Friday, December 3, 2010

Beginning My Foray with Metals

I'd say I'm forging ahead with metals but after Jon Stewart slammed bad punning on the Daily show the other day, I won't.
Sorry Jon, I promise to quit.
As I mentioned earlier I've been reading all sorts of magazines and books and websites and tutorials on metal work and art jewelry. I have a few ideas in my head with will combime metal with polymer clay, resin and photography. Some projects are such that I think I can proceed by myself- I tend to be self taught with a lot of things. Frequently with mixed results- this is why I'm good at repairing damage to floors, walls and furniture and have quick ways of airing the house to get the fire detector to stop blaring.

I've complied a list of materials I plan to purchase this coming Monday when I travel to Vancouver for a day. Habson's is  a terrific jewelery supply shop in the heart of the city and I always enjoy shopping there.

Here's the list- I love the alchemical sounding names of some of the concoctions! I feel like I'm landing on Mars and need a translator.

BENCH BLOCK HELPER WITH STEEL &amp
NYLON COMBO BENCH PIN &
ANVIL COMBO
ROUGE POLISHING CLOTH 9" x 11"
FILES - HAND - FLAT 6 INCH LENGTH - CUT #0
HAMMER - BALL PEIN 2-OZ
LIVER OF SULPHUR XL GEL - 4 OZ
PICKLE - SPAREX 10 OZ CAN
PICKLE POT - LITTLE DIPPER 16 OZ
SAWBLADES - DIAMOND 120 GRIT - 1/PKG
SAWFRAME - ADJUSTABLE 2-3/4"
SOL-8200-GF SOLDER - GOLD FILLED PASTE 1 dwt TUBE
Etching mordant

I HOPE I have all I need for a couple of starting projects! Any suggestions are always appreciated- Let me know before I catch the 7:00 am ferry on Monday!

But wait- there's more! Tomorrow I'm taking a precious metal clay class here in Victoria at Sassafras Art Studio. It's a silver class- my interest is actually with copper and bronze but this will be an excellent starting point. This isn't actually my first exposure to pmc- in 2001 I was at a Clay Gathering in Quebec. We all watched a video and them tried to see what we could make. I attempted a bracelet which was too ambitious for my ability and the amount of clay I had to work with. The bracelet snapped almost immediately but I have used it since then as a texture stamp!
...hopefully things will improve!
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3 comments:

  1. Cindy Lietz, Polymer Clay TutorDecember 3, 2010 at 11:32 AM

    You might want to try Capilano Rock and Gem for a lot of that stuff. It is in North Van, but the retail prices are cheaper for most of those things on your list than they are there at wholesale. Google it and you can find out more. Looks like a fun list!

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  2. Gera Scott ChandlerDecember 3, 2010 at 1:16 PM

    thanks Cindy- CR&G was a frequent haunt when I was living on the North Shore- I won't have my car for most of my day in Vancouver so the downtown Habson's location is the best choice and works with my plan to stroll over the the German Market! (There's method to my madness)

    cheers-
    gera

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  3. BeadcomberDecember 3, 2010 at 2:09 PM

    I've never heard a bad pun from you G! lol
    Way to go on pursuing metal clay! Am sure you don't need much of a lesson and will pick it up in a snap (pun not intended). About snap...wow...that is a pricey texture stamp! (can't help but think it would look kind of cool as a steamn'punk style necklace!)

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