Una scultrice del rame!

Immagine su lamina e patina all'Americana!!

Designs are stamped on them with an ink pad and cleared up some with sharpie. The ink acts as a resist.
 The backs of the discs are stuck to tape, and they'll be suspended in an acid bath

 Discs are soaked in a thoroughly disgusting acid solution for a half hour. I'm supposed to be wearing rubber gloves, an apron, and boots. I did this in shorts and flip flops and survived.
 
 When done, they look equally disgusting. Some people call this art. I call it a sloppy mess in my backyard.
 
 Once they're pulled out of the acid, they're soaked in a baking soda and water solution to stop the etching process. This stuff foams...not for the timid.

 

When I pulled them out they still had ink on them, but they now have designs etched on them.

 

 

I removed the ink from most of these with pure acetone, and left a few dirty to show you.

 

Next I threw them in my rock tumbler for a few minutes to try to clean them up some more.

 

 

Getting ready to apply a patina fired finish with my blowtorch, I cleaned them with lemon juice and a Qtip to remove any dirt or oil from my fingers.

 

 

 

About to torch them with a butane torch (no pics...I can't work with fire and photograph at the same time)

 

The same piece after I torched it for a few seconds. It's darker than I'd like, so I'm going to go for less time on the rest.

 

The unetched backs of the discs before I torch them.

 

After torching for a few seconds, same discs...I'm loving the colors!

 

Same discs, only flipped to show the etched side.

 

 

The discs have been brushed with a clear enamel to keep the patina from changing over time. These are finished and ready for use.

 

 

The same discs, showing the patina on the back side.

 

Orecchini Vintage! (Wire)

Rustic Bronze Hoop Earrings--the Options are Endless!

Look at the rustic handmade look of these hoops and they are so easy to make! The cost of materials is less than $2 and the time less than an hour--what a nice gift they would be.

These are made from 12 Gauge Bronze Wire and 22 Gauge Sterling wire. The size of the hoop will determine how much bronze wire to cut. Wrap the wire around something about the right size and cut. When making hoops its good to make several pair at a time so they match in case you lose one! And its more efficient to do several pair at this point.

Hammer both ends of the heavy wire so you can punch a hole on each side. Bend one end up to "catch" the end of the ear hoop.

Drilling a hole in wire can be tough, Hole Punch Pliers make it easier to control the hole placement.

Using the ball peen end of a Chasing Hammer on a Bench Block; hammer out the hoop. This is a great place to add additional texture or even change the planes of the flattened areas.

Cut a piece of the 22 Gauge Sterling wire about 2" or 5 centimeters. Make a loop in one end and bend back with your thumbnail. See photo below for how it should look.


Use your fingers to make a large bend in it and pliers to bend up the end.

Attach through the hole and adjust to fit, then tap the ear wire repeatedly on your block with your chasing hammer to "work harden" the wire. Usually about 20 times. This is "tapping" and shouldn't flatten the wire.

Use a Wire Rounder to smooth the end of the ear wire. This prevents scratching when you put them on.

Viola! You have a very cool pair of hoops. Now the sky is the limit...add your own look and flair to them. Beads or stones can easily be added and wrapped as a quick way to add some color...Take a stone and a head pin and do a quick wrap and add to the bottom of the hoop.

Leave a comment and you will be entered in the drawing to give away three of The Overflowing Stash packets!

Vorrei un Anello..Graffiante!! ( METAL)

Are you Wonder Woman for the Holidays?

This cuff is so easy you'll want to make several. It's very bold and makes a strong statement and has a bit of that Wonder Woman vibe that we all need this time of year!!
You will need a 6x6 piece of 22 gauge bronze sheet or any other metal you want to work with. This is a pretty fluid piece so whatever you have you can make it work. It will help immensely to have an oval bracelet mandrel but you can find something that has the shape you need and make it work too. Buying a tool like that is only worth it if you are going to use over and over. I love shaping metal so anything that works for that I have to have--tool hog! There are lots of things like cans and bottles that you can use to shape a onetime project. My most frequently used mandrel is a chubby sharpie pen..
Cut out a piece of the sheet in the scale that you want. Make both sides tapered. I use shears as it's faster for me--coming from fibers field I love my scissors. If you cut with shears you have to do more filing than if you use a jeweler's saw. You need to figure out which you prefer. I have a jeweler's wheel with a soft sanding type of wheel so I don't do a lot of filing.

Texture the piece with either texture hammers or putting items on and hammering on them to create your own texture. Anything that will make it look like ancient metal--or try it shiny.

After you texture you will have a very work hardened piece so be sure to anneal it. When you quench it you probably won't like the color because of the high heat.

Next drill 1/8th inch holes in the narrow end for the wires....as many or few as you like! Don't forget to mark your place with a center punch so your drill bit doesn't skitter...





Before shaping I polish it up to shiny with either sandpaper and steel wool or a polishing wheel, then carefully heat until I get the lovely chocolate color. Warm it, pull the heat away and give it a moment to develop and then warm again if needed.

Using a mandrel or something that you have found that creates the curve shape the large metal piece. Hammer lightly to work harden it into place.

Cut 8 - 10 inch pieces of 12 gauge wire, if you have scaled down this piece use 14 gauge. Hammer out to flatten, but don't flare the ends as you have to thread through the holes first, then flare the ends. Texture if you like. Heat through to anneal and follow the steps above to get the color patina.

Thread the wires through your holes and randomly fold in half so the ends are uneven. This is where you flare the ends a bit and polish so they don't scratch.


Shape and hammer the whole piece until it fits your arm perfectly and the wires lay nicely. Make sure you work harden it well so the wires stay as you have shaped them. Note that I'm just using a hardware store hammer here. It's heavier than my jeweler's ball peen and work for this heavy gauge and for when I work with steel.
The Overflowing Stash is still growing and getting better every day....leave a comment to enter the drawing...