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Aug. 16th, 2006 06:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
afmetalsmithIt occurred to me today as I was carving wax in an intricate Celtic pattern for a casting, that it is very odd in some ways that waxwork is a metalsmithing skill! The process has pretty much nothing whatsoever to do with working with actual metal; it's just that since the goal is to make a metal thing out of the wax eventually, it's sort of an honorary metal skill.
I can see why there are those who specialize in it alone, though, some of whom don't work with metal at all!
I did a few rounds of depletion gilding on the cloisonne backings, after smoothing off the surface some more. Another pass or 2 should do it.
I also did some more work on the repair/reworking of my trillium pin/pendant. As I was fiddling with the central tube rivet to get the stone's "stem" to fit through it, the petals started to rotate again. So I acquiesced to the inevitable and drilled another, 1mm, hole very close to the central one- close enough that the stone will cover it when replaced- and riveted it a second time with a tiny piece of 18 ga. wire. Ha! Now just TRY to rotate! I was again grateful for my wonderful mini-stakes, because a couple of them made this process relatively painless, and it would not have been without them. I also see that I could if necessary glue the "stem" of the stone- it sticks out from the back of the cab setting- into the central tube rivet hole if necessary. This is a relief! I'm not sure that I have enough length to re-rivet it, plus of course hammering on the other end of something that has a large citrine cab on one end is a somewhat dangerous proposition!
Now that I know more or less what I'm doing, I can do the same work on the other pin, thereby fixing its problems and then being able to offer it for sale. I will be much happier sending it off when the petals and leaves aren't rotating like a pinwheel, and the pin is steel!
I have not yet begun the meanders around the features on my plique smiley; I'm planning on working on that, and on texturing the cloisonne metal, tomorrow while my student is here. Both are easily interruptable, which make them good candidates for that time.
Tonight J is planning on getting some new pictures of some of the work I want to put up on Etsy. Cool! I did add an enameled bat tie tack yesterday, but the photo I had was a bit low-res so it's grainy at full size. (The url is http://afmetalsmith.etsy.com, but so far there are only 2 things up. I'm looking to change that ASAP!)
I can see why there are those who specialize in it alone, though, some of whom don't work with metal at all!
I did a few rounds of depletion gilding on the cloisonne backings, after smoothing off the surface some more. Another pass or 2 should do it.
I also did some more work on the repair/reworking of my trillium pin/pendant. As I was fiddling with the central tube rivet to get the stone's "stem" to fit through it, the petals started to rotate again. So I acquiesced to the inevitable and drilled another, 1mm, hole very close to the central one- close enough that the stone will cover it when replaced- and riveted it a second time with a tiny piece of 18 ga. wire. Ha! Now just TRY to rotate! I was again grateful for my wonderful mini-stakes, because a couple of them made this process relatively painless, and it would not have been without them. I also see that I could if necessary glue the "stem" of the stone- it sticks out from the back of the cab setting- into the central tube rivet hole if necessary. This is a relief! I'm not sure that I have enough length to re-rivet it, plus of course hammering on the other end of something that has a large citrine cab on one end is a somewhat dangerous proposition!
Now that I know more or less what I'm doing, I can do the same work on the other pin, thereby fixing its problems and then being able to offer it for sale. I will be much happier sending it off when the petals and leaves aren't rotating like a pinwheel, and the pin is steel!
I have not yet begun the meanders around the features on my plique smiley; I'm planning on working on that, and on texturing the cloisonne metal, tomorrow while my student is here. Both are easily interruptable, which make them good candidates for that time.
Tonight J is planning on getting some new pictures of some of the work I want to put up on Etsy. Cool! I did add an enameled bat tie tack yesterday, but the photo I had was a bit low-res so it's grainy at full size. (The url is http://afmetalsmith.etsy.com, but so far there are only 2 things up. I'm looking to change that ASAP!)
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Date: 2006-08-17 08:48 pm (UTC)I've been using the blue wax that comes in slabs, but am not all that thrilled. I think I'm going to get some green, both in slabs and in sheet- I know they're different consistencies, but if the green sheet carves well, I'll spend a lot less time thinning down slabs for relief pendants!
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Date: 2006-08-17 09:02 pm (UTC)I think that green will carve great. What tools do you use? I only used this kind of thing that I don't know the english name: http://www.ferreteriaortiz.es/store/fotos/250x250/03590172.jpg and files. I got a set for carving wax but I still didn't try it...
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Date: 2006-08-18 08:39 pm (UTC)I'm not sure if the sheet wax and the slab wax have the same color codes; that why I just ordered a box of the green sheet (in, I think 2mm thickness) and a box of the green slabs (4.5mm thickness- my blue is, I think 6mm, and I do a LOT of filing to reduce it to 1.5mm or so!). I've not found much use fot he pink myself, though i do have a bit I got in a sample kit.
For tools I am mostly now using the Kate Wolfe set (http://www.wolftools.biz/) which J was nice enough to give me for Xmas last year. They do rock! I also use some altered dental picks that I begged from my dentist- who thought I was nuts!- and then formed to what I needed.
The picture you linked to looks like a ball bur to me- I think one meant for wax. I really prefer hand tools for wax. Wax carves so fast compared to metal that I think something on the flex-shaft would get me into deep trouble pretty fast! :)
I have been eyeing some needle file and riffler sets with longing, though....
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Date: 2006-08-19 09:33 am (UTC)I have something almost exactly like this: http://www.ehobbytools.com/media/83220s.jpg
I guess that is the typical thing.
Yeah I think they are mostly used with wax, those balls, cones, cylinders and so on. I used the motor on a low setting most of the time. With a big "ball bur" you can make an imitation hammered texture on the wax, I did that here: http://www.innershelter.net/index.php?s=cast&i=2
The picture is quite bad, I have to replace it.
I didn't know what a riffler was, but googling, yeah! I had two of those, one got stolen, the other I don't even know where it is now :( but they were great for wax!