Tutorial Tuesday - TUBULAR! By Karen McGovern

I learnt sumthin' NEW! Don't you love that feeling when you master a technique you've been too chicken to actually try before???  That happened to me last week.  I've always loved the look of cross-pined jewelry designs, and have wanted to learn this technique FOREVER.  I have tried before--but never seriously and always with DISASTROUS results.  Burnt metal, ruined designs, etc. etc. etc. So I just gave up on it.

I have also loved designs using bent tubes as focals, bracelets, beads, etc. Again, never really thought I could do it myself given the limited tools I use (micro torch exclusively). I always figured this was beyond my skill set....NOT ANYMORE!! I'm going to describe what I learned here, not in step-by-step form, but more conversational. I didn't take step-by-step photos while I was working....so if you have a question, ASK IN THE COMMENTS SECTION and I'll get back to you--promise.

Last week I was digging around under my bench (also known as the Sucking Back Hole of all Small Findings and Tools) and I found this:

I completely forgot I had it. Purchased at Home Depot forever ago in a moment of, "Hey, I bet I could do something with that...".  At the same time I had just received a nice box from Rio Grande full of different gauge sterling silver wire (I splurged...sigh). Sitting with the copper tube in my lap and the wire in the box I decided to TEACH MYSELF CROSS-PINNING AND TUBE BENDING, DAMMIT! BTW, this copper tubing is found with refrigerator repair stuff....just ask the guy/gal wearing an orange apron....

Ganoksin is a wonderful resource for all things jewelry related. Tons of videos, tutorials, tips and so much more.  Their Facebook page is a rabbit hole of inspiration! They had a video on tube bending that I watched with one eye, learning just enough to run back out to the studio to give it a try.  The key is ANNEALING the metal really, really well. That is where I always figured I would fail because I only use a hand held micro torch--a Jumbo Max Flame to be exact. I went for it anyway. In my first attempt I wanted to make a bracelet that would be half tube, half gems. I figured I'd need around 4 inches of finished tube for the design. Copper, as we all know, is a nice, soft metal so I figured I could handle working with this in tube form. You need to cut more tube than you will need in order to get a nice bend with no crimps.  I lot more. I cut over 8 inches of tube using my handy-dandy pipe cutter from Home Depot.  Cut the pipe like butter in a few rotations. Then I laid the pipe out (it was already a bit curved from the way it was packaged so--bonus) on a solder block and went at it with my torch till it glowed red. It heated nicely, easily and faster than I thought it would. Probably helped that my garage studio was 94.5 degrees that day. Florida in the summer....yea? I CAREFULLY quenched the tube, then using my hands and a rubber mallet, centered it and shaped it around a bracelet mandrel to get the curve I wanted. Even fully annealed the metal was stiff, but totally manageable, and I got the curve I wanted no problem and NO KINKS.  You hang on to the ends of the tube then make the curve. The waste will be on either end of the centered curve. I made cut marks with a Sharpie, then back in the pipe cutter it went. VOILA! You can also use a jeweler's saw to cut the tube...whatever works for you.

After cleaning the ends and buffing with a polishing cloth to see what I had, I wanted to try to add cross-pins in sterling silver. I laid the tube on my steel bench block, marked where I wanted the pins then CAREFULLY cross drilled using my FlexShaft and a 1/16th drill bit. NOTE: Do your very, very best to drill straight through the tube so your pins end up nice and even. A drill press would be awesome here, but I don't have one. I then cleaned the holes with a needle file and was ready to add the silver. I used 18 gauge sterling silver wire. I drilled six holes, so I cut six 4 inch lengths and balled one end on each piece using the micro torch. I placed the tube in the jaws of a third hand, inserted the wires so the CUT ends dangled below, then trimmed to what I thought would be the appropriate length to allow for a nice ball to form close to the tube. This is a tricky bit--you may end up having to cut more wire and trying a couple times here. If the wire is too long the ball of sterling will drip right off the wire when it gets too big, and if the wire is too short, you won't get a ball to form at all. Anyway, when you have the right length, simply direct the flame of the torch to the tip of the wire and as the ball forms follow it up to the tube. I ended up cutting 9 wires--2 failures in the seven.  NOT BAD FOR A FIRST TIME!!! Wire gauge is, of course, a big factor here. The finer the wire the easier it will ball in the flame of a torch. BUT THE TAKE AWAY MESSAGE IS THAT IT WORKED!!! CAREFULLY remove from the third hand (HOTHOTHOT) and quench, then into the pickle pot it went.

I cleaned, polished and oxidized the tube with liver of sulfur, then sprayed it with ProtectaClear. I love this look! 

Here it is. I also soldered a dot of sterling to the very center for accent.

Since then I took the bend further and  made a standard 8 inch bangle (will definitely make more) and a 6 inch focal for a neck piece. I see cuffs, more bangles/bracelets and many more necklaces in the future....

I made another necklace...these make lovely sets, don't you think???

I'm so glad I got over my fear and gave this a try. There are so many sources for information and inspiration online--there really is no reason not to try new stuff, right??? As long as you have the equipment and the desire, I say GO FOR IT. You will be surprised--I promise.

Now, GO MAKE SOMETHING AMAZING!

