Glass & Splinters Lampwork Beads and Jewellery

Surface Textures for Anodised Jewellery

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:49:00 +0000

Texture techniques is such an important part of my work and I am forever looking for new alternatives to add to the uniqueness of my pieces.

Specially made texture hammers are a great product on the market, I enjoy the challenge of making as many patterns from the one texture by transferring the texture in different angles, and combining one texture with another. Add a stamped letter or number into the texture for a one-of-a-kind look.

I have fun experimenting with my rolling mill, which is a much quicker and definitely quieter method – one that I’m sure my neighbours prefer. One of my favourite textures made with the rolling mill is putting the metal through the wire rollers where raised lines of different thicknesses are formed. Lace and wire netting is also a popular material I use either in the rolling mill or using a hammer to force the creation of the texture.

My latest pieces -

Anodised Aluminium Earrings

Anodised Aluminium Rings

Anodised Aluminium Cuffs

Anodised Aluminium Cuffs

Anodised Aluminium Cuffs

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 07:50:00 +0000

I'm preparing to make a few sets - cuff, ring and earrings, ready to submit to galleries. I have some cuffs complete and love the different colour combinations.

The red on black cuff was inspired by, and will be a gift to, an Australian celebrity and fashion designer, who has a stunning public presence.

Now that I have my PH Meter I find I am forever changing the PH balance of my black anodising dye, but at least it is now giving me excellent results. I wonder what my next challenge will be.

Top cuff in Bronze and Copper; Left in Red on Black; Right-Black on Red

Anodising Trials and Tribulations!

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 01:54:00 +0000

Anodising aluminium is such a fickle process, one little thing goes wrong, and the whole anodising process has to be repeated. Admittedly, I do love the challenge and the new knowledge it brings. I think it would be a sad moment when you felt you had all the knowledge you could possibly have on one subject, if there was nothing else to learn, what satisfaction would you have continuing with it?

This weeks problem was that a dye I'd recently purchased and which had been giving excellent results has not been successful on my last 2 attempts. With the anodising process, this could be contributed to many things, but as with all things the more experience you have it becomes a little easier to pinpoint. My suspicion was that the PH balance wasn't correct in the dye. Another purchase necessary, a PH meter, which proved my theory to be correct. Ah the trials and tribulations of anodising!

I have enjoyed experimenting with duo colours, a lengthy but intriguing process, where the item is dyed, then dried, a rubber cement ran over areas where the base colour will be retained. Then the piece is placed in diluted ammonia to remove the remainder of the dye, then redyed and sealed. Once the sealing process is complete then the messy job of removing the rubber begins! I did show a cuff done with this method in my last post, here are a few more examples of my anodised jewellery in two colours.

Anodised Aluminium 'Peace' Ring

Anodised Aluminium Ring

Vibrant Anodised Aluminium Earrings

Blue and Gold Anodised Aluminium Earrings

Funky Anodised Aluminium Cuff

Green and Blue Anodised Aluminium Cuff

Continuing the Anodising Saga.....

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 05:24:00 +0000

It's been a long time since I've added to my blog, but I have continued with my anodising venture. There were many hurdles to climb over along the way but it has all been worth it.

My turning point was about 18 months ago when it was brought to my attention an anodising course was being taught at the Jam Factory here in Adelaide. I joined the course in hope to iron out the few problems that I could not find a solution for.

The biggest fact I learnt was there is actually two different methods of anodising aluminium, the LCD method I was following and the 'old method' which was taught in this course. The major differences being, instead of measuring the surface being anodised and using a calculating table to define the setting of the amps on the power supply and the length of time the anodising should run, it was a simple 10 Volts for 1 hour.

Taking that on board and adding a small aquarium pump for the agitation of my anodising bath, has made the difference between failure and success.

Another great tip I came away with was whilst working on aluminium pieces, cutting, filing and sanding, etc. When the pieces are hard worked and require annealing, aluminium does not indicate annealing temperature by changing colour as most other metals do, making it difficult to calculate when melting point is nearly reached. To remedy this, rub the pieces with moistened soap, anneal until the soap becomes dark brown almost black, then take the flame away, perfectly annealed.

