Notes from Metal Adornments without Fusing Class, 6/17/05

Instructor: Kris Silva

Location: Bead and Button Show @ Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2005

Note: These materials were created from the notes that I took during the class. While these may be helpful to you, trust me, they cannot replace taking a class from Kris Silva. Her creativity, energy and knowledge are boundless and available to you in class. If you get a chance to take a class, do it.

Materials:

• Tools

· round nose pliers, chain nose pliers, bent nose pliers

· wire cutters

· wire straightener

· fine to medium files

· plastic mallet

· metal hole punch

· ball peen hammer, chasing hammer (large flat head), planishing hammer (50/400),
riveting hammer

· bench block (metal), hard rubber bench block (used in polymer clay)

· stamp set – alpha, numeric, and/or designers w/house hammer
(Hint: House hammer is specified because using your jewelry hammer on the steel stamp sets will damage your jewelry hammer.)

· dapping block w/punches. Wooden for use with 24 or 26 gauge metal. Metal dapping block for use with larger gauge metal.

· center punch (used to mark and start the hole)

· (optional) size drill gauge (check auto shops)

· (optional) dremel

· (optional) cut lube?

• Metal

· 12 gauge wire (for forged pieces)

· 14 gauge wire (for riveting)

· 18 gauge wire (for spiraling, can also use 16 & 20)

· 26 gauge blanks (sheeting in shapes such as circles, etc.). 24 gauge also acceptable.

Techniques:

• Forging – a technique to shape the wire into bars, etc. that can be hole punched. Start with a 12 gauge wire. If you can drill the piece instead of punch, can use 14 – 20 gauge wire.
  (Hint: If you are going to drill, drill into a hard rubber block used by polymer clay artists. A good alternative as wood can hurt the blade.)
  To shape the wire, you have a few choices.
• Using a chasing hammer, hold hammer at the end of the handle, and strike down and out. Almost as if you change your mind at the last minute, and want to pull the hammer off by pulling it off horizontally.
• Using a plenishing hammer, first note that the hammer has a flat side and a slightly convex side. The convex side will create more splaying and a slight groove.
• Starting with the convex side, start in the center and work out.
  Repeat with the flat side.
• Repeat again – convex side, flat side.
  Be sure to keep an eye out to ensure the edges are still rounded.
  (Hint: With metal, the idea is always to start small, and increase.)
• File as appropriate. Use the rounded edge of a file to smooth burs after filing.
  (Hint: When filing, lean on a hard rubber bench block (used in polymer clay) to get resistance.)
  
  
• Dapping – a technique to curve the metal using a hammer and a dapping block.
  (Hint: With a wooden dapping block, use 24 or 26 gauge metal. With a metal dapping block can use larger gauge metal.).
• When you place a blank into the dapping block, you want the sharp edges to face up.
• Mark Places for Holes.
• Using a plastic mallet (on a wooden dapping block, or a metal hammer on a metal dapping block), use least concave area first – and then make more concave if you want.
• Begin tapping in the center, then move to the edge.
• If you want to texture with stamp sets, use a household hammer.
  (Hint: you want to texture, punch, then dome – in that order.)
  
  
• Wrapping. A few learnings on wrapping,
• Always wrap with thinner wire.
• Wrap away from you – while maintaining tension.
• Hold at 90 degree angle.
• Cut flush on.
  
  
• Riveting. Most important item to keep in mind – All connections must be tight. Example: riveting wire must be tight within the hole.
  Interestingly enough, in addition to riveting on metal, can rivet on stone – but must use a tube rivet.
• Start with 3” of thinner wire (18 gauge)
• Make sure riveting wire and other wire are smooth on both ends.
• Create the smallest turn possible using the very tip of the wire.
• Turn wire away from you. Ensure that the16 gauge riveting wire can fit through.
• Hold the edge in the spiral, and using bent nose pliers, create spiral.
• Be sure that during the first turn and a half that the loop stays tight.
• Need a minimum of 2 complete loops within the spiral.
• Second spiral must face away from the first one, and they need to be relatively close to one another, my guess is within ¼ - ½”. Adjust the size of the spirals accordingly.
• Once the second spiral is created, ensure they are the same height.
• Hold bale @ top. With your hands, twist, so the two spirals come together and are now on top of one another.
  (Note: this is something I had some difficulty with in class, so I have requested the class notes to clarify.)
• Confirm that the loops still hold your riveting wire snugly.
• Cut your riveting wire using the flat side of your flush cutters. It should be long enough to extend 1 mm above & below the stacked spirals over your piece.
• Use the riveting hammer to create your rivet. First hammer in one direction. Then in a perpendicular direction. Then even the head with more taps & rotation.
  (Hint: To hammer without pushing the wire through the hole, hold the piece on the edge of a bench block.)

Ideas:

• Adornments. After using the dapping block, add a bead “behind” the domed piece.
• Overwrap connections. Instead of simply doing a loop with 1 – 3wraps, overwrap, continuing to build up a wrap.

Resources:

(Note: this is a preliminary list based on web searching. I haven’t had a chance to gain any first hand knowledge with these sources.)

www.oxidizedjewelry.com. Kriss’s – aka the instructor – web-site. As of August, 2005 there was no content on this site.

E-mail is krisssilva@yahoo.com

www.leelabeads.com. Lisa Kelly’s site. She carries the stamp sets and metal dapping blocks mentioned above as well as many other items!