One of the courses I am undertaking to build my skills is Enamelling taught by Lillian Yuen . Lillian is a fabulous teacher and jeweller and...
Today we are welcoming jewelry designer Monica Pryor of Feminine Genius Jewelry as a guest contributor: To me, creating jewelry with art beads is like composing a piece of music. You start with an idea of the main melody and the story you want your piece to tell, the feeling you want to elicit in the audience. Then you flesh it out with other colors and shapes as harmonious accompanimens. Two of my favorite "melody" artists at the moment are Anne Choi and Cathleen Zaring. Anne Choi's handmade sterling beads each tell their own story, either with a brief line of poetry or miniature illustration. This first pic is Anne Choi's Wheat bead, combined with a soldered leaf charm by Sasha Crow that ties together the rustic fall gemstones and Harvest feel. The next is another Anne Choi, her Maple Leaf bead, combined with Green Girl Studio's pewter squirrel and a copper leaf by Patricia Healey with a rainbow assortment of gemstones to represent the array of colors in the changing seasons. I recently created one with a special Valentine's Day theme, that my heart really went into. It's a hug to everyone who has ever hurt on Valentine's Day, and a reminder to be Single and Fabulous! It features Anne Choi, Susan Woodworth, Jolene Riley and Cheryl Kiyoi. Another source of wonderful inspiration (and catalyst for my shameless hoarding) is Cathleen Zaring who works in copper enameling. Each piece with its shape, colors and decorations, is its own tiny vignette. I especially enjoy her pieces that have holes in the bottom, offering great opportunity to add bits and treasures to flesh out the story. The first one of these "Treasure Earrings" I made combined denim blue and copper Cathleen Zaring pieces with Green Girl Studio's decorative link with "Strength" inscribed on it, combined with Sodalite and copper chain. The next pair uses soldered Splash headpins by Susan Woodworth that give an element of oceany movement and glimmer and complete the story of an underwater garden full of little treasures. The last pair uses offbeat edgy mismatched charms by Cathleen Zaring in bold spicy colors. These were perfectly complemented by handmade Sari silk and Pyrite drops made by Anna Pierson, with their own bit of random shape and striking colors. Some of Monica's favorite beadmakers: Anne Choi: http://www.annechoi.com/ Cathleen Zaring: http://www.bluehareartwear.etsy.com/ Sasha Crow: http://www.crowscachesupplies.etsy.com/ Cynthia Thornton at Green Girl Studios: http://www.greengirlstudios.com/ Susan Woodworth at Susie Designs: http://www.susiedesigns.etsy.com/ Anna Pierson at SagaHus Components: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1752766821604005/?fref=nf Jolene Riley : https://www.facebook.com/jolene.riley.5 Cheryl Kiyoi: www.kiyoidesigns.etsy.com To see more of Monica's colorful art bead jewelry visit her Etsy shop, Feminine Genius Jewelry and her Facebook page.
I have been working on a new line of torch fired enameled jewelery! My first successful batch of pieces were made with black and white enamel. These pieces are essentially one of a kind, but I am…
As part one of my mission to make my studio practice healthier for me and any future babies, I decided to give electrolytic copper etching a try. It turns out it's so easy to do I am surprised more people haven't tried it. I downloaded an article from Art Jewelry about how to do it, but you can also find lots of good information floating around the internet. Basically, all you need to do is hook up a D battery to two pieces of copper suspended in a saltwater bath. One is the piece you are etching, the other can be any piece of scrap copper. The current draws copper from the etching piece to the scrap copper. You can use the same kinds of resists you would use for acid etching, but you don't need the etching chemicals. Neat huh? Here's what you need: D battery D battery holder Alligator clips Heavy copper wire (14g. is good) Copper to be etched Scrap copper Pure salt (kosher or canning and pickling salt) Plastic or glass container Resist (pnp film, stop-out varnish, asphaltum, etc) To get set up, you need to attach your alligator clips to the lead wires on your battery holder. My friend Paul helped me out (thanks Paul!) because even though I know all about silver soldering I know nothing about soldering electrical components. Then you make a saturated salt solution by dissolving as much salt as you possibly can in water. To get your metal ready, you need to get the piece you will be etching really nice and clean by scouring it with a scrub pad or heating and pickling it, then draw your design on with whatever resist you are using. I was surprised when I first started experimenting with this technique to find that the salt water is just as hard on the resist as the ferric chloride was. Permanent marker didn't work at all, and the sharpie paint pen I used to use for beads works ok but doesn't last long enough to get a good deep etch, so I am back to using the stop-out varnish (check out my acid etching tutorial for more info on different resists) The scrap copper just needs to be cleaned off with a scrub pad or brass brush to remove any residue, then it's ready to go. Once your metals are ready, fill a plastic or glass container with the salt solution, then attach your two pieces of copper to copper wires and hang them from the sides of the container so they are submerged in the solution. Attach the positive alligator clip to the piece you want to etch and the negative clip to the scrap copper. You will immediately see little bubbles rising from the scrap copper, and within minutes the water will start to get cloudy and reddish brown with copper (Note: Don't pour this water down the drain! collect it and talk to your local waste management people about how to dispose of it. It's not hazardous to handle but it's not good to put copper into the water supply!) It takes about an hour or more to get a really nice deep etch. Depending on what effect you are looking for, you can get a visible etch in about a half hour. I need to do some more experimentation, but my first piece has a visible etch so I consider it a success. Overall I am very pleased with this project. It was easy to do and safe, without the mess of ferric chloride and it cost about seven dollars for all the supplies to get started. I am planning on doing a lot more copper etching with this technique, so I should have lots of new etched copper jewelry and beads coming soon!
