Showing posts with label bracelets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bracelets. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
THREE FEATHER-SHAPED COPPER CUFFS
I finished the three cuffs that were cut with the feather pancake die and hydraulic press and want to share them here. Can't decide which one is my favorite! I need to leave my metal work for a while to give my right shoulder a chance to rest. It's been crying out, "Help! Stop!" I still have my feather earrings to finish by adding ear wires. They are wonderful! No more hammering needed there.
Friday, March 27, 2015
REVISITING THE HYDRAULIC PRESS
I've had my hydraulic press for several years, and recently the pancake dies from Potter U.S.A. sparked my interest. I ordered two of them, a small feather die for earrings and a larger feather die for bracelets.
Here is the bracelet pancake die to make the feather cuff. I folded a piece of 22 gauge copper sheet lengthwise and textured the top edge with a riveting hammer.
I annealed the piece, opened and flattened it and cut it using the die and hydraulic press.
This is the video using the small feather pancake die that caught my interest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaqmLepANks I followed the instructions in the video, and cut each metal piece in half so I would have two sets of earrings. I have yet to drill holes in the earrings and finish wire wrapping.
Photos of the earrings and cuff after texturing and cutting with the die. When I started forming the cuff on a bracelet mandrel, it was too long for a medium-sized wrist. The cuff measured 7 inches. I cut off almost 3/4 inch and it was so much better.
Here are photos of the formed cuff. I'm so pleased with it! It will be finished with liver of sulphur patina later ... once all the other pieces are ready.
Next I cut two more cuffs from 20 gauge copper without fold forming the center. I'm going to solder a copper or sterling silver wire down the center and add feather texturing lines. I'll finish these and show them to you in my next post.
Here is the bracelet pancake die to make the feather cuff. I folded a piece of 22 gauge copper sheet lengthwise and textured the top edge with a riveting hammer.
I annealed the piece, opened and flattened it and cut it using the die and hydraulic press.
This is the video using the small feather pancake die that caught my interest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaqmLepANks I followed the instructions in the video, and cut each metal piece in half so I would have two sets of earrings. I have yet to drill holes in the earrings and finish wire wrapping.
Photos of the earrings and cuff after texturing and cutting with the die. When I started forming the cuff on a bracelet mandrel, it was too long for a medium-sized wrist. The cuff measured 7 inches. I cut off almost 3/4 inch and it was so much better.
Here are photos of the formed cuff. I'm so pleased with it! It will be finished with liver of sulphur patina later ... once all the other pieces are ready.
Next I cut two more cuffs from 20 gauge copper without fold forming the center. I'm going to solder a copper or sterling silver wire down the center and add feather texturing lines. I'll finish these and show them to you in my next post.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
FINISHED COPPER CUFFS
Here are the finished copper cuffs I promised to show you. They were treated with liver of sulfur patina, then sprayed with enamel to protect the metal surface.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
TWISTED WIRE BANGLES
One of my friends and I get together often and work on new projects. Yesterday's project is sure to inspire many of you ... Twisted Wire Bangles. Here is a YouTube video by Soham Harrison showing the procedure very clearly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1w-uFLzR5c&app=desktop
I tried this a few days ago with 12 gauge wire, but yesterday we tried a thicker 8 gauge. And later in the day we drove to Lowe's and got another thickness from their electrical section.
Here are two 8 inch pieces cut from the 6 gauge wire we bought yesterday. First, the pieces were annealed, then marked ... one where I'll twist only in the middle, and the other where I'll twist three times.
The wire is in the rolling mill with the middle mark centered between the rollers. You simply rock the handle back and forth, tighten, rock back and forth, tighten, and so on. You can check your progress by pulling out the wire.
The wire was rolled until the marked part was half the thicken, shown in this photo. Of course, if you do not have a rolling mill, anneal the wire and get out your hammers!
Then the wire was annealed only in the rolled part. One end was secured in the vise, the other end held with locking pliers. All you have to do then is twist in one direction until you like the result. In case of wire you rolled in three places, if the end being held in the vise is not twisting the same as the end closest to you, reverse the ends in the vise and pliers and twist it more. Be careful .... as you can over-twist!!
A blurry photo, but you can see the twist.
Here is the wire with one twist and the other with three. They started out as 8 inch pieces. See how they have grown? Interesting!
Here are all my experiments so far. From the right, the first two wires are the 6 gauge, then the 8 gauge, and the thinnest 12 gauge. The thinnest wire isn't thick enough for bangles, but wouldn't it be perfect for hoop earrings? I'll work on these and show my finished projects in a future post. So are you inspired to try this?!! I'd love to hear from you!
I tried this a few days ago with 12 gauge wire, but yesterday we tried a thicker 8 gauge. And later in the day we drove to Lowe's and got another thickness from their electrical section.
