samples!!!

Thanks for a great workshop! I am sifting through all of the photos I took so it might take me a couple of days to post them on the blog. I added the links to the supplies for the silk screening. More soon. -Arthur

Something to look forward to (electrolytic etching)

So here is a sneak peek of what we will be doing in class. I am super excited.

I started making samples. 

LOTS of samples

   

 

 

 



 

 

FIRST POST!!!!

HELLO THERE

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome

I thought that we should make a blog in order to one, catalog what we are doing in the workshop and two, present information here so you don't have to remember to write it all down.

So just to introduce a few folks: (You probably already know who I am but just in case you can visit my blog or facebook or website...or for the foodies out there you can look at this!)

I wanted to tell you about our assistant.  Tanya Crane or T-CRANE .  Tanya was my student at SUNY New Paltz and is now currently a graduate student in the metal program at the University of Wisconsin Madison.  She is great.  She is also a wonderful enameling resource.  

We all bring something to the table.  I love all things handmade and I super love all things digital.  We are going to try and combine both in this workshop.  

I am a jeweler and designer.  I am also VERY interested in process and material.  

We will posting on the blog before the workshop, during the workshop and hopefully after the workshop.  

As the description for the class states:

This workshop will challenge participants to explore new techniques for mark making in jewelry. These techniques will include electrolytic etching, patterned hammers, laser cut acrylic dies, and alternative tool use. This workshop will combine traditional metalsmithing processes with digital fabrication technology to ultimately create body adornment and metal objects. Workshop participants will also be given extensive detailed instructional handouts relating to all of the demonstrations. Basic knowledge of traditional metal processes, Adobe Illustrator and Rhino3D is strongly recommended.

Some of the demos I am planning on doing:

1. Making your own patterned hammer
2. Electrolytic etching
3. Laser cutting (how to do it etc)
4. Vinyl sticker stenciling
5. Champleve the easy way
6. Screen printing with enamel
7. Green studio habits (alternative pickle recipes, patinas etc)
8. Misc. Rhino and illustrator demos
9. Metal PORN 
10. etc etc etc etc.....

I am super stoked about the workshop and I hope you guys are getting geared up. 

So what to bring?

Well... take a look at some of the demos above and then make an educated guess on what personal tools you may need to bring.  

The studio will be equipped with the basics but you may want to bring some of your own.  For example the school store probably sells saw blades BUT you may need some in the middle of the night.  In which case, you should  some of your own.  There may be a planishing hammer in the studio but someone may have left it out in the rain. In which case you would want to bring your own. 


Here is a list....you don't have to buy all of this stuff.  Bring what you have.  

• If you enamel bring some enameling basics.  You wont need to bring it all.  
• If you want to make your own hammer you could go to your local hardware store and pick up a couple cheap steel hammers.  We will be etching/altering them. 
• We will be learning how to use the vinyl cutter. I will provide some vinyl and vinyl supplies.  
• The one thing that would be great to bring would be some clear paint mixing cups.  I usually buy these at Lowes.  If you like Chinese takeout these are the tall soup containers.  You should also grab a few chopsticks.  I use them all the time for all kinds of stuff at the bench or just to mix some things together.
• Two cardboard tubes of regular table salt (think yellow raincoat AKA morton's)
• A roll of duct tape (never leave home without it)
• An xacto knife (with a few blades)
• Paint pen....any color....something that is not water soluble
• Nail polish (We can probably share)
• Small paint brushes (The smaller the better)
• Super glue
• Some silver wire (18 gauge or larger) You will only need one foot or so. If you are going to use it make actual work bring more.  
• A digital camera.  I am going to use my iphone but it makes sense to have some thing that you can transfer digital images on to a computer. 
• Rubber gloves
• Your usual metals tool kit (Pliers, nips, pin vise, saw frame, files, solder supplies, sandpaper, etc etc)

So this should get us started.  We shall see each other soon!