10It is because
21:11I've got a sustainable income.
21:13I'm bearing in mind
21:13the last year
21:14I was working
21:15nine till three.
21:17So I've only got
21:18a very short window
21:19because I've got
21:20a small child
21:21so I can only do
21:23what I can do.
21:24So, yeah.
21:25It's phenomenal, honestly.
21:26Well done.
21:30Emily's come such
21:31a long way
21:32since arriving
21:32at the boot camp
21:33as a novice
21:34stained glass artist.
21:36Making a profit
21:37of £25,000 a year
21:39is fantastic
21:40and I couldn't
21:41be happier for her.
21:44I see my business
21:46now as something
21:49I never even thought
21:50it could be,
21:52to be honest.
21:53Before, it was just
21:54a little thing
21:54in my dining room
21:55where I was
21:56cutting out flowers
21:57and now I've got
21:58my huge workshop space
21:59and I'm absolutely
22:02thrilled and delighted
22:03with my success.
22:12The next maker
22:13we're going to be
22:14catching up with
22:15is metal artist
22:16John from West Sussex.
22:18He came to my boot camp
22:19in the summer of 2024
22:21with incredible sculptures
22:23he'd made
22:23from recycled cutlery
22:25but despite his
22:26obvious talent,
22:27just like Emily,
22:28he lacked self-confidence.
22:30When I look at
22:31other metal artists,
22:32I definitely get a sense
22:33of imposter syndrome.
22:34They're all making
22:35such great work
22:35and honestly,
22:36I just think of myself
22:37as a guy tinkering
22:38in a shed,
22:39it's hard to put myself
22:40in the same bracket
22:41as them.
22:41John may not have
22:42believed in himself
22:43but as a fellow
22:44metal worker,
22:45I was blown away
22:46by the high level
22:47of his artistic
22:48and technical ability.
22:50I can fully appreciate
22:52the skill that's involved
22:53in welding this together.
22:55I can't see a joint.
22:56I mean, look at his beak.
22:57It's really,
22:58honestly,
22:59it's really, really neat.
23:00Appreciate that.
23:01To try and turn
23:03John's fantastic talent
23:04into a successful business,
23:06he also took on
23:07three challenges.
23:08For his volume piece,
23:10he decided to make
23:11an ornate cutlery bird.
23:13Created from five spoons
23:15and two forks,
23:16it stood 12 centimetres high
23:18and was priced
23:18at 150 pounds.
23:21After creating the breast
23:23and belly of his bird,
23:25John moved on
23:25to making the wings
23:26from the two forks.
23:28I've built this jig here
23:30and that enables me
23:31to make an identical shape
23:33with any fork
23:34that I put in there.
23:35I'm going to heat this up
23:36with a blowtorch now
23:37and then I'm going to use
23:38the hard end of a hammer
23:40not to hit it
23:40because I don't want
23:41to destroy the pattern
23:42but I just want to gently
23:43push on the fork
23:44when it's red hot
23:45around this curve shape.
23:50Everything's at stake.
23:51It is quite a critical time
23:52for me.
23:52I have outgoings
23:53like everyone else
23:54at the end of a month.
23:55It's either make this work,
23:58sell now
23:58or it's back to the real world
23:59and get a proper job.
24:03With the pressure
24:04really on for John,
24:05I was determined
24:06to help him
24:07stop making the sales
24:08he desperately needed.
24:10So I teamed him up
24:11with a fantastic mentor,
24:13Lux Cycler,
24:14Zoe Pocock.
24:16John,
24:16all my teaspoons
24:17that go missing,
24:18is it you?
24:19The cutlery magpie,
24:21yeah,
24:21guilty as charged.
24:22How do you think
24:23I can help you?
24:24Primarily it's going
24:25to be business,
24:26marketing,
24:26self-promotion,
24:27how to sell my stuff,
24:28social media skills
24:30and probably
24:30there's a little bit
24:31of imposter syndrome
24:32going on there as well.
24:33Someone who makes
24:34these incredible pieces
24:37cannot possibly
24:37have imposter syndrome.
24:39I have never seen
24:40anything so beautiful.
24:42I can teach you
24:43the business side
24:44of the social media
24:44but I cannot teach you this.
24:45You've already got this.
24:46You are already out
24:48on your own on this.