Here are two 8 inch pieces cut from the 6 gauge wire we bought yesterday. First, the pieces were annealed, then marked ... one where I'll twist only in the middle, and the other where I'll twist three times.
The wire is in the rolling mill with the middle mark centered between the rollers. You simply rock the handle back and forth, tighten, rock back and forth, tighten, and so on. You can check your progress by pulling out the wire.
The wire was rolled until the marked part was half the thicken, shown in this photo. Of course, if you do not have a rolling mill, anneal the wire and get out your hammers!
Then the wire was annealed only in the rolled part. One end was secured in the vise, the other end held with locking pliers. All you have to do then is twist in one direction until you like the result. In case of wire you rolled in three places, if the end being held in the vise is not twisting the same as the end closest to you, reverse the ends in the vise and pliers and twist it more. Be careful .... as you can over-twist!!
A blurry photo, but you can see the twist.
Here is the wire with one twist and the other with three. They started out as 8 inch pieces. See how they have grown? Interesting!
Here are all my experiments so far. From the right, the first two wires are the 6 gauge, then the 8 gauge, and the thinnest 12 gauge. The thinnest wire isn't thick enough for bangles, but wouldn't it be perfect for hoop earrings? I'll work on these and show my finished projects in a future post. So are you inspired to try this?!! I'd love to hear from you!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
My Latest Etching Adventure!
My latest etching adventure started by seeing Deborah Read's Etsy shop, https://www.etsy.com/shop/DeborahRead, and reading her blog at http://deborahreadcom.blogspot.com -- a never-ending wealth of information! If you are interested in etching or fusing glass, then you've got to read and subscribe to her blog. I've bought a couple of the Zentangle stamps she offers in her Etsy shop and they were used in my recent etchings.
Here are some copper pieces I cut out and stamped using a StazOn ink pad. They will eventually become bracelet cuffs.
In the next photo, I have drawn a finishing edge around each piece using a Staedtler Permanent pen. I like this edge. Both the pen and StazOn ink pad are great resists. I have used clear packing tape on the back of each piece to keep the metal from etching.
I hang each copper piece with the stamped side down, and keep it from touching the bottom of the dish with more packing tape pieces which are attached to the edge of my glass dish. Each piece needs to be "floating" so the etching solution can get to the stamped side. I think using the tape is the hardest part of the whole process as it is so sticky. So frustrating when pieces of tape stick together. Did you hear me screaming?! After each piece is attached and doesn't touch the bottom, I pour in the etching solution. My square Pyrex dish is just the right size for the quart of etching solution. This solution is ferric chloride and readily available at Radio Shack.
I let the pieces etch for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. With rubber gloves on I carefully poured the solution from the pan back into the ferric chloride bottle using a funnel. Then removed each piece, tore off the tape. I added water and baking soda to the dish for a neutralizing bath. This stops the etching action. Then placed the pieces into the water/baking soda solution. Below are the etched pieces. I scrubbed them with Copper Brite cleanser using a brass brush.
I also did two larger sheets using the StazOn ink pad and etched them the same way. I'll cut some pieces out to use as pendants later. For some reason the piece on the right didn't seem to etch as well as the left one. Maybe too close to the bottom of the dish? I don't know.
My next step is to decide how to finish these pieces. Liver of sulfur, colored patinas? I'll show you what I do in my next post.
Here are some copper pieces I cut out and stamped using a StazOn ink pad. They will eventually become bracelet cuffs.
In the next photo, I have drawn a finishing edge around each piece using a Staedtler Permanent pen. I like this edge. Both the pen and StazOn ink pad are great resists. I have used clear packing tape on the back of each piece to keep the metal from etching.
I hang each copper piece with the stamped side down, and keep it from touching the bottom of the dish with more packing tape pieces which are attached to the edge of my glass dish. Each piece needs to be "floating" so the etching solution can get to the stamped side. I think using the tape is the hardest part of the whole process as it is so sticky. So frustrating when pieces of tape stick together. Did you hear me screaming?! After each piece is attached and doesn't touch the bottom, I pour in the etching solution. My square Pyrex dish is just the right size for the quart of etching solution. This solution is ferric chloride and readily available at Radio Shack.
I let the pieces etch for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. With rubber gloves on I carefully poured the solution from the pan back into the ferric chloride bottle using a funnel. Then removed each piece, tore off the tape. I added water and baking soda to the dish for a neutralizing bath. This stops the etching action. Then placed the pieces into the water/baking soda solution. Below are the etched pieces. I scrubbed them with Copper Brite cleanser using a brass brush.
I also did two larger sheets using the StazOn ink pad and etched them the same way. I'll cut some pieces out to use as pendants later. For some reason the piece on the right didn't seem to etch as well as the left one. Maybe too close to the bottom of the dish? I don't know.
My next step is to decide how to finish these pieces. Liver of sulfur, colored patinas? I'll show you what I do in my next post.
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