2.5 hours total (day, night, and weekend available)
Description:
Cold connections are ways of connecting materials into wearable jewelry/small sculptural works without the use of the torch and silver-soldering. This means you can combine metal and/or other materials that would other wise burn or explode when exposed to high heat; paper, mica, fabric, natural objects, plastic objects, photographs, etc.
We will cover traditional wire and tube rivets, small hardware components, sewing with thin-gauge metal wire, and/or connecting/joining with jump rings (pieces of chain).
This is an intro class to watch demos and practice techniques, not to create a work of art or finished lovely. Cold connections can easily transfer to your studio/workspace at home. A discussion of tools and supplies necessary will also be part of the workshop.
No previous jewelry making or metalworking experience is necessary.
Workshop is 2.5 hours in duration or two 3-hour meetings, depending upon format (day, night, and weekend available)
Description:
This workshop will cover a basic etching process that uses various simple resists and etches red brass, yellow brass, and copper. Students will draw, rubber stamp, and stencil various designs onto metal pieces. The etchant will be used while students are not present in the studio.
Option 1: On the second day of the workshop, you will take the etched metals and apply a variety of basic jewelry/small metals techniques such as disc cutting, dapping, filing, sanding, hammering, and drilling, in order to create no-soldered wearable earrings, bracelets, pendants, and more. Patina/oxidizing and a variety of hand finishes from satin to shiny will be covered.
Option 2: On the second day or second half of the workshop, you will Rollerprint your etched designs onto copper or sterling silver for bracelets, earrings, brooch elements, future silver soldering projects, solder inlay, use with enamels, etc.
No previous jewelry making or metalworking experience is necessary.
Enameling is the colorful result of fusing powdered glasses to metal with high heat, forming a durable vitreous coating. This class provides you with an overview of the ancient art of enameling, from metal preparation, properties of enamel, dry and wet applications, use of holding agent, klyre fyre, enamel threads, pure silver foil, millefiore and venetian glass canes, sgrafitto, stencils, non-traditional surfaces, transparents and opaques, crackles, cloisonne' wire, frit, stamps, kiln firing, and safe studio practices. Using copper as a base, the focus is on learning successful and varied approaches to applying enamel and embellishments such as cloisonne' wires and foils. Prepare to be adorned!
No previous jewelry making or metalworking experience is necessary.
Open Studios -- supervised work time -- are available to practice techniques learned once the Kiln Fired Enameling Intensive is completed (see below).
If you would like to add casting to your silversmithing repertoire, here is your chance!
Gravity pours are low-tech exciting ways to use clean scrap silver and casting grain to create one-of-a-kind or repeated sterling silver jewelry works. Gravity pour refers to using the weight of the molten metal to fill the mold, rather than the use of centrifugal force. It is an ancient technique with contemporary application!
Cuttlebone is the bone of the cuttlefish, a relative of the squid. You will prepare the cuttlebone to create a smooth surface in which to carve a design using simple tools. The resultant mold is then filled using a handheld crucible and molten silver...gravity pour!
We will also experiment with shapes that occur by pouring molten silver into water, onto ice, and onto split peas. Stinky, but gratifying. These cast elements can be completed as-is or added to with your silversmithing fabrication knowledge or re-melted in another gravity pour.
This is an introduction to various gravity pour techniques, in order to give you a taste of possibilities. If you get hooked it is very easy to continue using this technique in the studio.
(3 hours total) (day, night, and weekend available)
Description:
This is an intro to waxworking workshop to make wax models that are then cast in the lost wax casting technique. Students will work with wax sheet and wire, file-a-wax (block and tube), wax pots, alcohol lamps, waxworking tools, wax files and sawblades, etc to learn different ways to construct wax models.
The goal is to give you the information needed to create a wax model that you feel is worthy of casting. I will direct you to a local commercial caster for the casting process.
This workshop will provide you with a taste of what can be created with waxes. And what supplies are necessary to get started. It will require working on your own outside of class, and the investment of materials and tools is very small. You can also sign up for Open Studio for waxworking and use my tools and materials.
This workshop includes information about a great nationally-known local casting service that will cast your waxes and/or make molds.
No previous jewelry making or metalworking experience is necessary.
