I was very fortunate to attend the 5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference this year, August 3-6, 2012, at the Center for Metal Arts in downstate, New York.  Having attended last year too, I knew how special the event would be.  So I resolved to try and capture it through my blog, and share the magic with those who couldn't make it this year.  

Here's the thing.  Consider your favorite sight-seeing vacation, ever.  Maybe you strolled on a beach looking out into a vast blue ocean... or stood in the valley of a sweeping mountain range... or enjoyed a beautiful city skyline from the perfect vantage point.  Even while you're still pulling the camera out of its case, you already know your images will never capture more than a small fraction of the true experience.

And so it is with the conference.  After all, this is Charles Lewton-Brain.  There is so much that just couldn't be captured.  So take this for what it's worth-- an appetizer -- and consider attending next year.  

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Index of SueLacy Wired Blog Post Links, August 2012  
Topic:  5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference

11/28/2012: 2012 Foldform Competition Video
Winners and twenty Jurors' Choice notable submissions selected from hundreds of entries (video)

8/31/2012:  The entire August archive
To scroll through all the posts in reverse chronological order 

8/30/2012:  Blog INDEX for 5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference (this page)
Hot-linked list of all my conference posts, info re: next year's conference, joining our Facebook group. Here is a shortened link to save or share:  http://tinyurl.com/8ore8nh 

8/28/2012:  How to start a foldform boat fold
Charles begins a basic boat fold, the jumping off point for countless boat variations (video)

8/26/2012:  If it's not pretty yet
Charles opens a beautiful star fold variation (video)

8/23/2012: Quotes from conference attendees and live blog readers
What are people saying about the conference?

8/22/2012: My first green patina experiment
Detailed instructions for ammonia fuming with hydrogen peroxide, based on Charles' patina demo.

8/17/2012:  When is metal annealed?
Annealing demonstration (video)

8/15/2012:   The unofficial CLB conference agenda
How the conference unfolded, based on one student's notes.

8/15/2012:  Our foldforming group on Facebook
The official group on Facebook gets a nod (video)

8/12/2012:  Next year's conference and a video clip
About next year's conference, and demo re: shorter leg length = more curvature (video) 

8/8/2012:  Live blog giveaway results
Which three lucky live-blog readers won a sample piece made by CLB?

8/7/2012:  Day Four catch-up
Demo reviews, Harbor Freight field trip, folds derived from paper models.

8/7/2012:  2012 Lewton-Brain Foldform Award Winners 
Photos and artist statements.  The work is simply breathtaking.

8/7/2012:  Day 4 of the 5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference
Unable to live blog / placeholder.

8/6/2012: Giveaway prizes from Charles
Prizes for the SueLacy Wired live-blog readers and meet the blogger

8/6/2012: Opening a boat fold
How to open a fold using lever action (video)

8/6/2012:  Hands-on Day 3
Students and their work; collage of evening outing fun.

8/6/2012:  Cross folds
Photos of demonstrated cross fold variations.

8/5/2012:  Boat folds and books
Photos of demonstrated boat fold variations and a list of recommended reading from Charles.

8/5/2012:  Center for Metal Arts and giveaway reminder
Big thank you to our hosts, Center for Metal Arts.

8/5/2012:  Hands-on time day 2 and a bowl
Students and their work; making a bowl with wedge T-folds (video)

8/5/2012:  Hammers for foldforming
Correct hammer shape and Charles modifying a hammer (video)

8/5/2012:  Early afternoon day 2
Wedge t-folds, table inserts, Romero fold, t-fold/chased-on-air combo, and scoring/bending. 

8/4/2012:  The morning of day two
Patina demo, rolled folds, T-folds, chasing tools lecture.

8/4/2012:  Dinner and screening of competition entries
A few pics from a lovely evening.

8/4/2012:  Demonstrating a star fold
Hammering a star fold variation (video)

8/4/2012:  Hands on time
Students and their work. 

8/4/2012:  Star folds and pleats day 1.
Star fold variations and pleats demonstrated.

8/3/2012:  The first morning
Lots covered including basic concepts and demos of line folds, rolled folds; Bench Tricks lecture.

8/3/2012:  Giveaway info
A quick update on the live-blog giveaway.

8/3/2012: Introductions at CLB conference
Must see photos of Center for Metal Arts and its showroom / museum.

8/2/2012:  Live Blog Info for 2012 Charles Lewton-Brain Conference
What to expect of the live-blog and how to view posts.

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Last year I learned to make a basic boat fold during hands-on time at the CLB workshop.  When I got home, though, I had a little trouble with it.  This clip would have been a helpful memory trigger.  Note that the boat begins with a loop of metal inserted into the vise like a wedge T-fold.

It really helped me to see the process in action, though; especially how the initial shape is made with the vise -- and how the rocking motion needs to look while you hammer. 

August is coming to a close soon.  I'll have one more post to wrap things up on the conference.  It will include links to each conference-related post with a short description.   In the meantime, this is how to read all about it!

