Next week classes start at Texas State and I am more than ready for them. 
During my last few weeks of freedom, since returning from my Metal Spinning Workshop, I have been doing a bit more knitting, drawing, and attempting to make some metal stuff.

There is a metals guild/club at school and they have pop-up sales every once and a while so I thought I would use this time to make some cuffs that I could sell and make a few extra bucks. I went through my copper and brass metal and found leftovers from larger pieces of sheet that I could use. I annealed it all and then selected the rolling mill plates that I was going to use and ran them through my rolling mill. Next I pulled out the pancake dies to cut/stamp the bracelets out with the hydraulic press. This is where it all went wrong. All the metal got stuck in the pancake dies with only half of the shape cut. With much frustration I was able to free the metal but to be honest I am done with these pancake dies! I also realized that I enjoy the long and time consuming process of making cuff's without a hydraulic press. 

I have also spent time thinking more about making, art, and the process to the finished object. This is what I was thinking about on the 2 day drive to and from the workshop. I am really thinking that. for me, I enjoy the learning and the process more than making ART and a finished piece. Yes, I do make things for me and yes, I do occasionally sell some of my stuff but it isn't about making a living at this; it isn't about being famous and having my work in a museum or gallery, it is about learning and mastering a skill.  I am also going to re-focus my attention on those things I do enjoy making. 

I am now going through my tools and equipment and selling those items I don't need because I am not going to use them any more or never have used them.  ​ 

In my last post, I showed the Gold and Sterling Silver kinetic earrings I made. While cleaning up after that project I thought of making bi-metal one. Instead of each side being a different metal, each side would be 2 metals and when soldered into the bead, there would be an appearance of a checkerboard because the bi-metal seams would be rotated 90 degrees from each other.

I started with Copper and Yellow brass. Nice clean edges that were flush and soldered with hard solder. Again I used a circle template I made to put the drill holes on each side of the seam. Holes drilled and then the disk cutter punched the disks out. I did an anneal and deburred the holes. Next was the dapping block and I first went into a shallow dapping hole. Then the disks were moved to a deeper hole and that when the seam gave way. I tried a sample without drilling that I even annealed a second time and the seam failed also.  I asked in a FB metals group and I was convinced that brass was not going to work since it is a harder metal than pure copper (which I knew). The hive mind consensus was to try copper and sterling silver - which I was going to do eventually but wanted to perfect the process with a less expensive material but at this point I had nothing to loose.

I went through my silver scrap and found pieces of sheet that would work but needed to be rolled a bit thinner. So I started over again. Everything was going well until I went to solder the first bead together. I used cross locking tweezers and my mini-torch with oxy/propane.... the bi-metal seams gave way probably due to the pressure of the tweezers AND the OXY/propane getting the bead too hot.  Luckily I had cut enough disks for THREE beads just incase. On the second bead I used T-pins to hold the bead in alignment and used by hand held butane torch which would take longer to heat up the bead and melt the easy solder but there was *almost* no chance of melting the hard solder.  I took it real slow and after an hour both beads were soldered and pickled. Then it was time to polish and mount on ear wires.
​The completed earrings are the very last picture!

I am back from a 15 day road trip (more details here) but I did take an unplanned side trip to Colonial Williamsburg JUST to visit the silversmith shop; I did this because Liza Nechamkin suggested it because I would be nearby when visiting the Shop Elf's brother.

Turns out it was less than 5 miles away so after breakfast I went and arrived just as the shop was opening. I went in, introduced myself and said "Liza Nechamkin says hello and that I needed to visit!"; well, after that we were immediate friends (just kidding). We started talking about WHY Liza sent me; then what they were working on and more. Preston started as an apprentice in the early 80's and is now a journeyman; I did not find out when he can become a master. He showed me trays, bowls, ladles, spoons, tea pots, etc. Then we went into the other rooms - the amount of hammers and stakes was amazing and sadly many needed the rust and grime to be removed; yes I volunteered. I was even taken on a "behind the velvet rope/curtain" tour to see all the tools, stakes, and equipment in the basement; into the other workshop, a back building, where tasks like spinning a ladle handle on a lathe is made, plus other modern equipment is used to finish pieces.   I was ready to move in and clean everything for free!
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I did buy myself a pewter spoon because the silver one I wanted was over $400. 

As I was driving back to my brother-in-law's house I realized I was very excited about going back to school and had a renewed sense of enthusiasm for learning and making things. 

To read about learning to make hinges part a read this first
Monday (Day 3):
As part of learning to make boxes and boxes hinges, one eventually get to the point where you have to put a hinge on a box so obviously you have to make a box first which can be scaring because you want a good box, so will it will be a good one and then once you have made said box, and you put a hinge on it; well will the hinge work and if it does not can it all be saved?  This is how I spent Sunday evening while watching the T.V. and while trying to fall asleep. 

If you have been reading the other box project posts, you will be aware that I have been adding to the seam count with each subsequent box: #1 a round box with one seam; #2 an almond/eye shaped box with two seams; #3 a triangular box with 3 seams and then for #4 a square box with 4 seams. So what should I do for box #5? Ah, I cheated and decided to make a half circle box that had 2 side seams. 

I looked at what 20g copper I had and decided that the box would be about 1" tall and about 2" long on the straight side and the front would be round with a radius of about 1" (if the flat back is 2" wide, that is the diameter).  I went through my rolling mill textures and selected one which I would use for the walls and the lid. 