One of the courses I am undertaking to build my skills is Enamelling taught by Lillian Yuen. Lillian is a fabulous teacher and jeweller and she makes the most beautifully delicate enamelled pieces. Over the past couple of weeks we have learnt how to work with opaque and transparent enamels, and achieve different effects using sifting techniques, and solid enamels. Below is a pictorial account of my discovery of enamels. Its been such an exciting adventure! The first week we learnt how to prepare samples for opaque enamels. Below shows the test strips which have 4 layers of enamel. Opaque enamel tests Base coat (top) Second layer (second from top) Third layer (orange peal effect which means it isn't heated as long so that some of the grain texture remains) Fourth layer (sugar fired, heated less than orange peal effect) Pull Through tests Next we experimented with pull through techniques, which is putting one colour over another, and the bottom colour 'pulls through' the top. Top left: Soft flux base covered by Peacock Blue 1645 opaque Top right: Chestnut 2190 transparent covered by Calamine Blue 1520 opaque Bottom left: Candy 1211 opaque covered by Mandarin 2840 transparent Bottom right: Black 1995 opaque covered by Ivory 1238 opaque Sifting techniques The following week we learnt different sifting and decorating techniques (above) Top left: graphite pencil on Antique White 1045 Top right: using a stencil of a dried flower I sifted Peackock Blue 1465 over a base coat of Antique White 1045 Middle left: Sgraffito techniques white on blue. Image scraped using a tooth pick Middle right: Sgraffito techniques blue on white. Image scraped using a tooth pick Bottom left: Sift and dump. White base. Image then painted using Klyr Fire, blue enamel sifted which sticks to the Klyr Fire. Remaining enamel is tipped off Bottom right: White base stamped using regular ink pad and stamp. Same technique as the sift and dump where blue enamel was sifted onto the wet ink and the remaining blue enamel is tipped off. Wet packing enamels before firing Next we learn how to work with transparent enamels using a wet packing method which requires washing the enamel powder to get rid of any contaminants and placing the wet enamel on the copper. This example uses a piece of copper which also had a piece of silver embedded in the medium flux before the wet enamels were placed on top. The enamels used in this examples use precious metals to create the colours (mainly gold) wet packed enamels after firing And the above is the result. Top left: Opalescent 2061 Top right: Orange Red Ruby 2110 Bottom left: Pink 2820 Bottom right: Wax 2110 This week we have been experimenting using solid enamels (chunks of glass and beads) to make patterns, along with swirling which is where you move a titanium tipped rod to move the molten enamel. Before After Before After Before After Before After Before After. A metal pick is used to move the molten enamel surface Before: pieces of Venetian glass on medium flux After: Venetian enamel pull through with cobalt blue on top Another after version of Venetian enamel. This one was grinded down so that all the lumps of glass were the same height (rather than lumpy) Can you tell Ive been having fun?
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Lots of pictures and lots of info in this one! I'm on another Facebook group called Aspiring Metalsmiths. I don't know about anyone else but Facebook is terrible about showing posts to me from the groups and people I am interested in. But recently, I happened to catch a post where someone was talking knowledgeably about etching copper sheets with ingredients most people have in their homes. I was immediately interested because I've seen some beautiful etching and have been wanting to try it but didn't want to buy caustic chemicals or special equipment. I have some 34 g copper sheets I've been holding onto for a while now and decided to give it a try. Mixed results - but the final result is the important one! I hope you are a patient person because I go into some detail about this! Apparently there was a coating on the "clear" side of the copper sheets I had. The other side had a bluish-green paint or something so I started on the side that looked like it didn't have a coating...erf. Then I made the mistake of trying to remove the coating on the etched side with 0000 steel wool instead of wet/dry sandpaper, which was a biiiig mistake....left a lot of scratches...so I started over on the other side of the sheets. Used sandpaper to take off the blue coating and restamped everything. Not a great picture but this shows how awful the first try was. :D Fail! I guess I should talk more about the method I used. Equal parts of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide - I was told 100 ml of each and 7 ml of salt, which is something like half a teaspoon, I gather. I am pretty sure I used more. I bought fresh supplies of vinegar and peroxide but had sea salt on hand. The original person said to use iodized but an article I read said don't use iodized so I used what I had. :) The first attempt I tried with Staz-on ink and stamps only. It wasn't a total failure but I saw several sites that said using a Sharpie and/or Staz-on is not tough enough to survive this method, and I agreed after the first attempt's results. So the second try, I used a Versamark embossing pad (yep, same one I use with my fused glass technique!) and embossing powder with some of my many rubber stamps. The problem with using embossing powder is that it is hard to tell how deep the etching is. I decided on a Christmas, my mermaid, my favorite tree stamp (as seen on many of my glass pendants!) and some other odds and ends stamps. This is my setup. Sea salt, vinegar, peroxide, takeout containers with lids (don't use the lids except for storage), nitrile gloves, wooden stick for stirring, plastic bag for protecting the surface of my washer and under the bag, a heating pad...more about that later! NOT pictured (and not absolutely necessary): citric acid. I did finish off my vinegar so I am using the empty bottle to store this solution in. The solution is blue in the photo above because I had already used it on my first failed attempt...it starts off rather clear! The blue is the dissolved copper in solution, believe it or not. I had been told there would be a LIGHT blue color so that tells you there is a LOT of copper in my solution! A word of caution....yes...these are household ingredients but once the copper is dissolved in the liquid, it is VERY TOXIC. Do NOT just pour this down the drain OR into the ground! Some said to take the solution and use it to make concrete with then throw the brick away. Others say you can clean the dissolved copper from the solution by submerging balls of aluminum foil in the solution, which then captures the pure copper and makes the liquid clear again but I haven't tried this to see if it works, yet! That sounds like the way to go, though. I have also been told you can just take it outside and let it evaporate, then dispose of the dried residue in a regular garbage landfill. You can also call