From silver scrap to a spoon: process demonstrated as part of Dornoch Longhouse project

It takes skill and knowledge to transform scrap silver into a a silver spoon.

And six members of the public watched in fascination as master silversmith Peter Rowland demonstrated the process at a workshop on Saturday, January 11.

He used tools and techniques that have changed little over the years and would have been familiar to silversmiths in pre-Clearance times.

Mr Rowland began with a photo presentation showing how he had melted down a selection of scrap silver and then poured it into moulds to form ingots.

He then prepared the silver for shaping and fashioned a beautiful spoon at the same time as giving a commentary on the history of silversmithing.

Participants gained a knowledge of metal composition, the silversmithing process and tools and also an insight into how life would have been for the smiths in pre-Clearance times.

The silversmith workshop and other workshops are being held as part of Historylinks Museum’s Sutherland Longhouse Project researching different aspects of life in a pre-Clearance settlement. Visit historylinks.org.uk for further information.

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