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Like other recruits, Archie thought his putting on a uniform in January, 1951, meant giving up his spare time hobby. To his happy surprise, he learned that the army recognizes a soldier's need to express himself and that many bases provide excellent facilities for the hobby-minded. Those who like to build, to invent, or just plain putter around are given sympathetic interest and encouragement.

French has been unusually fortunate in his assignment to laboratory work. Officers with whom he works have gladly offered him the use of the laboratory and needed tools during his free time. Thus far, he has not had to use much of his own equipment.

ARCHIE'S INTEREST in plastics goes back to his junior year in Twin Falls high school, Twin Falls, Idaho. It started the day a salesman for school supplies demonstrated plastics to the high school woodworking class. Watching the three-dimensional forms created inside clear plastic by drilling holes, the shape of which determines what you see, Archie knew that was what he wanted to do. He felt just like the youngster who sees a magician pull a rabbit out of his hat, or the scientist who stumbles on ferns and lichens embedded in glacial ice centuries old. Here was magic at his fingertips. No abracadabra could whisk away the lifelike roses, daisies, and orchids seemingly suspended in a crystal clear block.

Without waiting for a class to be organized, French began to experiment. Talents and abilities that had lain dormant now focused on this new art, and he was on his way. Not even he suspected at the time how priceless this absorbing interest would soon be, or how desperately he would hold on to it as an anchor.

Within a period of a few months Archie was hospitalized three times for a rare and un-named growth on his leg. Two major operations and long bedfast sieges failed to destroy his will to create. Drawing patterns on his mind's eye, he kept beauty just back of the conscious grasp. There was no time to worry about the trouble in his leg; that was just part of his life.

AS SOON as he was up and about, Archie bought equipment to set up a shop in his own home where he could spend every available moment. In addition to the drill, vise, and grinder which he purchased, he had the use of his father's lathe, and a friend loaned a jig saw. While finishing his senior year in high school, Archie worked as a "printer's devil" in the local newspaper office and still found time to turn out dozens of plastic gifts. Before Christmas he was averaging around $70 a month.

The same philosophy with which he regards his physical misfortunes is directed toward his work. Time after time he has discarded a carving that was inferior or a dye that didn't prove true. One day a friend, who had come to watch him drill, noticed the rejected plastics. Horrified at such costly trials, he remarked, "I'd like to work with plastics, too, but it's too expensive if you have to throw away everything you mar."

With a rueful grin Archie answered, "Did you ever hear of any worthwhile education that was cheap?"

News of the high school boy who was creating such unusual gifts traveled from student to student and was soon the subject of breakfast table talk in their homes. Inquiries by parents led to orders, and gratified customers helped to spread the news farther.

FROM THE start, French showed a surprising business acumen, and he developed merchandising tactics to strengthen his growing list of customers. Outfitting a suitcase with sample items of the gifts in which he specialized, Archie made personal calls at home or office. Often he won repeat orders because of his willingness to experiment with a new or original design, the figment of a customer's imagination. Though special orders meant added time and breaking the assembly line order, in the long run they paid off for him.

For those who wished to ship gifts some distance, he made packing suggestions. Plastic items are amazingly durable, but fragile pieces will break if given a direct blow or excessive jostling. Wrapping small gifts in cotton or soft cloths and packing in a carton large enough to allow padding all around usually assures safe delivery.

Much of the credit for publicizing Archie's early efforts goes to his high school shop instructor, Chester L. Hansen, who encouraged and aided the boy in his spare moments. He almost forced Archie to enter his handiwork in a Junior-Senior high school Parent-Teacher Association exhibit of plastics. So much acclaim greeted this showing that interested observers suggested a second exhibit in the windows of the Idaho Power Building in downtown Twin Falls.

While working at the newspaper office, Archie designed and printed cards to be used as introduction to his wares. On a small, glossy white rectangle he printed:

ARTISTIC PLASTIC
Archie French
Designer
Willmore Avenue     Phone 814-R
Route Three    Twin Falls, Idaho

Distributed among friends and at business houses, the cards were a valuable help.