24:48As soon as people
24:49start seeing you,
24:50they're going to tell you
24:50how amazing your work is.
24:51They're going to start
24:52buying your product.
24:53We're going to get you
24:54in front of people.
24:54Awesome.
24:57Whilst John concentrated
24:59on his cutlery bird,
25:00I sat down with Zoe
25:01to discuss his second task.
25:03I asked him to bring
25:05his favourite piece
25:06to see if what he loved
25:07creating the most
25:08could also be a winner
25:09with potential customers.
25:11He chose to showcase
25:13an amazing sculpture
25:14of Pegasus,
25:15the winged horse
25:16from Greek mythology.
25:18It was something
25:19he had managed
25:20to sell a couple
25:20of years before
25:21for £1,200.
25:25It's blown my mind.
25:26A guy has just got
25:27some cutlery
25:28and when you look
25:29at it so closely
25:30and all the parts
25:31and it's so smooth,
25:33he has got such a talent.
25:34He can get a good price
25:36for his work
25:36because it's 100% worth it.
25:38Commission work,
25:39he could demand more
25:41because his design process
25:42is long
25:43and he really thinks
25:44hard about it.
25:47Back in the upcycling barn,
25:49after tapering
25:50the fork prongs
25:50to create the bird's wings,
25:54John removed
25:55the discolouration
25:56caused by the blowtorch
25:57with some wet
25:58and dry paper.
26:01He then gave them
26:02a quick polish
26:03and welded them together.
26:06Ground down
26:07and polished the weld,
26:08formed these two
26:09decorative pieces
26:10to the exact same shape
26:11as the wing
26:12and now
26:14I'm going to fit that
26:16inside the body
26:17of the bird.
26:19Once he finished
26:20welding the bird's body,
26:21he moved on
26:22to the legs.
26:23Using stainless
26:24welding rod,
26:26I'm going to clamp
26:27this in the vise
26:28and then twist it
26:30around itself
26:30to form
26:32a cute
26:33bird's claw.
26:35To be able
26:36to twist the metal
26:37into claws,
26:38John heated it
26:39with a blowtorch.
26:46a couple of little
26:47sages left to go now.
26:49The spoons
26:50to go inside the back
26:51and I'm going to
26:52slice down the centre
26:53of this final
26:54decorative handle
26:58and that will form
26:59the eye.
27:02John's recycled
27:03cutlery bird sculpture
27:04took him four hours
27:06to create,
27:06had material
27:07and workshop costs
27:08of around £30
27:09and was priced
27:11at £150.
27:12This piece
27:13is absolutely
27:14ideal for you
27:16to start making
27:16videos of how
27:18you create such
27:19a beautiful little
27:19bird out of spoons
27:21and using that
27:21on your social media
27:22because I think
27:23everyone will want
27:24to know how that's made.
27:25Absolutely.
27:26Because I can't
27:27work it out.
27:27First thing I did
27:28was try and peer
27:28inside and see
27:29how this all
27:30stuck together.
27:31That actually
27:32leads me on to
27:32a bit of a
27:33nerdy point
27:34but you're
27:34MIG welding
27:35this together
27:35and I know
27:36that you're
27:36making it work
27:37but I feel
27:37like you're
27:38making life
27:38more difficult
27:39for yourself
27:39with the finishing
27:40because I guess
27:41the way the
27:42MIG welder works
27:43is kind of
27:43shooting that
27:44welding wire
27:44into whatever
27:45you're welding.
27:46It's adding material
27:47that you're then
27:48having to remove
27:49by grinding it down.
27:50With TIG welding
27:51you're adding
27:52the filler material
27:53so you can choose
27:54how much heat
27:55you're putting in
27:56how much filler
27:57material you're
27:57putting in.
27:58So there's
27:59a lot more
28:00variables
28:00but once you
28:01nail it
28:02and you get
28:02the hang of it
28:02you can
28:03infinitely more
28:04adjustable.
28:05Believe it or not
28:05I actually own
28:06a TIG welder
28:06but I kind of
28:09gone with what
28:09I know
28:10I know I can
28:10make this work.
28:11Come down to my
28:12workshop I'll show
28:12you how to do it
28:13if you want.
28:13I'll take you
28:14off on that.
28:14The £150 price tag
28:15what do you think
28:16of that?