Using my round stepped bracelet mandrel, I formed the half round and then filed the ends flat and using hard solder, attached the front to the back wall. I then stamped my maker's mark on the bottom plate and textured the top plate. I then scribed where I would cut the lid from the bottom and using a separating disk, cut an air slot for when I solder the top and the bottom on. I write inside bottom and inside top on each piece so I don't put them on the wrong end or on "inside out".  Everything was fluxed and using medium solder, I attached the top and the bottom.

I put the whole assembly on the concrete floor to cool as quenching it can cause it to warp. I also don't put it in the pickle at this point as the that air hole is too small for pickle to get in or out of easily so now is when I cut the box apart and then pickle it. 

After pickling it is time to trim all the extra copper off the top and bottom and to even up the making surfaces where the lid is cut from the body. This takes time as you want it all even with no gaps.  After that I made bearing plates to fit inside the box. The are soldered to the back wall so there is extra material to support the hinge. 

The box is done and now comes the scary part of making and soldering on the hinge. That's going to be the next post.

I was going to work on this two weeks ago but getting the flu put a kink in that idea but with the holiday and an extra day of vacation,  I gave myself 5 days in the studio to learn hinges and to make a box with a hinge. This post is about learning to make a hinge
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Saturday morning: 
​I reviewed the 5 silversmithing books that had information on hinges. I would start with a butt joint and then a book joint.  I selected some scrap 18 gauge copper and cut it to be 1" wide and then cut copper tubing 1.25" wide; these would be my joint knuckles.  Per the instructions, I beveled the ends of the copper and then used my chenier file to create the seat for the hinge knuckles. I cut the tube into 3 sections with the largest being half the length, for the center knuckle and the remaining amount in half for the outer two knuckles.  I marked the copper with a lead pencil while placing the center knuckle, I then soldered down the two outer knuckles and when I went to place the center knuckle, I saw that I had pushed the outer knuckles inward thus making the space for the center knuckle too small. 

Hinge #1 was done and wrong. I should have soldered the center knuckle first and then the outside ones. 

For Hinge #2, I started again; bevel and cut tubing. Place the knuckles on a piece of graphite pencil lead to keep the knuckles aligned on the metal and solder. 

Hinge #2 was done and wrong again! I had all three knuckles soldered but now two; a outer and the center knuckle were soldered to one side; I should have used white out to prevent errant solder flow. 

I cut more 18 g copper and tubing. I placed everything flat on the solder block an fluxed and moved the outer knuckles out of the way but kept them on the lead. Then using very tiny solder chips, just to tack the knuckles, I soldered the center knuckle. Then I moved the outer knuckles back into position and soldered them into place.  I let it all cool and put everything into the pickle. 

After removing the sample from the pickle and cleaning the joint, I put the hinge back on the solder block, reinserted the graphite lead, fluxed and finished the soldering of the knuckles. Yes I got  the knuckles fully soldered down but I also got some on the copper along the hinge seat. 

Hinge #3 was done and almost correct -  I need to use smaller solder chips!!!
Hinge #4 was a full repeat and much better but still not perfect.

I inserted some copper wire into the hinges, as a pin, to prove the hinges worked, without trimming the outer knuckles and called it a night as it was now 5pm,  but I decided to reread the chapters on hinges, again, after dinner.

Sunday morning:
Time for Hinge #5 - This one would be a butt hinge and following the instructions EXACTLY, used the chenier files to cut a groove in each half, I cut and filed the ends of my tubes square using my miter jig;  I used white out, in lieu of yellow ochre, to work as a mask on the copper where the knuckles would be placed; I aligned my knuckles on graphite lead.  It was time to solder; I ran the solder wire though my rolling mill to thing it and then cut very, VERY tiny chips. I then fluxed the hinge seat and placed the knuckles on the graphite, in the seat and turned on the torch. Working slowly with the flame, I warmed everything up and when the flux was glassy, I placed the solder chips and used the heat to pull the solder into the seat of the center knuckle. I then focused the heat on the first outer knuckle and proceeded to solder it in place and moved on to the second outer knuckle.  Into the pickle it went. Afterwards I trimmed the outer knuckles and inserted some copper wire for the pin and filed the ends flat.  SUCCESS, I had a good hinge with almost NO solder to clean up. 

 ​Time for Hinge #6 which is a book joint - this is the type of hinge that would be on a box between the lid and the body.  I worked really slowly and carefully; repeating everything I did for #5 - file, sand, place, check and check again, masking with white out, cutting tiny solder chips, fluxing and checking placement again before turning on the torch.  I soldered again in two phases the first being to tack the knuckles and the second fully attach them. And... I had a successful book hinge!!! 

It was now 6pm and I was done for the day having been at hinge making for 6+ hours. 
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Next up would be to make a box and put a hinge on it, starting tomorrow.

This project is from 2 weeks ago, I thought I posted it but I guess not.

This is an oval box (1 seam) but I put a hydraulic pressed stamping on the lid.  I did the stamping twice just to practice getting a good impression. Actually this is the second oval box too; the first was out of 24g copper which is just too soft and this one was made with 20g which is still a bit too thin, for copper but these are all about practice.

I spent a good amount of time working on the bezel for the lid and I am getting better at fitting it and soldering as I am not doing as much clean up.  This box is about 1.25" tall and a 6" circumference resulting in about 1.25" wide on the short axis and 1.5" on the long axis.

​Next up scribing corners, I am starting with a triangular box.