Metals
Week
June 22–26, 2008
Overview
Metals Week 2008 is designed
to be a week of creative and social renewal where you
can relearn how to be open to learning and seeing from
a creative perspective. You will be working with master
instructors in an environment that encourages opportunities
to test ideas, try things out and make new work as well
as network and exchange ideas with others jewelers and
metalsmiths. Whether you come to learn new skills or enhance
the skills and techniques you already know, you will have
the opportunity to grow as an artist in metal.
This week of intensive metals studies
will begin on Sunday, June 22 and run through Thursday,
June 26. You will have the opportunity to work with one
of five outstanding jewelers/metalsmiths–but in
addition, each of the four other instructors will come
to your classroom for a two-hour mini-workshop. By the
end of the session, you will have experienced all five
of the instructors teaching during Metals Week. This will
give you the opportunity for a rich and well-rounded experience
with intensive studies focusing in the area and with the
instructor you have chosen.
Class size is limited to allow for
maximum interaction among participants and with the instructors.
The metals studios are equipped with torches and large
equipment as needed for the classes. A comprehensive list
of items students will need to bring will be sent upon
registration.
The
Workshops: listed below
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Embracing the Eclectic:
Inspiratons, Ideas, and Applications for Jewelry
Ken
Bova
June 22–26
Course # AAJW ØØ-A
One-week session
e·clec·tic adj: choosing what is best or
preferred from a variety of sources or styles; made up
of elements from various sources––n: somebody
who selects what is best or preferred from a variety of
sources or styles
This is a workshop of applied imagination. Using an eccentric
assemblage of tips, tricks, and tools, we’ll explore
a multitude of resources for idea generation and hands-on
jewelry making. Play and experimentation will be the watchwords.
We will be working primarily with cold connections in
the service of found object and assemblage jewelry. We’re
going to focus on traditional hand tool techniques but
will play with a variety of forming and linking mechanics
that will include the use of a torch. Processes including
riveting, tying, stitching, linking, forming, pinning
and setting mechanics will be employed to tease out one-of-a-kind
treasures-to-wear. We will also work with color and collage
and make a few special fun tools out of ordinary hardware
and grocery store materials. Lots of bench tricks, impromptu
demonstrations, design exercises, and discussions of creating
jewelry with personal content will also take place. Students
will come away with a small bunch of tools, a whole bunch
of experimental pieces and one souvenir work.
Materials: A complete materials
list will be sent upon registration.
download
pdf
Tuition: $595
Lab fee: $45 (Includes the use of all
tools, equipment, and consumables such as silver, stones,
wire, and findings. Students are encouraged to bring their
own materials, metal, and tools. Some materials will also
be available for purchase in class.)
Enrollment is limited to
12 students.
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Earrings:
Technique and Design
Connie
Fox
June 22–26
Course # AAJW ØØ-B
One-week session
Early civilizations recognized the importance of the human
ear. It allowed people to connect with the world around
them before the spoken word was written, it protected
people from wild animals and other dangers, and it provided
a channel for pleasure through hearing welcome and beautiful
sounds.
One of the original reasons earrings were developed by
human beings was to ward off untoward spirits from entering
the ear canal. In western culture we tend to use other
methods for protection and assign earrings to the status
of ornamentation. Besides the value of adding beautiful
adornment to our bodies, people from many cultures, old
and new, recognize how earrings (and other jewelry) convey
status, and sometimes position and desirable character
traits within the “tribe”. Although this class
will focus on making earrings as ornaments, students are
welcome to attach whatever meaning they wish to their
creations!
A number of jewelry making strategies will be explored
in the class: enameling, cold connections, roller printing,
stamping, wire working, setting stones with pre-made bezels,
and gold diffusion bonding. These techniques, especially
when two or more of them are combined, will allow for
a wider variety of earring styles to be created. In addition
to these technical strategies, design elements will be
addressed including scale, dimension, use of color, movement,
balance, and shape in relationship to the wearer. When
technically developed skills meet good design, the result
is generally very satisfying. It is the aim of this class
to develop the ability to merge the above technical skills
with well thought out design.
Instruction will be presented in such a fashion that beginning
and more advanced students will be able to participate.
