Notes from Miniature Book Journals Class, 6/14/05

 

Instructor: Mary Hettsmanperger

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 Mary Hettsmanperger.  Her creativity, practical approach to this craft – not to mention her sense of humor – make taking a class from her pure joy.  If you get a chance to take a class, do it.

 

Materials:

You’ll notice that many of the materials really are of the every day variety.  During class, Mary consistently emphasized the practical and the available.  And, everything was shared.  It was wonderful!

  • Tools
    • Self-igniting propane torch (the Wal-Mart variety). 
    • Pliers to hold the item being torched – it’s helpful if they have long handles & plier parts.
    • Drill with 1/16” and 1/8” drill bits.
    • Vice with Anvil plus heavy hammer
      (Hint: Try to buy the hammer and the anvil at the same place, so you can try the hammer on the anvil to ensure the sound is not completely annoying J )
    • Wiss right angle tin snips
    • Flat head screw driver (to cut the holes with)
    • File (to file off rough areas)
    • Heavy duty gloves. (for use when drilling)
    • Safety Glasses (for use when burning, drilling or working on the anvil)
    • Scrap wood.  One piece for the torch (about 6” square should do), and one for drilling (at least the size of your largest piece, at least 6” square).  Both should be >1/2” thick.
    • (optional) pop rivet gun & 1/8” pop rivets.

  • Metals
    • Copper sheets (26 gauge???), copper foil & bare copper wire.
      SAFETY: do not use craft wire, coated wire -- who knows what’s melting in the flame.
    • 18 gauge and 24 gauge copper wire, tin-covered wire
      (NOTE: tin-covered wire burns like copper, but it’s antique looking)
    • 8 – 10mm jump rings (copper, stainless?)

 

  • Finishes & Mediums
    • Patinas
    • Matte Fixative (to hold the interesting finishes achieved via patinas, etc.)
    • Paper!  Beautiful Paper!
    • Rubber Stamps, Versamark, Embossing Powder & Heat gun
      (Hint: don’t emboss until AFTER you’ve finished heating, etc.)
    • 1/8” Eyelets & Eyelet Setting Tool, or Snaps to finish holes
    • Mica, Etc. Etc. Etc.
    • (optional) 4 ply waxed linen (for multistrand necklace), 7 ply (for single strand) waxed linen (half hitch)

 

Getting Started -- Preparing the Materials:

This is where Mary really shared her creativity – making it fun for all of us.  These are just some of the possibilities – but safety first.

  • Preparing your work area for torching.  Plan on wearing goggles.  In addition to the torch – which should be on a piece of scrap wood, have a container of cold water handy – large enough to submerge the piece.  And, of course, pliers to safely hold the piece your torching. 
    SAFETY: Always keep one hand on the torch. 

  • Burning the copper sheets.  Hold the copper – with the pliers of course – about 1 inch away from the hottest part of the flame (the point of the deep color).  Get the color you want, and quench it.  If it loses all color, add some patinas.  In some cases, you can burn the patinas – but in others, it doesn’t do much.  Trial and error.

  • Red!  Hold the copper in the hottest part of the flame vs. 1 inch away (as is normally done).  Once it’s red, quench it to hold the color.

  • Edge treatment.  You can deckle the edge of the piece with the hammer.  You’re hitting the end with a hammer – just a plain, heavy hammer – but just as you hit it, you’re follow through is off the edge of the piece.

  • Texture.  Use hammers – regular, ball peen, riveting, heavy duty wire mesh, broken ice pick (to create dots without creating holes), and whatever you can think of to create physical texture. 

  • Explore patinas.  Take a piece of copper foil.  Try each patina, and let it dry.  Then label each – for a future reference.  Some can be combined for interesting effects.

  • Explore meow mix.  Now, here’s some fun.  As it turns out, meow mix has sufficient oil (or something J ) in it to prevent it from completely burning up under the torch.  So, it leaves little circles and sometimes little fish shapes. 
    SAFETY: When burning anything – other than the copper and the patinas – burn outside where you have plenty of ventilation.

