A chronicle of the meanderings, false starts (which in retrospect, while sort of embarrassing turned out to be highly instructive), epiphanies, selective apathy (still evolving), wild mood swings, opinions (subject to frequent change), and life lessons of an inveterate dabbler (and her latest dabblings).

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Mixed Metal Craziness

The last couple of months I seem seized by the compulsion to--GULP--mix my metals (I'm sure I would have been put to death for this in Biblical times--I'm such a rebel). I recently acquired some absolutely fabulous handcrafted African beads in brass and copper from Afrobeadia on Etsy, and they cried out to be together, so I obeyed. I was feeling all rustic and rudimentary so I dispensed with any color other than the metal, and the dark cocoa brown of my leather and linen cording:
I've been playing with making charms from wire--that's my heart charm at the bottom of the picture. I have also fallen in love with Mykonos cast charms--you can see a tiny little heart at the top hiding under the toggle bar--I've been getting Mykonos from Stinky Dog Beads. I love the heft of it and the lovely, antiqued finishes.

I've also been soldering toggle rings and connector rings lately, and embossing them on both sides with my metal texture sheet/hammer technique (bashing the crap out of them with a hammer hides my messy amateur soldering!)--you can see them above. The trick is to sandwich your metal element between two texture sheets, and hammer the texture into both sides at the same time. I've been making my own texture sheets, etching nickel sheet with my favorite patterns.

I adore these brass beads below (also from Afrobeadia)--they're sort of like a cut-tube, but slightly rounded, and lightly soldered on the side. They have a light texture on them, that I think just came from the fabrication process. I dropped them in a strong liver of sulfur solution to really bring up the gold tones, and then tumbled them for a couple hours and they came out simply glorious (the lighting yesterday just didn't do them justice).
I got a whole spool of this lovely deertan leather lacing at Blue Peacock Beads on Etsy...
And a whole spool of solid, raw copper ball chain from Rings & Things--because it's raw, it's super easy to antique as you wish. I do a little bit at a time in the liver of sulfur, and tumble it until it's a rich, shiny chestnut, and then I seal it with ClearGuard before I incorporate it in my jewelry.

I went kind of crazy for these "torpedo" beads a while back--I got a bunch of them in copper and sterling from Monsterslayer. I hammered them lightly to give them a bit of texture (they are a seamed bead, so you have to do this carefully to avoid deforming them). These are more of those Mykonos heart charms from Stinky Dog Beads, you can see them lots better here--one in "bronze" (which is actually a very nice copper color) and one in brass.
This bracelet also includes some brass "cocoon" beads I made using a tutorial by Kharisma Sommers of Popnicute jewelry. Sometimes they add just the right texture.

I went back to my favorite brass beads for this one below, and did some variations on my wire heart charm--I made this one with 12 gauge wire. Whew! I must have annealed it 6 times while I worked on it. I love the heavy chunkiness of it--12 gauge wire from now on for these! Unless they're necklace-sized, and then they'll have to be 10 gauge wire. I better start doing some upper body work at the gym!
I also did some different connectors for the clasp section of this bracelet, and the one above--with strips of textured sheet instead of just jump rings. (I get bored so fast...)

So then I got all excited and ordered a pile more of brass beads from Fire Mountain Gems because I didn't have enough different kinds--just in time for my obsession with color to reassert itself, so I made this yesterday:
The discs are recycled glass beads from Happy Mango Beads (and they're all out of my favorite coke bottle blue-green color--DAMN!); the oval bead at bottom left is some delicious aqua chalcedony; and the carved flower at the top is green aventurine. I did a hook and eye clasp on this one, made from a strip of 22 gauge copper sheet, textured on both sides. I used big-hole copper rondelle spacers from RioGrande in between the discs--perfect if you've got thick, or multiple strands of cording.

After I did this last bracelet, I ordered more of these glass discs in a bunch of different colors, and they will arrive just in time for me to get obsessed with something else. Why can't I ever get obsessed with stuff I already have?

15 comments:

  1. I love the complexity and colors of your work! Always a pleasure to see your stuff.

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  2. Missed your posts and work. Looks like you're back. Love the mixes of texture, colors and metal. I don't want to work, just want to beat my metal all day!

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  3. How are you applying Clear Guard; spray, brush? Which do you find to work better and are you using the matte or satin finish? I'm looking for something to use to seal my work from tarnish and getting too dark. Love your work and thank you for sharing links to your suppliers.

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    1. I use a small brush, or I dip some kinds of small components, it just depends. Spray is not convenient for me. So far I have used only the satin, although I do have a can of the matte, I just haven't used it for anything. I find the satin performs exactly the same as Permalac, which I also like a lot. I don't really care for Renaissance Wax but that's just a personal preference.

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  4. Oh GULP, I love absolutely EVERYTHING you create. I don't know what it is about your style but I get excited just looking at the photos. WHY don't I have one of your pieces? I must admit I don't wear a lot of jewelry but I HAVE to have something of yours! NOW to figure out which it will be. I LOVE the mixed metals. And the last bracelet is gorgeous too. LORD have mercy!

