Life is good – when you get to run it

Taking a workshop with a hero of mine is always a treat!

Bob Ebendorf has used every imaginable material in his work. I have never seen such an inventive use of tabs and cold connections. He is an amazing educator and I have tremendous respect for him.

Originally Published 8-26- 2014

I truly love metalsmithing and I'm reminded of that pure and simple fact every time I get away from the daily grind and into a group of like-minded friends. Despite what it may appear to be, very often a job can be a job, and once you discover its the things you make time and space to do on your own clock that feed your mind and your heart, life becomes so much more rewarding.

Such is the case for me now, and I have gotten to a place where I truly understand how the "important stuff" happens when you get to run it. This year, I made a pact with artist Helen to go to the annual CoMA Conference on my own time and my own dime. If you love metalsmithing and you've never been, I heartily recommend it -- so, mark your calendar now for the third weekend of July and join.

The last time I attended CoMA was a few years ago, and I was distracted by exterior unpleasantries, the job and the duties -- and as a result I was unable to experience it on my own terms as artist Helen. This time, I had to run it, because I needed this one like a desert needs rain. When you are running on empty, you've just got to add fuel to the tank. And even with my excellent planning, I wound up being in recovery during the conference from a somewhat unexpected major surgery, and just a bit worried about being far from home. However, courage is essential when you decide to run it, so I trusted Doc, packed my meds and braved the pain and the flight. It was so, so worth it.

Pin swaps are the best!

Here are my 20 pin swap pins ready to trade. Wire fibulas were about all I could produce while laying on the couch drugged and in pain as I recovered from surgery.

Headliners this year were Andy Cooperman, Barbara Heinrich, Ford + Forlano, Ted Gall, and one of my "jewelry heroes" the incredible educator/artist Bob Ebendorf. Every presenter demonstrated a signature technique, and there were additional demos, including using Delft Clay by Alex Boyd, images and videos galore, the pin swap, lunches with friends, dinners with more friends, the silent auction (I scored a sweet strand of chunky, awesome stone beads for a song), the Arkansas River kayakers, "S" Mountain, Big blue sky, Culture Clash Gallery, cold adult beverages, a fantastic and like-minded roommate, glorious sunsets, tales of rocks and cutting rough, the vendor room, and a sweet, singing canary in the breakfast room of my hotel. I also took a two-day workshop with Bob Ebendorf after the conference which totally blew off my doors.

I came home energized and excited about making work again, which is a feeling I haven't experienced in a while because my gauge was on empty. I have been very busy and life's been full, but I have been making and doing lots of stuff for the job, plus curriculum pieces and demos for teaching. Important, yes. But, I remembered that its also  important to make space and time for the pure and simple work you make just for the love of making it. It is essential to do that to remain whole, and CoMA helped me remember. I was also very lucky to have an excellent drive featuring a very good mentor/student exchange with Bob Ebendorf all the way to the airport. Having an exchange with someone like Bob is a blessing. Wisdom is everything. And I know now it is critical to keep my sanity by establishing crystal clear boundaries between my own personal time and artwork and the time I have sold to others.

The more I spend time doing what I love on my own time and dime, the more I remember how important it is to me and how much I love metalsmithing. It makes me strong to have those boundaries in play because they protect artist Helen from the big time and energy drains that can suck the life from you.

The takeaway is this: here are five things I am going to try this summer as a result of what I observed at CoMA. These were my "Ah Ha" moments and I'll do a show and tell later on as I progress. And, I am still working on the movie in a blog thing, guys/gals, so don't give up on me yet. I am just busy, but I will deliver, I promise. So anyway, check this:

1. Weld sterling to sterling with sterling wire, instead of using solder -- courtesy of Andy Cooperman

2.  Roll print my dried oak leaf hydrangea blossoms between 2 sheets of annealed gold -- Courtesy of Barbara Heinrich

3. Make a hand fabricated chain out of iron tie wire or recycled coat hangers -- Courtesy of Bob Ebendorf

4. Cast something using Delft Clay -- Courtesy of Alex Boyd

5. Revisit polymer clay as a jewelry medium, but wearing a 'barrier film' on my hands to prevent a recurrence of serious allergic dermatitis -- Courtesy of Steven Ford of Ford + Forlano.

So, that's all folks. I have a busy remainder of the summer to go, and I'll see you at BeadFest Philadelphia if you are there.  There are some spots open in some of my classes, so check out my Teaching Dates above if you are free.

