Art Jewelry Elements is a group of talented and fun artists who have lots more energy than I do! I've enjoyed getting to know them and jumped in to this blog hop thinking I would have lots of time to deal with it--ha ha ha. If you want to see what everyone else did scroll to the bottom and click on the list. The focal piece is metal clay from Kristi Bowman and I love it!
The month of June flew by since I was out of town most of it. (Out of town equals out of studio) I've been frantically working on getting something done and posted by the deadline! Kristi made these great large holed discs and I loved mine, when I saw the rest I wanted them too.
I started out weeks ago making a window out of the large hole piece. I made a hinged cover and laid out the plan....if you want to see how to make the hinge go to the Don't Come Unhinged blog for step by step instructions. I've been teaching a Hinged Treasure Box Class all year and for some crazy reason that is the direction my brain went with the hole as a window.
I put a photo printed on a transparency (at the local copy center) and riveted it down. Weeks went by and under the gun I started working on it again....OOPS!!! I wanted to darken the bronze and totally out of touch with my brain...I heated it. The transparency of course melted so I had to pull it all apart and start over...sigh I hate it when I'm a dumb blonde!
The good part about pulling it apart is I remembered the copper piece is metal and I could shape it just like sheet metal. I pulled out my wood block and a metal dapping punch and went to work. This combo of tools allows me to softly shape the metal disc and get a soft rounding rather than a crisp one that I would get using the steel block.
After I shape, I use my chain nose pliers to counter balance the dapping with an edge curved the opposite way...this is a trick I've used a lot lately and I like the texture and "real" look it gives my sheet metal. It's hard to see here but when you see later photos it looks a lot better in my project with the shaping to add dimension.
This photo shows the back of the lid and the mica splittings that I put on each side of the transparency. After melting the first one I want to add some protection.
When you make a sandwich of photo, disc and cover make sure that you are going to catch the photo and mica in the rivets to keep it in place and make it secure.
My favorite way to make a wire rivet is to draw a bead on the wire with a torch then use a pair of square nose pliers to to form the rivet. Snip the bottom flush with the pliers and hold on a bench block using a chasing hammer to tap out the bead into a nail head. See the Wire Riveting blog for better step by step photos for this process
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When you use wire rivets, drill size 52 or 1/16" holes in the top piece where you want to see the rivets placed. Place the top disc on the backing and drill the first hole only. Set the first rivet by placing the wire rivet you have made through the front and snip slightly longer (about the width of the wire is a good rule) on the back. This photo below is showing the wire a bit too long...if it bends instead of spreading the wire is too long.
Place the piece on a bench block. Using a ball peen hammer, stroke the wire with the ball peen end. It's a tapping but with a very very slight stroking motion to help the metal spread. Riveting always must be metal on metal and worked on a bench block or anvil in order to get the metal of the wire to spread. It's best to flip back and forth from front to back and slowly work the rivet down to a tight fit. Once you have the first rivet place drill the next one and continue in the same manner.
After the hinged front was done, I decided to build a box for the back to store my treasures in. Put the hinged cover on a piece of sheet metal and draw out the size of the box. I like my box smaller than the lid so I can't see it from the front.
The trick with this box is it needs to be very small so the light can come through the window and show my image. The first box I built made it very dark and ugly so I made a very short and square one that ends above the window. If the window was clear then it would work better with the longer box and whatever was inside could show through.
You can cut the box out with shears and even snip in to the ends to make the flaps. Anneal the metal by heating to glowing to soften enough to form the box with a pair of square nose pliers. Work on a bench block to help you get the bends sharp.
After the box is formed, filed and cleaned check the sides to see if you need to make a divot to accommodate your hinge. This will depend on the fit. Tip: I use a wet erase marker to show the center of the divot as it is easily removed. Use a round needle file to remove enough material to accomodate the hinge.
Drill two 1/8" holes in the top of the front cover. Set the top on the box and make sure it's exactly where you want it and drill through the top holes through the back. It's important to make sure you are drilling very straight down through the box. I use a drill press.
You will need two sizes of tubing a 1/8" and a 5/32" to slip over the top as a place holder. Measure the depth of the box and cut two pieces of the 5/32" or large tubing. I always use a tube cutting jig for this to make sure they are perfectly identical and straight. The saw blade fits in the slot you see and you can make a prefect cut every time.
Cut the 1/8" tube long enough to slide through the box, and lid and have about 1/8" extended beyond the top and back of the box. Slip the larger tube over it and center. This will keep the top from collapsing in when you make the tube rivet to keep it all together.
To make a tube rivet, you simply use a center punch and tap with a hammer to get the tube to flare out. Work back and forth front and back just like a wire rivet. Use the ball peen end of the hammer to continue to tap and roll the tube down until it's tight. It's possible to roll it almost half an inch so don't wimp out, work your way around each tube to get it to roll nicely. If you did a hinge it's the same process and the tube rivet in the hinge.
When I finished the box I ran a piece of 14 gauge wire through the hinge and arched it with a loop at the end so I could attach my neck ring. There is so much metal on this piece I decided to use my favorite silk fibers for a neck ring.
As I made this piece I was focused on showcasing the PMC disc but a story started to go through my mind of what I would like it to be.....I wanted to say that the photo was my "Nana" and the fibers were from a dress she once owned and the pearls in the box were worn by her on her wedding day....it's a great story but I couldn't pass it off with a straight face! I did put some vintage pearls in the box as I loved the concept....
The fibers were twisted and knotted then attached to the box by making loops on the end of the fibers. Do this by first making a knot on each end. Hammer out and flatten two 8 inch pieces of 14 gauge bronze wire and anneal. Cut a piece about 1.5" to make a loop at the end and make a loose wrap of the rest to wrap around the loop and the knot. Twist and tighten with a pair of chain nose pliers taking care to "cut" the raw edge into your fabric to secure.
Wet the fibers and twist and allow to dry overnight.
Things I learned: I never want to make this design again, I'm sick of it....I needed more time to develop a piece I could be really proud of. I don't create well under pressure.
Leave a comment and I'll draw 4-5 names and send you something from The Overflowing Stash commensurate with reading through this looooonnnngggg blog! Linda
I like the disc and how I dapped it and the story I imagined while I did it...
If you want to see what everyone else did for the same challenge piece click on the links below!
