Casting

Piece #1: Fine Jewelry

Create a piece of wearable fine jewelry. You may use bronze (included in materials fee) or sterling silver (available for purchase). You may also try stone-in-place casting, refer to Rio Grande catalog for available gemstones.

Research: refer to jewelry industry magazines, websites, etc. Be sure to research thoroughly: if you come across a subject or artist you like, keep researching that subject in-depth. Cite your sources: publication, page number, artist, title, year, materials.

With this project, we had the opportunity to create any piece of jewellery that we wanted, as long as it included a casted piece. Sebastian Buescher has always inspired me with his figurative work, that's where my work needs to be improved, and so his jewellery never fails to help. I know I want it to be wearable and so I will cast it in silver. 

Carving out of wax was sort of easier than I thought it would be, but at the same time harder. It's such a relief to saw wax after sawing metal all the time, but it's difficult in the sense of measurements and sticking to them! Making a ring consists of a lot more thinking and concentrating and following the lines precisely (not saying that this isn't how it should be during metal). But as we will be using the wax to cast, it needs to be perfect, so that there is less work on the metal! I'm enjoying this project so far, lets hope it stays this way! My luck with casting isn't usually all that great!

Messy!!

My two attempts at carving a ring...

Here are some images of my sketchbook pages, which include sketches, artist research, drawing and sketches, ideas and thoughts, and final images. 

Here is my first attempt at making my wax model, I wanted the organic, nature, vessel effect; almost like these could be little flower buds or something. I was not content with this, as I couldn't clean up the wax enough as the one I was using was too soft, but it would have been difficult to use any harder wax. I tried it again, but using a different technique and different wax.

Here it is, my final wax model. So I used the technique of melting tiny, scrap parts of wax, over an alcohol lamp until they ball up, leaving them cool a little and dropping them on to the base of my ring, so that they stay as a ball. If I drop the ball when it is still too hot, it would just completely melt on to the piece. I wanted to do this technique, to get a textured and layered ring. I really enjoyed doing this!

Sebastian Buescher is a jewellery designer I take my inspiration from. I love how figurative his work is, and that's what I don't like about my own work, I am too literal, so I'm always finding myself pulled to Buescher's Jewellery. Here are some of my favourite pieces by him.

Piece #2: Narrative Jewelry/Object

Create a piece of narrative jewelry or a small object either exclusively by casting or that incorporates a cast element.

Research:

Begin with writing. Find a facet of yourself that you would like to convey in your work. Try not to be too literal, and find something that is exclusively about you (your major, faith, favorite animal/food/car, birthplace/nationality/heritage, etc. are shared by many people and therefore are not compelling subjects). Think about your personal experiences, memories, mementos, etc.

From this writing, explore the subject through drawing and further brainstorming until you can discover an image that will represent this for you. When you find this image, design a piece that will incorporate it and also addresses function. You may also have a particular object you’d like to refer to or incorporate; include this when you present your research.

This project was to bring something from home to my work. I tried to think of one memory, there was way too many, but all my favourite memories included the beach and the sea, and I remember a poem 'Glas' by Bryan Martin Davies that I studied in school. It's a Welsh poem, that describes where I was born and where my favourite beach is.

This poem is full of imagery, and helped me a lot with this project! Here is the poem, my drawings and ideas and my wax model.

Glas - gan Bryan Martin Davies

Pan oedd Sadyrnau'n las,
a môr yn Abertawe'n rhowlio chwerthin
ar y traeth,
roedd cychod a chestyll a chloc o flodau
yn llanw'r diwrnod;
a gyda lwc, ymdeithiem ar y pensil coch o drên
a farciau hanner cylch ei drac
rown rhimyn glas y bae
i bwynt y Mwmbwls.

Eisteddem ar y tywod twym
yn yfed y glesni,
ein llygaid newynog yn syllu'n awchus
ar fwrdd y môr.
Dilynem ddartiau gwyn y gwylain aflonydd
yn trywanu targed y creigiau,
a sbiem yn syn
ar y llongau banana melyn o'r Gorllewin
a sglefriai'n ara dros y gwydr glas,
a gorffwys dan y craeniau tal
a grafai'r wybren glir
uwchben Glandwr.

'Rhain oedd Sadyrnau'r syndod,
y dyddiau glas,
a ninnau'n ffoaduriaid undydd, brwd,
yn blasu rhyddid byr
o ddyffryn du
totalitariaeth glo.

Here is an image of my final piece in wax, this will soon be casted in to bronze...

Step 1

Creating the wax model 

Step 2
'The Tree' this is when there is more than one object being cast. They are attached by 'runners', which is called 'running it up'. They are connected to the objects, in the are with the less texture, so I will add one of mine to the side of the boat and one to underneath the waves, the reason I am putting two, is because I have a few high points that need to be reached, especially as I have used the ball texture in one area. They must not be at a right angle, as the metal will get trapped, it will not run smoothly, nor will the object get completely filled. It must be attached at a 45 degree angle.

Step 3
It is then attached to a base, which is a domed clay base, so when it is flipped in the vacuum chamber flask, it will have a Cup to pour the metal. A rubber sleeve is added to the flask, not for the plaster to pour out the sides.