your local garbage company and see what methods they recommend. Wear gloves, goggles, don't breathe it in, keep away from pets, and take any other precautions you think you should! Yes, it is less toxic than using other methods (like muriatic acid, etc) but does require sensible precautions! Okay back to my experience with this science experiment! :D I did this out in my laundry room because I think the solution is an irritant to breathe in. It should be stirred frequently and I believe this is because it tends to bubble up a bit and an area under the bubbles might not etch as well. Some use a cheap aquarium bubbler to agitate the solution but I did not go that route...yet. :) Do not use metal utensils or containers for this. I used a wooden popsicle stick and plastic containers I don't care about. Don't put a lid on it unless you want to transport or store the solution. I was impatient about this process and did two layers in each container...one face up and one face down. The directions for etching usually tell you to take a Sharpie around the edge of the metal so it won't get bumpy (which I did and which worked well) and put clear packing tape on the back or anywhere you don't want etched. Makes sense. Since I did mine twice (the coating preventing the etching from working well) the tape did not seal the already etched back well and I got some leakage. I didn't really care though since I plan to use these backed with other materials. I suspended one facedown, using the long tape ends to support it and keep it from touching the bottom, and put the other one on top, face up. Both were backed with tape for ease in handling plus protecting the back. I don't know why the directions to etch metal ALWAYS tell you to etch facedown but it seems to me that you could see it better face up. :D I didn't see any bad reactions from doing it this way and got more bang for my buck doing it this way. As you can see from the picture above, I got a little careless and made so much solution I had to use two containers. I picked them because the sheet fit into them nicely, they had lids, and they were free. :) I had four copper sheets on hand and cut one into slices so I was able to etch them all at once this way. This is my first try at this method and I am sure I made mistakes all along the way! Most directions I could find using this were for circuit boards and I don't have access to a lot of copper sheet but I certainly want to do this again! A few more notes: I discovered some saying that heating the solution makes it work faster. I didn't find that out until mine had been in solution for several hours, but you can see I put a heating pad underneath my setup, under the plastic. I also heard that adding citric acid to the solution could speed things up as well, so that was also added to the mixture during the last hour or so. I can't tell you if it helped or not...all I know is I didn't die! :D I put my metal into the solution with the intention of only keeping it in there for a couple of hours (the person on my FB group did hers for 90 mins but said she would do it for longer next time) but kept them in the solution for about SIX HOURS. As you will see, it didn't seem to hurt anything. I left mine in the solution much longer than I needed to because (as I read around the time I read about the heat and the citric acid) I should have been running a sponge across the surface to encourage the etching to reach deeper into the metal.. it seems like it forms a skin or gunk or something and unless you do that it will only go so deep. I think if I had sponged them off during that time it may have gone faster. I'll try it next time. Sorry about all the text - this is dangerous stuff and you should know as much as possible if you are going to attempt this! And please don't just rely on me and this article, I am a newbie at this! Go do some further research, as I did, before attempting! I just wish to inspire you to try new things! - but on to some pictures! Here you can see me testing one of the face up pieces. Oops, wasn't wearing gloves but you can see them in the photo! :P This would have been a good time to run a sponge over the surface to see how much it has etched and possibly to give the etchant a fresh surface...As I said, hard to tell when using embossing powder how deeply it is etched... If your mixture doesn't seem bubbly enough you can spike it up with additional peroxide or salt, which will give you a slight foamy reaction after you add them. As you can see in the photo above, the lighter color is the bare, etched metal, while the stamped trees are where the melted embossing powder protected the metal. If I had run a sponge across it, maybe the etching would have gone deeper. It etched far deeper on the bare 1/2" copper pipe I put in there than the sheet did, and I am not sure why. As I said, this is only my first (and second!) attempt so I have more to learn about it! If any of you reading this can contribute to this discussion, please do in the comments! You can see how bubbly it got at first. I added some 1/2" copper pipes that I had on hand already - and ran over a stamp pad and embossed. It seemed to be a different kind of metal or maybe there was still something on the sheet metal because the pipe turned black in the etchant (around the embossing powder) while the sheet did not. If you have been following my blog at all you will remember that I used thinner slices of 1" copper pipe as a bezel for some of my polymer clay pieces in the past. Guess what I will be doing to the pieces of pipe I have already cut, ready for my next mokume gane? :D All I did to these besides the stamping was coat the edges and inside with Sharpie ink. The last step after etching is complete, before using patina, is to neutralize the metal after removing it from the etchant by putting it into some water containing a good amount of baking soda. I also used it as a paste to scrub off the embossing powder, and then rinsed and dried the metal well. Here is one of the pipe pieces as I put the patina on it. This product is what I've been using to patina my copper with since I had it on hand already to use with my stained glass! I had to remove the embossing powder to get the patina to reach the metal underneath. I tried to find out what you can remove embossing powder with but couldn't find any info. It came off the pipe much easier than the sheet, for some reason. As I've been saying all along, the pipe acted very different from the sheet in every step of this experiment! The embossing came off easily on the pipe but the methods I used on that didn't seem to work on the sheet...I used acetone first and then alcohol, and then scrubbed it off the pipe but the embossing didn't want to come off easily from the sheet metal! I was afraid to use the sandpaper at first but even that really didn't seem to do much. I then used baking soda as a scouring powder and it finally came off with some more elbow grease. Weird that I didn't need to do all that with the pipe. Here are the pipe pieces I etched. I used alcohol on the one on the right and it seemed to take the embossing powder