Silver Bee

Silver Bee tries liver of sulphur gel.

I recently read a review of Liver of Sulphur Extended Life Gel (LOS) in the January 2010 issue of Art Jewelry. In the past I had used Jax Silver Black for creating a darkened or black patina on silver. I resisted using the lump form of LOS because of the smell but upon reading the review I thought it was time to give it a go.

I followed the suggestions I read and made a weak solution of the LOS and added ammonia to it. Well the smell didn't get any better but the results were spectacular. The greens, purples, blues and reds were amazing. I soon had as many silver items that I could find lined up for dipping. It didn't matter that shiny silver is still my favourite look I wanted to experiment with this new 'toy'. I discovered that the trick to getting the great patinas is the water must be hot and the hotter the better. I had fun and as you can see by the photo the results are colourful. I also discovered that if you don't like the patina then you can heat the piece with your torch, pickle and of course re-tumble for the shine. You can also just decrease the depth of patina by using fine steel wool or a polishing pad.

The first time I wanted to blacken something I bought the lumps of LOS but it turned out it was past its best before date and wouldn't work. This won't happen with the gel. The review stated that even after being left open for a year the results were just as good as when the jar was first opened. That's impressive but why anyone would want to leave a jar open of something that smells like rotten eggs is beyond me. 

So if you have been using the lumps of LOS you might enjoy the gel. Just make sure to stir it carefully so that you mix in the thick stuff at the bottom of the jar. I used an old chopstick for this. I've been using this during the Monday evening class and everyone who has tried it really liked the results. I know there are ways of preserving the patina you've created but I've yet to try that. As soon as I do of course I'll let you know.

Stay safe, use ventilation and gloves. If you have have any questions or anything to add about using this product I would love to hear from you.

Silver Bee wakes up and it's 2010!

First I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and second how did it get to be January 3rd already! So far this year is flying by. But that is what happens when there is so much to do and so little time to squeeze it all in. I just wish I didn't enjoy so many different things. Actually I take that back. I would rather be busy with too much to do than time on my hands and wondering what to do. So enough with the preamble.

As you can see from my list in the photo I have a lot planned for the next few months. I'll briefly fill you in on everything with details for each as we get closer to the event.

It's that time of year again when all the new classes start up. I am teaching again this term for Vanterra Education. Linda has once more come up with a great line-up of classes. If you have taken my class before you will notice the format is different. I'm no longer teaching the beginning class, instead I'll be teaching Silversmithing - Level 2. Follow the above link, scroll down to the middle of the page to find my class.

Details:

Date: Monday, January 11 - March 1 (8 sessions)
Time: 6:30-9:30pm
Location: Lucas Centre
Instructor: Brendalee Astells
Course Fee: $185

Further develop the skills you learned in the Introductory class. This is primarily a studio-based course where students work on their own projects. With the help and instruction of the instructor you can get the guidance you need to improve your skills. Brendalee has taught several levels of Silversmithing including the 'Intro' class, and specialized workshops. (Prerequisite: you must have completed the 'Intro' class or equivalent).

It was a bit difficult to give up the beginning classes because I love it when a new student has an 'ah ha' moment when learning to solder. That said I am really excited about teaching this new class. The ante will be upped for those 'ah ha' moments and the thrill will always be there for me when someone learns something new. 

Okay so what next...oh yes, it's the Fraser Valley Bead Show! It's making an early appearance this year, and Barrie is busy putting together an amazing line-up of classes. No details yet other than the dates which are, Friday, March 12 to Sunday, March 14th. There's a new location as well, Executive Inn Coquitlam, 405 North Road, Coquitlam, BC. I'll post again when things are more definite around the classes. Barrie has added  three one-day classes  named "Master Classes". I'm teaching one of them so the name sounds a bit grand, but hey who am I to turn down such a prestigious sounding title?

I am also working on  "Part 2 of Lost Wax Casting" post which somehow got lost in the Christmas rush. 

So I guess that's all that is new. Well there a couple more items but I'll wait until they are closer. Now I'm going to set up a mailing list and let everyone know this post is here. Thank you if you received my email and are reading this.  Thank you.... well you get my drift.

