Dangly Bits

Today, I superglued my fingers together while working on things. Yuck! I hate superglue!

At my place, if it's not one thing, it's another. Last weekend, the hallway outside my apartment began leaking torrential amounts of water. There was a waterfall all the way down the stairs, and all the other fun stuff that comes with lots of water going places. There have been huge fans in the hallway for the last week, drying things out. And the ceiling has been torn out. I guess what all this is leading up to, is, I am SO glad I have earplugs. Not only are they useful when I'm drilling copper, they are now allowing me to keep my sanity!

Haven't done much in the way of big projects recently. I did finish the Maui glass pendant and delivered it to my mother, who will give it to the person who will give it to the person it's for. I wasn't all that happy with it; the silver wire I bought left silver residue on the glass that I just COULDN'T get off! And it was WAY too soft and took toolmarks too easily. But perhaps that's just the perfectionist in me talking. I guess it got rave reviews when my mother dropped it off, and two other people are interesting in buying jewelry from me. Guess when the ice melts, I need to get out hunting more glass. Unless someone wants to buy me a trip to Maui! Anyway, here's a picture of the finished product. (I wanted it on a black silk cord, but the store was sold out. *sadface*)



With the success of that piece, I decided to try my hand at making one of a similar style, but that was purely Lake Superior. So I used a rock and a bit of glass from right here in Duluth, and putzed around a bit (this is where I happened to glue my fingers together). I kinda like how it turned out. And the copper wire behaves much more nicely than the silver wire! I heat-colored it...and I took before and after photos, so you can see how the blowtorch really helps the color. Here's the 'before' pic...




...and here's the after pic. I really need to get a piece of black velvet; I think it'll help the pieces really pop, in photos.



I did start the next big copper piece (the corner-huger is kinda on hiatus while I figure some things out). It's going to be another suncatcher, and I really like the shape. In fact, if it turns out well, it's going to be VERY hard for me not to keep it!



On the little branch that sticks out on the left, I'll add a bit of chain and a dangling piece of glass. I think this will work well; in fact, I want to find some heavier plastic sheet, so I can make it into a stencil. That way, if I want to make a few copies, they will be much easier to trace. Of course, this one will be a bitch to cut out!

Don't Drink and Dremel

This is just a short post....since my car got fixed (just loose lugnuts, so it was free!) I was able to get some more dremel bits, and keep working on stuff. So I finished my Grandma's Christmas present (my Christmases are always delayed). *sigh*

Anyway, here's a photo. There's some stunning colors on this one, even though the hanging points of balance are a little off.



I like it!

More Car Problems, More Copper

Another day home with no car, another post. Lucky you!

First off, I finished the hanging star thingy. I'm still kinda undecided on it - I don't know if the thicker chain on top makes it look top-heavy or not. But, I'm sure I'll find something to do with it. I'm not sure if it's in the 'sellable' category, but I might save it and see.



Next up on my list, a copper corner hugger for my mother (hopefully to be done by mother's day). It's going to be based on viney nasturtium flowers, which are a favorite of both of ours. One bad thing, I'll need to get a soldering iron and learn how to use it for this project. Erf! I can add burns to the scrapes and cuts I get. Right now, it's just in the 'cutting out' stage. I'm giving the hacksaw a try, to cut out the middle part. It's slow going, but seems to work well.



Last but not least, I got some sea glass as a gift for Christmas, hand-picked from the beaches of Maui. It came with one caveat; I need to use some of it to make something for the person who gave it to the person who gave it to me (the person who picked the glass has now passed away, so it's sentimental value). Well, as I sorted through it, something jumped out at me right away - two pieces that would make a wonderful necklace.



I think using silver wire instead of copper, wrapped around a couple times, then through a hole drilled into the top of the white piece to make a hanger. Hang it on a silver box chain, and it would look very nice. It'd capture the feel of the ocean and Hawaii and still look modern and almost professional! I can't wait to see how it turns out.

But first I'll need to buy silver wire. And I need another copper sheet, soldering supplies, a new glass-drilling dremel bit... And before all that, I need a working car. Will this need of stuff never end??

My Silver Lining (Is Copper)

Well, due to car problems, I've been stuck in my apartment the last couple days. I've been playing with my metal more than that, I just haven't been able to take good pictures what I do. And I just don't feel right posting without pictures!



I have roughed out my next suncatcher - one with stars. The hanging stars were relatively easy to cut out. I actually cut out a star-shaped hole in the lid of a peanut-butter jar, and used that to to get them the same size (more or less). The top swoosh was just done freehand. The tricky part was cutting out the star shapes inside the swoosh. (I know you can't see them very well in the picture, but they are there.) They're about the size of dimes. The hacksaw that I got won't cut it (haha) for something that small. I ended up using the etching tool on the dremel, which worked ok to rough out the shape, but it left rounded points. So they look more like starfish than actual stars. *sigh* I can't have everything.

The texturing and coloring went better. I think I'll need to buy more sanding disks soon, as they give a wonderful swooping swirling shiny texture to the metal. And I'm getting better with the blowtorch too - that really is my favorite part of the process. I'm not sure if you can see in the pictures, but I'm getting some brighter colors, especially orange and magenta. And one of the stars is almost all green! Now that's fun!

