Thursday, September 30, 2010

Cham Swap 6

Charms are flowing in...

"Harvest Moons"
"Sterling silver moons that were plated in 24K, then brushed and plated a second time. Then darkened with diluted silver black and brushed with 0000 steel wool."


"My whole year has been about making rings, so you all get mini ring charms! They are little 12g rings with riveted plastic LEGO flowers."



Ann Jenkins / tuizui 

So gorgeous !!!  Keep follow our charm swap 6 !

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Project Runway: Season 8: Episode 8: A Rough Day on the Runway

Jackie O!
The challenge was to create a look that was the designers' own take on classic American sportswear, and inspired by Jacqueline Kennedy.
The EtsyMetal Challenge Translation: Create a classic strand of pearls inspired by Jackie O

Fresh water pearls hand knotted with 18K yellow gold findings.
Next Week: Episode 9
Race To Finish
In this episode, the challenge was to create a high-fashion look and a ready-to-wear companion piece to appear in a L'Oreal Paris ad.
The EtsyMetal Challenge Translation: Create a high fashion piece using one of the following L'Oreal eye shadow finishes as inspiration:
Metallic
Crystal
Bright
Matte
Velvet

Due Date: Friday, October 1, 2010

~Make it work~

**guidelines for guest participants:**
Please read this every week as there may be small updates and changes. The pieces you submit must be pieces that are made specifically for that weeks challenge. Then post a link to your challenge creation in this weeks comment area, they will be retrieved as they come in before the deadline.
*We only are accepting guest submissions from our blog comment area at this time, insert your links there. Then please cross-post this to your Blog, Flickr, Etsy, etc. And tag them with "Project Runway Season 8 Episode 3." Currently we will post your name with a link and a picture of your piece on our blog. The deadline for guest submissions will be Friday at 6 pm, Pacific Standard Time. The new blog posts and the new challenge will go up the weekend after the new episode airs.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Cham Swap 6

One more week before deadline expires and pictures flow all over the net.....







Amazing !!! I cannot wait to see it all together!

See you next week!



Monday, September 20, 2010

Next Week: Project Runway season 8: episode 8 - "A Rough Day on the Runway"


Next Week: Episode 8
  A Rough Day on the Runway
In this episode, the challenge was to create a look that was the designers' own take on classic American sportswear, and inspired by Jacqueline Kennedy.

The EtsyMetal Challenge Translation: Create a classic strand of pearls inspired by Jackie O
Due Date: Friday, September 24, 2010

~Make it work~


**guidelines for guest participants:**



Please read this every week as there may be small updates and changes. The pieces you submit must be pieces that are made specifically for that weeks challenge. Then post a link to your challenge creation in this weeks comment area, they will be retrieved as they come in before the deadline.
*We only are accepting guest submissions from our blog comment area at this time, insert your links there. Then please cross-post this to your Blog, Flickr, Etsy, etc. And tag them with "Project Runway Season 8 Episode 3." Currently we will post your name with a link and a picture of your piece on our blog. The deadline for guest submissions will be Friday at 6 pm, Pacific Standard Time. The new blog posts and the new challenge will go up the weekend after the new episode airs.

Eco-friendly Jewellery Pickle solution.

I have read information and seen comments in forums from many jewellers about how they use "eco-pickle" instead of Sulphuric Acid or Safety Pickle in their workshops, for cleaning metals after soldering or heating. I have never been able to pin down a definitive recipe for this though, or been able to find out how long it takes, how well it works...I've read vague claims about using vinegar and salt but no-one ever wants to give away the details, so I thought I'd experiment and here are the results which I share with you!

I currently use a very small Pyrex dish on a hotplate and a warm, weak solution of Safety Pickle to clean my metal. This consists of salts derived from Sulphuric Acid and comes in dry powder form which you add a little to water. I have through-ventilation in my work shed and on warmer days I have the door open too. It is a very shallow bath which I always top up with more water and pickle salts as it evaporates so I never need to dispose of acid. A more environmentally friendly alternative would be preferable though. So I tried a cup of White Wine Vinegar (mine was really old and had turned a little yellow, as you can see above), mixed with a good tablespoon of salt (I only have Sea Salt in the kitchen).