Here's to a wonderful, exciting, creative and full 2010. Let's get started!

Silver Bee gets lost in wax

I was never attracted to lost wax casting because for some weird reason I thought it was cheating! I just thought it was a matter of purchasing one of those red wax molds and casting someone else’s designs. I didn’t imagine for a moment that you would carve your own. A little naïve I know but I had never explored the subject so my knowledge of it was extremely limited. So much has changed since then.

It was during the evening class I am taking that I discovered it could be so much more. The class’s instructor, Bryan, has a great “give it a try” approach to the process. My first cast was of box wood tree leaves, an African violet leaf , some spiral pasta and an itty bitty starfish. An odd combination to cast together but it was all about just seeing what could be cast.  They all turned out. I’ve since used the starfish in a design, the spiral pasta was relegated to the scrap heap, and the leaves are waiting for a design. Apparently the starfish wasn’t supposed to work because of its’ composition. I love challenging the ‘rules’ when working with silver and taking chances without knowing what the outcome will be.

Next stop…the lost wax casting class. It’s been a few weeks since I took the class but I still want to share it. We had an amazing instructor, Rose, who brought alive the process involved in casting. The best part was walking into the classroom where she had completely set up individual stations. And there were kits! This was someone who clearly enjoyed details and organization…a kindred spirit. I knew I was in the right place and I knew I had the perfect instructor. An added bonus my classmates were a great group. There was a lot of laughter while we were learning.  In my books this was a perfect recipe for learning.

Faced with a  tube or block of wax I was incredibly intimidated. I certainly didn’t know how to look at the wax and ask what it wanted to be. You know like carvers of stone or wood. I was used to building up using silver but not taking away with carving wax. My first several attempts at carving were marginal but it’s what I needed to do in order to find out what happens when you work with the wax. Before any further attempts I knew I had the opportunity and necessity to build my tool inventory! What a beautiful thing when you have a whole new reason to add to your tool box. I even had to buy a new tool box! Before I start to wax (pun intended) eloquent about the new tools I bought I should get back to learning about carving.

Just like learning about what silver was all about I needed to know what the wax was about. Why are there purple, blue and green wax? Did it need finishing and polishing like silver? Does it bend? What makes it break? Nothing like experience to teach you. I discovered that different colour waxes have different hardness and melting temperatures. The green wax is hardest which allows you to carve more detail into your design. Blue is usually the “go to” wax for beginners and those wanting something with a little more give to it. Purple…well I’m not too sure what it is for exactly. I just knew that it had some limitations. I also knew that blue wax was prone to breaking ( well in my experience) and that green wax was more like silver. It offered resistance and had that wonderful attitude I love about silver. So even though blue wax was the best for starting I stuck with the green. Rose made the comment that once you use green wax there is no going back. And she was certainly right!

I had these grand ideas about what I would carve and those hopes were soon dashed. I decided to go back to the beginning and carve something very basic like a simple ring. It was the smart thing for me to do because I learned more about the personality of wax and believe me it does have one. I carved a wide thick plain ring band and decided that I wanted one of those flared rings that have become so popular. But you can’t flare the wax, instead you have to carve away from the middle of the ring band to make it concave. I bought some burs that could be used with wax. They were much more open in their design which stops the wax from clogging up the bur. A little safety tip here. When I was carving with these "monster" burs I needed to go slower and make sure I had control of it. It could easily slide off the wax and across your knuckles. As usual I found out the hard way. My advice is to tape up your knuckles or better yet wear a glove. I found some gardening gloves made with leather. My knuckles thanked me after they recovered from my learning curve. Next step is polishing and this is an exacting process. It needs to be as finished as you want the cast ring to be. All little nicks and marks will show up and you'll curse yourself for not taking more care before investing the wax. I used one of my new wax carvers to gently scrape away the worst marks followed by fine sand paper. It was starting to look very good but one more step...polishing. Rose had included a piece of cotton fabric in the kit which we used to polish the wax. Rose had one more tip up her sleeve, well she had several but for the purposes of polishing this one had to do with a piece of panty hose. It gave the wax a real shine! The trick to this is having the right kind of panty hose! The expensive silky kind didn't work very well but a pair of dollar store knee highs were great. They had more tooth which is important when you are polishing. I'll never buy another pair of panty hose again without thinking of this!

