Pieces for New a Necklace

I've been working in the studio while I'm in Florida and I want to share with you my progress.  First of all, even though it's been hot, the humidity has been low (a miracle!) so I have not had to resort to working in my bathing suit!  Everyone ... including me ... is appreciative of that fact.

Sterling Silver Flowers and Discs, Lampwork Doodles, Teeny Tiny Enameled Washers

I've been working with the Swanstrom Disc Cutter that I purchased from Jeanette at Fundametals.  Not everyone is at the place where they want to invest that much in a disc cutter.  Will the amount of discs I'll be cutting be worth the investment?  Do I have an ample supply of Advil to handle the headaches I'll be getting if I don't buy a Swanstrom?   These are the questions you should be asking yourself.

When you first get into metal work, if you're like me, you invest in the economy disc cutter.  The main reason is, of course, price, which is why the word "economy" is such a standout.  I mean, you're having to buy a million other things.  It's kinda like when you buy your first house ... the lawnmower, the leaf rake, the blinds for the windows ... it all hits you at once.  But when you're ready to invest in the best, by a Swanstrom.

Jeanette is a great supplier of tools ... competitive pricing, speedy and personalized service.  I know my husband worked with her on buying my Christmas present ... a flexshaft for Florida.  I recommend buying from the independent business owner when you can ... "Buy from the little guy!"  (Hey, do you think I can sell that?)

Without the Swanstrom disc cutter, I would not have been able to cut these teeny, tiny washers (6mm), which I enameled.   Of course, enameling them was no challenge using the Painting with Fire method.  Stick in on a mandrel, put it in the flame, dip it into enamel ... you're done. Of course, if you want to apply Klyr-fire and sift ... have fun!  I would have had all of the enamel knocked off by the time I got them to the torch! :-)

The stylized flowers and discs are sterling silver.  I did not wash the silver, deplete the silver, scrub the silver ... on the mandrel, to the flame, in the enamel ... off the mandrel!  The surface texture is achieved by hammering.

Lampwork doodles

I've done some lampworking ... not a lot ... but I have had some glass rods sitting around, because they don't have a home in my Florida studio.  These were hijacked by the movers!  I used to make my own glass head pins.  These are just a step up in terms of size and are fun to make.  Susan Kazmer had a couple of necklaces that had a lampwork bauble dangling from a pendant and I thought, "Hey, that's a great idea!"  Thank you, Susan!  

                                     

So, how these items will all come together is anyone's guess ... we'll have to wait for the book!

Let the Weighing Begin!

Thompson Enamels

No, I'm not at Weight Watchers! but I am getting ready for my workshop in Reston.  I am so looking forward to meeting a lot of blogging buddies and to teaching others have to have fun playing with fire ... in a good way!

The whole business process has been so educational but what's been great about it is the students are pointing me in the right direction ... I'm just following their lead. Students said they wanted torches and equipment ... so I got equipment.  They wanted beads  ... I got beads.  You're getting the idea ... Point me in the right direction and I'll go.  Then they said, "You should really have enamels that we can buy after the workshop."  So that was my next step.  And that is where I was yesterday morning, weighing out these sherbet colors ... which will become much more intense with the addition of heat.

The workshop is very organized ... it needs to be because we enamel at least 60 objects during the 6 hours. It's filled with demos throughout the day ... a show 'n tell ... and let's not forget lunch!  So, I'm still packing and packing and packing ... but it's all worth it when the day arrives and there are so many bright faces!