I just had my first metalsmithing class yesterday! I am so excited for this one!
For the first class we learned about using the jeweler's saw to cut shapes out of sheet metal. Here are the pictures of my first shapes!
Here are some helpful instructional videos for using the jeweler's saw. In my class we started with small sheets of copper and brass at 18 gauge and size 1 saw blades from RioGrande. Also, always be sure to use eye protection! Those saw blades do break pretty easily.
Additionally, we learned how to file the metal pieces after sawing to get a smooth edge and to get rid of any sharp spots. Here is a good list of tips for filing and smoothing metal bits.
Next week we are going to learn about riveting, so I will be back then!
Argh! I can't believe I am already behind so early in the game! I am afraid first vacation and then sickness distracted me from posting here.
Ah, well. Time to play catch up!
Here was my project for Week #3! It was actually a belated Christmas present made from crackle glass, copper wire, and a lavender chalcedony drop.
This was my project for Week #4. Copper, garnet, and carnelian. It was actually a practice piece for a sterling silver pendant, but I think I actually like this one better!
Aaaaaaand Week #5! I crafted up a pair of heart earrings!
Whooo! Sorry for the project crunch! Still have to post one for this week. I don't have any more updates at the moment. I really need to finish getting together the supplies for my next tutorial project!
Here is my 2nd Project for January! A wire wrapped labradorite pendant!
Nothing to report yet on my next tutorial! I am still getting all the supplies together. Hope everyone is having a great 2011 so far!
I have been trying to come up with a New Year's Resolution recently that I can reasonably succeed at without failing in the first few weeks! Well, I stumbled on to FabricFascination's blog and have decided to do this same resoltion:
Challenge myself to complete at least one project every week in 2011.
It doesn't sound horribly hard, but at the same time this will also be my first full year crafting for my Etsy shop. There will definitely be more times when I will need a bit of extra motivation!
Here it is, my first project of the new year completed!
Also, I have been trying to come up with my next tutorial project and have finally found one! I am gathering the supplies now and will definitely be posting the project within the next few weeks! *sneaky sneaky*
Happy New Year!!
Hope everyone had a great Christmas!
So, the holidays are pretty much over now. *whew!* Here are the ingredients for the next mead recipe I want to try. I got a large can of blackberry puree that will be perfect! Actually, a honey and fruit wine is called a melomel, so this recipe is for Blackberry Melomel:
Yield: 1 gallon
Ingredients:
3 lbs. blackberries
1 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp lemon zest
3 bags of blackberry tea
2 lbs. honey
1/8 tsp grape tannin
1 tsp acid blend
1 tsp pectic enzyme
Package of yeast
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1.5 cups orange juice at room temperature
I think for my blackberry mead I am going to use a Champagne yeast from Northern Brewer, an excellent resource for all things brewing!
I will be posting the instructions a bit later!
So I started that Maple Mead a bit ago and racked it a week ago, but I am not quite sure how it is going to turn out. Sadly it smelled quite acidic, so something might have gone wrong along the way. Definitely going to give it a bit longer before testing again. It should be ready to rack again in a month or so, so we shall see what happens then!
If the Maple Mead doesn't work out, I have a recipe (which I will definitely post later) for a Blackberry Mead that I am just dying to try!
That is all for the moment! I definitely need to find a new jewelry tutorial to try!
Finished two! Yay!
Here are my first attempts. I actually really like the way these turned out! The hardest part about making these is finding the right size to clip on to the ear. The first one I made (not pictured) was actually waaaay too small. These turned out just right!
I decided to add a garnet bead to the second one I made. Just a bit of extra ornamentation!
Definitely going to have to play with these more!
Oh, and the picture above? Extremely hard to take when you are wearing the ear piece and trying to take the picture at the same time!!
Posted by
Laurel Collins
1:51 AM
It's time for a new tutorial!
The other day on etsy I ran across pictures of some amazing ear cuffs made by gailavira which made me really want to try and make some wire ear cuffs. I found this tutorial on CutOutandKeep.net and realized that ear cuffs can be quite simplistic and that maybe a tutorial for them really isn't necessary.
I am definitely going to play with this style a bit tomorrow and will post my experiments.
I finally started my Maple Mead a few days ago. Yay! Sadly, though, I had a bit of a mishap with the stove/boiling honey. It boiled over quite a bit, so I lost a bit of the water/honey/maple syrup that should be in the jug. Well, it will be ready to be tested in a month when I rack it (move the liquid from one jug to another to filter out the particles), so we shall see if it is the right sweetness/taste then. If not.... then it will be time to add in a bit more honey and maple syrup!
So exciting! The one thing I find frustrating with brewing though, is how long it takes to make a mead. Many recipes I have seen call for the drink to sit for a year before it can be consumed! Crazy!
In all this mead should take three to four months before it is ready. I can't wait for the taste testing!
Here is another wire wrapped labradorite pendant! This time I added in a bit of copper and I am really loving the effect!
Additionally I have been trying a new type of crafting. Recently my boyfriend has become interested in brewing. It is an interesting process, so I am going to try a bit of brewing myself. He likes to make beer, but I am interested more in wines and mead, so this weekend I am going to start the process of creating a Maple Mead. I found the recipe here. Should be interesting and I definitely can't wait for the taste testing!
Here are a few of my finished items using oxidization. I just love how it makes a wire wrapped piece look so elegant! I think I am going to keep doing this technique with future pieces I make. It gives them a depth that you don't see in a normal polished piece.
So, I think it went quite well today! My first oxidizing experience seems to be a success! It was crazy how quick the oxidizing process takes. As soon as I dropped the metal pieces in, they were already turning black! Here are some photos:
Before:
After:
Later after a bit of polishing:
I seriously love how these turned out!
It's been a bit again since my last update, but this next one should be a good one! I have decided to try oxidizing both copper and silver using liver of sulfur. This experiment will hopefully be taking place tomorrow.
I found this page here that explains the process pretty well.
I will have both before and after pictures to post tomorrow! Should be exciting!
Hee hee! Yep, been a bit since I posted last! Vacation lasted a bit longer than I thought it would, so there was a little lack of crafting.
Anyways, I am back now and have crafted a few things since my last post. I am so enamored with the labradorite cabochons, that I went on a wire wrapping spree and finished wrapping all five stones that I purchased. I'll post the three newest ones below. Two were still working from the original tutorial that I had posted.
The newest is slightly different, but I definitely like how it turned out. I would love to try it again with a thinner stone.
I am so attracted to these stones, that it is hard for me to want to try and work on anything else. I think after a few more of these, the novelty will wear off slightly and I will be able to move on to a new tutorial. I have a few already in the queue, but I am not sure which one will be next. We shall see!
I tried the wire wrapped stone tutorial again, and these are what I came up with!
These ones are probably twice as big as the first one I made. I think, personally, that I like the smaller one best, but I just love the colors in these stones! I need to work a bit more on the sizing, but I think they turned out nice.
I think that these ones will probably end up in my etsy shop since they were done nicer than the first one... I still have three more stones left that I can wrap, and I can't wait to try some more!
