C O M PA S S
“I think many people are
wanting to own fewer
things that are of higher
quality and that have a
story behind them. It’s
nice to own things that
can be passed down to
future generations.”
What surprising insights or trivia have you
uncovered when you embarked on the globe-
making path?
When referencing maps that were supposed to
be up-to-date, I discovered that most of the available
date had the Aral Sea at its original size rather than
split into several smaller seas which is the reality. I
was lucky to have a pilot who flew that route take a
photograph for me. He had to angle the plane in order
to get the shot.
We live in a world heavily reliant on technology
and demanding of speed, and yet there is a growing
interest in bespoke and handmade. What is your
take on this?
I think many people are wanting to own fewer
things that are of higher quality and that have a story
behind them. It’s nice to own things that can be passed
down to future generations.
What are the key tools and techniques that a
globe-maker needs?
Hands, water, glue. Going back to the 1400s, the
map was etched onto a copper plate and run through
a printing press to produce the gores. Now we use
modern printers. Etching in reverse onto copper plates
would be taking it too far!
The techniques are all learned. You can’t come
into the job with the techniques needed, so it just
helps to be a creative and patient person who loves
working with their hands. Even our engraver looks
like something out of the 1400s in the way she works
and the tools she uses. Our metal work comes from a
local foundry.
Innovations? Better quality inks, better paper,
better ways to seal the globe so it can be touched and
spun without falling apart like many of the old ones.
How long does it take to make a globe?
Between a few weeks and a few months. That is
not every minute of every day, of course. There is
drying and resting time between phases. Each globe
passes through at least five sets of hands, meaning we
work on multiple globes at once.
Our largest globe, the 127-centimeter Churchill,
takes at least six months to make, from the time we
start cartography work to the time we can deliver.
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