off easily whereas I used a scubbie on the one on the left, which left it duller than the alcohol did. This is before patina. The stamping shows up pretty well though, doesn't it? After patina. the one on the right is not perfect but I still like the way they came out! They are laying on the stamp I used on them. I don't know what to do with them but great experiment! Can't wait to try it with my clay copper bezel slices! I am going to cut this one up into pieces. Fresh out of the solution. You may recognize my tree stamp from some of my mica stamped fused glass pendants. I love that stamp! The Christmas stamp matches one of my embossing folders that I used to make Christmas cards last year! These are fresh out of the etching solution., too Here's a couple of the slices I cut the metal sheet into before etching. The floral one is the same stamp the pipe was etched with. I think I'll try to make bracelets with these. Here is the same mermaid from the fail in the beginning of this post (the other side, of course, after sanding off that blue crap - well, most of it...you can see some around the edges in this photo!) You may recognize my mermaid as the inspiration for the glass painting I posted about back in June or so! I really thought you'd be able to feel the etching when it was done. It is not very deep and it is hard to feel it if run your fingernail across the metal, but the results show up nicely when you put the patina on! I am very happy with the end results...especially since I didn't have to invest any money to do it! :D Now I just need a cheap place to get copper sheeting...I believe this also works on brass, but not silver. This is the scary part! (Well, one of them, lol!) As you can see I had gotten the embossing powder off that piece to the left better than the others as it turned completely black! After patina. I love the way they came out! I still have to seal it...and figure out what to seal it with! I keep hearing people talking about something called "Kamar"... The last step is to sand off the excess patina. I used 400 grit wet/dry sand paper that I had on hand to use on my polymer clay. I could probably take it through the smaller grits to polish it some more, if I want to. Love my trees! The Christmas stamp did not come out perfectly but somehow I still like it, imperfections and all. :) And my favorite, the mermaid! Very happy with the way she came out. What does not come out well in my pictures is that they have many colors in them, as a real patina would/should. There's even some blue in the one below. I hope you enjoyed reading about my foray into the world of metal etching...are you having trouble keeping up with all my many different skillsets yet? Lol! Stained glass (although there hasn't been much of that discussed on this blog!), fused glass, clay, scrapbooking, Christmas cards, stamping, wire work, beading, and now etching. Have I left anything out? LOL! Thanks for looking and come back soon! Please give my FB page a like if you haven't already!
I have been working on a new line of torch fired enameled jewelery! My first successful batch of pieces were made with black and white enamel. These pieces are essentially one of a kind, but I am…
Magnifiques pampilles émaillées sur un thème frais et estival, des ravissants poissons stylisés sur bleu méditerranéen... pour ces longues boucles bohême aux éléments originaux * En CUIVRE ÉMAILLÉ, deux pièces géométriques de fabrication artisanale de qualité, 40 mm de hauteur, coloris bleutés avec or véritable en filigrane * Pampilles en NACRE naturelle blanche irisée, et en ACIER INOXYDABLE DORÉ * Les attaches clous sont assorties, en ACIER INOXYDABLE DORÉ
These unique dangle earrings are hand cut from copper. They measure 25mm long by 15mm wide. I have applied several layers of enamel, drawing through each layer to create the patter. They have been fired in a kiln at 830 degrees. They hang on rose gold plated wires. Both earrings have subtle differences as it is impossible to create an identical pair but that adds to their handmade charm. Read more
I’ve always been curious about enameling, but I wasn’t ready to buy lots of equipment for something I wasn’t sure I’d do regularly. I understood the basics of enameling …
Today we are welcoming jewelry designer Monica Pryor of Feminine Genius Jewelry as a guest contributor: To me, creating jewelry with art beads is like composing a piece of music. You start with an idea of the main melody and the story you want your piece to tell, the feeling you want to elicit in the audience. Then you flesh it out with other colors and shapes as harmonious accompanimens. Two of my favorite "melody" artists at the moment are Anne Choi and Cathleen Zaring. Anne Choi's handmade sterling beads each tell their own story, either with a brief line of poetry or miniature illustration. This first pic is Anne Choi's Wheat bead, combined with a soldered leaf charm by Sasha Crow that ties together the rustic fall gemstones and Harvest feel. The next is another Anne Choi, her Maple Leaf bead, combined with Green Girl Studio's pewter squirrel and a copper leaf by Patricia Healey with a rainbow assortment of gemstones to represent the array of colors in the changing seasons. I recently created one with a special Valentine's Day theme, that my heart really went into. It's a hug to everyone who has ever hurt on Valentine's Day, and a reminder to be Single and Fabulous! It features Anne Choi, Susan Woodworth, Jolene Riley and Cheryl Kiyoi. Another source of wonderful inspiration (and catalyst for my shameless hoarding) is Cathleen Zaring who works in copper enameling. Each piece with its shape, colors and decorations, is its own tiny vignette. I especially enjoy her pieces that have holes in the bottom, offering great opportunity to add bits and treasures to flesh out the story. The first one of these "Treasure Earrings" I made combined denim blue and copper Cathleen Zaring pieces with Green Girl Studio's decorative link with "Strength" inscribed on it, combined with Sodalite and copper chain. The next pair uses soldered Splash headpins by Susan Woodworth that give an element of oceany movement and glimmer and complete the story of an underwater garden full of little treasures. The last pair uses offbeat edgy mismatched charms by Cathleen Zaring in bold spicy colors. These were perfectly complemented by handmade Sari silk and Pyrite drops made by Anna Pierson, with their own bit of random shape and striking colors. Some of Monica's favorite beadmakers: Anne Choi: http://www.annechoi.com/ Cathleen Zaring: http://www.bluehareartwear.etsy.com/ Sasha Crow: http://www.crowscachesupplies.etsy.com/ Cynthia Thornton at Green Girl Studios: http://www.greengirlstudios.com/ Susan Woodworth at Susie Designs: http://www.susiedesigns.etsy.com/ Anna Pierson at SagaHus Components: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1752766821604005/?fref=nf Jolene Riley : https://www.facebook.com/jolene.riley.5 Cheryl Kiyoi: www.kiyoidesigns.etsy.com To see more of Monica's colorful art bead jewelry visit her Etsy shop, Feminine Genius Jewelry and her Facebook page.
