My favorite contrast is creating a piece with a jewelers' saw, the tiny teeth cutting an intricate design, and then applying my 2 lb. hammer to it to add textures, words, or rivets.The juxtaposition is delicious.
During the holiday rush, I added a new tool to my arsenal: ferric chloride. It etches away the top layer of cooper and copper alloys. It allows a level of design difficult to achieve with different mediums.
So in addition to my safety glasses, I have added rubber gloves to my metalworking uniform.
While teaching an etching class at Beads and Beyond recently, a student who is also a scrapbooker brought in some stamps and ink to try it as a resist. Since the pieces are suspended in an acid bath, a pigment ink is necessary. We tested Versafine Archival Pigment Ink.
It worked beautifully! I was jealous that I hadn't figured it out on my own, but that didn't stop me from buying ink and stocking up on stamps.
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| A gorgeous stamp that reminds me of a tin ceiling. I think it will look fabulous as wearable art. |
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| A variety of old and new stamps and ink. Testing multiple shapes and types of alloys. |
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| Stamped and drying...which takes forever! They will go in the acid bath on Friday, be incorporated into jewelry over the weekend, and will be posted Monday. Stay tuned!! |
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