Brass – Ornamento

My Visit to Wolf Myrow or Thank You Nehemiah

By: ornamento.blog March 7, 2013February 27, 2013

Art, art, creativity, crafts, inspiration, beads, Brass, copper, history, jewelry, Metal Work, Personal History, repurposing, RustHistory, inspiration, jewelry, wolf myrow1 Comment

Elwood: It’s a hundred and six miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark, and we’re wearing sunglasses.

Jake: Hit it.

The Blues Brothers

OK, maybe our trip to Wolf Myrow didn’t start off with snappy dialog, but I was game as soon as a friend suggested we take a break from Clay ConneCTion 2012 in New London and head to Wolf Myrow in neaby Providence RI. “And don’t wear good clothes,” he added. I had never been to Wolf Myrow before, but I’d heard about it and was eager to go.

Some background: The U.S. costume jewelry industry was born in Providence, Rhode Island 1794, when Nehemiah Dodge, a local goldsmith and watchmaker, developed a gold plating process that opened up the jewelry market to mass production. Providence became a major player in the costume jewelry industry and, at one time, employed thousands in its factories. In fact, New England was once filled with factories from the looms of Lowell to the textile mills of Lawrence and the paper mills of Maine. Hardly any factories exist anymore but one can spot the abandoned buildings with their stone walls and multi-paned windows near the cities’ outskirts close to rivers and railroad tracks.

Wolf Myrow is a left over from those heady manufacturing days. It buys and sells jewelry findings and beads, mostly discontinued or old and items left over when a factory closes. Poking around the vast Wolf Myrow inventory gives a feeling similar to exploring your Grandmother’s attic; the sense of mystery and discovery is heightened by the plain paper packaging and boxes that hold most of the items offered for sale.

We approached the ware house from hilly street on the edge of town, parked the car on a narrow gravel driveway and entered through a heavy fire door. The air smelled musty and old. We made our way down a narrow hallway over ancient wood floors worn smooth from years of use. Then I entered the main room and felt like I had walked into a store in Diagon Alley.

It was crowded with rows of towering rusty metal shelves and every shelf was piled with cardboard boxes bearing faded type written labels. I saw a yellowed newspaper lying on a massive dark wooden counter next to an antique cast iron scale. I felt like I had walked back in time.

And everywhere I turned, I saw a door to another room. There are so many rooms that they kept the lights off to save electricity, but the light switches were clearly marked in case anyone wanted to shop there. Each room I entered contained rows of old metal shelves piled with dusty cardboard boxes.

I walked into a room and switched on the light. I felt like I was the first person who had entered that room in years. As I made my way down an aisle I stopped for no reason, pulled a box off a shelf and opened it. I saw scores of a brass stamping that reminded me of a brooch an aunt wore when I was a child, a memory I had forgotten.

When you open a box, you might pull out copper bracelet blanks. Or brass chain. Or glass pearls. Or Swarovski crystals wrapped in crisp paper packets.

Customers are required to purchase items in bulk and most things are sold by weight. If you go with a few friends, you can swap purchases with one another and come away with an assortment of products . The staff is nice and extremely helpful.

Press here for a link to the website and catalog that will give you an idea of that Wolf Myrow sells. But take it from me, there is no substitute for a visit to the warehouse in Providence. Thank You Nehemiah.

Resin and Bezels

I have been practicing soldering and trying new projects including backless bezels and prongs. All the pieces below are made from recycled metal.

I poured the resin into the bezel after completing the bezel. I put packing tape on the back to keep the resin from seeping out. The color comes from alcohol ink. I put in a tiny bit and carefully swirled it with a tooth pick so as not to make more air bubbles. After pouring a layer of resin, I put in another tiny drop and allowed it to spread without swirling. I also put in some glitter and metal leaf to see what it would do.

The back. I had a hard time cleaning the metal as you can see. Next time it will go in the tumbler with the stainless steel shot!

I didn’t like the way the top turned out, so I sanded it and poured it again. I think the dome is a little too high, but now the top has no dings.

The circular pieces of metal are scraps left after I trimmed a thin piece of metal with tin snips. The blue comes from blue pulver powder. Pearlex would work, too.

There are obvious air bubbles in the resin, but I didn’t try to coax them out. I think they give the pendant an aquatic feel. I also floated some metal leaf in the resin.