Have a Ball....Ball Hitch, That Is. By Karen McGovern

If you follow my posts or blog, you know that when it comes to jewelry design I am all about using unusual elements to create unusual designs.  Well, the same can be said for my tools as well.  Basically, if there is a weird (usually code for INEXPENSIVE) way to do something, I will try it.  I usually mix my own patinas--the ammonia/salt mix is my favorite for coloring copper to look like ancient turquoise--and I use the pavers along my driveway for texture plates.  I don't have expensive tools outside of my FlexShaft (or as I call it, MY PRECOIUS) and I am not especially conscientious about how I treat my tools.  That is a bad thing most of the time.  My hammers are nicked and dirty, anything steel rusts (my studio is in my un-air conditioned garage and I live in South Florida, so you do the math...), and my files, screw-drivers, picks...well everything else....is in a lovely pile.  Several piles actually.  Occasionally I hit all the rusty stuff with some WD-40, which is a MIRACLE PRODUCT, but for the most part I am a terrible tool keeper.  Which is why I am realistic enough and know myself well enough to not buy super expensive tools.  Do I want them?  HELLS YES!  I lust after all the shiny, beautiful tools I see out there.  Pristine steel dapping tools in all sizes...SO SHINY!  Hammers for every purpose you can think of and some that never occurred to you...sigh...Fretz hammers are the gold standard for jewelers, and for every super-cool full size hammer, there is a mini version to go along with it.  A MINI VERSION!  BUT, with many hammers costing over $50 EACH...well, that is outside my budget to say the least.

 

Mini Fretz hammers from Otto Frei

 

Which brings me to the guts of this post.  I don't have expensive tools save for the basics. In my opinion, if you have a few really good, basic tools you can conquer the world of jewelry design.  For me that consists of my Fordham FlexShaft, a good set of pliers and cutters, two or three good hammers and a decent set of bezel setting tools.  All of these things are readily available all over the web (riogrande.com covers EVERYTHING) and I suggest you shop around, ask questions in forums, and find a good set of tools that will cover the basics of what you want to accomplish.  From there, BE CREATIVE!!!

 

I have recently become smitten with anticlastic designs.  Concave bracelets, cuffs and rings. Because I am impatient, don't have a lot of cash to spend on extras, and willing to try just about anything, I decided to teach myself this technique using whatever I had in my tool kit already.  If you are familiar with anticlastic jewelry, there are some MIND-BLOWING techniques and tools available to bend metal into amazing shapes and forms.  Stakes, hammers, vises, SO MANY THINGS!  I hit the Google Machine and found some great articles and videos that show step-by-step how to create anticlastic forms.  Most called for expensive tools and such.  Then, my sister called me.

 

Partial screen-grab of the tons of tools available at Rio for anticlastic work.

My sister, Lynn McGovern, is a wonderful glass bead artist and metal worker.  She also has been bitten by the anticlastic bug and offered me an idea that I think is GENIOUS.  Karen, she said, use a ball hitch to make your anticlastic bangles and cuffs.  A BALL HITCH.

 

Creating anticlastic jewelry is all about the concave curve.  The neck of a good size ball hitch is PERFECT FOR THIS.  The hitch is heavy steel, cheap as dirt and works like a charm!  I got mine at Walmart for $6.00.  You can set it up a couple ways...if you have a heavy surface to work on you can attach the hitch by drilling a hole in the top of your table and simply setting the hitch in. This is what I have done. I find that working vertical is sometimes better than horizontal, but that is because I stand quite a bit while working as opposed to sitting.  If you are seated, then you should figure out a way to set the hitch horizontally, as it is intended for regular use.  Clamp or drill/set it at the screw/bolt attachment to a really rock-solid surface (like a tree stump or heavy block of wood). The hitches are really heavy, solid steel, so free-handing, while doable, is very awkward and you DO NOT want to drop this thing on your foot (speaking from experience here, folks).

 

Once set, the hitch will be perfect for basic anticlastic work on bangles and cuffs.  I won't go into step-by-step stuff here simply because I am totally pressed for time and I should be feeding baby parrots RIGHT NOW.  I will throw a tutorial together for next time.  In the meantime, GOOGLE IT.  Below are a couple designs I have made using the ball hitch.  Many more to come!

 

Anticlastic cuff and bangle made using a steel ball hitch

So, what unusual tools do you use to create jewelry???  SHARE!!!

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!!!

How to Make Wire Bangles

MaryAnn Carroll

So, what have I done for our Hoops Boot Camp?  Well, I watched this very short little video on how to make bangles and then added my own little twist.

The video is short and right to the point.... just like me! lol! I'm not really short, but I have been known to get right to the point! 

With that said,why start changing my reputation at 53, I will get right to it!

Here are some different views of the three bangles that I made. I decided to use copper wire as well as adding my own ceramic beads to a couple of them. The third one is probably a 10 gauge wire (not sure, but I got it at Lowes) and I soldered one of my hammered copper tubes to it.

When watching the video, I did not think that 8" seemed like long enough, but after wearing these, that I cut to 8.5", I would say that I am sure that it is.  I also used copper solder that I had recently purchased at a bead show near my home (one of the very few - often not so great) in Syracuse, NY. Copper solder is interesting to work with and I definitely need some more practice, but I like that it blends in with copper, since that is my metal of choice.

Have you been busy making some new hoop designs? If you come up with something that you think is unique, maybe you will even offer a tutorial on "share" day..... That would be very cool!

So, I have reached my end for today. I had three year old grandson overnight last night. Today, I glazed what were supposed to be a few beads for Bill's wood-firing tomorrow, but they didn't turn out to be a few and I just finished doing another "few" things for Bill while he loads the kiln.  It is 9:40 and I am beyond pooped! Gotta get up at 5:30 am tomorrow for week two of the 2013/2014 school year. It's already going by fast!

I'd love to hear what you are doing with your latest jewelry endeavors.

And, I just couldn't end this any other way....... but..... to.....

Thank-you for supporting artists who create handmade with handmade.

MaryAnn