Here are a few of my recent anodised pieces -

Anodised aluminium ring with one of my lampwork beads

Anodised aluminium cuff bracelet

Anodised aluminium earrings

Anodised aluminium pendant on a sterling silver snake chain

Anodised aluminium necklace joined with titanium links

Disc Cutter

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:00:00 +0000

A disc cutter has been on my wish list for some time now, and I recently purchased one and am now wondering how I've lived so long without it! The one I chose has a clear perspex top as opposed to the majority I have seen which have metal as the uppermost layer. I'm very glad I made this choice as it's a big advantage to be able to actually see to line up your sheet, and in the case of cutting a circle out within another circle, it's a must to be able to visually line it up.

A circle punched within a circle

This particular disc cutter is able to cut circles to the sizes of 1/8"; 3/16"; 1/4"; 5/16"; 7/16"; 1/2"; 5/8" and 3/4" and neatly stores in it's own case.

Disc Cutter Case

Disc Cutter Set

It's a simple process to follow, just slip the metal in between the top perspex layer and the bottom metal base, lining it up with the required size hole.

Sheet Metal inbetween the layers

The cutter punch has a bevelled end and a straight end. Place the straight end into the hole.

Bevelled Edge

Straight Cutting Edge

Place staight edge in first

In all the instructions I have read for disc cutters it mentions only a couple of hits with the hammer is needed. I am using aluminium sheet in mine, so that may be harder to cut than silver sheet, but my experience so far is it requires a lot more than a couple of blows with the hammer, or maybe I'm too light with the hammer as I find it needs several hits before completely cutting through, and the disc will drop through.

Strike several times with the Hammer

I found the most challenging part of the process was releasing the cutter punch once the disc has been successfully cut. I've now solved that problem. I looked for a piece of dowel but settled on a small piece of tree branch instead.

Stick with a straight end

I then placed this on the cutter punch and hammered the punch right through. You may need to place a block of wood under the edge of the cutter to give enough height for the punch to safely drop through on a bench top. It should come out quite quickly and easily.

Releasing the Cutter Punch

I purchased my cutter from Carol Braden of Mastery Tools on Ebay US. If she doesn't have any listed at the moment I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you emailed enquiring about them.

Working with Aluminium

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:00:00 +0000

While I am having a slight hiatus in my aluminium anodising project due to waiting for the arrival of 200 litres/ 52 gallons of distilled water, I have another aluminium necklace and earrings in the making.

Domed Discs, drilled, filed, sanded and polished

I'm loving working with aluminium, it is such a soft metal to manipulate, and so very light. I have given these pieces a final polish on my electric wheel, using a green bar compound. I've then soaked them in thinners to remove the polish grime as this will prevent anodising if it does not have a clean surface.

I'm planning to anodise these pieces in a combination of violet and blue, but at this stage of course I'm still waiting to succeed in achieving a result I am happy with before I can finally put my pieces together.

Hey, it's my birthday today!! :-)

Back to Weaving

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:00:00 +0000

I have had this piece sitting on my work board half finished for a few weeks now, so I thought it was time to put some concentration into completing the necklace.

'Scarlet' Woven Necklace

Close up of the centrepiece of 'Scarlet'

This piece is finger woven with lava, coral and red aventurine together with my handmade lampwork beads. Hundreds of Japanese seed beads have been added into the mix.

The latest on my Anodising quest -

This has certainly become one of my biggest challenges I have taken on. It is not nearly as easy as it first seemed. I have replaced my battery charger with a 30V/5 AMP controllable power supply as a more reliable power source. I am now using the 720 Rule Anodising Calculator to enable me to apply the correct amp and voltage settings according to the surface area of the pieces. It has just been pointed out to me that I was calculating it without taking in consideration that the surface area equals both sides of my pieces, therefore I needed to double my calculation.

Power Supply

My head is swimming right now, there are so many variables and I still haven't had the success I'm after. It's constantly back to the drawing board, but I have learnt so much and obviously need to learn much more. I think I could write a book with all that I have learnt so far!

My First Aluminium Necklace

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:00:00 +0000

I've been working on my design for my first anodised aluminium necklace and have my pieces ready for the anodising process.