Sawing, filing, finishing techniques, use of hand tools
and other equipment, and basic soldering will be covered;
more advanced students will be encouraged to design more
complex pieces. All students can expect to complete multiple
pairs of earrings. It should be noted that we will make
earrings only for pierced ears.
Materials: A complete materials list will be sent upon
registration.
download
pdf
Tuition: $595
Lab fee: $35 (Includes use of tools,
equipment and consumables such as solder, compounds, copper
wire for riveting, and enamel. Index cards, zip lock bags,
and copper wire will be provided to each student in the
two hour daily session. Students should bring their own
hand tools (marked with their names), sterling silver
wire and sheet metal, 24 K gold foil, bezel cups, and
stones. Some stones, bezel cups, cold connectors, copper
shapes, and wire will be available for purchase during
the class.)
Enrollment limited to 12 students.
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Soldering Skills
Deborah
E. Love Jemmott
June 22–26
Course # AAJW ØØ-C
One-week session
Soldering is the joining of metal pieces using an alloy
material that has a lower melting point. It is one of
the most difficult, but most important techniques for
the beginning jeweler to master. While commonly used,
it is not well understood. How many times have you gone
to solder a joint together and it just won’t work?
How do you know what’s wrong? How do you know what
to do differently? The basics are very straightforward,
but it is deceptively simple and there is much more going
on than there appears to be.
This class will take you step by step through the soldering
process from understanding its physics to the practical
application of joining metal pieces together. In order
to solder well, you not only need to understand how and
why the soldering works, but you need to practice to become
proficient with the soldering process.
The week will begin with a series of exercises in sheet
and wire to learn the basics of soldering and then move
on to soldering jump rings, pin backs, earring posts and
other soldering situations that require more skill. In
addition, we will cover solder set-ups, jigs, fixtures,
tools, fluxes and torches. Students are encouraged to
bring their “solder problems” with them so
they can be addressed in the class.
We will end the week by fabricating a stepped bezel for
a transparent stone-utilizing the solder skills learned
earlier in the week.
This class will prove that soldering can be fun! You will
have the opportunity to work with an instructor whose
passion is soldering and teaching soldering to others.
Instruction will be given for all levels of students.
Materials: A complete materials list will be sent upon
registration.
download
pdf
Tuition: $595
Lab fee: $35 (Includes the use of all
tools, equipment, and consumables such as solder and compounds.
Students are encouraged to bring their own metal and tools
– but they must be clearly marked. Some metal will
be available for purchase in class.)
Enrollment is limited to 12 students.
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Hydraulic Assist Die Forming
Val
Link
June 22–26
Course # AAJW ØØ-D
One-week session
Die forming of metals has been around for hundreds of
years. Die Forming is the moving of metal into a predetermined
die to take on the form and shape of the die. Many of
the first die forms were made of wood and hammers were
used to force the metal into the die. Some die forming
is very similar to embossing where thin metal is forced
into shallow cut dies with a burnisher or stylus.
The big difference today is how we accomplish the process.
In industry, matching positive and negative dies are used.
This method is a very direct and positive process but
one that is very costly and therefore only used for mass
production. Through the use of the very inexpensive hydraulic
press and neoprene rubber or urethane rubber and simple
die materials such as plexiglass, masonite, aluminum and
micarta, the small shop metalsmith can design and create
objects utilizing the same process as industry without
the prohibitive cost. Copper, brass, bronze, nickel, silver,
gold and aluminum can all be cold worked in die forms
The intent of this class is to introduce the practical
principles involved in the die forming process. Each student
will be able to create and cut out several die forms and
then use these dies to produce a variety of die pressings
culminating in at least one finished piece. The class
will spend time on design of the die forms including the
flange area, which can serve as an integral part of the
design. Time will also be spent on the design and construction
of the press for those who may wish to build their own.
Information will be made available for those who would
rather purchase their own press. It is necessary that
all students enrolling in this class be familiar with
basic jewelry making bench processes, sawing, filing,
soldering, etc.
Materials: A complete materials list will be sent upon
registration.
downlaod
pdf
Tuition: $595
Lab fee: $40 (Includes the use of all
tools, equipment, and consumables such as solder, binding
wire, soldering flux and compounds. Students are encouraged
to bring their own jewelry and metals tools including
a coping saw with fine wood cutting blades or very coarse
jewelers saw blades for use with the jewelers saw frame.