AMONG THE items which French makes are bookends, cigarette lighters, picture frames, toothpick holders, steering wheel knobs, candleholders, gear shift knobs, perfume bottles, doorknobs, paperweights, pen sets, night lamps, brooches, earrings, lockets, tie-clasps, and barrettes.

One of the most novel items is the tie-clasp for sportsmen. For background French uses a two-inch square of white opaque plastic; for the outer face, clear plastic of the same size, both cut from a sheet ¹/16 inch in thickness. Between the two squares of plastic he places a No. 14 fishing fly, preferably one with lots of color such as Silver Doctor or Royal Coachman. Then the plastic is laid between the press and wedged tight. Next French sets the press on the electric stove and tightens it to give a pressure of 3,000 pounds per square inch. Heated for approximately fifteen minutes, the pieces are sealed together. After removing it from the fire, he cools the square under tap water. The sealed plastic is then ground to desired shape on the electric grinder. After drilling a hole for the chain, the ornamental pendant is ready to delight the sportsman.

The same technique is used to keep intact the prized picture of a best girl. Embedded in plastic, the portrait is protected against wear and fading. For soldiers this represents the ideal way to care for their favorite pin-ups.

A particularly popular design is the napkin holder. Perched on a ¼-inch base is a many-faceted cube, originally a two-inch square. Within is carved a tiny cactus plant. Slender, curved prongs provide the space for folded napkins.

IN THE making of individual salt and pepper shakers, French uses a circular saw to cut bodies or cellars 1¹/8 by 2 by 1 inch from a 12-by-12-inch sheet of 1½-inch thickness. Placing the segment in a vise to hold it steady, French smooths the exposed surfaces with a file in preparation for sanding. Next the piece is clamped in the chuck of the lathe and a hole drilled within ¹/8 inch of the top to furnish the cavity containing the condiment. To even the walls of this drilled space he swabs it gently with clear glue.

Laying the segment on a flat glass surface, Archie sandpapers the exposed surfaces, using wet or dry sandpaper of two grades 180 C and 400 A. Rubbing a mixture of pumice stone and beeswax on the electric buffer, he polishes the plastic to sparkling mirror-smoothness.

The artistry of his work is shown most clearly in the three-dimensional design of flower and foliage, apparently embedded in solid plastic. Visible from all four sides and the top, the design is reflected and multiplied by angles and facets. Edge lighting can be employed with startling results, too. In carving, French uses a flexible electric shaft and a variety of bits, the size being determined, by the intricacy and scope of the pattern. For average work he employs a two-flute bit. "I do it backwards, from the way the process is described in instruction books and commercial methods, for I start from the outside rather than the inside," French said recently as he demonstrated his method. "Most workers start with the flower and drill the petal away from the center, laying one petal behind the other."

As he talked, the steel bit cut deep and the chips flew. Swiftly he outlined a leaf which appeared white against the clear block. Anyone who has drilled transparent plastic soon learns that the hole becomes a milky opaque cavity, apparently more solid than the clear substance around it. With suitable drills a cavity is formed the shape of the object desired. "Actually you're looking at what isn't there," Archie explained.

Next he began with the outside petals of the rose and worked in toward the center. Overlapping gives the petals a natural folded appearance. Each petal is made by inserting the drill to form the tip, then withdrawing it slightly, working it sidewise at the same time, and then advancing again. Drilling from underneath, he follows the progress of the bit from above, or occasionally through side glances.

Asked how he mastered the various designs, Archie replied, "It just takes practice and judgment to learn—especially practice."

PROPERLY GROUND, the drill should pierce freely without being pushed and should cut sideways almost as readily as straight ahead. French cautions against using any but the gentlest pressure and insists on care that the drill not break through the top surface. Not only may this spoil the work, but it may jam the tool and break the drill or flexible shaft. The bit travels at 18,000 revolutions a minute.

External motifs such as fern fronds, sprays of leaves, or feathers are carved with a steel burr and give much the same effect as the once popular cut glassware of grandmother's day. These less emphatic elements serve as background to the deep-cut motifs.