I have cut, filed, sanded, drilled and polished all pieces. I've used a wheel and polish specially made for use with aluminium.

They do resemble faces, but that wasn't the plan!

I am still planning to make some changes to my anodising bath in hope to prevent the current from cutting out. I'm planning to drill holes in the aluminium angle so that the titanium wire will fit snugly in. Caswell's website has a very helpful forum which I need to study a little more, there was an excellent photo of a set up you may like to check out, about 1/2 way down the page.

As I have 14 pieces to anodise, I need to have my racks changed to accommodate them easily. My design is to have the base one colour and the 'nose' section another. I will then need to rivet the pieces together very carefully as not to damage the anodising.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with the aluminium, it is so light weight and responds well to all the facets of metalsmithing with a few exceptions, such as being unable to solder. In saying that I did read that it can be soldered with special solders, but I haven't looked into it any further. I will continue to design with cold connections for the time being, it's a much bigger challenge!

Anodising Aluminium at Home - Success!

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:00:00 +0000

Persistence and constant research has finally paid off, I have successfully anodised my aluminium test piece.

Test Piece with Anodised Finish

I made a few changes to my set up, firstly I changed the aluminium bar to an aluminium angle which I thoroughly cleaned. The reason for changing the bar I was using previously was due to an extra ridge on the aluminium which I felt might have reduced the current flow.

Aluminium Angle

I cut a larger piece of roofing lead and folded it over several times, this was advised in research material I had read.

Lead Cathode

A major change which I believed contributed to the success, was changing from aluminium wire to titanium wire for use in the racking system. Titanium apparently conducts the electrical charge more efficiently, whereas aluminium has a tendency to lose the current flow. Titanium is more expensive than aluminium, I paid $15.00 for a metre at A&E Metals, but it was well worth the extra expense. The wire can be used over and over again by cleaning it with steel wool after each anodise.

Titanium Wire for holding Aluminium

The final major improvement was purchasing the correct anodising dyes. These are available from Caswell Inc. If you live in the U.S., the dyes are out at a very cheap price at the moment. Unfortunately the same special price does not spread to Australia. As Caswell has a distributor in Australia they do not allow us to buy from the U.S. site, so Aussies can expect to pay more than double the price at $18.00 per colour, as opposed to $7.45 in the U.S. Worthwhile buying the correct dyes and also Sealer which is also available from Caswell. Once you have soaked the anodized aluminium pieces in the dye for approx. 15 minutes, the piece is then transferred to the sealer mix which has been brought to boiling point on the stove. Retain the boil and immerse the piece for just a few minutes.

I found an anodising procedure chart in The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight handbook. As I no longer have a working scanner, I photographed it, brought it into Photoshop and added some extra notes, printed and placed into a plastic sleeve. This has been invaluable on my workbench throughout the procedure, as I can't rely on my memory. I move straight from the Dye process to the Seal, with no rinsing in between or after the Seal.

Anodising Procedure Chart

The finished anodised results will reflect the amount of work put into the preparing of the aluminium before the anodising process begins. My sample piece has far from a perfect finish as I put very little effort in sanding and preparing the piece as it was simply a practise piece. I am now moving on to my first necklace project incorporating anodised aluminium, these pieces will have to be fastidiously prepared with all sawing, filing, forming and other finishing techniques completed before the anodising process can begin.

Although I have felt a great deal of frustration with all my failed attempts with the anodising process, finally having a success has really made it all worthwhile. I've learnt some valuable lessons, the main one being do not cut corners by purchasing products which aren't the 'Real McCoy'. I would have saved a lot of time if I had the correct wire and dyes to begin with, but in saying that having to analyse each step to fathom where I had gone wrong, really increased my knowledge of the process.

I hope you have enjoyed travelling my journey with me!

The Jeweler's Directory of Decorative Finishes

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:50:00 +0000

The Jeweler's Directory of Decorative Finishes by Jinks McGrath

This is another excellent book if you are seeking a good source of information on finishing techniques to metal. It begins with the basic tools and equipment which seems to be the norm for all the jewellery related books. It then supplies valuable information on the how-to, samples and exceptional showcase on each section. The areas covered are Stamps and hammering; Rolling-mill texturing; Fusing; Polished, matt and satin finishes; Etching; Patination and oxidization; Casting; Press forming; Reticulation; Gold and silver foil; Granulation; Enameling; Engraving; Inlay; Chasing and repousse. That's a lot of information for one book to cover, and it is done in a very informative and pleasurable manner.