A favorite quote from Charles Lewton-Brain:
"If it's not pretty yet, play with it some more."

This was a repeated theme during the conference. A piece can be completely transformed by the way it is opened and arranged.  Since this step makes such an impact, we always watched intently as Charles opened his folds.  

Hope you enjoy this one... a blended star fold with half of it hammered on the closed edge, and half on the open edge.

The finished star... 

If you want to see Charles hammer this one, the video is here in an earlier post.  

This was an experiment, my first in the category of paper folds and also first try for an ammonia patina.  These are my colors, baby!  I'm officially addicted. 

Here is a link to the day Charles covered paper derived foldforms at the recent conference.
And here is a link to notes about the patina, from the same conference. 
For a whole bunch of patina information, here is a link to notes by Charles Lewton-Brain. 

Update...
Over on the foldforming facebook page there were some questions about this fold and the copper patina process, so lets put a little more detail in this post.  

The fold is the Eckland #2 and can be found on page 144 of Foldforming, by Charles Lewton-Brain.    You can probably see in the photo that only the ends are really 3-dimensional.  The entire cuff was originally puffed out, but as Charles teaches, any fold can become a line fold.  Just on a whim, this cuff is all hammered flat except for two sections at one end, and one section at the other.  The ends are cut round.

As for the patina, it's fumed in ammonia and then painted with hydrogen peroxide, exactly the way Charles demonstrated at the conference, here.  Really go see because it illustrates the flexibility of your choices... he used a take-out container because it was on hand... but here is what I'm using:

The container I found for fuming is so awesome it warrants a close-up view.  All of you might not have access to this, but it's an empty plastic baby formula container with a nice tight seal.  The seal is not critical to the process, but it sure helps contain the nasty ammonia smell!  

Anyway, here were the steps:
**and make sure you have proper ventilation***

1. Begin with pickled copper.  Pickle isn't in the photo but basically you just need very clean copper.  Your first time out, use some scrap!
2. Wash the copper with dish washing liquid mixed with a drop of ammonia, just to get it even cleaner.
3. Pour a little ammonia (I used about 1/2") in the bottom of the Similac container.
4. Put the little plastic platform in the container upside-down, right into the ammonia. The platform I used was the bottom of a shampoo bottle.  Note that most of the platform is NOT submerged... this is a fuming process not a dunking process.
5. Hold your clean copper only by the edges, possibly even with latex gloves on (although I didn't do that) so as not to transfer fingerprints or oils to the piece.
6. Dunk your piece in a saltwater solution.   I probably used a couple teaspoons of salt in 1/2 cup water but that's completely made up.  DON'T sprinkle salt right on the piece.  It will mottle the color and can pit the metal.  Note: salt is not required, but it speeds up the process.  The water IS required, though.    
7. Place the copper piece onto the (shampoo bottle) platform and close the lid tight.
8. In a few hours, take the piece out.  There will be a lot of color.  Run it under water and gently go over it with a soft toothbrush.  Try not to cry as a lot of the color comes right off.
9. Repeat steps 5-8 every few hours until you're happy with the color coverage.  This one was "finished" in about 2 days.  I would call the color a deep teal, I think.
10. Optionally at the end, brush on a little diluted hydrogen peroxide.  (I didn't actually dilute it here... so play with that mixture as you like.)  Those areas will turn green, and the overall effect is kind of a rich ocean blend.
11. Wash off your piece right away to stop the process.  It can turn black, if I remember correctly... 
12. My piece isn't clear coated yet but here is a link where Charles describes his favorite products for that.

Update #2: Ten days later tried to use the leftover ammonia in the 'airtight' container, thinking it would work on another piece.  No go.  It no longer smelled strong and after a few hours there was no color on the piece.  Tossed it and poured fresh ammonia, which worked.  This was a surprise to me!

Update #3:  Here's a little tip -- there are no 2nd chances on step #6.  I forgot and put the pieces in dry, and the blue color just puddled up underneath.  The piece gets kind of an antique patina instead of blue.  At this point it's too late to dunk the piece into saltwater -- it's like starting with a dirty piece, and it just doesn't work.  Need to completely clean it up and start again.  **However** if you want a bit of an antique patina, give it a try dry :-)     
 
Comments welcome.

This is a clip of Charles Lewton-Brain demonstrating how to tell when metal is annealed.  The flame turns orange as it leaves the metal.  This is effective for all base and precious metals, excluding platinum.

While it's true the demo takes place in a lit room, you might try dimming the lights to make the color change easier to see.

Metal work-hardens when it is folded, hammered, etc.  It becomes inflexible and can even crack at a certain point, making it unworkable.  When heated to annealing temperature, its molecular structure realigns and the metal becomes soft and flexible again.   

Because foldforming is a technique that work-hardens metal pretty aggressively -- and then requires the metal to be soft for unfolding -- annealing is critical to the process.   And since it's a frequent step for metalsmiths in a wide variety of situations, it seems like a perfect clip to share from 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.) 

