I always smile when I think back to the making of this Iron Clock.

It was only the second clock in this series, so all the challenges of creating my first Iron Clock were fresh in my mind. I had sketched out some ideas of how to realise this new creation – and I hoped that these notes would save me repeating previous mistakes.

Mid-summer heat drove me outside to work. It can get impossibly hot inside my workshop, especially when I’m shaping metal. Without thinking, I placed my sketches close by so that I could glance at them from time to time.

Of course, it was only a matter of time before welding sparks flew onto the pages, and the whole lot went up in flames. I moved fast, stamping on the papers in an attempt to save what I could. They ended up completely charred!

Luckily, I don’t rely very heavily on my sketches. In fact, I can’t draw properly to save my life. Somehow, working in three dimensions comes naturally to me. Each piece really does take shape in my hands.

Finally, I completed this, my second Iron Clock. I get tremendous pleasure from adding my name to the face and the back of the clock, and finally hand polishing my completed work before I eventually say goodbye.

- Mark Avis