Ciao! And, enjoy the rest of the photos...

The Metalsmith chronicles: Part Two

Cold Connections on the road…

Teaching at Rio's Winter Workshops was an awesome experience, my students were a fun group, and we got SO MUCH done -- it was Rivet-O-Rama!

Originally Published 5-25 2014

Despite the fact that I am (always!) seriously overscheduled, here is Part Two of what's been happening on the metals front in my world. I've been traveling a lot doing some teaching, a bit of learning, and lots of working as a video producer (my other day job for Interweave, lol!). It's been a busy winter, but really fun.

Since I have taken TONS of photos along the way, I will let them tell the tale for you -- enjoy! And if you are interested in purchasing any of the videos mentioned in the captions below, check out the Interweave Store... some titles are already out, some are soon to be released, all of them are most excellent.

Many thanks to the staff at Rio Grande, Michael David Sturlin, Michael Boyd, Joe Korth, Richard Sweetman, and Susan Lenart Kazmer, for spending time with me, talking about art, making great work, and making my job so much fun!

The Metalsmith chronicles: Part One

No more shaky tables!

I developed a great workaround for anyone who intends to take classes in a convention center. Typically, those tables are not the easiest to work on because they are either too thick, have too thick a ledge, or are downright wobbly as a work surface.
All you need to combat this is a hunk of  4" wide x 3/4" pine board and a 4" or 6" C-Clamp. First, securely clamp the pine board to the table, so it extends like a diving board. Then, clamp your bench pin and flex shaft to the pine board, instead of the table - works every time.

Originally Published 5-20- 2014

I truly can't believe how fast time goes by! I have been screaming busy since my last blog. Sorry guys/gals! To make up for the fact that I appear to have abandoned you, I think I will blog today and tomorrow -- to catch up and get into your good graces again! I will start with the teacher/workshop/classes front and then switch over to what's been cooking on the day job front. BeadFest Spring was totally great, and thanks to all my students (and my sister) for coming, learning, helping and having fun. Some of you have even stayed in touch, sending me pictures of what you've been up to.

Student work from my
Rotary Tools Class:

Nancy Oliver's "De and Rekonstructd" Pendant.

Check this out, an email from a great student who signed up for my class Rotary Tools: Advanced Techniques  at Bead Fest Spring, in April.

Hi Helen!  Thanks for a great
Flex Shaft class. I call this
Helen's pendant De and Re-konsructd.
Ha ha. Cheers!  
– Nancy Oliver

I love it when students follow-up or send me photos of where they are headed after spending time with me. That's the best part of teaching, and I always smile when it happens.
Teaching in a hotel or convention center is never easy, and I always suffer lots of anxiety hoping I remembered to bring all the tools and materials everybody needs to have a good time, learn what I hope they learn, and best of all have fun doing it. This year (so far) has been just a dream on the teaching front. It's been so much fun there is probably a law against it somewhere! I am looking forward to BeadFest in August, and because I had such a grand time this Spring I went ahead and proposed 6 new classes for 2015, including a Two-Day Metals Intensive. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on those, so keep an eye on my "Upcoming Workshops" link for updates...

So, that's a quick one for the teaching updates, I promise I post a bit on other super-fun travel news shortly. Sorry for abandoning you all..

Speed shopping in the desert: Tucson 2014

Tucson, how I love thee…

Palm Trees and Blue skies: The show at Inn Suites is always a great visit for lapidary artisans and mineral collectors.

Originally Published 3-1-2014

A Tucson 2014 haiku:

New stone was desired
Too short time; distant travels
Winter delayed me

For some reason, my area of the country has been cursed as the dumping ground for winter's fury. I was looking forward to Tucson just to get warm, but even there it was chilly. There was such a short time on the ground when I got there that I power-shopped with the cold efficiency of a leopard pouncing in from the underbrush to make a kill. Boom! Kent's Tools and the acquisition of stuff for 80 student kits was conquered in less than an hour. One thing I have learned about going to Tucson: a strict budget tied to a well-organized shopping list is king.

Sadly, this year I didn't have lots of "funny money" to spend -- it was all business for me. But, that didn't stop me from looking -- which is one of the last remaining free things left in the world. It felt great to walk around in the midday sun, check out some "new" cutting rough at Electric Park, see some interesting tools (check out my May/June Cool Tools & Hip Tips column for more on that) and catch up with my friends.

