Hammer modifications Charles has been sharing lots of information about tools for foldforming. He also has a good page about tools on his brainpress.com site. Just a note about hammers, though. None of the hammers offered today have the correct curve as-is; they all need to be modified. This is a photo showing good and bad curves. Charles has generously offered to modify hammers for conference attendees. I brought three with me, and below Charles is working on *my* hammer! After shaping all three, he brought me to the polishers and taught me how to polish them myself. So my hammers are now personally customized by Charles Lewton-Brain especially for me, and here he is doing it! :-D It's just a very nice extra-something that Charles is doing for workshop attendees who brought hammers to the conference.
August 2012 on SueLacy Wired is dedicated to the 5th annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference on Foldforming, taking place Aug 3-6 at the Center for Metal Arts in downstate NY. To view the series, click category "5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference" in the far right column on this page. (Are you a metalsmith interested in foldforming? Join our official Facebook group.)
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It's 3:15 and hands-on time. Thought I'd throw out some quick pics of what we've learned to do since lunch. These include variations on wedge t-folds, creating a table insert, the Romero fold, combining a t-fold with chased-on-air, and scoring / bending. Whew! Definitely full of "wow" moments. August 2012 on SueLacy Wired is dedicated to the 5th annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference on Foldforming, taking place Aug 3-6 at the Center for Metal Arts in downstate NY. To view the series, click category "5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference" in the far right column on this page.
(Are you a metalsmith interested in foldforming? Join our official Facebook group.) Patina demoThe morning before class there was an impromptu stand-up discussion about patinas. Due to all the interest, Charles quickly set up one of his foldform samples to fume in ammonia for a blue patina. We'll be checking on it through the day. There is a little household ammonia covering the bottom of the container. The piece should be pickled and then cleaned with dish washing liquid mixed with a drop of ammonia to de-grease. Handle on edges with latex gloves and sit on a little platform in the box. Close the lid and check in a few hours. Update from later that afternoon... On the left, how it looked after a few hours (note: for a more durable finish, scrub off the loose spots and put it back in.) Then Charles brushed on some diluted hydrogen peroxide here and there, to add some greens. Rinse to stop the process. Gorgeous. Patinas Interested in patinas? Go to Charles' articles and scroll down to find Patination Notes from the Patinas for Small Studios paper. Fair warning, you will have trouble scrolling past everything else... the Articles page is a gold mine. Demo reviewNext Charles asked us to choose samples from yesterday that we wanted to see demonstrated again. The first request was the Heistad cup, and that led into an overview of rolled folds. So we saw two new rolled folds next -- the Plunkett fold and Good fold. All so beautiful. Next requests for repeated demos were extruded line folds, a couple of stars, and the pleated fold. I didn't get a pic of today's extruded line fold but it's in an earlier post. T-foldsCharles demonstrated T-folds next. Variations included wedge t-folds, T-fold with a table bias, alternate T-folds, hammering while the legs are pinned vs. free... and more. Here are some samples: A great tip. -- any fold has the potential to be a line fold. Open it up and flatten it! Today's lunch lecture is on chasing tools...Today's lunch lecture is about chasing tools and how to make them. In depth and full of science, with practical, creative cost saving tips. If this topic interests you, this is the lecture you'll want to hear someday. Morning wrap-up Peeps, we've been here this morning for about 4 hours. Are you wondering how we did all this? All I can say is it's very intense -- there truly are no breaks -- but I've never had time speed by so fast. Charles has an amazing talent for delivering jam-packed content in an entertaining style, without overwhelming his students. We have students of all different experience levels here, including those who have never done foldforming before, and that seems to be no problem at all. August 2012 on SueLacy Wired is dedicated to the 5th annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference on Foldforming, taking place Aug 3-6 at the Center for Metal Arts in downstate NY. To view the series, click category "5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference" in the far right column on this page.
(Are you a metalsmith interested in foldforming? Join our official Facebook group.) Holy Toledo. This video took 90 minutes to upload. I'll try to post a clip each night or early morning, but after I get home it will be easier to share more of these. Below, Charles demonstrates a (mixed) star fold that is hammered half on the folded edge and half on the open edge. It takes place midway through yesterday's hands-on session. He had demonstrated quite a few star variations earlier in the day, and this one is a review, by request, to help us practice. August 2012 on SueLacy Wired is dedicated to the 5th annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference on Foldforming, taking place Aug 3-6 at the Center for Metal Arts in downstate NY. To view the series, click category "5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference" in the far right column on this page. (Are you a metalsmith interested in foldforming? Join our official Facebook group.) Quick post to share photos of our hands-on time and some of the great practice the students had this afternoon. Remember hands-on started after 3:30 so all this was made in a little over 90 mins!! Play the slideshow or scroll / hover down the thumbnails on the right -- there are lots and they don't all show. August 2012 on SueLacy Wired is dedicated to the 5th annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference on Foldforming, taking place Aug 3-6 at the Center for Metal Arts in downstate NY. To view the series, click category "5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference" in the far right column on this page.
(Are you a metalsmith interested in foldforming? Join our official Facebook group.) Star folds and pleats after lunchCharles just finished making a bunch of variations on the star fold. These ALL start out as a square, folded the same way for the first few steps. Then it's decision time -- which side to hammer, which way to flatten the folded shape, whether to cut some parts off. Next came a pleated sample. Amazing to watch this. I've taken video too. Doubt if any will go up during the day -- have decided to sort through it tonight. It's 3:30 and we've all been turned loose for hands on. Woohoo!!!!!!!! August 2012 on SueLacy Wired is dedicated to the 5th annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference on Foldforming, taking place Aug 3-6 at the Center for Metal Arts in downstate NY. To view the series, click category "5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference" in the far right column on this page.