  • Explore rust.  Now you can get it naturally, and there are patinas, and there’s water.

  • Hint: However you get your interesting finish, to keep it, apply matte fixative to hold it.

 

 

Techniques:

Before you create your book, you’ll want to have completed the preparation of the materials.  Consider that it’s difficult to hammer on a piece if you want to maintain it’s shape.  Not essential in all cases, but there is some order that’s helpful.

  • Windows.  Using a flat edge screwdriver, define the edge of your window by hammering the screwdriver into the piece.  Then pierce the piece – still hammering the screwdriver into the piece.  (Hint: You’ll want to use your heavy hammer for this – basically, don’t use a hammer whose face is important to you – as you’ll likely damage the face of the hammer.)

  • Mica.  Here’s an interesting translucent material you can put as one of the pages in your book – on top of one of your windows, or behind one of your windows.  The key point here – is that Mica can be drilled and mounted to your piece using eyelets. 

  • Holes for Weaving.  You have a few choices here – you might have an old ice pick – like Mary did – which made nice small holes, when you hammered with it.  And, you can you use a household drill that accepts 1/16” drill bits.  Before drilling, be sure to mark the spot you want to drill, and give it a start by hammering a nail into the piece just enough to dent it – and give the drill something to grab onto (vs. skipping over the piece).

  • Preparing your work area for Drilling.   In addition to the drill, and the work surface covered in wood, you’ll want to put a heavy duty glove on to hold the piece you’re going to drill.  Otherwise, the piece could start spinning while you’re drilling – and you’re cut.

  • Eyelets.  You can use eyelets from your local arts & crafts, hobby or scrapbooking store.  1/8” eyelets seem to work well for these pieces.  Simply drill the hole – using the 1/8” drill bit – and then use the same eyelets, and setting tools to set the eyelet.

 

  • Rivets.  Ok, I didn’t try this one in class either.  But, theirs is a creation called a pop rivet gun – and there are pop rivets.  The process seems similar to the eyelets – but you drill the hole, put the short end into the piece, the long end into the tool, and pump 3 times.  Rivet!  (Hope it’s that easy J )

  • Embossing.  Here’s one of those things you want to do after you’re done with the flame.  As it turns out, Versamark & embossing powder works well on copper – as it does on paper.  I expect the more detailed stamps would be problematic – but there’s lots of possibility with this technique.  (Hint: Use the fine detail embossing powder, and when you’re done, use fixative to hold it.) 
    SAFETY: Hold the metal piece with pliers – copper conducts heat quickly.

  • Boxes.  Ok, this is not something I tried during class, but you can use the vice to bend your metal in right angles, and I imagine, that with some practice you can make a box with the metal.  The idea is that you put the sheet in the vice – and then hammer the metal to make a right angle.  Repeat.  (Make it sound easy, don’t I J )

  • Headpins.  Hold the wire in the hottest part of the flame.  The ball will build up from the bottom.

  • Paddlepins.  Once you’ve made a headpin, hammer the ball to create a paddlepin.

 

Ideas:

  • Adornments & Attachments.  Consider what you might want to put on the front and back of your book – either on it’s cover, or hanging from it.  Beads? Keys? Buttons?  Holes that you drill can be used to weave wire through, or to hang items from.
  • Images.  Consider what you want to put behind your window, and in your book.  What might draw someone in?
  • Finishing.  How do you want somewhere to wear your piece? Is it a necklace?  A pin?  Something else? 

 

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.)

Mary Hettsmansperger.  Currently, Mary doesn’t seem to have a site – but in early 2006, she will be releasing a book – Fabulous Woven Jewelry.  It’s being released by Lark books, and is listed on www.amazon.com.

www.mcmaster.com.  A site for everything industrial – including bare copper wire, copper sheets and copper foil as well as mesh, and stainless steel.  This is the site that Mary recommended to the class. 

www.royalwoodltd.com.  A site for waxed linen.  Mary recommends using the 4 play for multistrand necklaces, and 7 strand for a single strand.  Half-hitch works well.