So now we have a very polished ring and it's time to sprue it up! But that will have to wait until part two because I just realized how epic this post is. 

Stay tuned for "Lost in Wax - Part Two".

Silver Bee...New class scheduled for Viking Knit Bracelet

I've been given another opportunity to teach the viking knit! The venue is the Lucas Centre in North Vancouver. Registration can be done at the Vanterra Education website.

Saturday, October 24th
1:00 - 4:00 pm

Learn the ancient skill of the Viking Knit to craft your own beautifully embellished bracelet. Using copper or sterling silver, you will create a section of Viking Knit chain learning to finish the ends securely and beautifully. You will incorporate the viking knit piece with beautiful locally handmade lampwork beads and Czech glass to complete this stunning bracelet. The beauty and simplicity of the Viking Knit will soon have you under its spell wanting to create more.

Class fee is $45. with kit fee at $60.00 for silver, $50.00 for copper. The kit includes fully illustrated instructions and tools, with the exception of chainnose, roundnose and cutting pliers, necessary to repeat or create a new project when you leave.*  If you have any questions about the tools or class, please contact me.

I look forward to seeing you there!

P.S. I do have tools available to borrow but quantities are limited. It is important to let me know so I can set them aside for you.

Silver Bee is teaching...The Fraser Valley Bead Show

It's that time of year again. The weather is changing, the days are growing shorter and the Fraser Valley Bead Show is back for October 9, 10 & 11th! And I'm thrilled to be teaching a couple of the classes. Back by popular demand, Basic Soldering and new this year, Embellished Viking Knit Bracelet.

Embellished Viking Knit Bracelet 
Sunday, October 11
9:30am - 12:30pm

Learn the ancient skill of the Viking Knit to craft your own beautifully embellished bracelet. Using copper or sterling silver, you will create a section of Viking Knit chain learning to finish the ends securely and beautifully. You will incorporate the viking knit piece with beautiful locally handmade lampwork beads and Czech glass to complete this stunning bracelet. The beauty and simplicity of the Viking Knit will soon have you under its spell wanting to create more. The kit includes fully illustrated instructions and tools, with the exception of chainnose and cutting pliers,  necessary to repeat or create a new project when you leave.

Basic Soldering
Saturday, October 10
9:30am - 12:30pm 

 Discover the basics of silver smithing and make a bracelet that you’ll want to show off to friends. In this class you will learn about annealing and soldering the individual links and subsequently joining them together to create your bracelet. You will learn about sheet solder and preparing it for use, some basic texturing and shaping of the links, how to use a tumbler and a few basics of metallurgy.

Last year an extra session of this class was added when the first one sold out. I loved teaching it and from all that I heard students loved being there learning the process of soldering. The smile on everyone's face when they left the classroom with their new bracelets is what keeps bringing me back to teach.

 

 

Just a few of the students from the Sunday 2008 class. What a great group of women but then they all are!

Don't forget to check out all the other classes as well! Barrie Edwards, show organizer and founder has done it again by creating a great line up of classes and vendors. It will be the place to be!

Silver Bee takes a class

I love learning new silver smithing techniques! This weekend I took an Advanced Stone Setting class. My brain is spinning with the possibilities of what I might create next. It's also spinning with the new information I absorbed. Our instructor, Natalia Khon taught four different techniques for setting stones. Tube, gypsy, prong and flush setting.

Already quite familiar with tube and gypsy settings I still learned something new about each. Natalia had her own unique way of teaching. I appreciated both the skill and confidence she possessed.

I was not so familiar with the prong or basket setting as she called it. I didn't have a lot of success completing my example in the class. Using an unfamiliar torch I managed to melt it fairly soon. I didn't let it bother me because I know that when I learn something new it doesn't always work the first time. I am confident that eventually I will be able to do it but I also know that it may take many attempts. You see I don't only preach about practice I also practice what I preach! Besides silver has more than one life. If it doesn't want to be a basket setting in it's first life then it just may find it's way into a pile of beans and who knows what it will be after that.