(Are you a metalsmith interested in foldforming? Join our official Facebook group.) A lot covered this morning! Basics and terminology, recent research (based on surveys) about how foldforming is used today, a bunch about tools and how to modify them for foldforming, the role of nature and physics, design strategy, foldform groups... more. We've begun working through some of the simpler folds. These are demo photos so far. Charles is making them as we watch, and then they're passed around. Hands on later. Right now we're having lunch while Charles delivers a slideshow lecture on bench tips. Following just a handful of these tips would more than pay for this workshop! Lots about great adaptations / replacements for expensive jeweler's tools to save money. How about a valve stem from a junk yard as an anvil? Leather mallets from a pet store? Or make a paper mallet that will never hurt your metal. Main point -- if something looks like something else, it usually is. August 2012 on SueLacy Wired is dedicated to the 5th annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference on Foldforming, taking place Aug 3-6 at the Center for Metal Arts in downstate NY. To view the series, click category "5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference" in the far right column on this page.
(Are you a metalsmith interested in foldforming? Join our official Facebook group.) The 5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference is about to begin. Let's set the backdrop. We're at the Center for Metal Arts in the small town of Florida in downstate New York. Absolutely beautiful setting. This is what it looks like this morning. Come on in... This is also the home of Fine Architectural Metalsmiths. Walk upstairs to their museum / showroom to see an amazing collection of metal work. Very inspiring stuff, so let's go up. We're introducing ourselves now. More in an hour or two so stop back. August 2012 on SueLacy Wired is dedicated to the 5th annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference on Foldforming, taking place Aug 3-6 at the Center for Metal Arts in downstate NY. To view the series, click category "5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference" in the far right column on this page. (Are you a metalsmith interested in foldforming? Join our official Facebook group.) August 2012 on SueLacy Wired will be dedicated to the 5th annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference on Foldforming, which takes place Aug 3-6 at the Center for Metal Arts in downstate NY. How to find these posts, now and in the future:
Also scroll down to hear about a GIVEAWAY. Center for Metal Arts What to expect? This will be my attempt to share what it's like to learn the art of foldforming from Charles Lewton-Brain, its inventor. I was fortunate to be here last year, too. So I know in advance that the conference will be off the charts fantastic. Charles is a world-renowned goldsmith and spellbinding educator. Think part MacGyver, part Mythbusters, and part Leonardo da Vinci. I’m the live blogger, yes, but also a participating student. As the conference unfolds, I’ll write about what’s happening and share photos. Hopefully some video clips, too. No streaming, but I’ll put up reasonably frequent updates (my goal is every hour or two) and I promise not to forget you. The easy stuff will go up in real time during the day Aug 3-6. I usually post to my blog weekly, so after I get home I'll sort through trickier content and share a bit more on my remaining three posts this month. Giveaway?Yes! I'd really like to hear from you on the blog, especially during the conference. Please post your comments, questions, and impressions. Your ideas may help guide my blogging topics, so don't be shy. When you do, include your email address (it will not show up publicly) and you'll be entered into a random drawing to win a prize. I don't have prizes picked out yet, so stay tuned on that. I think that's it for now. More very soon!
(Are you a metalsmith interested in foldforming? Join our official Facebook group.) Yes, I kind of skipped my blog post last week. I was in Denver for a 5 day, one-on-one workshop with the wonderful Lexi Erickson, a contributing editor for Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. Her work has graced the cover five times, and she is a regular writer for Jewelry Making Daily. Originally an archaeologist, Lexi's pieces are influenced by her love for those artifacts, making her pieces interesting as well as beautiful. I began learning from Lexi via her popular how-to videos. I started with the set about soldering jewelry and instantly loved her. Not only was it full of great tips, but watching Lexi was like meeting a friend. Her personality comes through along with her infinite patience and insight. And in person, Lexi was an absolute delight. These are the pieces I made last week under Lexi's most enjoyable supervision: And now I'll tell you the real reason my post is late. I didn't want to post photos until after I proved to myself that I brought more than jewelry back to Ohio -- that I brought the ability to create it independently, too. So I made this onyx and aventurine pendant at home yesterday (yay!): It's all hand cut, soldered, and set... and between you and me, it was pretty exciting to use Lexi's tips and tricks in my own studio, successfully. The only piece I still wonder about is the large two-stone copper pendant. I'll try setting stones on copper soon, once I buy the right flux (Prips). Tips from Lexi Lexi's workshop was packed with great jewelry-making tips. Here are some of my favs: 1. Roll your wire solder at the tightest setting of your rolling mill before using it. It will stay in place better, flow faster, and you'll be less likely to cut too much for the join. 2. Cut a long thin strip of sandpaper, attach it in your jeweler's saw in place of the blade, and use it to sand tiny inaccessible areas like the inside of your pierced shapes. 3. Cut the handle off a plastic tooth brush and use it as a bezel pusher. It's solid enough to push the bezel over, but can't scratch your stones. 4. Buy your supplies at Allcaft Tools (and by the way, Charles Lewton-Brain had the same advice.) You have to know what you want, but it's the go-to place for quality products at competitive prices. Call 800-645-7124. What a fast and fun week!
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Sue Lacy WiredThis began as a hobbyist's blog. Over time it became a quest to support & connect metalsmiths around the globe who use foldforming techniques in their work. See how it all turned out: www.foldforming.org Archives
July 2016
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