PATINA PROCESS ON METAL WITH LOS (Liver of Sulfur)

This is a Copper Piece with LOS patina

Ever wonder how stamped pieces have the dark letters or darker stamped area? OR How the silver looks oxidized or darkened? Liver of Sulfur! It's a great little product that offers a nice patina on metals. You can use it on all your metals to a another dimension to you metal piece. Once you have completed you design you want to start with a clean ( clean with a degreasing type soap like Dawn) and polished to the shine you want.
Note *If your are using your tumbler to polish you pieces after you use the LOS you will want to then save that shot for all you future LOS metals as it is now contaminated with LOS and will contaminate other pieces of metal if you use it on pieces that you don't want a patina.

Prepare your solution according to the manufactures directions. If adding warm water to LOS, the heat of the water temperature affects the process greatly. Also by using different amounts of water to your LOS solution you can achieve different color patinas. If using hot water you piece will darken very quickly thus not allowing you to control the color of the patina as much.

Once you have you solution ready dip your metal into the solution for a few seconds. I like to use locking tweezers to retrieve my piece from the LOS (use rubber gloves if you want to use your fingers) Then rinse your piece under cold water to stop the chemical reaction. If you want a darker patina continue to dip and rinse you piece. You can remove of modify your finish of LOS by using a brass brush with soapy water (Dawn again). I like you use a 000 steel wool to modify with after I have rinsed my piece and want to remove the dark color from the top by keep it in the recessed area. If you are doing chain place the chain inside the steel wool and pull through gently ( you can always take off more if you want) If you take off to much and want to darken the metal start the process over till you get a finish you like. This is a fun and simple way to add patina to metal have fun and experiment to find the finish you prefer.

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF METAL

with "COMPLETE METALSMITH" by Tim McCreight

This book is what I consider the bible of metal working. It is the most complete compiling of metal techniques, materials, tools and every other detail you could ever want in about metal working. I started with this book when I took a collage metalsmithing class and thought when I had to buy it "great another collage art book, just what my book shelf needs" I was a design major before and even though I took my classes over 15 years ago I still can't seem to bring my self to part with my old textbooks. (but I NEVER have even as much a looked at them again in 15 years) So I thought this was just going to be another one of those books. Boy was I wrong! I have seen many, many books since, several I have in my own referance collection, but none as comprehensive as his book! I still refer to my copy all the time it is well worn and loved with lots of sticky tabs to my favorite pages. I love all the famous side quotes he has added in the side bars of the book.

It was originally published in 1980 the revised and enlarged in 1991. I understand there is another revision in the works (although I can't imagine what he could had) During the last revision they struggled with thoroughness and ease of use. The solution came to was this: create three editions, each with it's own virtues.

1. The Student Edition gives solid must have information that is appropriate for entry level students, hobbyists, and casual metalsmiths

2. The Professional Edition covers the same material, but goes into greater depth

3. The ProPlus Edition is a package that includes the professional print edition plus a CD with full text rendered as an electronic file. It also includes calculation software, video clips, and two additional books by the same author, Practical Jewelry Rendering and Design Language.

So because I don't know of a better metalsmithing book out there. I thought it would be fun to share and review his book of the coarse of several weeks. Eleven to be exact as there is eleven fabulous chapters. Each weeks I will review and share the chapter here and welcome any comments or pearls of wisdom that any of you have found on your metal journey. This should give you a complete overview of the world of metalsmithing but of course you will want to read it for your self to get the detailed information that is offered. I do stock the Student and Professional Edition book in my store for those of you who want to read it for yourself and get all the detailed information that he offers. http://www.etsy.com/listing/46652525/metalsmith-book-the-complete-metalsmith
This should be fun! I can't wait to review his book again, I still always pick up something every time I read it.

PEARL MONDAY

I love pearls! There is something about the way they feel on your skin, with their cool smoothness and delicate beauty. They look fantastic paired with metal! I love the silver/ blue coin pearls with silver or copper and the copper look stunning paired with copper or brass metal. The yin and yang that I love so much! Rough and smooth, elegant and organic, dressy and casual are the styles I love. Timeless Beauty!

