Back in January, I made a musical tin for my friend Lisa, who is not only an awesome DBA (database administrator) but a musician too. If you did not read the blog post, I have to tell you the following so you are up to speed on this next part. I made the tin so it could hold her guitar auto-tuner and then we found it that the tin was a bit too small and so it would turn on and drain the battery in the tuner.  I knew I had to make a new tin for her and her tuner.

Then, in April, I then "borrowed it" so it could be photographed for an article that will appear in the November issue of Art Jewelry magazine and they have had it since then.  

Since Lisa's birthday is this weekend, I decided to make her that new tin and do my entry for the Facebook Chasing & Repousse group challenge #4 - FISH at the same time.  

I decided that I would do a pun based upon the REO Speedwagon album "You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish"  and put a Blue Fin TUNA on the tin and this time I would dome the lid of the Altoid tin so the TUNER not TUNA would fit inside.

Two weekends ago, I started. I removed the paint from the lid and domed it. I then located some line art of a Blue Fin Tuna and scaled it to fit on the lid.  Then I put the lid in the pitch bowl and lined it. After the lining, I flipped the lid in the pitch bowl so I could to the repousse and form the fish.

This past Friday, I did the repousse and then flipped the lid again and put it back into the pitch bowl so I could to the final chasing and detail work. On Saturday I finished the chasing, pulled the lid from the pitch and cleaned the extra pitch from the inside and outside of the lid. Sunday I was able to apply the solvent dye patina to create a sea blue background and get the coloring on the Tuna correct. 

While all of this was going on, I was posting images of the tin lid to Facebook and tagging Lisa with the comments about ....Tuna Fish. 

We then made arrangements to go to dinner, for her birthday, yesterday after work. We of course went for Sushi (get the fishie theme going on here?).  At Lisa's I showed her the tin and she just loved it - and she still did not know it was her present. I asked her to get her TUNER, not a fish, so we could see if it fit without turning it on; and it did!!! That is when I told her that she now had a TUNA fish for her tuner - and the evil deed was done. Lisa then got the pun and her present all at the same time.

and oh, by the way the musical tin was waiting for me when I got home YESTERDAY. 

Back in December I was contacted by a Doug who had seen my link in the A Hundred for One project. Doug had, after finding my submission and a link to this website, wandered around here and saw many things that he liked.   After a few emails we met for coffee and a bit of a trunk show.  Doug then bought two of my items - The Pueblo Pot and the Braided Bracelet

And at the beginning of January, Doug contacted me again. This time he wanted to commission a memento box for his fiancee as a Valentine Day present, and could it be based upon a book that represents their finding each other and falling in love. The book is Paul Meets Bernadette and Doug has even been in contact with the author and bought some of the art work from her.

So, Doug sent me some pictures from the book. I sent back a picture of some tins I had that could be used as well as some ideas of how to put Paul and Bernadette on the tin. Once I got the go a head, I spent 3 weekends (in between two other trips I had scheduled but could not cancel) making the tin which include not only the chasing & repousse but coloring it and then lining it with green velvet. I delivered the tin last Wednesday and I thought Doug might actually cry.  To say he was pleased would be an understatement.  Here is what he sent me on Thursday: 
"L,
Well, I want to thank you again for this extraordinary work. It does exceed my expectations and brings a tremendous heart to the object. Another way of sharing this feeling with you is that I will be very proud to give it to Judy and feel that it is a proper exaltation of our Love. That says a lot..."

This morning I took the process photos I took during the making of the tin and made a small movie (see below). I sent the movie to Doug and he wrote back: 
".Judy was out shopping when I watched this.
I had no idea....broke down. Wow Wow Wow.
I'm sending this to Rosy Lamb as soon as I give the gift to J.
And to Peter, of course.
Heartfelt thanks!
d.
watched it again full screen and cried again.
Now, to show her the film, watch her "get it" and give her the box, or vice versa?
Hmmmmmm?"

My suggestion was to place the present (wrapped of course) on the table in front of her. And say that before she opens it, she has to watch another present… the movie. Then I would show it on the biggest computer (or TV screen) you can get it on. THEN have her open the present. You will get major points for it! Oh and have tissues ready too.

So, my readers, by the time you read this post Judy will have been given her present for Valentines Day. 

Since it is a 3-day weekend for me (Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday) I used this weekend to work on two projects.
One I can't really post about here as the recipient might see it and thus the surprise would be spoilt. 

But I can tell you about the other project - another Altoid Tin. This is for Lisa The DBA who should not be confused with Elisa of Scotland nor Liza Nechamkin The Chasing & Repousse mentor. 

Lisa also plays several instruments and is in a band. She uses an electronic tuner for her bass git-tar and was using a small cloth pouch for carrying it in her bag.

I had a better idea; a Tin with some chasing & repousse on it. 

The first tin we tried was not tall enough - this was a standard Altoid tin. Then I tried round tin but the tuner did not fit the space for the height or the foot print.  I then decided to dome the lid of the regular tin and sure enough it would work. All of this was tested over the past few weeks and so this weekend, I started the project. 

I took lots of pictures so here is a nice movie of the project with some guitar music of course so turn up the sound and boogie!!.

A bit late but better than never. I am a month behind but I should catch up later this month.

For this months project, I decided to do an altoid tin as a present for a friend.   I used a palmette which is a palm leaf design that go back to the early Greek and Egyptian civilizations. 
  
This project was completed over the course of 2.5 days.  The lining was done Thursday night, Saturday I started the repousse. Today I finished the repousse, a bit of re-lining and the texturing around the design. 

Project Name:  Palmette Tin.
Material: Altoid Tin which is a soft tin plate (tin plated steel) that is about gauge 28 (.4mm) thick.

Major Points:
These tins are thin! so care must be taken NOT to cause a split or crack. This is the 5th tin I have done and the first had lots of splits and on this project there were NONE. 

Lessons Learned: 
I used Adobe Illustrator to refine the design and I learned how to do a few new things as a result. 

Right now I am working on 4 different but similar projects. Three are for my next article in Art & Jewelry Magazine and the fourth is cuff that has been on my to-do list for almost 2 years. 

All 4 projects use the techniques of Chasing and Repousse.

Like any skill you learn, you have to keep at it to improve. Spending a concentrated period of time focusing on a skill also helps and having taken several C&R workshops over the past 4 years has certainly done that. 

But for some reason, spending 4 days this Thanksgiving weekend, working on C&R for almost 7 hours a day has taken my skills to a new level.  I can just feel the difference in the way I work.  

How can I tell??

• Certainly my lining is better
• When working from the back, my repousse areas are more consistent in depth and are smoother.
  
• I am not "flipping" as much. Meaning I am able to get the depth I want the first or second time.
• Because my repousse is smoother, I have less planishing to do to smooth out the lumps and bumps on the front side
• When chasing I have control here as well.
• I know what tools to use where. No more wondering should I use this tool or that. When I need a different tool, I look at what I have and from the profile I if it will work.
• Overall I am more confident in what I am doing and can "see" where I want to go with each project.

This is important for me to recognize because I also found that while I am hammering I am comfortable and happy. 

This skill/technique has become second nature to me.
 
And most of all, I know that I have found my passion in this medium. 

I can make hollow forms or even jewelry but what I will really doing is making a surface for me to decorate with Chasing & Repousse.  

As for the title of the post, that's french for Pushing Through.