Above is a bottle warmer that was quite handy for warming baby milk but now no longer needed. I put the vinegar and salt into this as a sort of mini pickle-tank and set it to medium warm (but not hot). The purple weaning bowl on top for keeping puree warm during lengthy feeds, is a handy lid and somewhere to rest your plastic / brass tweezers!


Here is a dirty copper scrap on the left and a dirty silver scrap on the right. I spattered a bit of flux on them too. After quenching, they both went into the warm eco-pickle for about 10 minutes...
...and came out splendidly clean! I was quite surprised, but for me it could have been a little cleaner. There were very mild blotches that the usual pickle would have removed entirely. I used White Vinegar instead of dark malt for the obvious reason that it's helpful to see your pieces and be able to find them again in your pickle. After about 3 days of using my eco-pickle for several hours a day though, the solution eventually became too dark to see into...
...and didn't do anything like as great a job on cleaning the metal. I diluted it with water then poured it down the drain. I have since learned that disposing of it in this way isn't a good idea, because although the solution itself is safe, the metals that it has become saturated with, have turned it into a solution which is now no-longer eco-friendly. To find out about hazardous waste disposal in your area then look to your local authority for details. If you're in the UK then read here.

Things to consider;
  1. Brass also cleaned as well as the copper and silver. I have not yet tried gold.
  2. This solution would be as good in a dish and hotplate as the usual stuff, but I don't know how long the bottle warmer elements will last whilst being subjected to corrosive salt mixed with vinegar. It is normally intended for water into which the bottle of milk is placed.
  3. A stronger white vinegar such as actual pickling vinegar, might be even more effective at cleaning. It is also cheaper and comes in huge jars...I shall be testing this out.
  4. A harsher salt such as refined table salt instead of lovely sea salt, may be a more effective salt to add to the vinegar. Again, also cheaper and comes in large quantities....will be getting some to try.
  5. The smell is actually almost negligible. I was expecting to enter my work shed each day to the waft of a Fish & Chips Shop (and worried that I'd be in a permanent state of desire for fattening chips), but there was no smell. The lid was probably a big factor.
  6. In winter, my usual pickle freezes solid into fantastical crystals and ice-like sculptures (think, Superman's secret cave where he watches those vid's from his homeworld...). I have no idea if this eco-pickle will hold out any better against the British winter.
  7. It can be quite eye-watering if you inhale warm vinegar fumes when removing your piece of work.
  8. You can't just keep topping up the solution, it becomes weaker and darker, so you have to dispose of it somehow.....
  9. Cuff by Ute Decker.
By sheer chance, despite having been wondering about vinegar pickle for a couple of years, just a couple of days after the end of my experiment someone pointed me to the website of London based Jewellery designer maker Ute Decker. A pioneer of sustainable jewellery making, her website also contains a wealth of information on things you can do to make your practise more environmentally friendly, with fact sheets for you to download. She also has 2 versions of the eco-pickle.

I would welcome any comments from those who use some kind of eco-pickle or who have suggestions on the subject.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Charm Swap 6

....It's getting warmer now.....

L. Sue Sezabo  -   Sue has completed and shipped her lovely charms !



Meg / SimplyMega  - Meg has finished her charms- each one unique.


Lynette Andreasen / Asymmetry - Lynette is still playing with her design - it probably be something in this spirit


Ceeb wassermann / Howlindoggie - Ceeb shows her progress


WOW ! These are amazing ! All twenty charms on one bracelet/necklace!!!
I can't wait to see it all together !

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Etsy Metal Finds

The tree directly outside my bedroom window is drooping with green fruit that will soon turn black and litter the driveway. The kids will gather them up and try to break them open and it will turn all of their fingers black for days. But if they are successful in busting them apart, they will be pleasantly surprised at the treat that lies in the heart of the shell.