The Enameling section gives a clear run down on many enameling methods and the preparation needed along with the application and firing procedures. Some samples are shown of enameling on sterling silver and copper. A variety of finished pieces are shown in the showcase section

The Engraving section details the technique of working with a graver, shows samples on silver, brass and copper, and once again a unique showcase of some intricate engraved pieces

The Etching chapter takes you through the basic technique of acid etching and touches on photoetching. Illustrates samples of etched copper, silver and brass. Has a diverse range of pieces in the showcase

Another page in the Etching Section

This section covers the technique of polished, matt and satin finishes. Step by step on how to obtain a high polished surface; how to texture a surface to give a matt finish; how to combine the two techniques of highly polished and matt finishes to achieve a good satin finish. Samples of these finishes on silver, copper and brass. Another stunning showcase

If you are lucky enough to have a rolling mill, something that has been on my wish list for 10 years now, this section covers many different styles of texturing from utilising materials such as feathers, dried leaf, etc. A nice mixture of samples on copper, brass, silver and gilded metal. Featuring another exceptional gallery of finished pieces

This is definitely not one of those books you will look at on one occassion and put back on the shelf never to look at again. It's very inspiring and so many drool worthy glossy photos.

I've checked out Amazon and they have this book available at the moment for $16.49.

Reviewed Book Prices

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:00:00 +0000

Over the short period of time I have been writing my blog, I have reviewed several jewellery books and given you an inside glimpse of some of the contents.

I am listing the books I have reviewed each linked to their particular evaluation. I have found one of the best priced suppliers is Amazon. These books are all available and I am showing Amazon prices for your information.

Chain Mail Jewelry by Terry Taylor & Dylon Whyte $16.47

Making Silver Chains by Glen F. Waszek $11.21

Creative Silver Chains by Chantal Lise Saunders $13.57

Making Metal Jewelry by Joanna Gollberg $10.17

The Penland Book of Jewelry $23.07

The Earrings Book by Yvonne Kulagowski $28.62

ANODISING ALUMINIUM PROJECT

I will have further news with this project shortly. I'm currently in the process of purchasing authentic anodising dyes as at the moment my experiments have included 'Dylon' dyes, so as to eliminate this as a factor contributing towards the failure of the anodising process, I need to replace this step with the correct product.

Anodising Aluminium at Home - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:30:00 +0000

I have been through this process numerous times and have not experienced success as yet, but will still record the steps I am making. I am sure I will find the solution to my problem soon and as I am describing my journey of the anodising project, I think the failures should be noted also.

Please refer to Part 1 for the safety precautions and bath preparations.

The piece of aluminium to be anodised needs to have all the work completed first e.g. cut, shaped, hammered, formed, drilled, sanded and polished if desired. In my experiment I am using a scrap piece of aluminium which has been drilled and sanded.

I recommend having a timer for all the steps, I couldn't do without mine ($5.00 from the supermarket).

Timer

I'm going to fast track to the actual anodising step for a moment. The set up includes a strip of aluminium which sits across the top of the bath container. I have drilled a hole in the strip. Using 1.6mm aluminium wire I have doubled it up, squeezed it together with pliers and fitted it very tightly into the hole. The wire is long enough to prepare the other end in the same way and tightly wedged into the aluminium piece to be anodised so that the piece is completely submerged in the acid bath. I keep it attached in this way to complete the whole process starting with -

