Lesson: Anticlastic Forming

Anticlastic Forming:

In anticlastic raising, the edges of the metal are going in 2 different directions- 2 upward, 2 downwards. Think of a potato chip or a saddle. These are anticlastic forms. Anticlastic forming can used in jewelry as well as to create sculptural forms. Michael Good and Heiki Seppa are two artists who have done a lot of anticlastic work.

Below are two forms to try out!

Examples:

Diamond curl: Cut a square of metal and anneal. Place in the largest curve of the stake so that the 4 corners are pointing N, S, E, and W. Hammer to the stake, starting on one edge and going horizontally across. Anneal and repeat until the desired form is reached. You may need to move down the stake as the form gets tighter. Try to have the points touch.

Comfy band: Make a ring band, solder and file off excess solder. Place on the stake. Hammer in the center of the ring band. Rotate the ring slowly around while hammering. Anneal and repeat to desired curve. When done with just a square of metal, it is the saddle. This is an easy a wonderful way to make rings very comfortable- the curve feels very smooth going on your finger and because the edges sit up off your finger, the ring is more comfortable to wear. To finish off for further construction, file the edges of the band flat.

Spiculums

Lesson: Spiculums

Spiculum are tube shapes that taper toward one end or both. These can be used in jewelry or sculpture and the look of the spiculum can be altered quite a bit by playing with the width and the length. Shorter spiculums are reminiscent of pod forms, while longer ones are more quill-like and spiky.

• Create your pattern out of paper. Make sure that the tapers are the same- fold the pattern along the vertical axis to check.
• Width= circumference + (2 x metal thickness)
• Circumference= 3.14 x diameter
• If you want a spiculum that is 8 mm in diameter, the circumference is 25.12mm
• Using 24ga metal, add 1.2mm (2 x .511 mm) to the circumference for a width of 26.3mm
• Cut your pattern out of metal- 20-24ga.
• Anneal. File the edges clean.
• Mark a line down the vertical axis with a sharpie
• Use the wooden blocks and a cross peen mallet or hammer face to begin forming the metal into a U shape. Hit along your line. This helps to keep your edges straight. If you start twisting, pull the metal to untwist the seam and retry.
• Rotate your U in the block and begin curling the sides of the U into more of a C.
• Using a mallet, work the outside of the shape, aiming for a round profile all the way through.
• You can rest your spiculum on the steel blocks for more support, or the wood for a softer surface.
• Slowly bring the edges of the seam together, there should be a very slight angle.
• Using a planishing hammer, hit directly along the seam, rounding and truing up where the edges meet.
• Be careful not to go completely horizontal where the edges meet or beyond. This can cause divots in the surface of the spiculum which once closed are very difficult to get out.
• Solder seam closed.

project 2- narrative

Project 2: Narrative

In narrative jewelry, the focus is on telling or illustrating a story through the jewelry. Narrative jewelry tends to tie in to personal experience and interacts with the wearer, creating a bond. The theme may be broad such as secrets or love, or an actual story, experience of event. Memorial jewelry is a good example of historical narrative jewelry.  The goal of narrative jewelry is to create work that expresses and conveys the theme, feelings, or story that you want to tell. This can be expressed very literally (such as a bracelet that shows scenes from a fairy tale in each link) or more abstractly where the shapes and materials relate in some way to the theme.

• Think about, and write down 3 different themes, stories, or memories that you would like to use in a narrative piece.
• Sketch/maquette/collage 3 different ideas for each theme. Be prepared to discuss how the designs work with the theme.

Technical requirements:

This piece must have a clasp and linked elements. One element (or link or clasp) must have three-dimensional form- either through synclastic forming, dapping, anticlastic forming, spiculum forming, or hollow construction. A bracelet or necklace is ideal. Consider surface decoration and materials. Any other skills you have from other classes are welcome!

Important dates:

• Themes and ideas due February 22
• Midpoint of project: March 15th
• Project due, beginning of class: March 29th (final class)

Patinas

Lesson: Patinas

Depletion Gilding:

The annealing and pickling routine above is also known as depletion gilding or raising the fine silver. It is a process of raising the pure silver in the alloy to the surface of the silver. The more times you do it, the thicker the fine silver layer becomes. This is a great trick for covering up firescale (that nasty purple stain you see on your silver pieces). Depletion gilding leaves a lovely soft white matte color to the silver, which is a nice patina as well. If brass brushed, the surface gets very shiny and that bright silver color. It also works on gold, bringing a layer of fine gold to the surface, giving a deep yellow appearance.

