Adventures in Silversmithing - Week 3

[kaliha]

Thankfully, the snow had mostly gone round our way by Wednesday so I headed out to my class and behind the cut is what I did.



This week we were learning how to planish our rings (hit them with a hammer so that they get a bobbly texture).

First of all we had to polish out all the firestain from last week. That took ages. But once it was done we got on with the hitting stuff with a hammer.

The ring was put on a ring mandrel and held in such a way that we kept our rings round and attacked them with a specially polished hammer (and we were also shown how to polish up our own hammers we could buy from Poundland thus saving us bags of money in this current economic climate).

This is my ring all finished (sorry about the flash glare, although the reflection does bring out all the bobbliness of the ring). It's still a tiny bit too small for me, so I'm going to have to hit it again harder next week in order to get it up another ring size.

The bit of the ring you're looking at is where the join is. see, you can't even tell.


And this is the beginnings of my second piece - a pendant.

This is an inch by half inch piece of silver that's been annealed (softened - which confused the hell out of me, as annealing in glass making makes the glass harder, not softer)

I've put the annealed silver through a rolling mill with one of my precious metal clay texture sheets and the pattern has transferred over.

I still need to file it, shape it and polish it up. And I may even use resin to bring out the flowers - but that may be a little bit too advanced for me right now.



In other news, I finished Chicklet's necklace today too. Hoorah! It's going back in the post to you tomorrow so you should have it by the end of the week.

P.S. blythely, I need your PP address so I can send you some money. Let me know how much you want for postage on top of everything else.

Comments

[dune-drd.livejournal.com]

Looks so awesome, all of it!

[kittybacklash.livejournal.com]

I love all of these things. The pretty pleases my face =D

[sal101010.livejournal.com]

I am very jealous, as well as very impressed with your ring! And your textured silver looks very pretty.

[supertrink.livejournal.com]

yay pretty stuff! this is very cool! :)

[staceyuk.livejournal.com]

Ooooooooooh purty!

[chicklet73.livejournal.com]

I was already well impressed with the ring...it's GORGEOUS (are you going to start making these as a side business? Because I'd definitely buy one).

And then...my necklace! IT IS SAVED!

*tacklehugs*

You, my friend? Are my hero. I'm too delighted for words! Please let me know straightaway what I owe you and I'll send your way ASAP. Thank you thank you THANK YOU!

[--kali--.livejournal.com]

Instead of paying me, could you do me a favour instead?

I want to order some brass texture plates. I found a place in the US that sells them but want to charge me $64.15 for postage. They only weigh 35g each, they shouldn't cost a fraction of that to post.

Anyhoo, I was wondering if I could have them delivered to you and you forward them on to me and I'll paypal you the postage cost or you take it off the cost of next month's DWM.

[chicklet73.livejournal.com]

I'd be happy to send the plates along to you! Just have them sent here and I'll do it straightaway. And I'm happy to pay the postage - is there anything else at all that you'd like me to send from the States?

[--kali--.livejournal.com]

Aces. Thank you! At the moment all I can afford are the texture plates but I may impose on you in the future. :)

[chicklet73.livejournal.com]

It's no imposition whatsoever! Anytime I can help, I'm happy to do it. *g*