Better late than never??

How about 'snafu Sunday' on Monday??? I just can't seem to get to the computer consistently on the weekends and this weekend ever moreso due to a little medical episode (more on that later).

The first Snafu I have been meaning to capture is one that I seem to encounter far too often (but I'm learning).

I'll call it:

Soldering too close for comfort.



The gist of it is this - you create a beautiful bezel, you've sized it just right and painstakingly soldered it to a backplate in JUST the right spot. Next you use your artistic flair to design around the bezel, maybe some granules or wire embellishments. You work had to make sure everything is positioned just right, up tight against the bezel so when you push it over th stone there won't be any gaps. You clean and polish and maybe even give it a patina. Now you're on to stone setting. The stone goes in, you begin to burnish the bezel over, so proud that you sized it all just right, moving along working catty-corner or cross and back when all of a sudden...

errrrrrrrr, grrrp. You hit a snag.

Your lovely embellishments are now a roadblock between you and a perfectly polished smooth bezel. You may end up with something like this:


My fix, if I'm lucky and I'm really thinking ahead a few steps - is to gently tilt the bezel over prior to soldering on those balls or wires. Then the bezel and the balls won't be soldered together.

But what if you already soldered it all and now you can't get your bezel burnished properly? Well, you can try to go in there with the finest sawblade you have and gently separate them.

Or you can try - CAREFULLY - a thin knifeblade or razor (at your own risk).

I used a think knifeblade to get down in the space next to these, just enough that I could then tilt the knife in towards the stone just slightly moving the bezel. Just enough to hold it.

I'm afraid there was nothing I could do with the ones at the bottom. :(

Got a solution for this type of Snafu? Leave a comment or email me your "soldering too close for comfort" solutions - I'll gather all the responses to include in the next Snafu Sunday post.

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I had a chance last night to fiddle a bit. . . yep, all weekend and no bench til last night. I wish I could say it was all fun and games, but I can't. I had a little medical scare Friday night. It began at work on Friday with what I thought was an atypical migraine. It was worse than usual though so I stayed at work late (on a FRIDAY!) thinking I may feel better...I never did so I finally left at about 5:40 and drove home. Got out at home and weaved and wobbled up the driveway - was quite dizzy which is very unusual. Head splitting I went to lay down for a bit before I had to take all the fundraiser stuff up to the ball field. Fell asleep - kind of fitfully - got up at 7:45, made my way downstairs, unsteady, sat at the table and proceded to speak gibberish. Only lasted about 10-15 minutes, but its consistent with a TIA. I felt like crud most of the day Saturday though I went to baseball practice and then the soccer game with little guy. Relaxed all afternoon and evening though - began feeling more normal yesterday.

Have a doctor's appt later today. Maybe it was just a way freaky atypical migraine....but I need to let someone else diagnose it.

Anyway, from the bench last night - and these were just taken quick....didn't do a lot with lighting or anything...

This is the little fold formed sterling piece with the tourmaline now set in it. The piece needs polishing in a major way.

Pendant - sterling and fine silver and a stone -- maybe a chysocolla with malachite. (?)

Needs a chain - probably some plain chain and beady links in there...not sure yet where I want to go with that. I drilled holes in the top ends for rings of some sort.

The next two are still WIPs.

First is ocean jasper and carnelian in sterling. Tube bail on back. Stones need to be set.

Then that pesky necklace...

I sized down the bezels so the stones are ready to go in for good.....just need a final polishing and the chain needs to be finished.

And then MAYbe some LOS.

~Janice

Return to resin

The really cool thing about metalsmithing is how versatile it can be. (well, ok, tha's ONE cool thing - the tools and gems are definitely another!)

I haven't explored resin in quite a while, but I really enjoy working with it. Something about taking the clear resin and mixing it with weird things - like paprika and cumin and pepper and other spices - the smell is unbelievable.

And the result can be playful or dramatic or striking.

Ok, true confession time - I actually had begun this piece by enamelling a coper dome. Fired and refired and fired some more - had a nice organic mottled surface, set it in the pendant, and CRACK! Broke it. Soooooo, I thought - aha! Resin.

This looks completely different than it would have if I hadn't broken the enamel - but I really like it.

How about you?

Whatdya think?

Its sterling, fine silver, resin.

The chain is all handmade as is the clasp.

I think I rather like it!

Comments, feedback, etc appreciated!

~Janice

The 2007 East Coast Jewelry Artists Retreat!

The 2007 East Coast Jewelry Artists Retreat went off with flying colors! Everyone had a great time and we all learned a LOT of new things!

I did my first hinged piece (and my first real pierce/sawing work)! Fabricated from sterling sheet, sterling tubing, bezel wire, MOP, and a rhodocrosite....hit some bumps on the way but end result is workable!






I also did some more fold forming! This is a score and fold copper piece with sterling and rutilated quartz.








here is a pic Wendy took in her cube.....the sterling piece isn't set yet and the chain (Jen's Pind) isn't finished...but there is my FIRST try at repousse'! Its done without a sketch or pattern, I was just trying to get the feel for the pitch and the chasing tools. Kind of looks like two catepillars though, doesn't it?





I can't wait to do this again next year!! 2008 East Coast Jewelry Artists Retreat - here I come!