[Ganoksin] [Issue #168] Tips From The Jeweler's Bench
Hanuman
S i n c e 1 9 9 6
Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Techniques
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Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Circulation: 45,000
View this issue in colors:
http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid-digest/168.htm
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In This Edition:
1. David Secrest - The Man with X-Ray Vision
2. Wire Works! - The Work of Three Contemporary Wire Artists
3. Hot Enough for You? - What kind of torch do you need?
4. Road Testing Argentium Sterling
5. Chinese Freshwater Pearls - Fresh Possibilities
6. A Simple Method for China Painting on Enamel
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In This Edition of Tips From The Jeweler's Bench
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
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1. David Secrest - The Man with X-Ray Vision
By Barbra Brady
David Secrest is to the manor of craftsmen born. Coming from a
family
of creative people - his father a potter, his mother a painter,
his
brother Peter now a respected contemporary glass artist - he notes
that his training derived from hands on observing and assisting,
rather than through formal education. His father and brother Phil
built and operated a ceramics studio in New York State, which
Secrest
considers his primary training ground. His uncle later opened a
small
gallery and studio in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, where Secrest
worked
during summers while in high school....
Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/david-secrest.htm
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2. Wire Works! - The Work of Three Contemporary Wire Artists
By Nina Graci
Working on the most meticulous and precise scale, three
contemporary
wire artists, Barbara SilverStein, Nikki Feldbaum and Biba Schutz
create jewelry that is broad in appeal and expansive in
effect....
Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/wire-works.htm
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3. Hot Enough for You? - What kind of torch do you need?
By Nina Graci
With so many torches on the market, a first-time buyer can be
quickly
overwhelmed by the sheer number of decisions that have to be made.
Choosing a fuel, fitting the right tips, and determining the type
of
flame you need are just the beginning. To make decision-making
tougher, all torches look pretty much alike. They have two open-
ended
tubes for the attachment of two color-coded rubber hoses,
conducting
air to one and fuel to the other. They are either single-fuel or a
combination of oxygen and fuel, which tend to be hotter. Some
torches
accommodate different fuels simply by changing the tip. Each gas
produces a different flame. Which brings us to the burning
question:
which torch will produce the flame power needed to get the job
done?....
Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/choosing-torch.htm
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4. Road Testing Argentium Sterling
By Cynthia Eid
Invented in 1996 by Peter Johns, a professor of silversmithing at
England's Middlesex University, Argentium[R] Sterling Silver, like
traditional sterling silver, is at least 92.5 percent pure silver.
But unlike traditional sterling, which is 7.5 percent copper,
Argentium sterling has a small amount of germanium instead of some
of
the copper. So how does that change things?....
Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/argentium-testing.htm
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5. Chinese Freshwater Pearls - Fresh Possibilities
By Suzanne Wade
When Chinese freshwater pearls began flooding the market several
years ago, craft artists took notice. It's not that pearls were
new
to them. Studio jewelers had been incorporating pearls into their
designs for decades, long before the current wave of Chinese
freshwater pearls reached these shores. But the growing
availability
of Chinese freshwater pearls has allowed artists to indulge their
passion for pearls as they never could before....
Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/freshwater-pearls.htm
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6. A Simple Method for China Painting on Enamel
By Cynthia Roode
Although enameling is a new art form for me, I came to it with
many
years of china painting experience. Painting on porcelain is a
time
consuming process. Each firing requires several hours, and three
or
more firings may be needed to complete one painting. A while ago,
a
friend showed me how to apply enamel to a small piece of domed
copper. I was fascinated with the process and very impressed with
the
speed of the firing, and decided to try it using a propane torch.
Playing with this new media was very exciting and before long I
wondered if I could use the same china paint materials and
techniques
on enamel that I had used on porcelain. Much to my delight I found
I
could! What follows is a description of the simple painting
process I
currently use....
Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/china-painting.htm
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