My first attempt at prongs using Joanna Gollberg’s article “Fresh Prongs” in the July 2011 issue of Art Jewelry as a guide. No binding wire needed! Check out Gollberg’s book, Making Metal Jewelry for more great ideas.

I poured the resin cube in a plastic pill organizer. They make great resin molds; the cured cubes just slip out and the surface on the top and sides are nice and shiny. I probably poured resin in the back before unmolding because the resin will shrink and dip a bit in the curing.

The prongs need to be higher, but they hold the cube securely. I don’t think the resin cube is spectacular enough to make this a memorable necklace, but I wanted to try making a prong setting before attempting to make five or six more and using them and resin cubes to make a bracelet. I think that would look interesting.

Take a look at Susan Lenart Kazmer’s DVD Exploring Resin to learn some interesting resin techniques including how to cast resin in an open bezel.

The Story of Nomge

One theme I try to address in this blog is how the history of world events (think of the history taught in schools) and personal and family history affect the creative process. The story of Nomge’s creation is an example of world events and personal history converging into art. In Nomge’s case, however, the world history is African-American history which is still not uniformly taught in schools as the integral part of American history that it truly is.

Nomge is the work of Philadelphia artist, teacher and activist Maisha Sullivan-Ongaza, who first traveled to the African continent to visit Nigeria and Kenya more than thirty years ago. That trip was the first of a regular series of travels to countries throughout Africa that she continues to this day. Along the way, she developed a vast expertise in African culture and history that she used as host of a local radio program, “Fertile Ground.” But sometimes the most important journeys we make are the inner ones. I think that’s what led Maisha to create Nomge.

Most artists have the itch create. Sometimes this urge kicks into overdrive: ideas that might have laid dormant within the artist for years start to resonate and insights seem to come from nowhere. Materials such as fabric, metal or beads might start “talking” and telling the artist how to use them. The experience often makes the artist feel like an external force has taken control of her and that she is more instrument than artist. The process can seem almost religious, but I think it is a result of ideas, memories and emotions lurking in the subconscious and spewing forth almost uncontrollably at the point when the artist is ready to give them a voice or form. I don’t think my rationale makes this process any less miraculous.

Four years ago, Maisha decided to have her DNA tested to learn about her African forebears. She found out that her that her maternal ancestors were Bamileke people who came from Cameroon, a little country tucked next to Nigeria on the West coast of Africa. Knowing the country your ancestors came from is something many people take for granted. But for those who have lived all their lives with a with a hole in their family histories, the discovery can generate powerful emotions and, for those who have the courage, an invitation to embark on a path of self discovery. Art can help the process because it is a constructive, therapeutic way to express feelings. And all over the world, it is a traditional method of paying homage to an ancestral legacy.

From what Maisha told me, I can’t help but believe that at least some of these elements came together and compelled her to create the Cameroon-inspired Nomge who is named after one of the more than 250 ethnic groups who live there.

Maisha started with a “T” shaped wood armature and anchored it in an old Gullah basket she lined and filled with plaster. She sculpted Nomge’s head and arms with Ultralite Sculpey colored with pigment. Nomge’s hair is a combination of cocoanut shells, heishi, bauxite shells, and strands of Maisha’s own hair. Maisha obtained the vertebrae beads on her first trip to Nigeria. She does not remember what animal they are from-possibly a snake. She stained them with walnut ink. Nomge’s necklace is made from African trade beads.

Maisha made Nomge’s body soft so she could bead on it, and she used beads from her travels collected over the years. The bronze pieces are from Nigeria. The coin on the front with the hole in the center (see top picture) is from 1957 when Nigeria was still a British colony.

The leather shoulder pouches are inspired by Gri Gri from West African culture. Gri Gris are talismans normally filled with prayers and protecting, healing herbs like Echinacea and golden seal. The Gri Gris on Nomge’s shoulders contain the names of Maisha’s ancestors and children. There is an African saying, Maisha told me, “Thanks are due to the shoulders who hold the head high.” The Gri gris are meant to honor her ancestors without whom she and her children would not be here to contribute to the world.

The smaller Gri Gris on Nomge’s sides contain the names of the children Maisha works with in her program along with lemon rind and honey, because life can be bitter and it can be sweet.

The various bone pendants and amulets belonged to Maisha’s late husband. The red leather ( stained to age it) comes from a jacket that Luther Vandross owned and wore on his “Power of Love” tour. Maisha’s friend Dzinga was Luther’s first cousin and gave Maisha the jacket after he died. It has found new life in Nomge.