Wire in Aluminium piece to be Anodised

1. Degrease - submerge in the jar of detergent for 5 to 15 minutes

Degreasing aluminium

2. Place in rinse bath for 2 minutes

Rinse bath of Distilled Water

3. Immerse in Caustic bath for 1 - 3 minutes

Soaking in Caustic Soda bath

4. Rinse under a running tap for 3 - 5 minutes

5. Place in Nitric Bath for 2-3 minutes to ensure the grey colour has been removed

Soak in Nitric Acid Bath

6. Place in rinse bath of clean distilled water for 2 minutes then rinse under running tap for 3-5 minutes

7. Anodising Bath - Using a piece of roofing lead, I've cleaned it with steel wool first, placed it on the left side of the bath with 2/3rds immersed in the acid/distilled water solution. I'v placed the aluminium bar with the attached piece of aluminium to be anodised across the top of the bath. The aluminium piece should be completely submerged and a distance away from the lead. I'm using a 12V battery charger, the black connector is attached to the cathode with is the lead. The red connector is attached to the anode wihich is the aluminium bar.

A piece of Roofing Lead as the Cathode

Aluminium piece across the bath which I have now changed with a more substantial Aluminium Bar, the Aluminium piece to be Anodised I have now fixed through a hole in the Aluminium Bar

The ampmeter on the battery should sit between .5 and 2 amps. Many bubbles form around the lead cathode and fizzes.

The Ampmeter on the Battery Charger

The Battery Charger

Now this is where I am going wrong. The amps drop back to zero which indicates I no longer have contact. I'm having difficulty fixing the aluminium wire to both the bar and the piece to be anodised sufficiently to result in a tight connection, hence the electrical charge fails to travel down the bar, through the wire and into my work piece.

As soon as I have overcome this problem, I will continue the process. Of course if any of my readers can help me out here, I'd be very much appreciated!

Anodising Aluminium at Home - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:00:00 +0000

As I mentioned in an earlier posting I have become intrigued with the idea of anodising aluminium to use in a new line of jewellery. I am now embarking on that challenge and am inviting you to come on a journey with me through the process of setting up and hopefully being successful with this project.

I have done endless research on the process and have now began to source my supplies and set up the different stages needed. Before I go into my setting up process, I must make it very clear that this process involves working with dangerous acids. I can't emphasise enough that you must take extreme care when handling the products, wearing safety gear and working in a well ventilated area.

I had read that sourcing the chemicals may be a problem but I found they were readily available here in South Australia at Ace Chemicals. I bought 2.5 litres of Sulphuric Acid 98% Solution; 2.5 litres of Nitric Acid 70% and 5 kg Caustic Solda crystals (Sodium Hydroxide Pearl). Total cost of the chemicals $177.00, and the quantities I bought should last me some time.

The very first stage is to find a suitable area to work with acids. I cleared a bench under a carport outside where I have plenty of fresh air circulating, as it is an open space with no doors and only partially closed sides.
Next step is to wear suitable safety glasses and a respirator, both available from hardware stores. To complete the safety attire, a pair of strong rubber gloves and a heavy duty plastic apron. I'm still hunting for a suitable apron, for now I am wearing a heavy leather apron which nearly weighs me down to the ground.

Safety Glasses and Apron

Respirator

Gloves

I made all the 'baths' first, labelling each one. I'll firstly tell you how I prepared each bath, then I will describe each step of anodising in Part 2 which will then make the purpose of each bath clear. Keep in mind all my preparation is done on a reasonably small scale as it is for the purpose of small jewellery components only. If you were planning on anodising car parts, etc. it would need to be on a larger scale.
ALWAYS ADD THE ACID TO THE WATER IN ALL THE BATHS, NEVER THE WATER TO THE ACID
HAVE A BUCKET OF WATER WITH SODIUM BICARBONATE (BAKING SODA) MIXED IN. IF ANY SPILLS USE THIS MIXTURE TO MOP UP AS IT NEUTRALISES THE ACID.

Baking Soda

Degreaser - In a small jar with a screw top lid I have added a heavy duty detergent mixed in cold tap water.
Rinse Bath - In a 2 litre icecream container I have added a couple of inches of distilled water - now known as demineralised water and available from the hardware store or supermarket. You will need quite a lot of this, I bought a 4 litre container and found I needed another. If you can buy it in bulk, it would work out much cheaper, I'm paying about $6.00 for 4 litres, something I need to source in larger quantities.

Distilled Water

Caustic Bath - In a 2 litre icecream container I added 1 litre of water and then 160 grams of Caustic Soda.

