Results of the silversmithing workshop #5

To conclude the making of my bud vase...

Now that I have all my parts, I have to make them fit together! I file neck so it will sit flush on the top dome with little or no gaps. This takes a while: taking a little metal off here...checking the fit...taking a little metal off there...checking the fit ...and so on...

Once I have the fit perfect, I mark where I want to neck to be attached to the top dome and cut a hole into it.

Then stitches or burs are raised with a graver to hold the neck from moving (I will show you this a little later) and it is soldered into place.

The next step is to make a seat for the vase to sit on. I air raised a shallow dome into my larger bottom hemisphere.

Then the top inside egde is marked for placement and burs are raised to hold the two halves together during soldering. This technique of raising burs to keep things from sliding around was new to me and I love it! When I was taught in school, we used binding wire...which sometimes distorts your work and sticks to it. :(

It is soldered upside down so solder can be added to the lip (which will be removed later).

It's together!

The lip is sawed off and filed.

Lastly, the piece is heated, pickled and brass brushed many times over to raise the fine silver to the surface and give it this final finish. TA DA!

Results of the silversmithing workshop #4

The making of my base vase, continued...

The next step in making my bud vase was to sink my second disc. You do this by hammering the disc into a piece of wood with a shallow bowl chiseled out.

After I sunk it to my desired shape, I then planished it. Now that I have my two main parts, I have to trim and file the bottom hemisphere so it will can be soldered to the top dome.

The next step is to make the pieces for the neck of the vase. I decided to use the scrap left from cutting out my discs. I laid out the shapes in paper and glued them to my metal so I could accurately cut the pieces out. Then I formed them on a mandrel.

Once I had the neck pieces formed, I soldered them together.
Tomorrow I will show you how I finished the bud vase...

Results of the silversmithing workshop #3

I wanted to continue these postings about my silversmithing workshop last week...but other things came up! So I will continue today....

Here it is...my final project during the Brian Clarke silversmithing workshop...my bud vase!

I began by cutting out 2 sterling discs, annealing them and then began crimp raising one disc for the bottom half of the vase.

After several coures of raising, the shape is close to my template size.

Then I planished the hemisphere on a mushroom stake.

I wonder how many hammer blows it took to make it look like this? I wasn't counting! :) This portion of the bud vase took a full day (plus a few hours)...

I will continue with the top portion of the vase tomorrow...Have a good day!

I've been searched!

A quick Friday post...When we went to Ireland for our silversmithing workshop, we took a bunch of copper, sterling silver, solder and jeweler's sawblades---packed it in our checked baggage and crossed our fingers. Not to our surprise, they searched our bags and left us this nice tape to let us know...

Results of the silversmithing workshop #2

Yesterday, I shared with you the first lesson of Brian Clarke's silversmithing workshop - sinking. Today, I will show the the second exercise:

CRIMP RAISING

Brian shows me how to make the crimps

Brian demonstrates raising on a oval stake with a nylon mallet

Ben and I give it a try...

This is what it looks like after a few courses of raising...not very pretty...

...but this is what it looks like when it is finished! Lovely!

Tomorrow I will show you the final projects---Ben made a goblet and I made a flower bud vase.

Results of the silversmithing workshop #1

It has been a very busy summer for me...
Juggling daycare & nanny schedules for my boys...organizing a surprise birthday party for my husband...day to day jewelry business operations...a long overdue 2.5 week vacation...a summer wholesale show...
I have a lot to share with you and don't know where to begin! I'll start by sharing a few of my photos from the silversmithing workshop Ben & I took in Ireland. Today's post will show you the first lesson:

SINKING A HEMISPHERE

Brian shows us how to sink a disk into a hemisphere

Ben starts sinking his disk

Danielle planishes her hemisphere

TA DA! From disk to hemisphere!

Back from Ireland...

Antrim Coast, Northern Ireland, originally uploaded by Danielle Miller Jewelry.

Ben and I have returned from our trip. It was wonderful! This was our second time visiting Ireland...the first one was 10 years ago for our honeymoon! This time we traveled to Northern Ireland for 3 days then headed south to Wicklow County, Ireland for the 2 week silversmithing workshop. We met great people and learned a lot. I will post more about this great trip soon...

Have metal, Will hammer...

Ben & I gathered our metal and are packing for our trip to Ireland for the silversmithing workshop. I have been frantically working, trying to get all my orders finished and shipped before we leave. I still have some loose ends to tie up...so this will be my last post until we return at the end of July. I should have lots of interesting things to share when I return!

Ireland...here we come!

It's official! This summer, Ben and I are going to Ireland to take a silversmithing workshop with Brian Clarke! We have been planning this for months and today we bought our plane tickets! I am so excited! It will be nice to make something larger than jewelry again. I am hoping it will put a breath of fresh air into my future jewelry designs, as well. Keep posted for the results after July!