Maisha didn’t buy any new materials to make Nomge. “She wouldn’t let me,” Maisha laughed, ” Every single time I went and tried to get new beads for her, she wouldn’t let me! I would get lost or have car trouble or something else would happen. It was her way of saying ‘You don’t have to go all over to find me. Whatever you need in life is already here. Everything you need is right here. ‘”

Nomge’s final instruction to Maisha was that she would be finished in 2010, and she was. Maisha put the last bead on her on New Years’ Eve, 2010.

I suspect that Maisha carried Nomge inside for years until the series of events she related to me ended with Nomge’s arrival in her house on New Years Eve, 2010. It must have been a joyful event when Maisha welcomed Nomge home.

Viking Knit Unraveled and Revealed

By: ornamento.blog March 31, 2011February 16, 2018

Arlene Fisch, Art, Brass, copper, Metal Work, Metal Working, problem solving, Viking Knit Tutorial, Wire WorkingArt, crafts, creativity, jewelry, Tutorial56 Comments

I recently spent time trying to puzzle out the Viking Knit. There some excellent directions on the Internet including these on the Fine Art by Rocio website. The problem is, the Viking Knit that looks so cool is double or triple knit and all of the instructions that I saw, including those in Irene Petersen’s otherwise marvelous book, tell you to loop down a couple of rows with a single wire and then go up a couple of rows and come back down to double knit and repeat to triple knit. I don’t know about you, but that would drive me “Ape-something that rhymes with knit.” Plus it’s hard to keep your rows and stitches even and the wires lying evenly instead of whopper jawed and all kinked up.

And then there was this thing about clamping an Allen Wrench in a vise that seemed like overkill. Viking Knit wants to spiral and as long as you keep your stitches fairly even, you don’t have to be fanatical. You can straighten your wire work when you take it off the mandrel. I was able to find several artists on the Internet who used a mandrel of some sort. I have had success with dowels and chopsticks.

But my biggest discovery is that you don’t have to do the up and down nonsense to do triple and double knit. All you have to do is work with two or three wires at a time. It’s really not that difficult.

Here’s a crudely drawn picture of how you start:

The red loops are what they call the petals. The above diagram shows the stitch worked flat, and you can see examples of this in Arlene Fisch’s classic book Textile Techniques in Metal. But for now, think round. Since it’s recommended that you work in 24 or 26 gauge wire, working with 2 or 3 strands at a time is easier than it sounds. When I work with copper wire, I work with yard long strands of wire taped together one end and proceed as if I was using a single wire. When I work with brass wire, I use 18″ to 24″ strands because the wire is stiffer and a little harder to work with, but it is not difficult. Here are some pictures:

Here is a triple knit chain in progress. It is three stitches around and I am using 24 gauge wire. They say that 24 or 26 gauge wire is the best size to use.

Here is a detail:

I add new chain according to the standard directions you will find in Internet tutorials or Irene Peterson’s book. I worked on this brass wire chain until it was about 16″ long. Then I annealed it with a micro torch (you don’t need to do this with copper or fine silver, but brass is stiffer) after brushing it with flux to cut down any fire scale.

The next step is passing it through the wooden draw plate.

The above picture shows the chain during the drawing process. I passed it through three successively smaller holes, then stopped. I once saw a video of Charles Lewton-Brain demonstrating fold forming and he said something that stuck with me. I don’t remember the exact quote, but he said that when you are working on something and reach a point where you like how it looks, STOP!

The picture above is the finished necklace. I soldered the knitted ends together and soldered a 14 gauge wire to each end. Then I made the end caps from brass, passed the 14 gauge wire through the holes in the end, I formed wrapped loops. made jump rings and soldered them closed and finished with an “S” clasp I made for the necklace.

Here is a close up.

To give you a little perspective, the two copper sections below are five stitches around. The top one is triple knit the same way I did the brass necklace and the bottom one is single knit.

The final picture is a close up of a wide hole bead I slipped over the chain. The final necklace was about 24″ long. How long do the chains get when you draw them? There isn’t a hard and fast answer. It depends on the stiffness of your wire, how many times you draw the chain and how many stitches around your chain is. The only thing I can say for sure is better too long than too short.