Microtorch Fire can transform a piece of copper into a rainbow of color. Loving to work with fire, I have numerous torches. For my birthday I bought a Blazer butane microtorch to use in soldering. It is a great little torch because you can add oxygen to the flame to get the right amount of heat. Also nice that it starts with pushing a button rather than a lighter. Any torch will work however. Variations in color Some people make a piece of jewelry then heat it with the torch to get the look they want. I chose to patina an entire sheet because I want to make earrings out of it and I want them to look similar. Heat patina is tricky because you don't really know the results until you remove the heat. The metal changes first from gold, to orange, then reddish, green, blues and finally black. You can see all the different possibilities here in this photo. I put the piece of metal on a tripod and heated it from underneath moving the torch around so as not to overheat the metal. When a color I liked magically appeared on the surface I removed the heat. If you hold the torch without moving it you get something that looks like this. The back of the metal is black because it got really hot, but I think this will make a nice earring. I just let the sheet of copper cool naturally so I could watch the colors emerge and decide it I wanted to hit it again with heat. Getting the patina to stay can be an issue because the lacquers will muddy the colors and dull the finish. Here is a forum where people suggest different products but I am just going to let nature take its course and see what happens. I'll post some jewelry I make out of this sheet and let you know about finishes as I experiment further. I have read that you can also patina in an oven but that wouldn't be nearly as much fun. If you got questions, leave me a comment and I'll do my best.
Etching metal is one of my favorite metalsmithing techniques- it's a great way to create a surface pattern or image in metal. If you want to give etching a try, I would recommend starting with copper. Copper is easy to work with and inexpensive, and copper etching solution is relatively safe to work with and also inexpensive. The basic principle of etching any metal is to apply a substance to the surface of the metal which will resist the bite of the etching solution. This substance is called resist. Once the resist is applied, all you have to do is submerge the piece in the etching solution and wait for it to etch. Here are the materials you will need: -18 or 20 gauge copper -Scotch brite or steel wool -Masking tape -Resist- possible options include paint markers, nail polish, asphaltum varnish, press and peel film... For this tutorial I will show you the one I like to use- It's called stop-out varnish and it's basically a red tinted shellac. I got it from Dick Blick. Commenter Wolfgang pointed out that acrylic paint also works as a resist. (Thanks Wolfgang!) -Something to apply your resist with. I will show you how to apply resist with a nib pen but you can also use brushes. -Solvent- my stop-out varnish resist dissolves in rubbing alcohol. For other resists you will need acetone or mineral spirits. -Etching Solution- Ferric Chloride (also called PC board solution) you can get it from electronic supply companies, or from printmaking supply companies. I got mine from Dick Blick -A plastic tub -Rags -Rubber gloves -Cotton balls Before we get started, I would like to take a minute to talk about safety issues. Ferric chloride etching solution is really quite safe to use. It is actually not an acid, but a salt. It only etches copper and brass. It can irritate your skin though, so wear rubber gloves. Also, ferric chloride is very staining. It will not come out of floors, clothes, etc and will take days to come off your skin so be careful! Now here's the step by step: 1. Prepare your metal. Resist sticks better on clean metal with a slightly rough surface, so give your copper a good rubbing with scotch brite or steel wool. 2. Protect the back of the metal. I like to be extra careful so I start by painting a thin layer of resist over the back of the copper, then when it dries I cover it with masking tape. Use an old brush to spread the resist, and clean it with rubbing alcohol when you are done. 3. Apply the design. I use a metal nib pen to draw the resist onto the copper. I just fill a little cup with the resist, dip my pen in and draw it on. It's a little thicker than ink, so it takes a little getting used to. As you are drawing the design, the resist will start to dry and gum up the pen. I keep a little cup of rubbing alcohol handy, and when the resist starts to dry on the pen, I dip it in the alcohol and wipe it clean on an old rag. I've used a sharpie to mark out the borders of my designs. Sharpie is sort of a weak resist itself, so it may leave a faint mark on your etched metal. I'm cutting the pieces out where the sharpie lines are anyway so I'm not worried about it. This resist dries really fast, so just let it dry for 15 minutes or so and it is ready to go in the etching bath. 4. Etch the metal. Pour your etching solution into the plastic tub. I like to use a big plastic container with a lid, because I can just put on the lid to store the solution. When using ferric chloride, the copper needs to be suspended design side down in the etching bath. To do this, I just put a long strip of tape across the back of the piece, then place it in the etching bath just below the surface, with the ends of the tape attached to either side of the tub. Depending on how deep an etch you want and how fresh your solution is, etching can take half an hour to three or four hours. Just be sure to check the piece every so often. Just pick up one end of the tape and lift the piece out of the bath. It helps to give the surface of the copper a little rinse with water once in a while too. 5. Remove the resist. Once you have a deep enough etch on your copper, remove it from the etching bath, take it to the sink and rinse it off. Take a cotton ball and saturate it with rubbing alcohol and rub off the resist. Once the resist is off, it's a good idea to scrub the copper with some soap and scotch brite. Sometimes the residue of the etching solution will continue to etch the metal even after you remove it from the etching bath. To prevent this, you can scrub the metal with ammonia to neutralize the etching solution. (Thank again, Wolfgang) If you have a torch, I would recommend annealing and pickling the copper just to make sure it's completely clean. You now have an etched piece of copper that is ready to be cut, formed, and finished in any way you like.