I have to admit that a headache got the better of me and I left class early. However I didn't want to miss the demonstration for the last setting. So I stayed until I watched and had asked enough questions that I thought I could give it a go on my own. I've never seen this particular type of setting before and it's difficult to describe. The round cabochon was inserted through a hole in the pendant which was somewhat smaller in diameter so that two thirds of it would be visible from the front. The bezel that had been soldered onto the back side of the pendant was folded over the bottom of the stone which set it in place. I apologize if the description is fuzzy. If anyone gets what I'm trying to describe and knows of an image I would love to hear of it. While I'm not sure if I would use this type of setting it was still interesting. Of course new knowledge is never wasted and I did learn about using an inverted bur to create a beveled edge. One day I'll be scratching my head wondering how to make a stone sit just right and with luck I'll remember this technique.

As an instructor it was a particular treat to see how someone taught and Natalia was great. She has a great sense of humour which in my books is extremely important. It's the only way to bring the many different personalities of a class together by uniting them with laughter. We all relax a little, take ourselves less seriously and then really settle into learning.

I leave you with this wonderful quote by Scott Adams.

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."

Silver Bee hits Facebook!

I can hardly believe I did it! Well I didn't really, my daughter did. She kept encouraging me to create a page on Facebook for Silver Bee Jewellery Design. I just couldn't see the point. I'm still getting used to the idea of promoting what I do for a living, well at least part of it. So thank you Ashley for being so supportive of your mom's work!

I've decided to post some of the first pieces I've made. I thought perhaps a little history of Silver Bee would be fun. I didn't always work with almost exclusively silver and stones. Instead I started with seed beads, needle and thread. I have a few friends who do beautiful intricate work with seed beads and I am humbled by their talents.

It was fun to go down memory lane while choosing the photos. There were so many of older pieces. I realize that in time it is easy to take the work for granted and not record it as faithfully. Despite the fact that I have a wonderful camera to take photos with!

So take a look and become a fan! Silver Bee Jewellery Design.

Silver Bee is teaching...Fall '09 session

Last week was a fantastic week of teaching! I love it when students are passionate about learning something new. One women was so thrilled with her experience she wrote a post on her blog! When Heather arrived with her camera I had this fleeting moment she thought I was going to teach photography! The moment passed when I saw she also had her torch with her. 

I'm teaching again this fall for what used to be North Shore Continuing Education but is now Vanterra Education. The City of North Vancouver dropped all non academic courses last June. Former course co-ordinator Linda VanderHeide recognized a need in the community for these courses and Vanterra Education was born.

"Vanterra Community Education is proud to continue the tradition of life-long learning (continuing education) on the North Shore. We offer a variety of Certificate and General Interest courses. Whether you’re planning to improve your career, learn a new language, or take up a new hobby, Vanterra will be the place to start."  ~ Linda VanderHeide

I'm pleased to say that I will be teaching the Silversmithing Introduction course once more.

Silversmithing Introduction

Date: Monday Sept 21 (for 8 sessions)
Time: 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Location: Lucas Centre
Instructor: B. Astells
Course Fee: $185

Discover that with even basic silver smithing techniques it’s possible to create beautiful jewellery using sterling silver or copper. Practice and apply techniques like sawing, piercing, soldering, texturing and riveting. Develop confidence by using these skills to complete several class projects. Learn and have fun! Most equipment provided, additional costs of approx $35. for project materials.

If you are a first time student I will ask for a $20.00 supplies fee, which is part of the $35.00 additional cost mentioned. This will cover all the materials, you will require for projects that are part of the course outline. This also takes into account the many hand-outs I have prepared.

Please notice that the class will no longer be held at Carson Graham School. They are doing serious renovations and the shop/metal class is part of that. Don't worry a new home has been found and I think that it will be even better! I'm really excited about holding the classes in what used to be a pottery studio at the Lucas Centre. I also hope to spend some time there before the summer is over making sure it is ready for classes. It will involve some elbow grease so I may be looking for some volunteers. Stay tuned for that.

Silver Bee and Mea culpa

First, thank you to those wonderful people who kept encouraging me to continue writing posts for this blog. I have been on a bit of a hiatus but I think that I can safely say that it is over.

