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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: 2006-08-18 08:30 pm (UTC)It certainly looks that way, yes. I have the same thing with the printed circuit boards: I have the equipment to make my own, but I can't do more than two layers, I can't do silkscreening or soldermask, which means my PCBs won't be of sufficient professional quality.
Yes, PCB manufacturers are more expensive, but if I want to sell PCBs professionally, I need to outsource the PCBs to them. Some of them give a discount for repeat business (after all, they already have the film and all on file).
I still use my own etching equipment for test runs, so that I know the layout 'works' before I send it off to the manufacturer.
be sure that my hours of carving work will not go to waste with a failed casting!
I guess that is the one big 'problem' with wax casting: you can't 'undo' the melting of the wax!
I'd rather do it hands-on and not on a screen!
It takes a certain type of mind to be able to translate the 3D model you have in your mind into lines on a 2D screen. I certainly don't have that talent, and I think it is even harder for people who are used to shaping things with their hands.
being able to trivially create a patterned ring in ANY SIZE!
Just blow it up to two times the size, and away you go! I guess it would be perfect for serial work in custom sizes.
How are your kits coming along? It sounds like you've been doing some cool stuff!
I am (still!) working on the site. It's come a long way, but there are still some holes to be patched. Then I will need to select a PCB manufacturer for the kits I wish to start with and get those made. And then I need to get the parts for the kits and do some test runs. And I need to get going on the administrative side of things: getting an entry with the Chambre of Commerce, etc.
Also, I need to start cracking on those miniature LED lights!