28:16I'd probably
28:17pay a bit more.
28:19The only problem
28:20you're going to have
28:21is who's going
28:22to buy it
28:23because it is
28:24very niche
28:25volume pieces
28:26generally need
28:28to be for lots
28:28of people
28:29lots of people
28:29want to buy it
28:30more affordable
28:31yeah
28:32the quality
28:33of the craftsmanship
28:34in John's first
28:35two pieces
28:35got a big thumbs
28:36up from Zoe
28:37and I
28:37but they were
28:38purely decorative
28:39items
28:40so for his
28:41third task
28:42Zoe set him
28:42a special
28:43mentors challenge
28:44and asked
28:45before you
28:45arrived
28:46I set you
28:46a challenge
28:47to make
28:48a small
28:48functional
28:49piece of art
28:50and the reason
28:51I did this
28:52is because
28:52I feel there's
28:53a market
28:53you're not
28:54hitting
28:54and that is
28:55someone who
28:56might not
28:56have space
28:56for your art
28:57or the gift
28:59market
28:59okay
29:00makes sense
29:02John designed
29:03a mobile phone
29:04holder
29:04featuring a man
29:05sitting in a
29:06deck chair
29:06looking at
29:07his phone
29:07it was made
29:08from 50 spoons
29:09and four knives
29:14I'm going to
29:14start off
29:14by making a
29:15leg
29:15and I've got
29:16to subtly
29:16shape these
29:17spoons
29:17to the sort
29:18of size
29:18and shape
29:19that I want
29:20I actually
29:21want a slight
29:22taper
29:22to represent
29:23the bottom
29:23of the leg
29:24so I add
29:24this little wedge
29:26and if I hold
29:27the spoon in
29:27crush it
29:28with the power
29:28of the vice
29:29that will form
29:30the shape
29:30I'm looking
29:30for
29:32after shaping
29:33the spoon
29:34in the vice
29:34John welded
29:35on the bowl
29:36of a teaspoon
29:36to create
29:37the foot
29:37what I'm
29:39going to do
29:39next is
29:39use this
29:39rotary tool
29:40really soft
29:41wire brush
29:41and that's
29:42just going
29:42to remove
29:43the carbon
29:43deposits
29:43from the
29:44well
29:46to make
29:47the rest
29:47of the leg
29:48John shaped
29:49three more
29:49spoons in
29:50the vice
29:50and after
29:51welding them
29:52together
29:52polished
29:53them
29:54that's the
29:54legs basically
29:55done
29:56looking nice
29:57and bling
29:58now it's
29:58time to
29:59move on
29:59to the arms
30:00and the hands
30:03as John's
30:04mobile phone
30:04holder took
30:05him 14
30:05hours to
30:06make
30:06to be able
30:07to show
30:07Zoe
30:08a finished
30:08product
30:09he brought
30:09along one
30:10close to
30:10completion
30:11and worked
30:12on the deck
30:12chair the
30:13figure he
30:13made would
30:14sit in
30:16I'm going
30:16to use
30:17knives to
30:18make the
30:18frame
30:19so what I'm
30:19going to do
30:19is make two
30:21rectangles that
30:22fit just inside
30:23of one another
30:23and weld them
30:24together at the
30:25pivot point
30:27I'm going to use
30:28this to connect
30:29these two
30:30so I'm just
30:30going to mark
30:31that point
30:32and cut it
30:34right along
30:35there
30:41after cutting
30:42two spoons
30:44John welded
30:45them to the
30:45two knives
30:46of his first
30:47frame
30:48right that's
30:49my first
30:49frame
30:50complete
30:51now I need
30:52to make one
30:52that is just
30:53a fraction
30:53smaller
30:55and that's
30:55going to fit
30:56inside
30:57and pivot
30:59along this
31:00axis
31:04John's mobile
31:05phone holder
31:06featuring a man
31:07sitting in a
31:07deck chair
31:08had all the
31:09style and
31:09attention to
31:10detail of his
31:11other work
31:13using over
31:1450 pieces of
31:15recycled cutlery
31:16he created an
31:17eye-catching and
31:18very saleable
31:19product
31:19and knocked
31:20his mentor's
31:21challenge to
31:22create a
31:22functional piece
31:23right out of
31:24the park
31:26how much
31:26would you
31:27price this
31:27at
31:27yeah I've got
31:28to factor in
31:29my time
31:29and I hope
31:31for my skill
31:31hang on