So now that you know how to make a double or triple Viking Knit chain without all the up and down maneuvering, go ahead and give it a try. OK, you might think it’s cheating. You might be a purist. Just remember, as someone wiser than me once said, “Virtue is its own reward and little else.”

Here’s a late addition: the Viking Knit is the same as the “Acorn Stitch” or Celyon Stitch” used in embroidery, only it’s worked upside down. Sometimes you can get the hang of a technique by trying it in another medium first. If you’re new to wire work but good at sewing, try the technique with thread to get the hang of it.

New Metal Work

By: ornamento.blog June 10, 2010June 6, 2010

Art, Brass, copper, Materials, Metal Work, Metal Working, PatinaArt, crafts, creativity, Enameling, Found Object Jewelry, inspiration, jewelryLeave a Comment

Soldered copper patinated with liver of sulfur

Recycled brass from an old charger plate!

Soldered copper patinated with ammonia and salt

Torch fired enamel on copper

More Metal Etching Experiments

Last week I said that I would post some pictures of my etching experiments. Here they are.

This is a piece of brass etched with the Edinburgh etch solution. I copied the image onto a transparency and ironed it on to the metal before etching.

This is copper etched with ferric chloride. I drew the design with a Sharpie marker.

These are pieces of a brass charger plate I cut up. I stamped the image on the left with a rubber stamp and Stayz on Ink

This is a black and white image I reproduced onto a sheet of label backing with a laser printer then ironed on to copper. I used Edinburgh etch solution.

Here, I inked a rubber stamp with a black Sharpie pen and etched the copper with ferric chloride.

I made this resist pattern with a silk screen and thick acrylic paint. It worked well, but I found it difficult to get a paint that would not bead up on the metal.

Try making findings, components and texture sheets for polymer clay.

Come See My Etchings

My latest passion (aside from my husband) is metal etching. I am so obsessed that I even cut up some brass charger plates (flea market finds) and am etching and making jewelry from the brass. I’m using copper too.

I started my etching explorations with ferric chloride, which you can buy as PCB Etchant at Radio Shack. Rumors abound that Radio Shack no longer sells this. It’s not true. Much to my delight, however, I found you can purchase ferric chloride for half the price at Dick Blick.

Ferric chloride is not acid, but you don’t want to get it on your hands, clothes or in your eyes. I wear gloves and eye protection when I use it, and I work in a well ventilated room.

After scouring or sanding your metal to make sure it is free of tarnish, dirt and fingerprint oil, you put an image on it that will resist the ferric chloride. In othe words, the ferric chloride will eat away whatever you did not cover with etchant resist. Sharpie permanent markers provide an effective resist as well as Stayz On Ink which enables you to use your favorite rubber stamps. Sharp black and white images work best. Another method is to photocopy or laser print your images onto transparency film sheets and iron the image onto the cleaned metal. Transparency film is expensive. I have had success with the backing for a sheet of labels made to be printed with a computer. If you work in an office, ask people to save these for you instead of throwing them away. I print the image on the side of the sheet where the labels were and iron it onto the metal, image side down.

After you prepare your metal and fill a glass or plastic container with a couple of inches of ferric chloride, you cover the back of the metal with packing tape and suspend it, design side down, into the solution. Why? The etchant eats the metal and metal fragments flake away. If the metal was right side up, the fragments would sit on the metal and interfere with the etching process.

When you remove your piece from the solution, neutralize it with baking soda or ammonia, rinse well with water and clean off the resist. The time you have to etch depends on how strong your solution is (e.g. how many times you’ve used it). Ferric chloride, which is a salt and not an acid, is considered a slow etchant, so your etching time might run from 30 minutes to several hours. You need to check your metal from time to time until you know what to expect.

You can reuse the etchant until it’s too weak to perform. Then you must dispose of it. Don’t pour it down the drain. It contains metal fragments and you don’t want to add them to the water supply. Contact your local government authority for instructions on how to dispose of hazardous materials.

I learned of a great alternative to ferric chloride works faster and eliminates those pesky metal fragments. It’s called the Edinburgh Etch and it’s composed of ferric chloride and citric acid. Citric acid is a natural substance found in citrus fruit and many soft drinks (It’s not just the sugar that rots your teeth.) I have seen many complicated formulas and equations for mixing ferric chloride and citric acid. I mix 4 parts ferric chloride to one part citric acid. The citric acid is composed of 3 parts water and one part citric acid by volume. Translated, this means 1 cup ferric chloride (16 oz), added to a mixture of 4 oz citric acid. You mix the citric acid by adding 1 oz powder by volume to 3 oz water. Increase this formula to get more etchant solution. You can buy citric acid on ebay. For more information on metal etching, go to Makers Gallery, Ganoksin, etsymetal and DIY Network.