Caustic Bath

Nitric Bath - In a 2 litre icecream container I poured in 1 litre of water and to that very carefully added 250ml of Nitric Acid.

Nitric Bath

Anodising Bath - In a reasonably large plastic container I add 3.5L of distilled water, then carefully poured in 700ml of Sulphuric Acid. I read the quantity to be Sulphuric Acid and distilled water 20% by volume.

Anodising Bath

I have made one run through of the process at this stage without success as I required some aluminium wire which I have finally sourced and am now waiting on delivery. Hopefully I will receive that soon and will then continue onto Part 2, showing the step by step process and how to set the anodizing bath up ready for connection to a battery charger for the electric current needed.

I'm enjoying my new challenge and am looking forward to a successful result. It's not an overly expensive project to set up, but the most time consuming and frustrating part is finding suppliers for all the items that are needed.

My Latest Publication

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:00:00 +0000

Finally, I'm famous!! Well that may be a slight exaggeration but Glass and Splinters has been featured in this month's Australian Beading magazine, and I'm extremely happy. 2 pages have been dedicated to my profile with a generous amount of photos of my beads, my woven necklace and of course a photo of me at work on the torch. Kelly Norton, the Editor of the Australian Beading magazine approached me quite a few months ago asking if the magazine could do a feature on me, and finally it is here.

I thought I would give those of you who don't have the luxury of buying a copy a view of the pages.

I must admit, it is so satisfying to see my name and creations in print, makes all that hard work worth it!

Australian Beading is a great magazine, 139 pages on nice quality paper. Full of interesting tutorials and articles - and no I am in no way affiliated with the magazine, but felt it deserved a mention.

Making Metal Jewelry by Joanna Gollberg

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:20:00 +0000

As I am about to begin another new chapter in my working life of experimenting with aluminium, I need to research different options of connecting the metal other than soldering. I came across Making Metal Jewelry written by Joanna Gollberg, at my local library - ah yet another to add to my wish list.

If you are interested in creating metal jewellery but would like to do it without the need to solder then I'm sure you will find this book of great interest.

Front Cover

Back Cover

Etched Copper Earrings

Geometric Bracelet

Layered Cuff Bracelet

The book covers a generous 21 projects with a vast array of pieces with the emphasis on rivets for the main type of cold connections. Most of the projects entail a great deal of sawing, but the end results seem worth the effort. What impresses me the most with the contents of this book is the variety of intriguing pieces, they are far from the everyday run of the mill styled projects. They are very creative and I found them to be very inspirational.

Jane Adam Earrings

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:20:00 +0000

'Hanging Earrings' by Jane Adam. Anodised, dyed and crazed aluminium and stainless steel

Jane Adam is a jeweller featured in 'The Earrings Book' by Yvonne Kulagowski. Jane is a U.K. based artist who over 20 years has accomplished vast studies into working with aluminium. Anodised aluminium offers a wide range of colour and texture and Jane has enjoyed the challenge of overcoming its structural limitations. Jane colours the anodised aluminium by passing an electrical current through the metal, which then creates a porous surface to which colour is absorbed.

I've been intrigued of late with the different metals that are used so beautifully in jewellery. For me and I'm sure many others, sterling silver is becoming unaffordable. Aluminium is such a soft metal and so much easier to saw, so I've done a little research in home anodizing. Very harmful chemicals are needed, so if you were planning to go down this path, be sure to have all the safety precautions covered. I found 'astro neutral' website to have a great deal of information on anodizing aluminium. At Creative Chemistry a step by step process is shown of an anodizing experiment in a classroom environment.

If you live near the Birmingham area in the United Kingdom they run a 'Certificate in Colouring and Forming Anodised Aluminium Jewellery' Course at the Birmingham School of Jewellery. Unfortunately we don't seem to have anything on offer here in Australia.

I also found a DVD 'Anodizing Aluminium For Fun and Profit' at Smartflix available for renting. It can be purchased for US$31.50 from Roderus Productions.

A book is also available - 'Artists Anodizing Aluminium : The Sulfuric Acid Process' by David Laplantz. Amazon sellers have second hand copies ranging from a big US$85.00. I would suggest you try your local library.

