New Work from the New Bench

Here are a couple of new pieces that I made recently. I have just reconfigured part of my shop and built two new benches.

Here is a picture of the main view of my shop and the new bench where I do a majority of my work at.

Here is the newest member of my shop, a vacuum casting machine and investment table. Woo hoo!

Cherry Blossom Pendant

I made this pendant recently and have it listed on my Etsy store now. The pendant was inspired by a common motif of cherry and plum blossoms that appear in various Japanese metalwork. This pendant was made using an overlay technique where I cut the flower design in one piece of silver and then apliqued the piece onto another silver piece. The pendant measures 5/8 inch x 1 1/2 inch long.

Rolled and Riveted

Here is a ring that I have been working on for a bit and have just finished up. It features two panels of silver that were roller printed with the hull of a tomatillo to achieve the texture. The panels were drilled and then fixed in place with hand hammered silver rivets. The dark finish is a result of liver of sulfur that was applied at the end and then I used steel wool removed some of the oxidation to reveal the pattern.

Cuttlebone Cast Ring

I made this ring this past weekend to add to my newly opened Etsy store. The ring is fabricated and cast from sterling silver. This ring has a formed cast piece that makes the top of the ring that was cast using a mold made from the bone of the cuttlefish. The texture that is imparted on the cast silver can be seen on the top and inside of the ring.

Roller Printed Silver and Gold Earrings

Just finished these earrings that are made from 18 K gold and sterling silver.

 

 

Fold-Formed Bracelet Prototype

Here is a fold-formed copper bracelet that I made today. I started with a strip (1.5" x 4.0") of 22 gauge copper and rolled it through the rolling mill to reduce it to about 24 gauge. After rolling it, it had lengthened to about 5 inches long. After rolling it, I annealed the copper and then folded it lengthwise. Before hammering it, I cut the folded piece into a half-moon shape that tapered toward the ends of the strip. After cutting to shape, I hammered the edges on the side opposing the fold. I did this hammering/annealing process 3 times before opening it up to its present form. This bracelet would fit an average to small woman. Now that I have dialed in the dimensions of the starting material, I can confidently make this from sterling silver.

New Pitch Bowl

I just got a pitch bowl to start working on some chasing and repousse projects that I have wanted to do for  a while. I ordered the larger, deep pitch bowl from Rio Grande and also the medium green chaser's pitch that they carry that is made by A Copper Rose. I decided to forgo the common plaster or cement at the bottom of the bowl and opted for a rock that I picked up down by the beach where we live. I avoided having to use all 5 pounds of my pitch to fill a deep bowl.