Metal Smithing

[oldmancoyote]

That they have the eye of the US government proves little, when it comes to unmanned flight...

[ah2bqat]

yeah, but that eye can get you in the door of companies working on ' top secret' projects like how to stop a drone from drilling down into the command tent of a bivouacked company and blowing half the company into oblivion.

CHEEP test drones where you can play with 3 for the cost of 1 make field testing much more affordable.  Plus you can work against swarms, too.   I want to call the little ones NoSeeUms.  You literally cannot see the darned things at 200 feet up or hear them as low as 100 ft.  Try stopping that, last minute.  You can even lose a wing or tail off the drone and it will still go to target.  Scary stuff.  Using a 10k drone as a target only gives you one shot at a field test, best case - assuming your new technology is functioning.

[oldmancoyote]

Well, my point was that having the eyes of the US government didn't stop a $300 million drone from drilling down into the Pacific Ocean at very high speed, so you should stand a chance, at 1/100,000 of the cost...

As the old Italian saying would have it:

"Just like drilling a hole in water" (said of a totally pointless thing)

[DiamondsAreForever]

Is it too early to place an order for 100 pieces?

ROTFL

It's not one hundred of them, but just think...

[DiamondsAreForever]

Jen, it's very nice, and looks good with your E-W Halo.

[cherrypie]

I'm impressed Jen, can't wait to see the pendant you make.

Carol 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Thanks folks! I'm really excited about this, it was a fantastic evening and I can't wait to go back for more.

It sounds fun, I must say. And it seems that the tutors know their stuff and how to teach it. For a first class, it's a fairly impressive result.

The tutor is awesome! He got ten people to make a silver band in just over two hours. Really lovely guy, too. He  showed us some beautiful soft coloured Scottish gold that he'd found by panning in a river nearby, which got me thinking.... He also mentioned he's found alluvial diamonds round here occasionally, which of course also caught my interets!

Ah2, that sounds like an amazing project! Wish you and your DH every success with it. Pics?

[lovecolor]

Very nice work Mrs. M!  Looks like you found a lot of fun there...I'd like to order one in a size 8 please! Maybe something with a flower???   No hurry at all!       

[Diamondluvr]

MM-what a fantastic first project, I love it!!!  

I am so glad you found a class that fit into you schedule-Have fun  I had signed up for a metal smithing class for June, but it was canceled at the last minute and hasn't been rescheduled yet.  Now seeing your thread, I am super excited to finally be able to sign up for it again!!!

JPUP- if you don't mind me asking, since I too have been working with glass fusing-what types of cancer have you been hearing about in glass workers?

[clgwli]

Thanks clgwli! I have to practice a little before I take orders, I suspect.  I have to say, everyone in the class produced something you could sell on etsy. Some looked better than others (mine was by no means the best) but they were all good. Interesting...

Sounds like you have a fantastic teacher and some good students too.  I really would love to learn if anything so I wouldn't have to go to online places to buy things just to get it in my size. 

Doing some simple "tear drop" dangly earrings would be lovely too.  Perfect for travel.  I really need to dig into the classes more to see what I can find.  My major university near me only does industrial metal type clases.  I found one at another university that's smack downtown and not sure how I feel about going to that area at night by myself really.  I need to keep looking.

[Mrs Mitchell]

One of the nice things about this class is it's in our local high school. It was supposed to be in a college, but got moved to the community school. It's also ridiculously cheap (£23 for ten weeks, I think). We pay for metal, but that's cheap too.

Funny you mention teardrop earrings, clgwli. I have to come up with a design for next week and I was thinking about something like that, or maybe a pendant. Something highly polished, since I like using the bench grinder and quite fancy buying one of these for home. 

DL, sorry your class was cancelled, I hope it's rescheduled asap.

lovecolor, I'll likely be busy making David's 100 band order for the rest of my natural life. Sorry! ...

[clgwli]

Well that just tells me I need to keep looking.  I did find one for $500 that runs 10 weeks or so.  I'll have to see if someone in the community does this.

I don't want to replace obvious nice things, but i would love to be able to make fun "costume" jewelry.  one of my friends does fun pieces with vintage beads for pretty cheap, but I would love to have some small items that are just metal.

High polish is exactly what I had in mind for the earrings.  I can't wait to see what you come up with next week!  You know if DBL did simple silver pieces like that I would never buy elsewhere

[ah2bqat]

With the price of gold skyrocketing - who knows Squigs?  Stranger things than DBL Does Silver have happened in this world.

[Sanchica27]

This is so cool Mrs. M!  Congrats to you for doing something so creative!  I would love to do this, I wonder if we have anything like this on Long Island...David do you know of any places out on the Island that offer this type of class?