Not EVERYTHING went well, though. While doing some etching, my dremel slipped and jumped into my hand. I was suddenly very glad I was wearing gloves. Even though it tore up the rubber coating and even through some of the knit, my fingers weren't bloodied at all. I was very thankful for that. I've managed to get this far without any serious injuries! A couple nights ago, I did have a bristle from my brass brush fly into my mouth as I was polishing some pieces. I guess I sit there with my mouth gaping like an idiot when I'm concentrating!



With any luck, my car will start tomorrow (with or without a jump from a towing company). If I have less luck though, I'll finish up this suncatcher. And perhaps I'll try my hand at photographing my works in some daylight. Wish me luck!

I really suck at updating...

Well, a lack of updates means two things. I have been busy and not playing with art so much, and I've been uninspired to blog. This is a bit of both. :( I did finish the suncatcher, which I am pretty pleased with, for a first attempt. (There is a picture, but it's included as the very last thing, because it's...big.

My thoughts on it... I still need to figure out how to re-harden then copper after heating it. I think re-hammering it might work...but I'll have to test it out on the next piece. I also am a little annoyed at the quality of some of the chain I have, but I guess that's to be expected when buying things online. I still haven't gotten any of my playing chemicals - curse real life and real bills!

I have made a few necklaces, but I can't get them to photograph well at all. It's very frustrating. I may need to invest in one of those fake torso/neck stands. I think I saw some at Michael's last time I was there.

I've also been making camera straps. This has been just for my own use, but a couple people who have seen them have commented that I should sell them. That's always an idea - they are very pretty! If I do decide to sell them, I'll include a photo.

Not sure what project is next. Until then (and probably another month before I post) here's the first hangy-thing I made! It's already been gifted away - sorry!

Disaster and Resolution

So, you may have noticed I haven't updated in a while. (Actually, one person did. So *hugs* to them. Anyway...) To me, one of the most important things I include here are the pictures. It breaks up these long blocks of text. But perhaps a week ago, I went to turn on my camera, and it wouldn't. The horror! Really, I was incredibly mad. I hadn't dropped it or abused it...and it was no longer under warranty. So I bought a new camera. A better camera (another of my hobbies is photography). So, I bring you updates! With pictures!


I was out looking for sea glass last week, and I found THE most spectacular piece. It's hard to tell by the picture, but it's perhaps an inch tall and egg-shaped, and pink. Not only is it a rare color, but it's the biggest piece I've ever found. When I first saw it, I thought it was a turtle egg. Then I picked it up, and thought it was a discarded piece of candy. Nope - just the best piece of beach glass I've found. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it - I might just save and enjoy it.


I did get my liver of sulfur...finally. Sadly, they didn't send the vice I ordered too (I'm going to have to write and complain.) I did attempt to patina my copper beads, with mixed results. Some beads colored unevenly, some turned black in about two seconds, and some didn't take color at all. *sigh* I need a lot more practice. But at least now I've got some workable beads.

Speaking of practice, I did stop by the renfest last time I was in Minneapolis. I was feeling rather ill that day, so I didn't stay long. I was able to talk to the guy who does all the artwork for "Ye Copper Burning" (I searched for a website in vain.) He was very friendly, but basically told me the only way to get bright colors was...practice. Which is kind of what I was expecting, but copper is expensive just to buy to practice on. But, I won't let that stop me!

Unfortunately I don't have many updates - life has been busy! 'Til next time!

Personal Accomplishment

I am STILL waiting on my Liver of Sulfur. This really annoys me, as it puts me at a standstill with the simple jewelry making. Most of the copper beads I bought are much too shiny and bright. And the liver of sulfur will give them that dark patina that I prefer. But it's not here yet! ARGH!



In the meantime, I tried something that makes me nervous. I started drilling my collection of beach glass. Why would this make me nervous? Well, several reasons. First of all, I really like beach glass, but it's hard to find around here. I haven't even gone out looking recently - though hopefully next weekend I can go out. Most of the shores of Lake Superior that are within easy distance of me are picked very clean by agate hunters. So, if I ruin a piece by drilling badly, even a bad piece, it's hard to replace. Second, these pieces are tiny, and I have to hold them down while drilling. So, I've got a rapidly spinning diamond bit drill just millimeters from my fingers. One slip, and I'll have tiny blood spatters everywhere. *laugh*



But, I've drilled three pieces now, with no mishaps. No flying pieces, broken glass, or bloody fingers. It takes longer than I'd expect - at least 15 minutes per piece, depending on how hard the glass is. But now I know I can do it!

Getting ever closer to finishing the first hanging thingy. I've decided I need heavier gauge copper, because once I heated the stuff I have, it got very bendy. Also, I need WAY more jump rings!

I'm heading down to the state fair this weekend. Perhaps I'll find inspiration! (If I get really bold, I could stop by the MN Renaissance Faire. I know they have a booth there that sells copper pieces colored like I want to learn how to do. I could ask for pointers...if I was brave!)