31:32stop there
31:33yes definitely
31:34your skill
31:34right I'll
31:36stop believing
31:36I think probably
31:38around the 200
31:38pound mark for
31:39something like that
31:39I'd absolutely
31:40buy that as a
31:41gift for 200
31:42pounds for sure
31:43it's really well
31:44done for just
31:45jumping in with
31:46both feet and
31:46you've done an
31:47amazing job
31:49to help John
31:50make the sales
31:51he desperately
31:52needed to keep
31:52his dream of
31:53having a successful
31:54metal sculpture
31:55business alive
31:56we drew up an
31:57action plan for
31:58him to take
31:58home to West
31:59Sussex
32:00first he needed
32:02to broaden his
32:02product range
32:03including offering
32:04functional pieces
32:06next we wanted
32:08John to learn to
32:08TIG weld and
32:09make large pieces
32:10of art
32:11finally he needed
32:13to promote
32:13himself and his
32:14work on social
32:15media
32:19with our continued
32:20support for two
32:21more months
32:22John set to
32:23work on getting
32:23the sales he
32:24needed to get
32:25his business up
32:26and running
32:27job one was
32:28traveling to my
32:29workshop for a
32:30TIG welding
32:30lesson
32:31all right
32:32a form of
32:33welding that
32:34uses electricity
32:35to join pieces of
32:36metal together
32:36that's it
32:38that's it
32:40TIG welding
32:40is better for
32:41delicate and
32:42artistic metal work
32:43as it leaves a
32:44neater and better
32:45looking weld
32:46but it can be
32:47tricky to master
32:48as it requires
32:49both hands and a
32:50foot to control
32:51the power and
32:52heat of the
32:52welding torch
32:54the joy of
32:55TIG welding
32:56is you can get
32:57these stuck
32:58together you'll
32:58get a nice
32:59join across there
33:00without adding
33:01any filler material
33:01yeah
33:02here we go
33:04that's it
33:05good hold it
33:05there hold it
33:06there
33:07bit slower
33:08that's it
33:10hold the power
33:11the same
33:11back and forwards
33:12yep perfect
33:13you can see
33:14you're dragging
33:14the pile
33:14perfect
33:16really good
33:16hold the torch
33:17after
33:18look at that
33:18yeah that's
33:19lovely
33:19that's really
33:20there you go
33:20my proudest
33:21moment
33:21I'll go share
33:22that
33:22yes
33:25back at home
33:26John spent
33:27weeks creating
33:28a large metal
33:29lobster
33:29and also worked
33:30on making
33:31more functional
33:32pieces
33:32he even branched
33:34out into making
33:34jewellery from
33:35his cutlery
33:36I'm just going to
33:37have to gently
33:38work around this
33:39three or four
33:40times just putting
33:41curves in
33:4410 minutes
33:4512 minutes
33:45of my time
33:46if I do them
33:46individually
33:47faster if I do
33:48them in batches
33:49so there's my
33:50finished ring
33:51absolutely beautiful
33:52little rose pattern
33:53there
33:55for eight weeks
33:56after he attended
33:57my boot camp
33:58it was great to see
33:59that alongside
34:00his obvious talent
34:01John was also
34:02prepared to roll up
34:03his sleeves and get
34:04stuck into his
34:05action plan
34:06and boy did it
34:07pay off
34:08how much have you
34:09earned over the
34:10last few weeks
34:11from a starting
34:12point of essentially
34:13zero in the last
34:14two months I've
34:15made just a few
34:16pounds shy of
34:176,000 pounds
34:20I know right
34:21kept that
34:226,000 pounds
34:246,000 yeah
34:24I never thought
34:27that I would be
34:27where I am at
34:28this moment
34:29we did
34:29yeah
34:32Zoe was
34:33absolutely right
34:34John needed to
34:35deduct his costs
34:36from his outstanding
34:37sales of almost
34:386,000 pounds
34:39but in just two
34:41months
34:41he'd fulfilled
34:42the potential
34:42we both saw
34:43in him
34:44and the good
34:44news is
34:45that was just
34:46the beginning
34:46of life-changing
34:47success for him
34:5218 months later
34:53I've asked Zoe
34:54to visit him