Step 4
Plaster is made and very carefully, poured in to the flask at an angle, to ensure the plaster doesn't rapidly hit any of the wax models. It is then put on the vacuum, to get rid of any bubbles for two minutes, then left to set.



Step 5
Then 'dewaxing'. Which is just a process to melt out the wax, which the class wasn't involved in. It is then ready for pouring.

Step 6
The crucible is heated up with the metal inside, in my case silver and then bronze. The flask sits inside a vacuum chamber, while the metal gets poured quickly but smoothly, and the vacuum is turned on to rid of any bubbles. Especially during the casting silver, as it bubbles whilst heating.

Step 7
It is left to cool a little, then it is quenched and the investment breaks off, which is called the 'knockout'. The tree then needs to be thoroughly cleaned, and the objects can be cut off and ready to be filed and finished.

These are my final pieces, they are not entirely finished, as I have had other deadlines to reach sooner, and this project is due in at the of this week (17th May), and so I want it to have my full attention, so that I can really focus on cleaning it up and polishing it as much as I can. Photographs will be uploaded.

Photo Brooch

You will use a photographic image in a composition for a jewelry piece.

Design elements to consider:

• How will this function? (this must be addressed in this piece; plan from the start)

• What kind of juxtaposition can be used to make the composition interesting?

• Can the design use historical jewelry as a reference?

• Can the design incorporate irony, humor, or another emotional element?

• Do not plan on only using an image with a bezel around it. You must use other metal elements or other materials as a supplement to the image to make the design more interesting. 

The Photo Brooch project, is printing a photo on photographic paper (printed professionally, not on any old photo paper), making a border out of metal and filling with resin. Since I knew this project was coming up, I have been thinking about it, and always knew I wanted it to be something kind of personal! We had the option to do something humorous, meaningful, personal, etc. So I have decided to use one of my boyfriend's drawings, as he's so talented, and I have always been interested in his drawings. With his permission, I have decided to use this image, and will create the look of a frame out of metal. I am very excited to do this project!

To see Ken Cotter's art, visit his Tumblr page and his blog.

Tumblr: http://deadendsgallery.tumblr.com
Blog: http://kencotterart.blogspot.com

Materials:

• Copper alloys, other sheet metal (titanium, silver are available for purchase)

• Photograph: high quality, printed on photo paper

• Resin

• Other materials you would like to try incorporating (no glue allowed!)

Techniques:

• Basic sawing, filing, finishing

• Bezel making, soldering

• Cold connections (optional)

Step 1
First the base must be cut out, I have decided to design it similar to a Victorian photo frame. It has a few small parts to be cut, and so I need to keep this in mind whilst sawing.

 

Step 2
The band will be soldered, using the same technique as the bowl and silver ring; where the two ends meet and are parallel.


Step 3
It will then be shaped, as mine is an oval shape, I will use the large mandrel, but with more control from myself and not the mandrel, to ensure it doesn't shape in to a perfect circle.

Step 4
The band will then be soldered on to the base, ensuring that it's centre. At the same, or just after, I will solder the brooch parts on the back of the base, with easy solder as this is the last thing to be soldered. This then needs to be thoroughly cleaned and pickled, for the next part.

Step 5
I will colour it using the ajax pattination, to give it the Victorian effect.  Once it is thoroughly dried, with an air torch, the photo needs to be cut as near to the edges as possible and glued down, with or two layers of glue on top to ensure the resin will not have access to the image. The edges of the image need to be completely covered also.

I had to come to the decision wether I wanted it matte black or cleaned a little with a scourer to have the copper showing through a little for some colour. I decided brown/copper! 

Step 6
Now to pour the resin. The piece must be flush to a flat surface, and so we used to mount board to place the piece on top of, ensuring it's completely flat so the resin pours evenly. The resin is made up of two different liquids; one which is the resin and one which is the hardener. With a ratio of 1:1. It needs to be slowly mixed with a wooden stick, for exactly 5 minutes, no more, no less. The reason it needs to be slowly mixed, is to get rid of any air bubbles, if mixed or whipped too quickly it will create air sockets. Once it has been mixed, it needs to be left for another exact 5 minutes, then poured.

 

Getting rid of air bubbles with a pin!

Step 6

It needs to be poured into the middle of the piece, letting it flow to the edges. Once it starts filling up, I will use the wooden stick, to let the resin run off the tip of the stick, not for it to over flow and more importantly, too add in small parts to ensure it has a domed effect. It is then left to dry for 24 hours.  

 

Silver ring

This project is to make a ring, using silver with a bezel set stone. I will be making it very simple with an Amethyst stone set into it. I will be adding text to it, either on the inside or the outside.

Here are some images of my sketchbook pages, that include sketches, designs, methods, sizing, the process and final images. 

'xo'

The reason I put the 'xo' into my piece is, it's put at the end of all letters and cards our family send to each other, and so it was just a little reminder of home whilst I've been away.

Here is the final image for my first ever silver ring...

When I make another ring, I will consider how it fits on the finger, this ring is very wide (which was purposely intended) but I should have considered how uncomfortable it would be to wear, so the next time I make a wide band ring, I would flare out the edges so that it's comfortable. I would also like to add a little texture in to the next ring I create, or perhaps drill some holes to add a little detail.