"Contemporary craft" course - day 4

Jewellery - all new to me, though I'd often had a glimpse of the jewellery room -

First hurdle - the guillotine - boy does it make short work of cutting metal -

Next, in the forge, we had to anneal (and pickle) our bit of copper. The torches were fearsome, and I realised how difficult it could be to face up to learning to use new tools -

Next, cutting with the piercing saw. We drew out a simple (or not so simple, in some cases) shape, and stuck it to the copper with double-sided tape, then drilled holes for starting the sawing. This nifty tool holds the metal securely, keeping fingers away from the drill press -

The "jaws" are lined with leather so the metal isn't scratched, and the wedge makes sure the metal is tightly clamped.

As well as copper, we were given a piece of perspex, which also needed a shape and holes - as well as a different saw blade (spiral, so as not to clog), and the wearing of a dust mask.

Cutting the perspex, using the bench peg

All this before lunch

After lunch we continued with sawing out shapes, and with filing the edges, then it was into another side room to add texture with the rolling press -

and to use the perspex with the forming press  - which I didn't do, as I was busy cutting more copper shapes, and adding "lines" with some bent wire.

A grand old tool

At the end of the day, some nice collections -

Lots of new things - equipment, processes, skills to learn. I could happily do more of this, if only for the novelty factor ... and for appreciation of what's involved in different types of jewellery. Meanwhile I'll be finishing the smoothing of rough edges, and having a look around www.ganoksin.com - "jewellery manufacturing methods and techniques", recommended by the tutor.