Richard Salley |
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description
In this class students will construct a hinged locket similar to the example using a variety of cold connection techniques. The skills used in this project include metal and wire forming, hardening and shaping; wire riveting; hinge and clasp designs and construction, chain fabrication and patina finishes.
Hinged Copper Locket
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bio
class photo 1
class photo 2
class photo 3
class photo 4
supply list
- Students should bring to class a steel ‘fender’ washer approx. 2 inches in diameter (the diameter of the inside hole should be about ¼ to 3/8 inches in diameter). Fender washers can be found at most hardware/home supply stores. They are thinner than a standard washer, which will become important when we saw out the heart shape. It doesn’t have to be rusty, but it does add a bit to the overall ‘found object’ feel. Suggestions for adding a rusty effect are given at the end of this class description.
- You will also want to bring photo or other image to be put into the finished locket.
- *** Special Note: I will supply iron wire for the project, but many students have found it difficult to work with. If you would prefer to work with copper wire instead of the ‘rebar wire’, please bring 16 gauge and 20 gauge copper wire. You probably won’t need more than 8 feet of each size. If you can’t find those sizes at your local supplier, you can find them online at HYPERLINK "http://www.HomeAndBeyond.com" www.HomeAndBeyond.com.
- Their stock numbers are as follows:
- 16 gauge copper wire: Anchor Wire #123127 25' 16GA COP Wire ($2.72)
- 20 gauge copper wire: Anchor Wire #123128 50' 20GA COP Wire ($2.55)
- Tool list:
- Basic jewelry making tools will be needed, including round nose and flat nose pliers, wire cutters (flush cutters recommended) suitable for cutting iron wire…don’t use you best cutters…inexpensive, heavy-duty wire cutters and needle-nose pliers are available at Lowes, Ace Hardware and Home Depot.
- Small hammer …once again, for use on iron wire, don’t bring your best chasing or riveting hammer!
- Jeweler’s saw and #2 blades
- Bench block
- Optional equipment: “Gizmo” winding tool; dapping block.
- Preparation: Here are a couple of things you can try to get a nice rusty finish on a new washer. First, use a torch to remove any zinc coating…steel won’t rust with zinc on it. Next, soak the washer in vinegar for a day or so and the put the washer outside, preferably in the dirt. Leave it there for a week or two. Instead of vinegar you might experiment with some other acids like pool/spa chemicals and then give it the dirt treatment afterwards.
I have had a life-long love affair with art and ‘making stuff’. I began working with metal in 1969 as an assistant to Carmel, CA metal sculptor Malcom Moran. After a brief period of operating my own metal sculpture studio and gallery, I entered the teaching profession. For the past 30 years I have taught art and photography in public school. More recently I have turned to making found-object jewelry as an outlet for my metal work and have been teaching jewelry making classes to adults at various venues in the Southwest. My work has been featured in ‘Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry’ and ‘Jewelry Artist’ magazines and included in Susan Lenart-Kazmer’s book ‘Making Connections’. My artwork can be viewed at www.rsalley.com.