A heightening of the realistic impression is achieved by dyeing. To avoid dark spots, French first cleans out all loose chips or shavings, using a needle or pin. Choosing cold dip dyes, he drops them through the opening with an eye dropper. After a few seconds the dye is rinsed out in water, for the longer it remains the deeper the shade. Right now Archie is particularly interested in experimenting with vari-colored shadings such as appear in delicate and rare rosebuds.

After the dye dries, from two hours to overnight being required, the surface is smoothed so that the base may be glued on. Once the base has been affixed, it is clamped in a vise to keep bubbles from forming between the two surfaces. The shaker is then placed in the chuck again and an opening for the cork drilled.

The last step is coating with wax as a protection against dust, scratches, and water.

BUD VASES made from French's own original pattern are the item most in demand. Singly and in pairs, they have been his best selling objects. Beauty of line and shape is coupled with a distinctive floral design in these favored pieces, fashioned from translucent, clear, and opaque plastic.

French demonstrated his assembly line methods in creating the vases. Piles of petals (tops), bases, and cubes are neatly stacked in drawers ready for the step by step production.

A one-inch square which holds the decorative motif is cut from a one-inch thick sheet. After sanding the exposed surfaces, he polishes with a compound of pumice stone and beeswax. Measuring down ½ inch on all three sides and drawing a triangle to grind down to that point, French cuts off the corners on the electric grinder. Drilling out the internal design, surface carving, and dyeing follow.

While the dye dries, he makes bases. Two-inch squares cut from a ¼-inch thick sheet are beveled on the electric grinder, filed, smoothed, sanded, and polished.

Edges of the petals, previously cut by jig saw from a ¹/16-inch thick sheet, are polished and held over a hot plate until the plastic becomes pliable. For protection of his hands Archie wears gloves of a smooth grain. He recommends the latter so that moist fingerprints or smudges from soft materials will not show. A peculiar quality of the material is its behavior under temperature changes. If the desired effect is not achieved the first try, the material can be reheated and it will return to its original shape. It is this quality which gives it the name of "memory plastic."

The three parts ready for assembling, Archie uses clear ethylene dichloride glue to affix the top to the design cube and the base to the cube.

Archie's companions in the air force have shown a marked fancy for the earrings, pins, and necklaces as gifts to be sent to sweethearts, mothers, sisters, or friends. Comparatively easy to make, they do not require as much time or as many steps in production.

FRENCH FIGURES he makes $2 an hour when orders are prepared in quantity. In approximately three and one-half hours, for example, he can turn out three pairs of vases, one pair requiring almost as long. The vases sell for $3.50 a pair, the materials costing 78 cents. Unwilling to place an estimate on his labor, Archie figures prices according to prevailing rates asked in catalogs and at jewelry stores.

For bookends he receives $10. Earrings and necklace sets sell for $3; brooches, $1; barrettes, $1 apiece or $1.75 for a pair. Other prices asked are comparable.

French considers his hobby to be a paying venture. For his initial investment he paid $17 for the drill; $4.95 for the vise; and $14 for the grinder. Building a cabinet to hold his equipment accounted for another $10. By ordering materials directly from supply houses he saves something on items such as drills, glue, dyes, and sheet plastic.

For French there is never the problem of what to do during free time. He could rather wish for longer periods in which to delve even deeper into the fascinating possibilities of plastics. He knows that a hobby can open doors to understanding and furnish rewards other than monetary gain—especially in making friends.

At Scott Field, Illinois, where he was stationed prior to being transferred to Sampson Air Force Base, fellow servicemen looked on him as a wizard. They just couldn't believe it possible to make such beautiful gifts as he described. For many, plastics were relatively new and their fresh curiosity made them eager to learn more about his work.

Many of Archie's air force acquaintances at Sampson have asked him to teach them how to carve in Plexiglas. Mutual interests have led to closer friendships, all adding up to a contented and integrated viewpoint on life in the army.