Pre-mixed chemical patinas:

We have several premixed patinas in the studio, the directions for each are listed on the bottles. Also listed are the metal that the patinas work with. Try out the patinas on the various metals. The results will be different. Copper is the most reactive.

Sawdust patinas:

• We have 3 sawdust patinas mixed up. Using gloves, feel the sawdust. If it is dry and not holding together when you press some on your palm add a bit of water and stir. The sawdust should be damp not wet.
• These patinas work best over a 2-7 day period and must be sealed.
• After retrieving your piece from the sawdust, rinse off and if needed scrub gently with a toothbrush to remove any sawdust that is stuck on.

Copper “Plating”:

• Useable on silver, brass, bronze, nickel.
• Time: 5-10 minutes
• Take some pickle and place it into a container.
• Coil some binding wire or other steel or iron wire and place into the pickle along with your piece.
• You can also use sheet iron or steel.
• The steel should be touching your piece.
• Leave for 5-10 minutes.
• Copper will form on the surface of the metal.
• You can brass brush the copper surface, but no sanding!
• This is a very thin layer of copper so textures will show.

Liver of Sulfer Iridescent Variation:

• Useable on silver, copper.
• Intensifies the colors liver of sulfer can achieve and gives an iridescent sheen.
• Time: 3-10 minutes
• Take a small piece of liver of sulfer and dissolve in hot water.
• Add in 1 tsp. of salt and 1 Tbsp. of ammonia.
• Mix thoroughly. The solution should be a very pale yellow in color. Add more water if necessary to achieve this.
• Get a cup full of hot water, and a cup of cold water.
• The cold water is to stop the reaction and let the color develop. The colder the water, the better the colorations.
• Dip your piece in the hot water, then the liver of sulfer, and then let it sit in the cold water.
• Repeat until you have the desired color.
• You can dip different areas to get a mottled effect.

• After desired color is achieved, rinse off piece with water and pat dry.
• Rubber cement can be used as a resist for this patina.
• Liver of sulfer is a thinner patina and textures will show.
• Liver of sulfer needs to be sealed if it will be coming into contact with surfaces or skin, if it is on the interior of a piece it does not need to be sealed.

Lesson: Reticulation

• Reticulation can be done with sterling silver, reticulation silver, or any silver alloys that are 80-92.5% fine silver..
• Clean your metal to remove dirt and oils.
• Anneal, pickle, brass brush (depletion gild) your piece.
• Using your scribe scratch a small patch in the corner of your piece.
• Anneal (the patch will turn dark a bit quicker than the rest of the piece), pickle, brass brush, scratch the same patch.
• Repeat this process until the patch doesn’t turn dark upon annealing- about 10 times. This means that there is a thick enough layer of fine silver on the surface to give you the reticulation.
• Pickle, brass brush.
• Place sheet on annealing pebbles or trivet.
• Using a small sharp (hissy) flame, heat patches of the sheet until the surface turns shiny (liquid) and begins to buckle.
• Move in segments over the whole sheet.
• Reticulate a larger sheet than you need. This way you can pick the best areas.

Tips:

• The more times you anneal and pickle, the thicker the layer of fine silver on the top will be. The thicker the layer of fine silver, the better your reticulation.
• Reticulation is unpredictable. Don’t expect to get the same result twice, or an even result across a sheet.
• When soldering with reticulated silver, burnish the areas to be soldered. Reticulation makes the surface more porous which will cause it to soak up solder. Burnishing forces the surface down, sealing that porosity.
• Hoover & Strong (and other vendors) sell a 80/20 silver (as opposed to .925 which is sterling) that is especially formulated for reticulation. The higher copper content will allow it to get more ridges and valleys.

Catches and clasps part 1

Lesson: Catches

Loop and Ball:

Solder a small piece of tube horizontally to the top half of your locket.

Ball up a piece of wire and solder it to the bottom half, aligned vertically with the tube.

Put a piece of wire through the tube (loose fitting), pull then ends of the wire together around the ball, creating a teardrop shape. Solder the wire closed. This is your loop.

If needed, take a barrette or knife needle file and clean up the groover where the ball meets the piece. There should be a nice groove there for the wire to sit in.