Pearls are considered organic gems, created when an oyster covers a foreign object with beautiful layers of nacre. Long ago pearls were important financial assets, comparable in price to real estate, as thousands of oysters had to be searched for just one pearl. They were rare because they were created only by chance.

Today pearls are cultured by man.(thank goodness or I would never be able to touch them) Shell beads are placed inside an oyster and the pearl is returned to the water. When the pearls are later harvested they oyster has covered the bead with layers of narce. Most of the cultured pearls are produced in Japan. In the warm waters of the South Pacific, larger oysters produce South Sea cultured pearls and Tahitian black cultured pearls which are larger in size. Freshwater pearls are cultured in mussels, mostly in china.

To test pearls take the pearl and rub it gently against the edge of a tooth. Cultured and natural pearls will feel slightly rough, like fine sand paper against the edge of a tooth. Imitations will feel as smooth as glass because the surface is molded or painted on a smooth bead (i also notice they don't have that same cool feeling in my hand). I use only real pearls, they come in such a lovely variety of colors, shapes and sizes, and go with designs so beautifully and effortlessly. So while Metal is my first love when I need to connect to the earth's natural beauty and resources, I find myself picking up my box of pearls. Or when I am not sure what stone or how to finish a piece pearls seem to be what I reach for!

FIRST FESTIVAL OF THE SEASON

What a great day for a festival it was the Bluffton SC annual Art Festival Lots of fun art, great food (hey this is the South, the food is always good and fried) and great music! Had some things that I have been working on all week for the gallery so it's been a crazy week between my store and making art. Who has time for sleep........you won't see me in any of the pictures as I am the women with the dark glasses on (covering the dark circles) . But this is not a complaint because I love living the creative life. Working in my PJ's and till 3:00am it's a good gig! But I do need to schedule some sleep but not now because next week is the anual Artwalk yes I have to get ready for that! Then there's the Savannah shows, ok sleep is gonna have to wait.
Had to share some of the fun sites that we saw!

THE WONDRFUL WORLD OF METAL

Hammer, texture, dome, punch, bend, torch, melt, saw are just some of the things one can do with metal. I say just some because I know those of you out there who can do amazing things that I haven't even mentioned.
That's why I love metal it's such a wonderful medium to work with and making jewelry with metal is like creating little works of art with each piece. I once had an instructor in collage who said if you make it in metal it's permanent and will be what the generations after us have to see into the life’s of our existence here on earth. WOW! I thought that was heavy then as I started to think about it ( thinking, and analyzing is a constant in my brain, the voices never stop I've heard that's normal for a creative) Oh, good I am normal maybe just a little ADD. Hmmm Voices, ADD, talking to myself and forgetting what I am doing when I get to the other side of the house. This is sounding allot like a phsyco. but I shouldn't worry because I am a CREATIVE! WHEW that's a relief!

Back to the permanent existence of our metal work. Metal is the thing that the archeologist's find from our ancestors metal coins, metal containers don’t forget metal Jewelry creations. Gold, Silver, Pewter, Brass Copper there all over the museums a little piece of history of the previous civilization. That’s pretty cool! We can leave our mark in the world and on the metal! We can share a piece of ourselves with the world to be possibly viewed 200 years from now. What will they think…………….hopefully they will think this generation to be creative, innovative and thoughtful!

Today more than ever before there are so many neat tools and resources available to us out there that we can use to create in metal. I am always finding some new cool tool or technique to try . In addition to the fact there are so many great metals to use Silver, Brass, Copper, Aluminum, Pewter, Nickel Silver and Gold of course. Means that anyone can work with metal there is something for everyone, every style and every budget. In this blog I hope to explore and share my findings with metal and discover many new and old wonderful techniques. OH THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF METAL!

Lamp Work Video Clip

The Making of Lampwork Beads