Cleaning up the bottom of the CAD house ring
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Cleaning and polishing the inside of the little silver handmade house ring
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Making and soldering on ring shanks
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And trying settings for size… A hand woven silver and rose gold panel and a little dark grey pebble from our recent (mini) grand tour of Scotland. This one came all the way from Lower Largo
;))
Today I mainly worked on a CAD ring that will become part of an installation that I’m making (for the Handmade by Machines Exhibition at The Lighthouse at the end of June). Although, the ring itself may well make an early guest appearance at our end of year show first depending on its state of readiness.
(Am also hoping the piece may count towards my final unit: advanced jewellery manufacturing techniques too… as it definitely demonstrates several advanced techniques… as required… right?… Colin?? ;))
I started the day with a little silver house, which I designed several months ago, using CAD. The design is very much based on my handmade house rings – only much more symmetrical ;)) I also designed the wee bird on CAD at the same time as the house and handmade the round ring shank more recently.
The wee bird had a fat sprue, which had originally attached it onto the casting tree. I spent most of the morning filing this into a narrower, more elegant (I’d like to think) wire.
Next came the soldering…
I often love the unfinished, soldered pieces almost as much as the cleaned, final versions… maybe even more in fact. I love the pale green colour that appeared on the back of this house after soldering. I can just imagine some of my other house rings spray painted or enamelled to give a lovely distressed finish at some point. That’s the plan anyway. Although, I shall probably allow this one to remain clean as I do love the finish that it left the casting machine with – reminds me of a wooden hut or a clapboard house.
I pickled the house (somewhat reluctantly ;)) to begin the cleaning process.
Then filed off the edges of the newly soldered base and packed it away for the night with some of its housemates (I know!) ready to work on again in the morning.
It’s the final countdown and the final brief – Jewellery Design: Manufacturing Techniques Advanced, to be precise. This is where I get to consolidate my learning and (fingers crossed) my Final Collection! 13 days til the End of Year Show… and counting!
We have been asked to produce a piece (or pieces) using two advanced techniques to compliment our previous designs – exploring 4 Design Options in total. I have to say, I have gone all around the houses on this one (visual pun intended!) as we have had so much else to complete but I think I may be making a little progress now… Again *crosses fingers*
Design Option 1
Distressed Enamelled Pendant
Materials: Rubber (for Mold), Wax (for Casting), Casting Silver, Silver Square Wire 1.2mm, Kiln Enamels
Equipment: Hot Press, Soldering Station, Casting Machine, Oval Bangle Mandrel, Kiln, Wax Injector
Advanced Techniques Used: Forming, Casting, Enamelling
A new silver pendant is born :)) There is an enamel version in the pipeline too. Watch this space…
Choosing just the right ‘stone’ to set on the front of the brooch
choices, choices…
The little velvety grey pebble from Birsay Bay wins the day…
Making the bezel: the edited (unmelted/unsawn through) highlights that is…
nearly there now! all that remains to be done is to put the whole thing together(!) told in pictures in the very next post :))
This weekend is officially dedicated to putting my Design Boards together!! No more time left to procrastinate, though I’m sure I’ll still manage ;)) Listening to KC – And the Racket They Made – to set me off on the right atmospheric track ;)) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQaFxPeI1Vg&list=RDBQaFxPeI1Vg May have to put The Magnetic North on a loop later to really feel that Orkney spirit – the whole album mind, not just this one track – that would be a wee bit obsessive, even by my standards ;)) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tb2Ebf0gYI
In other news, this week has been full of making! The Graded Unit brooch continues unabated, despite my best efforts to melt bezels and completely forget how to saw in a straight line…
Wednesday and Thursday: Cutting and Piercing the Brooch Back
Friday: Findings, Bezel Settings and Choosing the perfect ‘stone’
Step One: Findings (and finding that the ones I’d made earlier now seem just a little too small!) The remedy, in four easy steps…
1. Making the (difficult) decision that the brooch findings are just too dainty (difficult, because I now have to make a new set!) 2. Soldering the new (less dainty) findings together 3. Soldering new findings to brooch back (slathered with Argotect – to try to prevent too much firestain *crosses fingers*) 4. Cleaning up brooch back and admiring new elegant just-the-right-size findings ;))
to be continued…
The last few weeks haven’t been all about the Graded Unit (thankfully!). On my recent trip to Arran, I took some pieces from my current collection along with me, and had loads of fun shooting new images on a gloriously sunny beach :))
Here’s a tiny sneak preview – with added bonus image of my (as yet unfinished) graded unit brooch… posing as a ring for the occasion!
With special thanks to my first-rate location team and models (without whom, none of this would have been possible) ;))
Tried to fit the old outer frame around the new woven panel… but it no longer seems to fit! no matter how hard I try to hammer ease it into place…!
Nothing for it but to make a new frame. Luckily I’m not working to a deadline… O wait… isn’t that the 1st of May fast approaching…! Quick, hand me that torch!
Making the new frame from an already partially made prototype, hence the random angles…
nearly there now…
all ready to be cleaned up
First things first, solder the bezel to the frame *don’t melt, don’t melt, don’t melt*
Then set the stone…
Pushing over the bezel…
bit by bit…
by bit…
Burnishing the bezel
hearthhometidetime 
