Monday, December 20, 2004
Happy Happy Joy Joy
Yesterday was one of the best days I have had in a really long time. I spent most of the day in my "workshop" (read: corner of the shed not occupied by the lawnmower). I made a sterling silver pendant set with an old piece of a carpenter's ruler and a pair of earrings for my mom's birthday.
The earrings are made from PMC, which for the uninitiated is "precious metal clay". Basically, tiny microscopic bits of silver (they do make PMC gold too) suspended in some kind of organic binder. You create the piece as if you're making something from ceramic and then when you fire it in a kiln, the silver particles sinter (uh... melt together) and you end up with a slightly smaller piece identical to what you put in the kiln. It also ends up being 99.9% pure silver, or fine silver.
This was my first foray into PMC and I'm really pleased with the result. The image on the earrings was made by pressing the face of a pewter bead into the clay... it is sort of a pastoral looking scene w/ a house and a water wheel or something. I was amazed at the preservation of the detail from clay to the completed piece.
As for the pendant. Its really derivative. Sorta Thomas Mann/Keith LoBue/Bob Ebendorff/Lisa Fidler but nowhere as interesting. But I'm happy with it. Its the first metalsmithing I've done in 9 years.
I had forgotten how happy I can be with the challenges of manipulating metal. The meditative quality of filing silver sheet. The magical zone you have to be in to make solder flow. The thrill of having it all work. And I think I'm far more patient now than I used to be. I think that's what I was lacking during my undergrad work.
I need to pester Rob to take better photos for me. The scanner just doesn't cut it with shiny stuff. The earring is a blurry mess, in fact. But its MY blurry mess.... and I LOVE IT.
Click the links below the thumbnails for a better look.
PMC earring.jpg
The earrings are made from PMC, which for the uninitiated is "precious metal clay". Basically, tiny microscopic bits of silver (they do make PMC gold too) suspended in some kind of organic binder. You create the piece as if you're making something from ceramic and then when you fire it in a kiln, the silver particles sinter (uh... melt together) and you end up with a slightly smaller piece identical to what you put in the kiln. It also ends up being 99.9% pure silver, or fine silver.
This was my first foray into PMC and I'm really pleased with the result. The image on the earrings was made by pressing the face of a pewter bead into the clay... it is sort of a pastoral looking scene w/ a house and a water wheel or something. I was amazed at the preservation of the detail from clay to the completed piece.
As for the pendant. Its really derivative. Sorta Thomas Mann/Keith LoBue/Bob Ebendorff/Lisa Fidler but nowhere as interesting. But I'm happy with it. Its the first metalsmithing I've done in 9 years.
I had forgotten how happy I can be with the challenges of manipulating metal. The meditative quality of filing silver sheet. The magical zone you have to be in to make solder flow. The thrill of having it all work. And I think I'm far more patient now than I used to be. I think that's what I was lacking during my undergrad work.
I need to pester Rob to take better photos for me. The scanner just doesn't cut it with shiny stuff. The earring is a blurry mess, in fact. But its MY blurry mess.... and I LOVE IT.
Click the links below the thumbnails for a better look.
PMC earring.jpg
// posted by Stephanie Cake @ 12/20/2004 10:28:00 AM 
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