Scilla Speet Earrings

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:20:00 +0000

'Aluminium Leaf Earring' by Scilla Speet

Scilla Speet is one of the many artists included in 'The Earrings Book' by Yvonne Kulagowski. Scilla's work is very unique, and she participates in experimentation with others in different fields. This particular pair I have shown here are made with aluminium on a non woven fabric with a technique known as PVD - physical vapour deposition. Scilla has collaborated with Dr Frances Geesin, Senior Research Fellow at London College of Fashion who works with different applications to enhance textiles, in this case it is a process of metallizing fabrics.

Physival Vapor Deposition is a process whereby a thin film of material (in this case, Aluminium) is deposited on another layer by way of 1) the aluminium is converted into vapor by physical means 2) the vapor is transported across a region of low pressure from its source to the layer and 3) the vapor undergoes condensation on the layer to form the thin film.
Here you will see an example of a PVD Evaporation System.

Viewing these earrings made from such a totally different process, really gets the mind ticking over. It is definitely what I would class as thinking outside the box, to approach someone in a totally different field and succeed in a concept that collaborates the knowledge of both fields to produce something totally unique. Defintely food for thought, don't you think?

Showcasing my Necklaces

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:05:00 +0000

I decided it was time to put together a showcase of some of my unique woven pieces that are available from my website.

Golden Fleece US$360.00/AU$418.00

Saturn US$330.00/AU$385.00

Sleeping Beauty US$360.00/AU$418.00

Apricot Sorbet US$920.00/AU$1137.00

Flame US$920.00/AU$1137.00

Berry Mix US$850.00/AU$1050.00

I hope you enjoyed the show!

The Penland Book of Jewelry

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 05:10:00 +0000

If you have a thirst for beautiful jewellery, whether it be buying or creating, 'The Penland Book of Jewelry' should be in your collection. The book includes 10 'Hands On' step by step instructions on such techniques as soldering gold and steel, lost wax casting and making a die. It is full of stunning images of incredible work by experienced contemporary jewelers who have all taught at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. Whether you would ever make use of the step by step techniques is not important, as this is one of those books that you will constantly look at simply for the wonderful gallery of work it includes. Definitely an inspirational book.

Work by Ed Brickman

Work by Marcia Macdonald

Setting a pearl on a River Stone by Tom McCarthy

Weaver's Knot

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:25:00 +0000

I've been finger weaving with conso cord for a couple of years, but am new to peyote and working with nymo thread.
I recently borrowed 'The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving: New Jewelry Designs with Classic Stitches' by Carol Wells, from the library. I've bought many books focusing on different methods of jewellery making and my last purchase was disappointing. So as not to make the same mistake again, I am now borrowing from the library to ascertain which book is worth buying. This particular book has instantly been added to my wish list. It is full of excellent instructions and diagrams including the Weaver's Knot.

If you are a beginner at weaving and not familiar with the Weaver's Knot, I'm sure you will find this an excellent firm knot for joining a new thread to the existing. I found the diagram very easy to follow, the red represents the existing thread and black for the new. Make sure to position the knot as close to your last stitch as possible.

Grooming Your Website

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:42:00 +0000

I have had my lampwork website for many years, and I am of the nature where I like to be able to perform most of the aspects of my business myself. A couple of years ago I armed myself with 'Dreamweaver for Dummies' and after a great deal of study I managed to teach myself enough of the basics to successfully rebuild my website in Dreamweaver, I then went on to build my jewellery website. I'd like to share with you a few of the things I have learnt along the way through advice from others.

ALT tags are an important addition to your website, they add keywords which aid search engines and it helps those who are on dial-up, if the image is loading slowly the ALT information will let them know what image will appear. An ALT tag is the description of your image, including keywords, which is added after the Image Source info.
e.g. IMG SRC="redfocal.jpg" WIDTH=100 HEIGHT=100 BORDER=O ALT="Red lampwork focal bead with blue spots" This can be added directly to your Code page or if working in Dreamweaver the description can simply be added into the ALT box in the Properties Inspector which will then automatically place it in the Code page.

Another addition which is beneficial to attracting search engines, is a site index included in your website. This is simply a seperate page with text only, listing the links of each page of the website. An example is my site index on my lampwork website.