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    1. Aww, thank you Shelley! (Little secret, I don't wear jewelry either!) I think making one's own components really bumps up the "unique" factor, but boy does it take a lot of time! I have to say it's worth it to me, though. Unfortunately these four bracelets have already sold, but I am happy to say I'm pretty confident there will be more! I post them to my Facebook business page when they are listed, so keep an eye out!

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  5. I couldn't agree more with everyone's comment! I absolutely love, love, love everything that you create! You're my copper idol!!! Seriously though you just have a way with creating the components & then with putting them all together! I've got a question regarding the nickle sheet used for texture plates. You use the etched nickle plates as texture by just hammering? That's amazing! I don't have a rolling mill & I really do get stumped sometimes with what to use & how to use it. Thank you for sharing your secrets! And thank you for creating! I get so motivated to get busy making after I've read your posts & Gulped up all the pics of your amazing work!

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    1. Yep, just hammering! I don't have a rolling mill either. Here's my post on doing this using foreign coins as texture: http://cerebraldilettante.blogspot.com/search?q=power+of+money It's the same approach using sheets instead of coins. (Instead of pressing the texture in with the rollers on a mill, you bash it in with a hammer.) For my double-sided textures, I simply put my annealed item between two texture sheets and hammer. If you're only doing single-sided texture, just tape the item to your texture sheet and hammer it. The sheets will get deformed over time from hammering, probably faster than with a mill, but I don't want to buy a mill right now and have limited room so this is what I do. For me the sheets are easily replaceable.

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    2. p.s. http://www.rings-things.com/blog/2011/08/19/how-to-transfer-texture-to-metal-with-a-hammer/#.VCWANvldW8z

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  6. Keirstie, How do you make your copper ball pins without having the ball tip break off? I think I've tried almost everything I know but once I start working with them or attempt to hammer them flat, the tip breaks off. What can I be doing wrong? Is there a tutorial around somewhere where I can learn what I'm doing wrong? Thanks so much :^)

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    1. That's a good question, Jules! That's never happened to me, except occasionally when I've attempted a really tight bend near a flattened ball tip. I use a MAPP torch for my copper ball pins--i.e., high heat and the ball melts super fast. My only guess is that If you're trying to make copper ball pins with a butane or propane torch, it may be taking too long because of the lower heat, and your copper is staying in the heat too long and becoming fragile somehow. I don't know that much about metallurgy so I could be all wet about that. If you haven't tried it with MAPP gas, you might try that instead. Just be aware you will need a torch head specifically for MAPP, and you mustn't ever use the MAPP torch head it with any other gas. You can get both MAPP and MAPP torch heads inexpensively at Home Depot. It melts copper in a flash. Other than that I don't have any ideas!

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    2. I agree with all the previous posts, whenever I feel a bit down and fed-up I have a lurk on your blog and feel so much better after. Its such a tonic to read your stuff and look at the fantastic photographs of your lovely work.
      If I wore jewellry I'd snap all your work up. Thank you for keeping me happy!
      I've just learned how to ball copper wire and one dropped off and I know it was kept in longer than the others - its great when it works :)) I've tried your coin texture technique for beadcaps but got hardly any impression, didn't anneal though - does the sheet have to be hot before it takes texture? Could I also ask where you sourced your texture sheets from? Oh and and how on earth do you manage to coil 12g wire which pliers do you use? Sorry if I'm being greedy I'm just so hungry to learn. Keep bashing! :))

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    3. (This is in reply to Polyanya's comment.) Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm so glad you enjoy reading here--I wish I could write more! Yes, you must anneal to get a good texture. Here is a video on annealing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jSz11lz8MA You may need to anneal again if you are going to continue working with the textured pieces, as texturing them this way will make them very hard again. (You can use whatever torch you are already using, you don't need acetylene like the guy in the video has). I have been making my own texture sheets, etching my favorite patterns onto nickel sheets, but I have gotten brass texture sheets at Metal Clay Supply: http://www.metalclaysupply.com/Texture-Mats-s/75.htm I use a pair of Wubbers large bail making pliers for coiling heavy gauge wire: http://www.beaducation.com/shop/wubbers-large-bail-making-pliers-p-3353.html You definitely need some hand strength for that!

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    4. As always Keirsten your generosity is heartwarming, thank you so much. I shall skip over to you tube and check it out. Yep looks like I'm going to have make some texture sheets as well! Hey I'm a crofter, I have hands like a builder! :))

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  7. Well I spent most of yesterday evening looking at annealing and stuff and just read your post on Art Jewelry Elements about making your own texture plates for metal embossing - fascinating. I am definitely going to give it a go - thank you for making it look easy. I'm such a wuss about things sometimes and spend ages procrastinating through fear - now where's me hammer!

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