Description et caractéristiques : Rouleaux ruban de cuivre et bord intérieur noir 12.7 mm 1/2 pouces longueur de 33 mètres linéaires. Ruban de cuivre noir du cooperfoild black 1.27 cm pour la création de vitraux Tiffany. Rouleau de ruban de cuivre autocollant de 33 mètres linéaires pour le vitrail Tiffany ou pour entourer un cadre ou objet. cooperfoild 1/2 pouces soit 12.7 mm de largeur. épaisseur 1.25 millimètres noir coté autocollant et cuivre en extérieur: permet d'annuler le reflet brillant sur la tranche du verre. Réalisez sereinement vos vitraux avec les fournitures made in mosaic. Pour réaliser sereinement vos vitraux avec les outils pros ; retrouvez nos conseils pour la réalisation d'un vitrail technique Tiffany avec cette VIDEO: cliquez ICI
Etching metal is one of my favorite metalsmithing techniques- it's a great way to create a surface pattern or image in metal. If you want to...
MONDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2015 9:00 am until 4:00 pm MARY HETTMANSPERGER HINGES, DOORS, BOOKS & LOCKETS $145 one-day class Using copper sheeting, students will design a hinged locket. Students may bring a personal photo, image or favorite paper to place in the locket, or use papers and images that Mary has selected. Mica is used to protect the image and cold connections hold it in place. Students will make one locket with a copper back and a sterling silver front and will have material to make more books and lockets using just the copper. Patinas, texturing, and metal applications, including embossing will also be covered. The focus of this class is to master the hinge using tabs to create a variety of moveable doors. It is a low-tech process with fabulous results. Students will make several different designs. KIT FEE - $45 – PAYABLE TO INSTRUCTOR AT CLASS TIME I will provide all materials for completion of the class project STUDENT SUPPLY LIST Hammer Bench block Texturing hammers if desired Needle nose pliers Bent Nose pliers Metal scissors or snips Wire cutters CONTACT Email [email protected] Website www.maryhetts.com TUESDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2015 9:00 am until 4:00 pm MARY HETTMANSPERGER TORCH FIRE ENAMELING AND TAB BEZELS $145 one-day class Using torch firing in a variety of ways, students will make colorful and unique pieces of jewelry. Copper sheeting, wire, enamels, cold connections and embellishments will all be used to create layering and unusual effects in enameling. Patinas, texturing, and basic wire and metal applications will also be covered. Many torching techniques will be covered, such as adding Glass beads, silver foil, resist, sifting, embedding items, stencils, patinas and more. The focus will be the endless possibilities of torch fire enameling and the benefits of using tab bezels to connect when using enamels. KIT FEE - $48 – PAYABLE TO INSTRUCTOR AT CLASS TIME I will provide all materials for completion of the class project STUDENT SUPPLY LIST Hammer Metal scissors Bench block or small anvil Needle nose pliers Bent nose pliers Wire cutters CONTACT Email [email protected] Website www.maryhetts.com WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2015 9:00 am until 4:00 pm MARY HETTMANSPERGER ALTERNATIVE COLORS ON METAL $145 one-day class Students will learn a variety of unique surfaces using patinas, embossing, and colored pencils. Students will also incorporate found items into the jewelry, allowing the pieces to become narrative and personal. A variety of cold connections and weaving techniques will be used instead of soldering to connect and create the pieces. Students will use copper and brass sheet metal for accent and a variety of found objects to construct their pieces. Students are encouraged to bring their budding ideas, and small personal found objects to discover the endless options for assembling and connecting. The goal is to find unique designs and approaches and use personal expression to create the jewelry during the class. Students will have a vast number of new and alternative approaches to surface and construction. KIT FEE - $48 – PAYABLE TO INSTRUCTOR AT CLASS TIME I will provide all materials for completion of the class project STUDENT SUPPLY LIST Hammer Metal scissors Bench block or small anvil Needle nose pliers Bent nose pliers Wire cutters CONTACT Email [email protected] Website www.maryhetts.com THURSDAY FEBRUARY 5, 2015 9:00 am until 4:00 pm MARY HETTMANSPERGER LOOPING OVER GLASS, BEADS, METAL, STONES AND MORE $145 one-day class Using tumbled beach glass base, rocks and other beautiful focal items, students will create a layer of knotless netting using a fine wire. A variety of colored wire along with copper and silver filled wire will be used in this weaving technique. Students will have an opportunity to layer items under the netting, leave areas open and exposed to create visual interest and add beads in the netting for embellishment, use as a layer in metal work and added as texture. Students should finish a couple in the class time, but will be given, several items to loop over and the wire needed to complete all projects. KIT FEE - $48 – PAYABLE TO INSTRUCTOR AT CLASS TIME I will provide all materials for completion of the class project STUDENT SUPPLY LIST Hammer Bench block Texturing hammers if desired Needle nose pliers Metal scissors or snips Wire cutters
Bonjour à tous !! Ce trimestre, découvrez mon tout nouveau tuto estival, facile et inédit en couverture du magazine français Polymère and Co . Dans ce tutoriel, vous apprendrez à créer un pochoir éphémère - grâce à un ingrédient secret chuuuut ! -...
