More Ideas for Making Jewelry Tools

By: ornamento.blog
Art, Charles Lewton-Brain, Etsy, Ganoksin, Hand Made, Harbor Freight, problem solving, recycling, repurposing, Robert Dancik, Sharilyn Miller, Tool Making, Tools, , , , , 20 Comments on More Ideas for Making Jewelry Tools

Even though I have posted articles on making simple jewelry tools, there is always something more to learn.  Here are some of my recent efforts: You can make texturing hammers  out of cheap ball peen hammers. I filed the faces of the hammers  and used grinding tools on my flex shaft (you can also use a rotary tool) to get some interesting textures.  I didn’t have any instructions; I just made it up as I went.   If you try this, however,   wear safety goggles,  because  they hug your head with no gaps for tiny metal fragments to fly through.  When sanding and finishing metal, I also wear a dust mask because you can breathe in tiny metal particles.  You might want to go a step further and use a respirator.

You can also file and grind metal punches and chisels to get great texturing effects.

Here are examples of textures I achieved on annealed copper with the tools I made.  The upper left was made with the altered chisel.  The other three were made with the altered hammers.  I worked on a metal block.

Another tool I love is a gizmo to hold jump rings while you saw them.  I first saw a picture of this tool in Robert Dancik’s book Amulets and Talismans. He didn’t give any directions, but  it looked so simple to make and such a great idea that I made my own.  You can buy one at John Lewis’ Etsy Shop, and  you can find directions on how to use it on Barbara Lewis’ blog, Painting with Fire. If you want to try making one yourself, Art Jewelry Magazine published and article by Howard Siegel that subscribers can download here.

My V block tool.  Not pretty, but it gets  the job done.

It wasn’t until I saw Shailyn Miller’s DVD Rings of Beauty, that I realized how useful a ring mandrel holder could be.  I built a home made version from a wood box that held a bottle of wine.  If you are handy with hole saws or and spade drill bits, you could make one easily and clamp it to your table when you work on wire rings.

 

 

Last in my bag of tricks is a makeshift clamp for small jewelry pieces.  If you are trying to saw a small piece on your bench pin and can’t hold it still, try using a large metal binder clip with a piece of craft felt or other sturdy fabric.   Your piece won’t move and you can saw or file to your heart’s content.

 

Amulets, Talismans, Polymer and Wire

By: ornamento.blog
Altered Art, Altered Curiosities, Art, art from recycled materials, art, creativity, crafts, inspiration, Craft in America, Crafting Traditions, Family History, Faux Bone, Hand Made, inspiration, Interweave Press, Metal Work, Metal Working, mixed media, Polymer Clay, Robert Dancik, Ronna Sarvas Weltman, Step By Step Wire, Tool Making, Whimsical, Wire Working, , , , , , 1 Comment on Amulets, Talismans, Polymer and Wire

There are two new books that will enhance the library of anyone creative.  Both  show you how to elevate non precious material into art imbued with special meaning.

The first one is  Amulets and Talismans by Robert Dancik.  I took Dancik’s class on cold connections last year  and put the book on pre-order as soon as I could.  I was not disappointed.  The book is crammed with information on cold connections techniques,  and full of ideas on how to take ordinary objects and showcase them in original, one of a kind pieces of jewelry that  tell a story that could be about the wearer, maker or materials themselves.

If you are a tool junky like me, you will relish Dancik’s ideas for making custom tools.  He shows a nifty little jump ring cutting gizmo you can make yourself.  I made one.  There are no directions, but one look at it is all you need. (If Truman Capote had met me when he first came to New York, his book would have been entitled Breakfast at Harbor Freight.)

The next gotta have it book is Ancient Modern: Polymer Clay + Wire Jewelry by Ronna Sarvas Weltman.

Weltman’s  designs have an inimitable   primitive sophistication that’s fresh and inspiring.  Her projects and instructions will stoke your creativity and have might change the way you think  about polymer clay and wire.

This time last year

Dancik with the Stars

By: ornamento.blog
Altered Art, Altered Curiosities, Art, art from recycled materials, art, creativity, crafts, inspiration, Brass, Charles Lewton-Brain, Cold Connections, Community Art Groups, copper, Craft demonstration, Design, Faux Bone, inspiration, jewelry, Materials, Metal Working, mixed media, Personal Growth, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Polymer Clay Guild, Polymer Clay, Polymer Clay gatherings, Polymer Clay Guilds, recycled art, recycling, repurposing, risk taking, Robert Dancik, Sculpture, Silversmithing, Uncategorized, Urban Artifacts, Whimsical, Wire Working4 Comments on 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.

Mann Beside Himself at Synergy

By: ornamento.blog
Amaco, Ann Mitchell, Art, art, creativity, crafts, inspiration, Baltimore, beads, Blogroll, Bracelet Jig, Camera, Community Art Groups, Craft demonstration, Crafting Traditions, Dan Cormier, Eberhard Faber, Efaplast, Faux Bone, history, jewelry, Judith Skinner, Karen Mitchell, Kato Polyclay, Metal Working, microwave clay, mixed media, National Polymer Clay Guild, NPCG, Photography, Polymer Clay, Polymer Clay Express, Polymer Clay Guilds, Polymer Clay Photo Transfer, Polymer Clay tutorials, Robert Dancik, screen printing, Silk Screening, Silversmithing, Skinner Blend, Synergy, Thomas Mann, Travel, Uncategorized1 Comment on Mann Beside Himself at Synergy

   

  Ok, so that’s a bad joke.  But there were a lot of new and interesting products at the Synergy Vendor Fair.  Jeweler Thomas Mann was there with his Studio Flux products. Eberhard Faber brought  Efaplast, a microwavable modeling clay that looks very intriguing. I got to examine some of the cured stuff. It seems buoyant, almost cork-like and they say you can carve it and paint it. They recommend you use a dedicated microwave for this product.

  Polymer Clay Express was there with their new Bracelet Angle Jig Kits. Wilma demonstrated making bracelets for six hours!  Ann and Karen Mitchell were there displaying products for Amaco and had a new pendant roller that I’m definately going to get.

 Dan Cormier was there with Cutting Edge Peelers and new tools he developed to expand  your Skinner Blend repertoire.  Kato PolyClay was there with new liquid clay colors I don’t see on the website yet. Robert Dancik sold Faux Bone and a neat beveling tool to cut it with. I bought one and am going to try it on cured polymer clay. 

Here are a few pictures from the fair.