Art Jewelry Boot Camp: Easy No Solder Hoop Photo Tutorial

by Barbara Bechtel

I noticed lots of positive comments (here and on our Facebook page) about boot camp posts where no soldering is used.

I rarely solder my hoops and while I sometimes use a tube rivet to add a little something extra, it isn't necessary. This style of hoop is perfect if you're just starting out with a torch since we're only using it for annealing. It also makes a nice petite drop with a lot of presence.

Begin with 2- 2" lengths of 10g wire. You can use up to 14g. for a lighter drop.

Anneal your wire with the torch until glowing and quench.

Using your hammer and bench block, flatten the ends of each wire until they're nice and thin.

If you're metal begins to get tough, anneal again.

File the burs from the ends of the wire to make a nice round curve. Anneal one more time.

Using your round nose pliers, find the center of your wire and bend in half around the based of the pliers to make a U shape.

Using your flat or chain nose pliers, slightly bend the flattened ends out straight.

....So it looks about like this.

Grasp both ends with your flat pliers and squeeze to meet in the center. 

 

 

 

 

Next, using a drill or punch, make a small hole in the top to hang.

Hammer the drop area near the curve to flatten it slightly and work harden it (it should already be pretty work hardened if you're using 10g). Next pickle or clean to removed the fire scale. I wait until the very end to pickle since I usually anneal them 3-4 times. Finish to your liking. (I antiqued mine in liver of sulphur)

Finish simply by attaching to earwires, doing a simple wire wrap as I did. Adding charms to the droplet at the bottom would also be cute!

Hope you enjoyed and I'd love to see what you make! Don't forget! Next week is our Boot Camp Blog Hop! Make sure you add your photos to our Flickr group or post them on Monday and come back here to add your link!

Boot Camp: Peyote Hoops!

Those of you who have read my previous posts will not be surprised that I like hoops as much (almost) as I like their thicker cousins:  donuts.  One of the very few time in my life I found myself wearing earrings was in the mid-seventies...and those earrings were - you got it! - hoops, if clip-on and certainly not worthy of the Mod Squad.

This month's LMAJ Boot Camp announcement was a thrill for me, because I love hoops and what jewelry artist can create with them. And a disappointment, because I feared that, once again, I would have little to contribute.  

I wonder if Stacie Florer knew what a challenge she laid at my feet, however, when she mentioned that she would love to see some seed bead hoops.  That planted the germ of an idea and so I have found myself playing with peyote hoops these last few weeks.  

Thinking that hoops are really not much more than sized down bangles - and I do make bangles, I could create a hoop using the same techniques I use for those.  Here's one of my bangle sets...

and here is the mini-bangle (read: hoop) I created as part of a toggle closure for one of my new cuffs:

Not bad. I do think I'll explore that concept a bit more.  But what I was looking for was a hoop that I could turn around and create a photo-tutorial for, something that would be a bit more versatile than a sized-down bangle.

That led me to the more demure closure on this holiday cuff:

I believe this is the seed bead hoop I will show you how to make in my blog post on Tuesday.  In the meantime, however, I thought I'd share the circles I've been going in these last few days.

And last, just because Stacie dared me to ... a Sand Fibers Simplicity bracelet with a circle instead of the original triangle as a focal:

Going around in circles has been a blast!  What kinds of hoops have you been playing with?

Playing With Plastic - By Karen McGovern

I love to play with unusual materials in my jewelry designs.  I was recently asked to show some images of works created with weird stuff and remembered some bangles I made using PVC pipe.  These were inspired by Robert Dancik, the inventor of Faux Bone, which is really a version of PVC in sheet form.  FANTASTIC MATERIAL and I love using it.  In fact, I need to dig some out and make something...

 

 

Anyway, when I was first experimenting with Faux Bone, I came across some large PVC pipe leftovers on my husband's work bench.  "Hmm", I thought. "These bits of pipe ALMOST fit over my wrist JUST LIKE A BANGLE!"  Ding-Ding-Ding!  We have a winner!  Turns out that you can get short lengths of schedule 40 PVC pipe that with a bit of work can be turned into a standard 8 inch bangle.  WHO KNEW? 

