I spent the 3-day (Columbus Day) weekend back in Arroyo Grande, California with Jan.
The weekend was about fun with a little bit of learning and skill improvement thrown in.
Having traded several email before I went up the goal was to work on her soldering skills, learning how to make a slip sleeve for her canisters, how to sink a bowl, and patina. Actually Jan did not have much interest in patina except for the red oxide but I wanted to expose her to the alchemy of Liver of Sulpher and other applied chemical patinas as well as metal coloration with paints and dyes.
I loaded up my car with my PotterUSA shear, wood sinking blocks, various hammers, brass and copper sheet and copper wire, flux, solder, bottles and other containers of various patinas PLUS books about patinas, my overnight bag and ME and arrived at her place in the early evening. After a nice dinner we just sat and chat.
Saturday morning we started with annealing the copper sheet which would be use for the dishes later in the day. Then we made and soldered in the sleeves for the chasing tool canisters that were made the last time I visted. Jan also learned how to use her jewelers saw and a bench pin to saw off the excess material from the top and bottom plates of the canisters. In the afternoon we started making some bowls. We started with 18g 4" square copper sheet as it is much easier to shape and form than the 6" square 1/8" copper plate (just a fancy name for thick sheet) I also brought along. We sunk our bowls, annealed, bouged, annealed, sunk more, planished, and a long the way we also formed wire into a coil and cut massive "jump" rings for the bases of our bowls and got them soldered on. After dinner we did a bit of playing with my bowl and LOS.
after a long deeeeep sleeeep...
Sunday we took on the challenge of making dishes from the 6" square 1/8" thick copper plate and we completed our dishes by dinner. Not only did we make our dishes and solder on our ring stands - big metal means big heat when soldering which is a whole nother challenge. In my head I had already thought that I would apply a traditional verdigris green patina to the copper - think Statue of Liberty green. The shop elf loves this color and patina; yeah he has a thing for copper too. BUT once I finished the soldering of the ring base and pulled the dish out of the dirty quenching water, there on the inside of the dish was an unplanned and unexpected heat patina. There was black and red spots which I am assuming is a Copper I oxide, there were also golds and orange which may be copper I oxide but could be copper II oxide, and some colors bordering on raspberry and purple which are probably copper II oxide. I had to keep it, I just knew that if I put it in the pickle to clean it up for the green patina I would regret it. After I good rinse and drying, I waxed and buffed it.
after another long deeep sleep... Monday morning was cool and misty.
I made a small bowl from a 3" diameter 18g copper disc. I forged the rim to give it some character and then I applied the green patina. I was able to coat it too.
Jan and I tackled the Red Oxide patina on the dish she made on Sunday. Actually she did not want the "RED" she wanted the raspberry and gold colors that I have been able to get. It took two tries, but we were able to do it. After a late lunch I packed up my car and hit the road south arriving home around 9pm very very tired and after a chat with the shop elf and presenting him with his small green bowl, I went to bed. zzzzzzz
The weekend was about fun with a little bit of learning and skill improvement thrown in.
Having traded several email before I went up the goal was to work on her soldering skills, learning how to make a slip sleeve for her canisters, how to sink a bowl, and patina. Actually Jan did not have much interest in patina except for the red oxide but I wanted to expose her to the alchemy of Liver of Sulpher and other applied chemical patinas as well as metal coloration with paints and dyes.
I loaded up my car with my PotterUSA shear, wood sinking blocks, various hammers, brass and copper sheet and copper wire, flux, solder, bottles and other containers of various patinas PLUS books about patinas, my overnight bag and ME and arrived at her place in the early evening. After a nice dinner we just sat and chat.
Saturday morning we started with annealing the copper sheet which would be use for the dishes later in the day. Then we made and soldered in the sleeves for the chasing tool canisters that were made the last time I visted. Jan also learned how to use her jewelers saw and a bench pin to saw off the excess material from the top and bottom plates of the canisters. In the afternoon we started making some bowls. We started with 18g 4" square copper sheet as it is much easier to shape and form than the 6" square 1/8" copper plate (just a fancy name for thick sheet) I also brought along. We sunk our bowls, annealed, bouged, annealed, sunk more, planished, and a long the way we also formed wire into a coil and cut massive "jump" rings for the bases of our bowls and got them soldered on. After dinner we did a bit of playing with my bowl and LOS.
after a long deeeeep sleeeep...
Sunday we took on the challenge of making dishes from the 6" square 1/8" thick copper plate and we completed our dishes by dinner. Not only did we make our dishes and solder on our ring stands - big metal means big heat when soldering which is a whole nother challenge. In my head I had already thought that I would apply a traditional verdigris green patina to the copper - think Statue of Liberty green. The shop elf loves this color and patina; yeah he has a thing for copper too. BUT once I finished the soldering of the ring base and pulled the dish out of the dirty quenching water, there on the inside of the dish was an unplanned and unexpected heat patina. There was black and red spots which I am assuming is a Copper I oxide, there were also golds and orange which may be copper I oxide but could be copper II oxide, and some colors bordering on raspberry and purple which are probably copper II oxide. I had to keep it, I just knew that if I put it in the pickle to clean it up for the green patina I would regret it. After I good rinse and drying, I waxed and buffed it.
after another long deeep sleep... Monday morning was cool and misty.
I made a small bowl from a 3" diameter 18g copper disc. I forged the rim to give it some character and then I applied the green patina. I was able to coat it too.
Jan and I tackled the Red Oxide patina on the dish she made on Sunday. Actually she did not want the "RED" she wanted the raspberry and gold colors that I have been able to get. It took two tries, but we were able to do it. After a late lunch I packed up my car and hit the road south arriving home around 9pm very very tired and after a chat with the shop elf and presenting him with his small green bowl, I went to bed. zzzzzzz
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