Usually, I try to find a "trend" when I get to Tucson, but this year it was too short a time to tell, so I motored through my visit list and did the best I could in the time I had. Getting an extra day because of snow didn't hurt, either, but there is never enough time it seems.

Here are some photo highlights from my adventure. Enjoy!

The Teacher chronicles

Cutting a seat for a flush set stone

You'll notice that a setting bur has virtually the same profile as a standard, round, faceted, brilliant cut stone. Never bur deeper than the upper limit of the setting bur.

Originally Published 1-20-2014

I have been preparing like mad for several spring teaching engagements, and I have finally gotten my head above the water. With just two weekend days and evenings per week to get ready, it's been a race to the finish – because my first classes are almost upon me. The last thing I have left is to prep my comprehensive shopping list to take to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Shows. I've got half-packed kits all over the studio, instruction sheets to print, and little boxes and bags of demo pieces all over the place. I love teaching, but it is inevitable that when my mind is sharply focused on what I am soon to teach, something comes up for a student from a class I already taught. Then, I end up juggling questions from students about last year curriculum and questions from organizers about soon-to-come curriculum simultaneously. My brain hurts.

One of those questions came up last week about my "One Hour Rings" video:

"Hello Helen. My name is David. I watched your video (One Hour Rings) and I was left with a few questions. For starters, where can I buy a sanding disk? I can't find one anywhere. Secondly, you said to quench the metal in water after soldering, can I do that with white gold? Somebody told me that I can't. I would appreciate it if you could get back to me. Thanks again for such an informative video!!"

And shortly after he replied to say it was OK to answer his question here, David sent me a second email, with a link to a website, picturing a titanium ring:

"Hello. It's me again. I just had one last question. I have been wanting to make myself a ring for a while now. I finally found one I want to make, but I wouldn't know how to set the stones like that. It can be viewed here. It is the picture on the left. I was wondering if you had a video or could explain how I could make a ring like that and set the stones like that. I would really appreciate it. Thanks!"

Really, I don't suggest copying someone elses work, but in this case, the ring pictured was a plain, half-round band with a flush set stone. The only real challenge to fabricating the ring in question was the metal: titanium. But, back to the original question first:

1. Sanding discs (search for brass-center snap-on sanding discs) – my preferred brand is Moore's. I get mine from either Kent's tools in Tucson: www.kentstools.com or from Rio Grande: www.riogrande.com. Don't forget a mandrel for them -- they require a square center mandrel for easy switch outs, which is why I love them.

2. Quenching Gold – don't do it. Especially white gold, because it will cause extreme brittleness in the metal. For hard-wearing jewelry like rings, weak metal is not a good idea. Weak metal is never a good idea, actually. Just let your gold air cool on a steel block. Then, pickle it before proceeding.

3. The ring in question – features plain, ordinary half-round stock and a flush set stone, sometimes called a "Gypsy setting." I've never fabricated Titanium, so I can't help you on that, but any really good reference on stone setting will give you step by step instructions on how to create a flush setting. However, I am a firm believer in "Show, don't tell," so, up in the box above, you’ll find the proverbial “picture is worth a thousand words” shot...

And here's an ultra-simplified bullet point process on how to do this:

• Fabricate a band thicker in gauge than the deepest part of the stone – measuring from table to culet.
• Use a drill to start a centered hole in the band, then switch to a setting bur the same size or slightly smaller in diameter than the stones girdle.
• Cut the seat to the depth that causes the girdle to be just below the surface of the metal. Sticky wax will be your best friend here, as you’ll need to repeatedly insert and remove the stone as you test the seat.
• Set the stone in the seat, then bouge the metal in and up to the girdle of the stone with a soft setting punch to set it securely in place.

Fair warning: it's a lot tougher than it sounds here. It takes a lifetime of practice to set stones professionally, but there is no reason not to try. I'd suggest practice with CZs on brass, and really reading up on stone setting. Again, it's fun, but it isn't easy. There are loads of books on the topic out there, as well as Ann Cahoon's brand-new and fabulous video called Introduction to Gemstone Setting. I was at the filming for that video and for her next one, and Ann is a real pro!

And, to my 2013 "Rotary Tools Demystified" students -- I finally got your resource list ready.
Email me if I missed you, or if you still need one...