It's all about balance. And trying to balance working, teaching, creating and writing proved to be a bit overwhelming. That's because of the expectations I had of myself. So I've re-calibrated my thinking on it. In particular the expectations of writing for this blog. I love to share what I've learned about working with silver, and new tools I've discovered or made. Sometimes it's just a quick tip and other times, well it can be epic. 

Mea culpa: my problem is I'm not a writer, well not in the grammatically correct sense. I mix up my tenses, add commas and quotes where they are not necessary and I can write run on sentences and overstate the obvious. For the most part before you see my posts they have been proof read and cleaned up. I'm learning bit-by-bit but my heart is not in it. I would rather whip up a post about something new and exciting I've learned at my bench and then go back to learning more. So from now on that is what you the reader will get. I trust that you'll let me know if I've gone too far over the line. 

Wow that feels so much better! 

Okay now I can show you a couple of new pieces I've worked on. Both are made with silver that I cast into garbanzo beans and the ring has a piece of the water cast. I need to remember that taking a photo of each of my pieces is important. My pattern is to get it ready to go out the door and then realize with panic I've forgotten to take a photo. But that's another post!

A close up of the garbanzo bean cast pendant.  The Viking Knit  chain that inspired it is approximately 50 cm (20") long and a little more than 1 cm (1/2") thick.

This ring water cast silver with a piece garbanzo bean cast on top and flush set with a beautiful garnet (photo does it no justice).

Moral of the story: Sometimes being good enough is well...good enough!

Silver Bee fights bloom - part two

Welcome back! I know I’m a bad bee for taking so long to write Part 2: “All about polishing”. No excuses. Instead, back to that blooming firestain and how to rid your silver of it. 

In the previous post I wrote about finding firestain/scale on a ring already set with a stone. The stone, an aquamarine, will crack if I try to use depletion gilding to remove the firestain/scale. I had set the ring aside with other projects that hadn’t quite worked out. It would have sat there for some time, except that someone asked about removing firestain/scale after a stone was already set. How serendipitous that I had a ring with that same problem! Is it weird to be excited? I felt compelled to find a solution.

While researching for a solution I discovered much more than just the answer to removing firestain/scale. I found out that not all cutting or polishing compounds are made equal. Manufacturers’ recipes differ so it’s not a simple matter of choosing a colour for the compound.

I decided to try bobbing compound first. I had read and heard it was excellent for removing firestain/scale. But it didn’t work which had me puzzled until I read about the variations of different formulas among what looked like similar types of compounds. The bobbing compound I used was yellow while the compound I heard about is more of a mustard/ochre colour.

Undeterred I tried another compound called XXX White Diamond with a yellow chemkote  (treated muslin) buff. It worked! I then used bristle brushes to get into the area around the bezel setting. Regardless of how much firestain/scale you are dealing with patience is key here. It works but it takes time.

Be mindful of the stone. Cover it with masking tape or a waxy type lubricant. If the silver starts to get warm back off a little. Heat is not a stone’s best friend unless you are trying to change the colour. But that is another subject.

The ring did look good but could it look better? Not really knowing the answer, another  experiment was in order. Using a muslin brush I tried rouge next. It was still looking good. But I had to keep testing having had such success with removing the firestain/scale. Using a chamois brush I tried ZAM, another final polish safe for most stones. The shine was even better.

One thing I noticed during this process were the fine lines left behind by the last sanding of the ring shank. No matter how fine the sandpaper, the fine lines wouldn’t disappear. Asking my instructor, Bryan Taylor, about it brought to light that it doesn’t matter how many times you try to finish the surface, if you keep using the same direction you are only polishing the fine lines rather than removing them. His suggestion was to hold the ring at a 45 degree angle to the brush, polish the entire shank, turn it and continue to polish the shank again. The result was amazing! The fine lines were gone and the ring was left with a jewellery store polish.

This concludes the saga of firestain and the ring. Make sure to wear protection for your eyes and a mask while polishing. Compounds create a lot of dust and you need to keep your lungs safe.

Happy polishing and as always, stay safe!