34:55at his new
34:56workshop
34:56on a local
34:57farm
34:57to find out
34:58exactly how
34:59he's built
34:59a thriving
35:00sustainable
35:01business
35:01and how
35:02his bank
35:03balance
35:03is looking
35:03now
35:06Zoe
35:07welcome
35:08good to see you
35:09let me show you
35:10around
35:10thank you
35:12when he came
35:13to my boot camp
35:13John was working
35:14in a small
35:15home workshop
35:16but a few weeks
35:17ago he rented
35:18a new one
35:19that's eight times
35:20bigger
35:21and has renovated
35:22it to meet the
35:23needs of his
35:23business
35:25absolutely
35:25love this place
35:27John
35:27tell me
35:28why did you
35:29take it on
35:29everything kind
35:30of went crazy
35:31a real
35:31well-winned
35:33last 18 months
35:33of my life
35:35yeah I did
35:3620 grand's worth
35:37of business
35:37in a day
35:38I've sold
35:39I think pretty much
35:39every continent
35:40on the planet
35:41my volume piece
35:42birds really
35:43serve me well
35:43and I just can't
35:44make them sound
35:45fast enough
35:45and I have a
35:47commissions folder
35:47for larger
35:48more complicated
35:48pieces
35:49probably about
35:4930 at the moment
35:50what's on the
35:51bench right now
35:51John
35:51tell me
35:52what you're making
35:53I'm trying to do
35:53something a bit
35:54different right now
35:55with my volume
35:55piece birds
35:56I'm going to
35:56introduce two new
35:57ones
35:57a slightly simpler
35:58version of my
35:59highly ornate bird
36:00and another bird
36:01we're going to make
36:01today which is
36:02a kingfisher
36:02that's a brilliant
36:03idea
36:03very clever
36:04because that piece
36:06clearly does you
36:07well
36:08John's business
36:09has really taken
36:10off
36:11selling 20,000
36:12pounds worth of
36:13pieces in just
36:14one day
36:15is phenomenal
36:16and I agree
36:17with Zoe
36:17that making
36:18more volume
36:18pieces is a
36:19very smart move
36:20he'll be using
36:2210 pieces of
36:23recycled cutlery
36:24to make his
36:25new kingfisher
36:26and he begins
36:27by making the
36:28sides or wings
36:29by welding
36:30two forks
36:30together
36:31and shaping
36:32them to a
36:32point
36:32before grinding
36:33the weld
36:34and polishing
36:35them
36:36I'm going to
36:36use two
36:37separate mops
36:37to get this
36:38up to a
36:38mirror finish
36:39this is like
36:39a sizal rope
36:40like sort of
36:41cat scratching
36:41rope kind of
36:42thing
36:42and then a
36:43soft mop
36:43here
36:44and that will
36:45make it
36:45probably blingy
36:55that has got it
36:55almost to a mirror
36:56finish
36:57you can see
36:57all of those
36:58tool marks
36:58are basically
36:59gone
37:00and we're just
37:00going to get
37:01those really fine
37:02surface scratches
37:02out
37:03I love this
37:03bit
37:03it's like
37:04transformation
37:14and that's
37:15it
37:16simple as that
37:16stunning
37:18caused by the
37:18heat
37:21now it's time to
37:22fit the T-speed
37:22which will form the
37:23chest of the bird
37:24don't mind a little
37:24bit of a lift here
37:25because that gives
37:26the impression of a
37:26ruffled not only the
37:27foot of the bird
37:28but also a nice way
37:29to mount it
37:31after making the
37:32feet
37:32John welds them
37:33to the body
37:34of his bird
37:37he then creates
37:38the back of his
37:39kingfisher
37:40with two spoons
37:41which also form
37:42the bird's beak
37:43and once they're
37:44welded to the rest
37:45of the piece
37:48John trims off
37:49the excess
37:50and starts on
37:51the eyes
37:54John tell me
37:55what have been
37:55your biggest
37:56successes
37:56I asked my
37:57girlfriend to
37:58marry me
37:58and she said
37:59yes
37:59that is amazing
38:01I mean firstly
38:02congratulations
38:02on getting married
38:03but mainly for me
38:04you've lost your
38:05imposter
38:06next time
38:06I'll be right back
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