I’ve been asked for the condensed version of what to expect at a Charles Lewton-Brain Conference at the Center for Metal Arts.  This is based on all my notes and posts, which did not cover everything.  And since it's *my unofficial* version of the agenda, it's not perfect.  Also note!  Charles adapts to the needs and interests of his students, so content will vary…

Day 1

Slide show and lecture

•   What is foldforming and how is it used today?
  
•   Artist work
  
•   Mental models, basic principles
  
•   Terminology and overview of main foldforming categories
  
•   Step-through of some processes via slides
  
•   How and why foldforming models nature
  
•   Tools considerations
  

Lunch lecture: Bench Tricks
Charles offers a variety of topics including Bench Tricks, Small Scale Photography, Making Chasing Tools, and Jeweler’s Bench. Students vote for the day’s topic.

Demonstrations:

•   Line folds
  
•   Star folds
  
•   Pleats
  
•   Heistad Cup
  

Hands-on time for students 3:15- 5pm
6pm Pot luck dinner and viewing of entries for the Lewton-Brain Foldform Award



Day 2

Impromptu pre-class discussion of patinas led Charles to set up a quick ammonia patina demo that was revisited many times. Students could patina their work if they wished.

Demo reviews by request 
Each morning Charles asks students which folds they would like to see demo’d again, and he runs through them all.

New demonstrations:

•   Rolled folds including Heistad, Plunkett, Good
  
•   T-folds and wedge t-folds
  
•   Leg and table insert technique
  
•   Romero fold
  
•   Chasing-on-air
  
•   Combined chasing-on-air and T-fold
  
•   Scoring/bending
  

Lunch lecture: Making Chasing Tools  (occurred at some point between demos.)
Hands-on time for students 3-5pm



Day 3

Demo reviews by request

New demonstrations:

•   Forged Good fold
  
•   Boat folds
  
•   Cross folds
  
•   Belly button
  

Lunch lecture: Making Chasing Tools (occurred at some point between demos.)

Recommended metal books
Hydraulic press slide lecture
Hands-on time for students 3-5pm
Dinner outing



Day 4

Demo reviews by request
More about patinas
More about scoring and bending

Lunch: an impromptu field trip to Harbor Freight; a guided tour of tools by CLB

New demonstrations:

•   How to make a ruffle
  
•   Folds derived from paper models (Ward, Eckland, others)
  

Lewton-Brain Foldform Award winners announced and viewed
Hands-on time for students 4-5pm


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.) 

You'll have to excuse my silly giggle when Charles thanks me for creating the foldforming group on facebook... lol, couldn't I just smile and wink like a grown-up?

It's a great group though, so if you're a metalsmith interested in foldforming please do join.  You'll love browsing through all the great photos of member work.  It's a friendly bunch, and all skill levels are welcome. 

When you apply to join the group, I will check your facebook profile for signs that you're a metalsmith, jewelry artist, blacksmith, or something close.  If your profile is private or doesn't reflect those interests, please message me about your metal-related activities. 

Hope to see you in the group!

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.

This little snippet from the 5th Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference shows Charles working on several line folds that have different leg lengths.  The point of the demo is that shorter leg length means greater curvature.  It seems like a small point but it's a foundation concept and major design choice.  

Notice the heavy, rhythmic blows.  The piece is moving, not the hammer, just like fabric moves under a sewing machine needle.  Periodically Charles switches to a flat-faced rawhide hammer to flatten out the piece, and that's important too.

I had the camera on a tripod early in the conference so it's not a tight view but I hope you can see and hear enough to get the main points.  I think it really helps to see the hammering style even from here... hope you agree.

These are the pieces made in the video.  It's the only shot I got...  you can see there is more curve on the piece with shorter legs (sides), as compared to the bottom piece with longer legs.  Too bad there isn't a side view of the top left piece. Sorry not perfect but does it make sense?  

I'll get another post out within the week 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.) 

Congrats Paul, Deb, and Jessica!!!  And thank you for taking the time to post these great comments on the live blog during the conference:

Paul Boulay
"Thanks for posting these inspiring photos and video clips. I need to try the patina (ammonia and H2O2) method. Disproportionally awesome results given the inexpensive materials. CLB is one of my heroes."

Deb Jemmott
"WOW! Stunning work. I love how the fold forming is being pushed into new territory.  Thank you, Sue!"

Jessica Armstrong
"These demonstration images are great. I so wish I could have been there to see all of these in person. The videos are great as well. This particular cross fold is beautiful. Thanks for uploading all the pictures and videos for all of us that could not attend."

More to come
I've enjoyed all the comments and will add a post soon that shares feedback from blog visitors as well as feedback from class attendees.  I'll also be posting one or two short video clips from the conference in the next couple days.  Catching up on family, too, so they will dictate the timetable more than I will.  ;-)

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.)