Further Experiments with metals

So, I was in the basement the other day, doing laundry, waiting for the washer to fill up (I have a point, I promise!) and just staring off into space while waiting. My eyes happened to fall upon the "plumbing" toolbox we set up - just so we would know all the required things are all in one place for those emergencies - and I saw copper. I LOVE copper......love, love, love copper, and every time I see it my mind is always making something with it. So, I took a few things out of the plumbing box and set out to make a piece of jewelry. Documented below is my journey - from piece of copper piping through to the resulting copper pendant created from it.


The pipe cutter and a length of 3/4" copper pipe


I cut a 1/4" wide piece of the pipe off

I used a piece of plumbers cloth to sand the rough edges of the cut piece - it actually works really well and got all the rough edges smoothed. I still had no idea what I wanted to do with it, so I decided to use more tools and see where that took me.

I got out my steel block and fancy-schmancy hammer and decided to start beating on the ring of copper - I decided to hammer the cut edges and as I was hammering it I liked how it was looking, so I kept hammering it until the top met the bottom. I made sure to hammer evenly, on the top and the bottom, and gradually it folded in on itself and made a wide circle.

This is the flattened piece of pipe - I buffed it and cleaned up the edges a little with a file but really liked the organic feel of the circle so I kept the filing to a minimum. But, I still wasn't happy with what I had, so I went in search of more tools, of course.

I found a nice heavy bolt with really good threads on it and decided I would use it to add texture to the circle - I used my hammer and the bolt on it's side and just smacked away until I liked the resulting design. I buffed it up, wire wrapped a piece of turquoise (really unusual piece, which I purchased from Magpie gemstones), hung it from a "spring" component I made with 18 gauge square copper wire and strung it on leather.

And Voila - the finished piece. So, how's that for an experiment?

The Absent Blogger........

It's been a good while since I've posted - the out of doors work has been keeping me VERY busy and since there are only truly 3 months of warm summer weather here in the far reaches of Maine, we tend to try to take advantage of them while they are here. For those interested, I got a LOT done on the outside - added a Rhododendron bush, a Star Magnolia tree, a climbing rose bush, 3 Yew trees, about a million irises, 4 boxwoods and two other small bushes that I found in the clearence section of the garden shop.

The first 5 mentioned items were picked up (by my fantastic dear hard working SO)at an area business that had closed and subsequently been sold to the town for a new Fire Dept. Before they cleared the way for the new building, they offered up some of the gorgeous plantings on the property and we were SO lucky to have been on the receiving end of this - of course we had to go dig them out and transport them back here but it was really worth it. Next year the yard will be in full bloom and I am really looking forward to seeing it!

I made a few simple things, mostly because I HAVE to just to keep my sanity - just a bit of eye candy for you!


Tourmaline chips, fresh water pearls and sterling silver........mmmmmmm I LOVE tourmaline!





My newest favorite - millions of cobalt glass beads and yards and yards of wire - made it all from the jump rings to wrapping each bead.....didn't make the heart shaped closure though - got those (which I really like as they are so versatile) from my LBS .

Shopping for copper wire

**A shout out to "Ken" at the Augusta, Maine Home Depot. What a lovely man and so very helpful.**

For those out there that don't already know it, if you're doing wirework and like to work with copper, make your way over to your local Home Depot. In the electrical department they have just about every size of copper wire (and some aluminum if you so choose) you could want. I took a trip out there today and found some really great wire on sale - I got six feet of 27 strand wire - which would make that 162 feet of copper wire (some 16gauge, some 18gauge and some 20gauge) all for a grand total of $7.50. What a bargain!!! All I have to do is to strip it (using a utility knife, or some tell me, a vegetable peeler) and it's ready to be twisted, formed, hammered and/or bent into some beautiful pieces. Copper is great wire to practice with as it behaves almost as sterling silver wire will, and copper jewelry is also gaining in popularity all on it's own. Read here about the properties of electrical grade copper, and here if you are curious about "health" benefits to wearing copper jewelry.

And, now, if you'll excuse me, I am off to make some copper jewelry!!!!

Getting ready for the show!!!!!!!!!!

I've been busy trying to get ready for a show (my very first - YIKES!) and here are a few of the pieces I just finished.

A simple amber/pearl/silver bracelet - freshwater pearls in this one, and an amber necklace with some funky Karen Hill Tribes silver beads and 8mm Czech glass pearls. The necklace is 18" long and looks wonderful on!

I also did some copper chain maille - this is full persian weave with some green faceted glass beads and some antiqued copper spacers.

New Copper Pieces

Pulled out the copper wire (16 gauge round and 18 gauge square for the flower and 14 gauge for the free-form bracelet)the other day and decided to try a couple of ideas that had been floating around in my brain for a while. I made the free form bracelet first - I used a length of the 14 gauge and made some squiggles which I then beat flat with the hammer. (I highly recommend this for taking out some frustration!!!) I had some (17mm?) cobalt/copper swirl beads in my stash so I used those to join the squiggles, made a simple hook and ring clasp and...........Voila - a bracelet is born. It's a solid, big bracelet and not for the faint of heart, but I really like how it turned out.

The flower was born from 16 gauge round wire that I handformed into a flower shape - and I wanted the hint of a stem so I coiled one end of the wire over the other end for the join. (also, I have not yet had the soldering lesson!!!!) I beat this piece with the hammer, too (oh my poor dogs!) and then created an infinity chain link for the necklace. Once it was together I thought it looked too plain so I wrapped some beautiful faceted blue briolettes into a flower shape and wrapped it onto the flower as center petals. I added two briolettes from the "stem" and now it doesn't look too plain at all!!!