Next week I’ll post some pictures of my etched metal.

New Products and Old Favorites

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Pardo Clay and Precious Metal Paint from German Company Viva Decor. At the time, no one I knew of in the U.S. carried Precious Metal Paint. It looks like that is going to change. Poly Clay Play has limited quantities now and hopes to have more available for sale in the future. Check the web site for more information.

Some Poly Clay Play shipments from Europe were delayed, but will be available as soon as they arrive. Trish Hodgens of Poly Clay Play is taking pre-orders on the large 480 gram (about 1.05 lb.) jars of Pardo Clay for $21.95 each and the small jars 75 gram (2.6 oz) for $4.95 each ($1.00 off the suggested retail price.) For more information, check out the web site or email Trish Hodgens.

No one sells brass or copper bezel wire. If you don’t have a rolling mill to make it, you can make your own from 28 or 30 gauge metal. Even that is hard to find unless you want to do a roof. But I found a supplier!!! The Whimsie Studio carries 6″ X 12″ sheets of 30 gauge copper and brass. The price and shipping were reasonable (even by my cheapskate standards). And the stuff comes pronto.

You don’t need a saw to cut the bezels. I use Fiskars Utility Scissors I bought at Polymer Clay Express. They work like a charm,

except I still can’t cut a straight line. That’s why God made files.

Speaking of files and all sorts of cheap metal working tools, if you are just starting out and don’t want to spend a lot of money, try Harbor Freight. Besides hammers, files, anvils, Helping Hands for $2.99 and other goodies, you can buy stuff, take it home and figure out what to do with it. I used their Body and Fender Set to make bracelets from spoon handles. If you want, but can’t afford a disk cutter, try their Hollow Punch Set and a sturdy hammer. It really works.

Dancik with the Stars

Dancik was Riveting

I mentioned last week that I took a two day class called Forming Lasting and Meaningful Attachments with Robert Dancik and sponsored by the Philadelphia Area Polymer Clay Guild. We learned all about cold connections in jewelry making including riveting, tabbing, gluing, fold forming, and fastening with miniature hardware. We also learned about different types of resins, epoxies, alternative art materials, and how to use them.

Want to learn more about cold connections? Some of my favorite books on this topic are Wrap, Stitch, Fold & Rivet by Mary Hettmansperger, Making Metal Jewelry by Joanna Gollberg, Making Connections by Susan Lenart Kazmer and a book on the Godfather of cold connections, Alexander Calder, Calder Jewelry by Mark Rosenthal.

And here’s a good illustrated article on how to make rivets by Patty Fleishman.

To see more pictures from the Dancik class, go to the Philly Area Guild’s Flickr site.

Plumpton Says Patina

I have been experimenting with patinas on metal. You can buy patina chemicals, but you can also use things from around the house, like salt, rust, and ammonia. My feline companion Plumpton and I sometimes collaborate on artistic projects. Here are two examples of copper buried in Plumpton’s litterbox.

Why buy iron oxide when it grows wild everywhere? Yes, iron oxide is another name for rust. Take a rusty object and put in into a plastic bag with a few drops of water and the metal object you want to have a rust patina. Here is a what a steel washer looks like, before and after.

The next items are salt and ammonia and the process is called fuming. I cleaned brass and copper with a wire brush and wiped it clean with alcohol. Then I filled a small jar with white ammonia and put in inside a big jar. I sprinkled salt in the big jar (not in the ammonia), put in the metal, and screwed on the lid.

At first, the brass started turning black from the edges and I didn’t think anything interesting was going to happen.

Then I got this. Kewl!

Here is the same process repeated on copper.

More experiments to follow . . .

A final note – I took “Forming Lasting and Meaningful Attachments” with Robert Dancik last weekend with the Philadelphia Area Polymer Clay Guild last week. The class covers cold connections and is one of the best classes I ever took. I didn’t make a thing, but I don’t care. I learned so much it will take time to process it all. Take this class if you have the chance.