Walnuts


Monday, September 13, 2010

Project Runway: Season 8: Episode 6 - You Can Totally Wear That Again

You Can Totally Wear That Again
Project Runway Challenge: create a fashionable look from a bridesmaid dress.
The EtsyMetal Challenge Translation: look in your jewelry boxes or go to a thrift shop and find a bad piece of jewelry (something truly awful) to make over!

I started out with a bad necklace. I don't know where it came from, but it was stuck in the back of my jewelry chest. The wire wrapping is not good. The necklace is strung on some kind of rigid tiger tail that's all bent up. I've probably had it since high school, but don't think I ever wore it. The stone is a small polished jasper slab. It slipped out of the wire easily and turned into a wearable ring.
Before:
After:

Next Week: Episode 7
What's Mine Is Yours
Project Runway: The challenge was to create a resort look, but as a twist, the designers were then paired up and each had to execute their partner's design
The EtsyMetal Challenge Translation: Design something fabulous. Show a sketch or some kind of pictured design plan (however you design). Then finish the piece and submit!

Due Date: Friday, Sept. 17th 6pm
Make it work!

**guidelines for guest participants:**

Please read this every week as there may be small updates and changes. The pieces you submit must be pieces that are made specifically for that weeks challenge. Then post a link to your challenge creation in this weeks comment area, they will be retrieved as they come in before the deadline.

*We only are accepting guest submissions from our blog comment area at this time, insert your links there. Then please cross-post this to your Blog, Flickr, Etsy, etc. And tag them with "Project Runway Season 8 Episode 3." Currently we will post your name with a link and a picture of your piece on our blog. The deadline for guest submissions will be Friday at 6 pm, Pacific Standard Time. The new blog posts and the new challenge will go up the weekend after the new episode airs.


Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Project Runway: Season 8: Episode 5 - There is an "I" in Team

Concepts and Textiles
Project Runway Challenge: In this episode, the designers split into 2 teams (Team Military/Lace and Team Luxe) and each team designed a six piece collection for Fall 2010.
The EtsyMetal Challenge Translation: Create a piece choosing a concept and a textile from the same list the PR contestants had to chose from (the textile can be literal or implied):
Concepts: minimalist, 50's retro & lady-like shapes, menswear for women, military,
Textiles: gold or other metalics, camel, leopard or cheetah prints, plaid, lace

I choose Military (concept) + Leopard (textile). My husband is in the Air Force, and I love playing with his dog tags. Choosing the military concept for this challenge hit very close to home for me.
Brass military dog tags, hand-drawn leopard print etching, silver ball chain.

i went with retro and plaid
copper discs with lots 'o torch fired enamel

Guest Submission: idreamicanfly

Next Week: Episode 6

You Can Totally Wear That Again

Project Runway Challenge: create a fashionable look from a bridesmaid dress.
The EtsyMetal Challenge Translation: look in your jewelry boxes or go to a thrift shop and find a bad piece of jewelry (something truly awful) to make over!
Due Date: Friday, September 10, 2010
Make it work!

**guidelines for guest participants:**

Please read this every week as there may be small updates and changes. The pieces you submit must be pieces that are made specifically for that weeks challenge. Then post a link to your challenge creation in this weeks comment area, they will be retrieved as they come in before the deadline.

*We only are accepting guest submissions from our blog comment area at this time, insert your links there. Then please cross-post this to your Blog, Flickr, Etsy, etc. And tag them with "Project Runway Season 8 Episode 3." Currently we will post your name with a link and a picture of your piece on our blog. The deadline for guest submissions will be Friday at 6 pm, Pacific Standard Time. The new blog posts and the new challenge will go up the weekend after the new episode airs.


Studio Songs - What we're listening to while we work



The Heavy


Elliot Smith


Eminem

The Velvet Underground

Deer Tick

Noah and the Whale

The Mynabirds

Shearwater

Furry Lewis

She and Him

Flunk

Dave Matthews Band

Califone

With a larger group comes more diverse music selections, and I love hearing what other people are listening to. When I shared a studio with other artists, some one new would pick what cd we'd listen to - now that most of us work on our own, we don't get that chance as much. But this is a nice substitute! Enjoy!
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