One
of the goals of this intensive workshop was to expose students to a new
and affordable way to be creative and work with metals. Steel wire is
very inexpensive and can be found at any local hardware store. Copper
can often be purchased for little money from salvage or as scrap sourced
from a friendly neighborhood electrician.
And as you will see, beautiful work
can emerge from these humble materials.
Fortunately, I had very creative and persistent students who were willing to try something new and make a few mistakes along the way. None of the them had ever worked with metals or any of the tools and techniques for working with wire.
On
day one we talked about the properties of steel, copper and brass
wires and molecular structures vs. crystalline structures. They learned when to use a steel hammer vs. a rawhide mallet and tried their hand at
forging and forming their work on a mandrel.
Rings were very popular on day one.
One of many forged steel wire rings!
On
day two my students arrived with a new sense of confidence. It was
awesome! Making bangles and learning to wrap and cut jump rings were the major
focus for day two.
Steel & copper bangles and more steel rings!
Students also had the opportunity to work with the
flexshaft and learned how to safely and efficiently finish their work. As you can see, they took safety very seriously and wore a face mask and goggles while working in the polishing room.
Working in the polishing room with protective gear!
On our last day which was our longest day together, the push was on to take what they had learned and make it their own. They learned how to use a disk cutter and letter punches to make brass charms and tags.
Caged marbles, bangles & rings oh, my!
Most of the students worked on a variety of projects and were quite prolific, even making jewelry for family and friends...
A collection of some of the amazing pieces created
...but one of my students spent much of his time working on a single project and not just any project, but a statement piece.
Diligently working to finish his neck piece.
He
made jump rings large and small, coiled wire springs which were slipped
over multiple double sided eye pins, a coiled connector and a caged
marble which hung from an extended length of chain.
This is such a cool neck piece!
I knew the class was a success not only by all of the beautifully made jewelry, but because by the last day of class they weren't bothered that their hands got dirty. They worked really well together and offered their assistance if asked and they knew they could help.
Copper slide bangle and copper coiled over steel.
Tools, unlike wire, present more of an obstacle for new students because they can be more costly to obtain. Fortunately for these students, I've been a metalsmith for a very long time and if you know any metalsmiths you'll understand that most of us are tool hoarders. We just can't help ourselves. We are compelled to collect when we find a tool at a yard sale, or a thrift store, in the trash or wherever! I put together a basic wire working kit that the students can use at the Worcester Youth Center so they can continue to Forge Ahead.
This program is administered by the Worcester Arts Council, for the Local Cultural Council ~ an agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
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