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Hi!
So in about 1 month, my husband and I will be moving into a new home and I will FinallY have the space for my own art studio. I have been wire wrapping and beading for a while now and want to begin learning fabricating and forging. I stay home with my daughter while my husband works and it looks like it will be quite some time before I can find classes that are compatible with his/our schedule. I learn quite rapidly though, and intend to teach myself as much as possible. I just got a copy of Oppi Untracht's Jewelry Concepts and Technology, Tim McCrieght's Complete Metalsmith (Pro edition) and some others - including one on Metal Clay (though I do not have a kiln yet). I plan to get a subscription to jewelry artist when we move.
My question is: Can you all give me advice on where to start? I understand the ideas behind piercing sheet metal and then drilling it and filing it, and think I will learn to solder pretty fast. But what sort of things should I learn first and what tools should I invest in? Should I pick things I am interested in making and then just focus on learning the techniques involved in making them? For instance, I am very interested in making pendants of different metals (like lockets and things that open up) - so should I focus on designing ones that I like and then worry abou† what's involved in the processes?
I am very excited to have recognized what really is calling out to me for my life's work...now I just need to go and tackle the aspects of how to make a business of it all. I have always been an artist and draw and paint constantly - and have been making gifts for people to wear for years and years....I am truly so very excited to get started and am blessed to have found a tribe of people who are all so talented - Any advice will certainly be appreciated.
So in about 1 month, my husband and I will be moving into a new home and I will FinallY have the space for my own art studio. I have been wire wrapping and beading for a while now and want to begin learning fabricating and forging. I stay home with my daughter while my husband works and it looks like it will be quite some time before I can find classes that are compatible with his/our schedule. I learn quite rapidly though, and intend to teach myself as much as possible. I just got a copy of Oppi Untracht's Jewelry Concepts and Technology, Tim McCrieght's Complete Metalsmith (Pro edition) and some others - including one on Metal Clay (though I do not have a kiln yet). I plan to get a subscription to jewelry artist when we move.
My question is: Can you all give me advice on where to start? I understand the ideas behind piercing sheet metal and then drilling it and filing it, and think I will learn to solder pretty fast. But what sort of things should I learn first and what tools should I invest in? Should I pick things I am interested in making and then just focus on learning the techniques involved in making them? For instance, I am very interested in making pendants of different metals (like lockets and things that open up) - so should I focus on designing ones that I like and then worry abou† what's involved in the processes?
I am very excited to have recognized what really is calling out to me for my life's work...now I just need to go and tackle the aspects of how to make a business of it all. I have always been an artist and draw and paint constantly - and have been making gifts for people to wear for years and years....I am truly so very excited to get started and am blessed to have found a tribe of people who are all so talented - Any advice will certainly be appreciated.
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Re: fabricating and forging
Tue, May 27, 2008 - 9:27 PMIf you are near a local community college or JC you may have access to a good inexpensive introduction to welding(gas welding I mean). This will serve several functions. If you learn to solder with Oxy-Acetylene ,you can use that for jewelry and the same torch for beginning forging of small pieces. You will need to learn to weld to do mixed metals efficiently,and have your pieces hold up for a lifetime of use. After becoming comfortable with flame and silver soldering you can learn to flame cut (steel) with the same equipment. After that you can start learning arc welding MIG and TIG. In my experience teaching welding to students in the art department at U.C.Berkeley for 6 years,women make EXCELLENT TIG and gas welders,both processes of which could be used to advantage for jewelry of mixed metals.
Keep a sketch book and develop the discipline to draw at least an hour a day. Don't worry about HOW to make these pieces yet,just keep a log of good ideas. Someday you will own the skill to go back and do the best of your ideas. Drawing helps work out the bugs before taking torch to steel (or other materials where waste would be expensive)... -
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Unsu...
Re: fabricating and forging
Wed, May 28, 2008 - 9:32 AMThank you so much! I actually found an art welding class at our community college that might work schedule wise!
WLDG 1009 Basic Shielded Metal Arc Welding - Introduces oxyacetylene and arc welding techniques and safety to individuals with no welding experience.
It happens late enough in the afternoon that I might be able to make it there after my husband gets off work! Oddly enough I have always been fascinated by welding and wanted to learn for art... Unfortunately the current class is filled, but I will check on the next one and get myself enrolled!
Then I can take WLDG 1043 Intermediate Arc Welding - Introduces the student to the MIG, TIG, and flux-cored welding processes. Prerequisites: Basic Welding (WLDG 1007) or instructor approval.