 

So, I pounced on the pipe and got to work.  First, find the largest PVC pipe sold at Home Depot, Lowes, whatever.  Should be almost big enough for a bangle.  I simply marked around the pipe with a Sharpie the width I wanted the bangle to be (about an inch), then sawed it with a jewelers saw.  I filed and aged the PVC to look like old bone by burning the edges with my micro torch (well ventilated area, people, PVC gives off fumes when you burn it).  Then I cut the pipe open, heated it with a heat gun to soften, and slid it on my bracelet mandrel to stretch it to the 8-inch size.  Then I drilled the ends and filled the gap with a riveted band of copper, silver, brass, aluminum, whatever, embelished with beads, discs, etc.  I also used an Xacto knife to slice and score the PVC, then used SHOE POLISH (you heard me) rubbed into the marks to accent it further and make it look like old, beat up bone.  Buff if you want and VIOLA!  You have a super-cool, unusual bangle created from an unexpected material!

 

  

What weird stuff do you play with in jewelry designs?  PLEASE SHARE!!!

Big, BOLD hoops

                                                                                            by Kelli Pope

     

              Copper is my favorite medium.  ESPECIALLY in fall!   It just has that rich, rustic beautiful color, it's affordable, AND it's very easy to work with.  

   These are some of my favorite hoops.   Start with copper sheet and cut out circles with your saw, or shears.  (Less filing and sanding if you use the saw)   Cut or punch holes in the center.  

                  These have been annealed, and the centers hammered slightly on a dapping block to raise the center hole.   

   Once hammered and formed, your only obstacle is your own imagination.   They can then be enameled, patina'd, or torch fired to a deeper red.  Used in earrings, necklaces, or bracelets.  Layered, wrapped, riveted, rusted or soldered with silver.  Textured, embossed or punched for dangles.    The potential is as endless as the loop.  

  These were a special order for earrings and a pendant, so I sealed and waxed them, as is.  

                               But, OHHHHH the possibilities can have you spinning in circles......(see what I did there?  :o)  .......    What are you doing with your hoops for this month's Boot Camp?   

Nails & Stitched Hearts

by Kimberly Rogers of NuminosityBeads

Quite a few of us that make components are always on the lookout for ubiquitous elements to use in our pieces. Things that are common to use in an uncommon way.

When I found a trove of rusty old nails on a scavenging foray I wondered how they would work with lampwork.

I had no idea how they would be received but it was some torch play I was looking forward to.

I was pleased with my results and even more please when I saw how someone creative like  fancifuldevices would actually incorporate it into a necklace design!

By the way, fancifuldevices has a new tutorial on setting rough stones with epoxy putty!

Then I experimented with plunging little steel cut nails of the hardware store variety into the hot glass

I call it "Steampunkture"

This chunky piece might be a challenge in a design but I  couldn't resist the allure of the numbered railroad nail that I had found near our desert property in Arizona

"Lampwonk" is another name for this style of beads.

Here is how Pipnmolly has used one of my lampwonk nails in this magnificent piece.

The beadmaking is a little different in how I have to apply the glass as normally I can simply spin a mandrel this is a little less graceful application resulting in a more freeform bead but I enjoy seeing what evolves from my clumsy application of the hot glass.

Listed in my shop on Etsy

I discovered this shop on y search for jewelry incorporating nails.

these are the creation of Beardyman in the UK.

These are horseshoe nails

Maybe we can convince him that it would be worthwhile to ship outside of the UK, what do

you say? I'm sure he'd love to hear from you. At least go favorite his shop.

Now here's another favorite component make of mine that uses nails in the most imaginative way.

MAKUstudio

whimsical, earthy and edgy in turn

I adore her use of the little hardware nails with amazing raku brilliance and creative shapes.

Which is a perfect segue to stitched hearts.

This crusty number by another one of my favorite  ceramic component makers - 

ScorchedEarthOnEtsy

and here's some polymer clay stitchery by the lovely Jana of HappyFishShop

and one of her stitched hearts which looks like a rusted patinated metal bit.

This brings me to our own Staci Louise of SLArtisanAccents who has been making these stitched metal hearts.

Can you see this sort of component being featured in your designs?