Day 21

Before

  8:46pm - I wanted to try a square piece of copper. Paper jet, anyone? 

After hammering, it was...uninspiring. Maybe more aero, but not interesting at all to me.

So the good thing about this is the freedom to do any darn thing I want. So I got out my snips.

NOW here's a discovery I made. I don't need tin snips to cut this gauge of copper sheet! Argh. I just ordered not one, but two different kinds of cutters. 

My many year old Fiskars cutters work just fine. Sigh.

Snipped

So I snipped. Those little flaps are removed, and I hammered more.

End...almost

It's only a bezel loosely around my agatized dino cab, because I still don't have tools to solder at home. Or...sheet copper for the bottom. But you get the idea! I like the curl over the cab. And the inklings of adding wire wrapping murmured in my inner ear. 

To leave myself freedom to fill 365 days, some days will be handforging, others may be putting components together, and 'finished pieces' or ideas pieced together. Yes, I already began stressing how this is going to work when I go back to work after summer is over, and already looking at my 'to do' as far as other obligations. 

AND, thankfully, I think my spending spree is pretty much over, and I should have the basics of what I need on it's way.

NOTE: Borax and salt for homemade flux bombed. 

Day 20

A pair!

11:46: So I made a matching pair! Luckily, I took pictures yesterday of the shape after I was done hammering it, or I wouldn't have been able to match them as well as they did...that's something to remember, if I don't do them at the same time!
- which is not likely, but hey.

Day 19

Rockhound friend, Daniel, shared the work of Charles Lawton-Brain with me!!! One day, one year, I'll have to make a pilgrimage to one of Mr. Lawton-Brain's workshops!

So inspired, I am taking 2 days to create a pair of 'Rueger Fold' earrings!

Before

one hammered

An earring!

11:08pm - My challenge is to make a matching earring tomorrow.

Day 18

Before

11:45pm: Under the line! Well, actually I got it done earlier, but I was gaming with family. Yeah, I'm one of those. Well, I wanted to try this again, but hammer on one side, on each half. Got it?

Hmmmm.

after

We have some scroll action! Add copper plate with word and rings. Maybe word plate vertical to the left. Note to self: order alphabet punches.

Day 17

Before

3:03pm - Went back to acute angles and trimming corners on my original 1" x 3" copper rectangles.  Because I CAN. And I found these anodized aluminum sheets to put under my anvil, and over the wood counter, especially when I'm playing with a micro-torch. I wanted to buy a ceramic tile, but 1) I'm cheap.
2) It would probably crack from my hammering. duh.

Part way

8:33pm - So I have figured out that hammering on one side causes it to curl in that direction. And I wonder if that effects the final piece. Maybe. I'll find out tomorrow!

Scroll,anyone?

It looked like a scroll to me! So I cut out and added a little copper plate that has room for a word. Like 'kittens'....or something. And the cab is a purple CA obsidian from Kris and Jo via Paul.  Yes, it's scotch taped on for the photo op. I so need to learn how to bezel soon. And buy a set of alphabet punches. Sigh.

Day 16

11:10am - Aw, cute! It's a little shed.

I'm already getting distracted to do other things, other hobbies. I have purses to sew, socks to knit, rocks to slab and cab. Silver to solder!! Much less my dayjob when school starts. And cleaning house...bwahahahahahh! snort.

So I'll undoubtedly do things like this to entertain myself. 349 days to go.

Before

After

7:09 - Yes, I split it, layered it. As soon as I learn how to solder (I ordered a book from Amazon) and bezel (hopefully this week in my silversmithing class) this will be a pendant. Malachite I cabbed. Hint: for malachite, I go to the basket of already polished pieces of tumbled rocks at the local rock shop.
That way I can choose the best patterns that are perfect little cab sized nuggets. There can be a lot of uninteresting malachite buying rough.

Day 15

8:31am - Back to basics, sort of. Will it end up looking like a tribble?

Before

6:04pm - I made an earring! ONE earring, alas. It's so light, and strong! Soon, I need to make a pair of earrings.