Thanks for the great advice - if I lived in your area I would have wanted to learn from you for sure, so your advice is very valuable to me :D I am always so impressed with the greta work you do - the pictures of your art are amazing. Like the stuff you make for homes - whew!! That is pure beauty - I'd love to learn all that :)
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Re: fabricating and forging
Wed, May 28, 2008 - 11:56 AMI joined a local lapidary club so that I could have access to their casting lab. They also had a bench with a welding/soldering torch.
It turns out that I'm better at fabricating settings by soldering them together rather than making wax models and molds and then casting.
I'm glad that I learned fairly cheaply.
Your mileage may vary.
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Unsu...
Re: fabricating and forging
Wed, May 28, 2008 - 1:01 PMi have a small inkling that I too might be better at soldering than casting...but haven't tried casting at all, and have only soldered stained glass. I was also thinking about the whole metal clay PMC stuff...but haven't decided on investing in a kiln...i have to figure out whether making stuff using the clay would be cost effective. i am very excited to learn to solder. joining a lapidary club is a great idea - thanks! -
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Unsu...
Re: fabricating and forging
Wed, May 28, 2008 - 1:59 PMI have used the PMC silver clay quite a bit. You actually don't have to have a kiln unless doing alot at once or pretty big pieces.
I use a torch to do mine and it works fine .
Cost wise, the clay is expensive (especially if you make a boo boo,I've accidentally broken dried but unfired pieces before ...ugh)
but you can do some unique things with it.
Get some regular clay and practice with it first so as not to waste the metal clays. -
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Unsu...
Re: fabricating and forging
Tue, June 3, 2008 - 11:38 AMso then is metal cvlay just very similar to regular clay for art? were you able to use slip to reattach it? I mean, when I used to make clay projects in the olden days o' high school [don't ask, the 10 years between then and now were absolutely ridiculous and I haven't had the opportunity to clay it up since and right now am fuzzy on remembering my trials and efforts then] i was able to repair things when needed, but up until i let it dry out for firing...well, does metal clay go through the leather hard and super hard stages before firing? does it rehydrate?
I will definitely check into regular clay to get a feel for it again...
was thinking of starting there with pendants since it is something I feel somewhat familiar with. -
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Unsu...
Re: fabricating and forging
Tue, June 3, 2008 - 11:48 AMIt's really similar to regular clay. It tends to dry a bit quick but a bit of dampening helps. And yep slip is wonderous for attaching stuff and doing cool stuff with. They also have a paste ( basically watered down clay) and slip ( really really watered down clay)
I saw a tutorial on taking the slip and painting leaves in multiple coats to get thickness to make some neat pendents with the imprint of the leaf.
You have to leave it to air dry ( I do it for about a day) then I just use my torch on a firing brick. Length is according to size/weight after it hits the orange glow point. Small pieces about 45 secs-1 min usually.
You can reuse dried out clay , say you broke a piece after drying but before firing. Crunch it or powder it back up and add water to make slip or paste. You can't do this though once it's been fired as it becomes a solid piece of silver and would have to be melted then.
I practiced with polymer clay, it's cheap and fairly similar in sculpting, cutting, imprint etc. and cheap lol
Hope this helps, it's quite fun.
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Re: fabricating and forging
Thu, May 29, 2008 - 10:34 AMThe only drawback to the club I joined is that it is strictly a Non-Profit Organization - which means I could not do things in the shop if I was planning on selling them :(
OTOH, there were a lot of talented people that were willing to share tips and techniques.... I learned a lot!
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Re: fabricating and forging
Wed, May 28, 2008 - 1:29 PMThe sequence of projects my jewelry instructor has for Jewelry I class is:
1. Pierced Pendant--to teach Jeweler's Saw usage.
2. Carved Ring Band--to teach file usage and an introduction to soldering.
2a. Solder the bail onto the Pierced Pendant (after soldering the ring).
3. Fabricated Shank Bracelet--To teach various soldering techniques: minimum requirements are:
one wire to wire solder.
one wire to sheet solder.
one sheet to sheet solder.
one decorative wire element.
one piercing of the sheet/s elements.
4. Fused Silver Project--To teach fusing and push the students to design around an abstract form.
5. Hollow Construction (a.k.a. Box Construction) using 20 to 22 gauge metal. The function of this piece is left to the students. I've seen ear rings, large hollow form finger rings, large (but very light ) pendants and brooches, and a belt buckle. for this project.
6. The final project: Function is students' choice. The goal is to stun the teacher with their brilliance using as many of the techniques learned from the previous projects as possible.
I thought is was a logical progression of skills, thus I typed it up here for you. I hope it helps. -
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Re: fabricating and forging
Thu, May 29, 2008 - 10:31 AMThat's a progression that makes a lot of sense - wish I'd thought of it!
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