Push the loop over the ball. Using round nose pliers, squeeze the loop gently in the middle to create an hourglass shape. This tightens the loop so that it snaps on and off the ball.

Hook and Loop/Eye:

Solder a half jump ring to the bottom half of your locket

Solder either a small horizontal piece of tube or a short piece of wire to the top half.

For the tube, form a hook with a loop and feed the loop through the tube, solder closed.

For the wire, cut a hook from sheet or form one with thicker wire, hammering the end flat.

Drill a hole to match the size of the wire on the piece through the end of the hook.

Place the hook over the wire and rivet so that the hook stays on while still being able to move.

You can score the top of your rivet wire to aid in riveting.

Adjust your hook so that it fits through the loop with tension.

Purse catch:

Ball up the ends of two pieces of wire.

Use a cup bur to clean up the balled ends so they are nice and smooth.

Solder one ot the top and one to the bottom of your locket. Make sure that the solder joint is sound, an overlap seam is best.

Adjust the balls so that the snap together when closed.

Lesson: Clasps

S hook- Shepherd’s hook:

• Start with a thicker gauge wire (10,12,14)
• This thickness of wire will be the fattest part of the S- it gets skinnier from this point.
• Anneal the wire.
• Taper the wire in the rolling mill:
• Crank the rollers so that they just touch. You should see the tiniest sliver of daylight between them.
• The wire area is the grooved area on the left.
• Find the first hole that the wire doesn’t go through.
• Roll the wire through the hole about ½ inch.
• Rotate the wire 90 degrees and repeat in the same hole.
• Go to the next hole and roll about ½ - 2/3 of the distance that you rolled the first time.
• Rotate and repeat.
• Repeat rolling, rolling a bit less each hole for a stepped effect.
• By rotating 90 degrees and rolling twice for each hole you make sure that no “flashing occurs.
• Anneal every 4 holes.
• When the wire has the desired taper, take to the steel block.
• Using the Goldsmith’s hammer (or planishing hammer), hammer the wire gently to smooth out the steps into a taper.
• File and sand to return the wire to round if desired.
• Anneal the wire.
• Using the round/flat pliers, bend one taper up to form a U
• Bend the other taper to form an S
• Clip off any excess length.
• Turn up the ends of the wires.
• Hammer or tumble to harden.
• Hammering will flatten or texture the wire- a way to personalize!
• Make 2 larger jump rings. Solder to ends of chain (or back of pendant) and solder closed.
• The 2 jump rings will slip into the ends of the S creating the clasp.
• You want the jump rings to “snap” into place. Tighten the S until this occurs.

Hook and Eye:

The hook and eye is essentially half of an S hook

• Proceed as above, tapering one end of the wire.
• When you have the desired taper, bend into a U
• Clip off any excess wire
• Turn up the end of the wire
• To attach to a chain, solder either a piece of tubing for the chain to slip into, or a jump ring to the end of the hook.
• File and sand
• Tumble or hammer to harden.
• Make a large jump ring and connect to chain.
• This jump ring will slip into the hook creating the clasp.

Toggle Clasp:

The toggle clasp is commonly used in link bracelets and chains. It must have pull to the opposing sides of the toggle creating the tension necessary to keep the clasp closed.  It is an easy clasp to work, and simple to make.

Basic

• Using thicker gauge wire (16-10 depending on design); anneal and make a large jump ring.
• Solder closed.
• Cut a length of wire slightly longer (2-3mm on each side) than the outside of the jump ring. This is the crossbar of the T.
• Solder a small jump ring to the center of the crossbar, and attach a short length of chain. This will let the cross bar slip through the circle.
• Or cut a length of wire for the stem, and solder the T together.
• Solder a small jump ring to the base of the T.
• Make sure that the T fits through the circle.
• Bend T if desired.
• Trim T if needed.
• Attach T to chain and solder.
• Solder another small jump ring to the large jump ring.
• Attach to chain and solder.

Extra Security:

• Make the toggle more secure by soldering 2 large jump rings together to form a figure 8.
• This only works with the chain version not the solid T version.
• When fastening, feed the crossbar through both rings.

Embellishments:

• Ball up the ends of the crossbar
• Texture the jump ring(s) and T with hammers
• Use twisted or shaped wire.
• Make the jump ring a different shape.
• Cut the jump ring out of sheet instead of wire.
• Consider making your toggle parts themed: heart and arrow, flower and stem, etc.