Copper and die material will be available for purchase
in class.)
Enrollment limited to 12 students.
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Pin Ups
Fred
E. Zweig
June 22–26
Course # AAJW ØØ-E
One-week session
The workshop will begin by exploring the origins of pins/fibulas
and the influences of these in today’s modern designs.
Each student will learn how to create the unique spring
mechanism used by ancient smiths and they will be encouraged
to create at least one fibula of their own design.
We will also learn the use of forging techniques as well
as use of the rolling mill and draw plates to help create
form without removing metal in the design and creation
of a pin or brooch. In this exercise we will explore several
methods of creating pin spring and the catch of the brooch.
Students will make several examples of each type for future
reference and metal vocabulary.
The following days will include learning several methods
of creating pin stems and catches for brooches using stainless
steel wire. These methods will cover the use of thick
walled tubing and include many of the devices used by
today’s contemporary smiths. We will not be using
commercial findings.
The final portion of the workshop will concentrate on
the production techniques used to make pins for swapping
with others. Each student will make 15 pins of non precious
metal to swap with each of the other students and instructor.
Students will need to bring tie tack backs and clutches
for each of these pins.
I will also demonstrate a single-step method of riveting
for surface decoration. Guaranteed to make you say “WOW!”
or at least “That’s cool”
Materials: A complete materials list will be sent upon
registration.
download pdf
Tuition: $595
Lab fee: $35 (Includes the use of all
tools, equipment, and consumables such as solder and compounds.
Students are encouraged to bring their own metal and tools
– but they must be clearly marked. Some metal will
be available for purchase in class.)
Enrollment is limited to 12 students.
See the Adult
Courses page for complete descriptions of these jewelry
workshops and additional workshops offered June 22 - July
20.
Found
Object Jewelry
Glass
Beadmaking
Gold
Slip Fusion
Hopi
Jewelry
Navajo
Inlay Jewelry
Silver
Metal Clay
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Summer
Event Calendar
Daily Schedule
9–Noon Workshop
Noon–1pm. Lunch
1–4 pm. Workshop
Evenings Open Studio time
AFTERNOON SEMINARS
(Seminars rotate into each workshop)
1. Using cold connections and
simple hand tools, including some made from hardware and
grocery store materials, Ken Bova will
demonstrate the process of building a one-of-a-kind collage
brooch. In the process he’ll demonstrate coloring,
cutting, riveting, bolting, and tying sheet sterling in
combination with found materials. Handouts provided.
2. A variety of ear wires will
be demonstrated by Connie Fox and each
student will be encouraged to create a reference file
for future use. A stack of index cards with attached zip
lock bags will be given to each student for their samples
and written instructions. If time allows, wire connectors
for earrings will also be presented. Twelve hand tool
kits will be available for students to borrow in each
2 hour segment.
3. Deb Jemmott
will cover the basics of silver soldering and demo some
of the more common soldering techniques and skills. Students
are encouraged to bring their “solder problems”
with them so they can be addressed in the session. Time
permitting, each student will be able to solder one or
two solder joints.
4. The use of dies and the hydraulic
press process will be demonstrated by Val Link
using a slide presentation showing the process as well
as completed objects. Afterward a discussion will be held
on the way hydraulic forming relates and interacts with
the process they are currently studying.
5. Fred Zweig
will be demonstrating his process of “the single
strike rivet”. Students will learn the steps to
modifying tools to allow them to consistently make clean
rivets with a single blow of a hammer. Guaranteed to get
a “WOW!” exclamation after seeing it. Low
tech and easy.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITES
An exhibition of faculty work at the Parks Exhibition
Gallery–with an opening on Monday evening.
A faculty artist slide exhibit
and lecture.
A potluck dinner where you can
visit with the instructors and the other students enrolled
in Metals Week.
An end of the week student exhibition
where all the work produced during the week will be displayed.
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Tuition
Please refer to individual workshop
descriptions for tuition and lab fees. Refer to the Adult
Housing page for on-campus housing and meal options.