Tarif Colissimo 2024 pour l'envoi de colis en France et vers l'étranger avec les offres Colissimo international, Outre-Mer et Prêt-à-envoyer
Ces boucles d'oreilles en émail fabriquées à la main sont fabriquées à partir d'une feuille de cuivre découpée, poncée et martelée en forme légèrement rectangulaire. Les formes en cuivre sont soigneusement nettoyées et préparées afin de recevoir l'émail. J'applique plusieurs couches d'émail, qui est du verre finement poudré, d'abord sur le dos puis sur le devant de la pièce. Chaque application doit être cuite avec un chalumeau à combustible mixte ou dans un four à 1 450 degrés, puis nettoyée avant de pouvoir ajouter la couche suivante. Ce processus de cuisson est répété plusieurs fois. Dimensions : La troisième photo montre la taille de la pièce par rapport à une règle. Ces boucles d'oreilles ont des fils d'oreille hypoallergéniques en niobium qui se coordonnent avec la couleur du cuivre, mais vous pouvez spécifier de simples fils français en argent sterling si vous préférez. Tous mes bijoux arriveront dans une boîte cadeau pour votre commodité. Merci de soutenir un artiste indépendant !
It may be a cliché, but enameling is one of those techniques that takes a minute to learn, but a lifetime to master. If you've ever wanted to try enameling, don't be intimidated, it's very easy to get started. Enameling is great because you can get very satisfying results right away, but with practically endless enameling techniques to try, you will never get bored! This tutorial will teach you the basic first steps of enameling- how to fire a coat of enamel onto a flat metal piece. Enameling is the art of fusing glass to metal. The basic procedure for enameling is to apply the enamel to clean metal, and heat the piece either in a kiln or with a torch to a temperature of 1500 degrees or so, until the glass enamel melts and fuses to the metal. Enamels come in powdered and liquid forms, but powder is more commonly used because it is easier to apply and comes in a wider range of colors. Enamel can be fused to gold, fine silver, copper, and steel. You can enamel on sterling silver too if you depletion gild or "bring up the fine silver" first, but that would be a whole different tutorial. I would recommend starting with copper, because it is very inexpensive compared to gold and silver, and it is very easy to work with. Safety: The main safety issue when working with enamels is the heat. Make sure you are firing away from flammable materials, on a heat proof surface. Don’t leave your kiln unattended when it is hot. If you are using a larger kiln, you will want heat proof gloves to protect your hands. Wear tinted safety glasses to protect your eyes from the light of the torch or kiln. If you are sensitive to dust, you may want to wear a dust mask when sifting enamel. Materials: -Copper sheet, 18 or 20 gauge and jeweler's saw or disc cutter to cut out shapes OR -Precut copper shapes from an enamel or jewelry supply company -80 mesh enamels- you can get enamels from various places, but I like Thompson Enamel -Holding agent- this is an organic gum solution that acts as a sort of glue to hold the enamel powder on the metal -Sifter- you can buy these in various sizes from enamel supply companies or make your own by cutting the bottom out of a plastic cup and gluing in a piece of fine screen -Jeweler's file -Tweezers -Ball Clay or Scalex (optional) - This is a clay slip like substance used to coat the un-enameled side of a piece during firing. -Pickle Pot and Copper Tongs- to clean metal OR -Pumice powder, scouring powder, or commercial metal cleaner to clean metal. For Kiln Firing: -Kiln- there are two basic types of kilns. The cheaper kind (which I have) is called a beehive or hotplate kiln. It's basically a heating element set inside a round chamber with a domed lid. This kiln is great for doing small pieces, but it does have its limitations. The other kind of kiln is like a little oven with a door that opens in the front. These can accommodate larger pieces, and you can get them with fancy features like temperature controls and shutoff cycles. -Metal Spatula or fork- for moving pieces in and out of the kiln -Firing Supports- Trivets and/or wire screens. The firing support should hold the enamel while firing and allow you to transport the enamel piece in and out of the kiln with your spatula. The trivet is made with three or more angled metal arms that hold the enamel by its edges. Some trivets have built in legs so you can slide your spatula under them to move them. Some trivets don't have legs and need to be placed on a wire mesh firing screen with the corners bent down. You can also improvise a piece of steel with bent down corners to set your trivets on (see the firing photos below) For Torch Firing: -Torch- Any kind of torch used for jewelry making will work. I use a super basic propane torch from the hardware store. It's inexpensive and convenient, but doesn't get hot enough to fire pieces larger than 1" in diameter. Acetylene and propane/oxygen torches get hotter, and can fire larger pieces. -Firing supports- Trivets. For torch firing you need something you can get your torch under to fire the enamel from below. A tall enough trivet will work or you can get a tripod with a mesh screen on top and set your trivet on that. Preparing the metal: -Cut the shape you want out of copper sheet, or use a precut shape. -If you want to dome or otherwise form the metal, do it now. -Clean the metal- I find the best way to do this is to heat the metal to a dull red with a torch to burn off all the dirt and oil, and then pickle it. Otherwise, you can scrub your metal with pumice powder or household scouring powder, or use a commercial copper cleaner. Once your metal is clean don’t touch it! The oils from your fingers will prevent the enamel from adhering properly. Use tweezers to pick up the metal. Sifting the first coat: -You will want to enamel both sides of your metal. The enamel on the back of the piece is called the counter enamel. If both sides of the piece will be visible when finished, choose an appropriate color. If the back will not be seen, you can use mixed odds and ends of enamel. -When firing the first coat of