[Mrs Mitchell]

Thanks Sanchica!

[Mrs Mitchell]

So, on the subject of precious metal, DH was at a Planning Meeting today, looking at proposals to open a gold mine nearby.  How cool is that? It will employ around 50 people.

Here's a couple of links to some more info:

http://www.timesonli...d/article6913206.ece
http://www.walkhighl...ay-reopen-soon/0058/

I'm going to go and see if I can dig anything up before they start - who's with me?

[clgwli]

I'll be right there

[PtyMom]

Wow Mrs. M! Congrats on starting the course, it sounds and looks like so much fun! i´m really impressed with your first project.
Keep showing them off, this is a really cool thread.
Now yóu´ve got me thinking of looking for a similar course around here!
Awesome!

[Mrs Mitchell]

Thank you!

I'm wrestling with a strong inclination to buy all the tools and set up a little workshop in my conservatory. I've had one lesson. Somebody stop me...

[clgwli]

Thank you!

I'm wrestling with a strong inclination to buy all the tools and set up a little workshop in my conservatory. I've had one lesson. Somebody stop me...

Nope not gonna stop you.  I'd rather have known quality peices from someone I know than have to take a stab at it online

I haven't had much luck myself finding one.  At least not times that I can get to work out well.  I finally found some downtown that are more community centers but I'd have to pay extra since I am not a resident of that city.

Ah2 you made a great point, I saw gold climbed *again*  I do like sterling and have had some awesome pieces in it... diamonds included.  I'd actually love to recreate a piece I had that I found ages ago.  I had to sell it when it wasn't easily sizable due to the patterning.  It was 3 infinity symbols done so that there was nothing between the metal, except in one of the swoops it had a small diamond set.  It was beautiful but not worth the cost to resize so I sold it.  Some day I will rebuild the ring but I haven't decided what I would want to change if anything about it

[Mrs Mitchell]

I'm planning to learn about working in other metals, but silver really is lovely. I have a Georgian rose cut diamond set in silver, that's how diamonds used to be set - it's like we're coming full circle as I see more and more silver pieces with diamonds. I love that!

My next project was going to be earrings, but Amelia was trying on my stuff last night (took my eye off her for one minute, look round and there she is, wearing a halo ring and a tennis bracelet) so I think I might do a bangle for her. If only to divert her from my DBL things!

Also, the tutor did encourage us to go out and forage for gold and diamonds - they are both to be found in Scottish rivers, if you know where to look. Mostly gold, but you might get lucky. So, I've applied for mineral permits and booked a training course at Leadhills, where the best gold-panning spots are to be found. If I get anything, I'll let you know! I would love to make something with my 'own' Leadhills gold - it's such a beautiful, soft creamy colour.

[DiamondsAreForever]

Wow, Jen, I wish I could do that with you.  That sounds like so much fun.

[jpup]

MM-what a fantastic first project, I love it!!!  

I am so glad you found a class that fit into you schedule-Have fun  I had signed up for a metal smithing class for June, but it was canceled at the last minute and hasn't been rescheduled yet.  Now seeing your thread, I am super excited to finally be able to sign up for it again!!!

JPUP- if you don't mind me asking, since I too have been working with glass fusing-what types of cancer have you been hearing about in glass workers?

Diamondluvr,
You probably don't need to worry too much if you are working in a ventilated area, and wearing a mask. Most of the glass workers were more into lampworking that had cancer and although I can't remember all the types of cancer, I do remember one was leukemia, one was brain, and another was lung.
I did a lot of frit painting with glass powders and small frit and I also used fiber paper when I fused. Even though I would try to be careful, I could see little puffs of the glass powder sometimes pouf up. And after I'd fuse, the thin fiber paper would become very dust like and scraping it off I'd also see puffs float off- no matter how hard I'd try. I also was fusing daily in my studio and sometimes having 2 kilns going at the same time(I had three). So when I started having a chronic cough, I decided enough was enough and sold everything! Silica can cause nasty lung problems, even if it doesn't lead to cancer.

[jpup]

Jen,
you're ring is lovely!!  You obviously have a talent for metal work. Can't wait to see your next project.

[clgwli]

That would be so cool to go hunting for gold or diamonds.  Where I live we have a TON of quartz.  So I have at many points in my life had a lot of different natural quartz collections.  I really ought to do it again for my son to play with.  Nothing expensive or anything like that, but I love going for nature walks only to look down and find a rose, milky or smoky quartz laying right there.

Not as expensive but it is fun to look for gems/minerals in nature. 

I told my husband about looking up a metal smithing class and he didn't think anything bad about it.  Not sure if I will be able to find a class but at least he won't put down the idea of it.   

What kind of earrings do you plan on making?