If you would like to find out if other websites have links to your site, go to Link Popularity and type your website URL into their search box. This is a free service which will show the results in Google, Yahoo and MSN. Of course you can type in any website URL if you are interested in viewing the links to that particular site.

To find where you are ranked with the search engines, go to Google Rankings If you do not have an API Key it is very simple to apply for one, and it will be emailed to you. This will show your ranking on Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask.

If you have any questions or wish to add your tips, please do so in the comments.

'Saturn' Necklace

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:51:00 +0000

I've created with my amethyst rondelles, bone beads, lampwork beads, seed beads and this is the result -

I've just added my latest 5 woven necklaces to my website, if you would like to take a look.

The Resulting Jewellery Piece

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:20:00 +0000

Continuing from my post last week, my components have all been applied to my weaving and this is my latest piece to evolve - 'Primeval'

My next project is already on the work board and taking shape. It's been quite some time since I created a necklace in purples, so that will be the focus for this piece.

seed beads

seed beads and lampwork spacer beads

focal bead

focal bead - reverse side

The results of my purple project will be shown later this week.

My Next Jewellery Project

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:53:00 +0000

It's time to collect my components together and begin weaving another necklace. I love earthy browns, and haven't created anything in these hues for some time, so now is as good a time as any. Firstly, I've chosen the seed beads, gemstones and made my lampwork spacer beads.

I've made a reasonably large focal bead in a design that's been in my head for a while, I wanted it to look like dripping caramel. I'm not sure if I succeeded, it is such a different design to what I normally create, and I know it will take on a totally different look once it is in a finished piece.

Reverse Side
We'll just have to wait and see the outcome of this piece, the style isn't entirely planned as yet. Quite often I like to start a woven piece and just let the design take shape as I work. Will be back with the results next week.

Some of the Best Tools are Handmade

noreply@blogger.com (Glass and Splinters) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:37:00 +0000

I am addicted to tools and am like a kid in a candy store when I find myself in a Hardware department. However, I have found that some of the utensils I use the most are simple tools I have fashioned myself.

When making raised floral lampwork beads I like to give each floral petal a crease down the centre to give that realistic touch. I have bought a tool with which to do this with but was never happy with it. I had several hobby knives laying around, so I cut a piece of brass sheet metal and sharpened the end on an electric grinding wheel to give a reasonably sharp edge, and replaced the knife cutter with the piece of brass. I've used this simple tool for years and it does a wonderful job.

Petal Creaser

If I'm working on a piece of sterling silver jewellery, I quite often like to add texture to the metal. I bought an inexpensive hammer from 'Cheap as Chips' for about $3.00 and then using an engraving bit in my dremmel, cut into the hammer head with a wavy design. I hammer the silver pieces with this to give a textured surface. Simple!

Textured Hammer

I need to add my silverwork to a pickle mixture after the soldering process to clean the silver. You don't need to buy a pickling pot specifically for this stage. I bought a second hand electric frying pan, place the pickling mixture into an old casserole dish, that then sits in the frypan and keeps the mixture hot.
I can also utilise the frying pan in my lampworking area. If I am working on a bead that requires elements to be made first and kept heated, I lay them in the warm frying pan in the lead up to attaching the pieces.

Pickle Pot

When making my woven pieces I need very few tools. I weave the piece held securely with u-pins, on a portion of foam board. Couldn't be any easier than that.

Foam Workboard

U-pin

Not all my tools are made by myself, I have some really cute hammers I bought from Roma Zone on Ebay. When I received them I thought, wow they are so small what use will they be, and now I find I'm reaching for them more than my other regular hammers, I think they're great for working on silver wire.

Hammers

This tool I must confess I don't have. Ever since I began silversmithing years ago I have lusted over a rolling mill, but alas they are far too expensive here in Australia and will remain on my wish list. I have read that a pasta machine can work with thin sterling silver to add texture. You just roll it through (obviously not through the shredding section), as you would with a rolling mill. I'm still on the lookout for one, and hopefully in the not so far future I will be able to test this idea out myself.

Pasta Maker

If you have any great tools to share, please feel free to do so.