enamel, the other side will be blackened by the heat of firing. There are two ways to deal with this. You can use ball clay or scalex to coat one side of the metal before applying enamel to the other side. This is a sort of clay like product that protects the metal during firing. You just paint it on and after firing it flakes off the metal. Otherwise, you can just enamel one side and then pickle the piece to remove the oxidation from the bare metal. I prefer this method, because it seems to work better and it’s less messy. -Holding your metal in a pair of tweezers, either spray or paint on a thin layer of holding agent. You want just enough to hold the enamel powder onto the metal, not a big puddle. -When sifting the enamel, you can set the metal piece on a piece of glossy magazine paper to catch the extra enamel. If you are making a larger piece, it helps to put a something under the metal to lift if up off the paper and make it easier to pick up. A soda bottle cap works nicely. Otherwise, you can hold the piece in a pair of cross-lock tweezers directly over the jar of enamel while you sift. I like to do this when making small pieces. -Put some enamel in your sifter, and gently tap the sifter with your finger to springle enamel onto the metal. You want to apply a thick enough layer of enamel to cover all the metal, but not too thick. It might take a few tries to get it just right, so do some experimenting. -Once the enamel is applied, let the holding agent dry completely before firing. If you try to fire a piece before it is completely dry, the liquid will boil away causing enamel to pop off of the piece. If you are kiln firing, you can set the piece on its firing support on top of the kiln lid to dry. If you are torch firing, you can set the piece on its firing support and very carefully heat it from below to dry it. Kiln firing: -Use your spatula to transfer the piece on its firing support into the kiln. Firing times vary depending on the enamel color, the thickness of application, and the size of the piece, so you can’t really time the firing. Take a peek every so often to see how the piece is progressing. First the enamel will start to melt into an orange peel texture, then it will fuse fully and smooth out. -Once the enamel is fully fused, use the spatula to remove the piece from the kiln. Let it cool on its firing support Torch firing: -With the enamel piece on its firing support, heat the piece from below with your torch. The enamel will blacken where the torch hits it. You will be able to see the progression of the enamel melting and fusing to the metal. Even if you are using a kiln, I would recommend torch firing a piece to get a better understanding of what happens during the firing process. Sifting additional coats: -File the edges of the metal to remove any oxidation or stray enamel. You will need to do this after each coat you fire. -Clean the un-enameled side of the metal thoroughly. -Sift a coat of enamel onto the un-enameled side. -Dry and fire as before. -Continue to apply coats of enamel until you are satisfied with the appearance of your piece. Chances are your first coat won’t look so great. It may be uneven or bumpy. As you apply more enamel, you will get more even colors and a smoother surface. Three coats of enamel will usually give pretty good results. Try layering different colors of enamel. Experimentation is key when learning how to enamel, so get yourself a bunch of little pieces of copper and go to town.
It's been a bit quiet on the blog front for the past few weeks. I put my Etsy shop and website on holiday just before Christmas so I could have a break, relax and also get cracking with making new jewellery. I did quite a lot of relaxing {and scoffing chocolates, yum!} over Christmas and the New Year and enjoyed catching up with the end of the second season of The Affair, started watching the second season of Fargo {which to me seems so much better than the first} and other stuff I'd stockpiled with Sky+ . I did give my shed a proper clean too - even wiping down shelves which were covered with black dust {nice} and I even washed the windows :D I also got round to making some new jewellery. I felt the need to make some bronze earrings and decided to add some patterns to the sheet bronze with my rolling mill. I used a mix of textured card, leaf skeletons and brass texture sheet that I'd bought and some brass sheet that I'd etched with a stamped designs. I started off by cutting the bronze sheet to size then annealed it. This is me attempting to anneal some bronze sheet and take a photo at the same time. DO NOT ADJUST YOUR EYES - THE PHOTO IS BLURRY! I normally buy my textured card from Rolling Mill Resources on Etsy and generally get good results. This blog post from January 2014 shows the results on sterling silver and copper sheet using textured card bought from Rolling Mill Resources. This time I used some textured card from another shop and have been pretty disappointed with the results to be honest. Below is a piece of bronze textured with one of their cards. The pattern is there but it's pretty faint. The patterns on these two pieces of bronze turned out pretty faintly too. Below: this strip was textured using a piece of textured card from Rolling Mill Resources... Admittedly having a long thin shape makes it easier to impress the pattern onto the metal and I did maybe roll it a little bit too tight which is why the metal has curved but the results are much deeper and clearer. Compare the card textures to using metal to impress the design... The bronze on the left was rolled with a piece of etched brass and the other piece with a brass texture plate I bought ages ago. Lovely clear patterns! I flipped over the largest piece {shown above} that had the faint card texture and used a piece of brass I'd etched with a stamped design. Much better! I also used a leaf skeleton. You can't go wrong with them, they work so well on all the metals I've tried them with. The fibrous nature of the veins is obviously pretty sturdy. The photo collage at the top of this post shows what I did with some of the patterned bronze but more about that in my next post! Copyright © 2016 Cinnamon Jewellery. All rights reserved.
