Anne Mitchell – Master Muse Challenge #42

Anne shares with us a quick synopsis of the steps she takes to create her fantastic hinged bracelet.

We hope the tutorial will serve to inspire you to create! No matter if you just get out your sketch book and draw a similar project based on these challenges. It’s a place to start. It’s a way to start off your day in the right frame of mind with a creative exercise!

Anne says her process began with digging through her treasure trove of “stuff”.  She says “After gathering these simple things together I broke out a blank piece of paper and pen and started sketching.  With a rough idea, I began flipping through my texture sheets.   After ruminating for a bit more, I decided that I wanted to make a bracelet that was on the delicate side. 

I thought that the required “panels” could be translated into segments. I had sketched out a look that contained 3 different elements. First, a long and slim element that would curve around the wrist cleanly, second a slightly larger connector element to break up the line of the bracelet and third, an even larger centerpiece that would hold a bezel set cabochon.  

The individual aspect of this project it to figure out these segments so that they will make a bracelet that fit you! ”

If you are interested in the full step-by-step tutorial please stay tuned. It will be available at Whole Lotta Whimsy. They will be in a handy bench format too! This tutorial looks like it will be over 40 pictures with tons of detail in this #42 Tutorial!

In this tutorial you will learn:

• How to texture metal clay
• How to cut tubing for hinges and solder it to metal clay
• How to cold-connect hinges
• How to use a torch to bead wire
• How to fuse fine silver wire
• How to construct a s-hook clasp
• How to set a cabochon in a bezel cup

Roll out a snake of metal clay.  Place teflon over the snakes and flatten to the thickness of the slats, using a bench block.  Lubricate your texture and make 4 impressions of that texture.

Use a tissue blade to cut out these textured pieces. 

Roll out a ball of metal clay.  Again flatten with teflon and a steel bench block between the slats.  Using a Kemper Square Pattern Cutter, cut a larger square and repeat to cut 4 smaller squares.

Dry.  Fire in the kiln at 1650F for 2 hours.

Using sanding boards, file and clean the edges of the pieces until satisfied.

Using fine silver tubing, measure out the knuckles that will become the hinges.  Each knuckle is half the width of the edge.  Using a jeweler’s saw to cut these in the tube cutting jig.

Using a small amount of easy solder paste, heat to make the solder flow with a butane torch.  

Anne includes lots of tips on how to perform the entire process in her full tutorial.

After the piece is soldered, handle with care by insulated tweezers, and quench.  Careful the kiln brick retains heat after soldering.

Next, solder on the tubing on the connecting panel.  Repeat until all the segments have their knuckles/tubing soldered on.

Solder on the bezel cup.

Starting from right to left begin to cold connect the bracelet together.  Take 8 pieces of wire and ball up one end.  Put the wire through the knuckles to test the fit.  Using the flat side of the cutters, snip off the excess wire.

Using a small riveting hammer and a small bench block or jeweler’s anvil, rivet the first section.  Repeat until all the sections are riveted.

Anne shares a great technique to making the riveting fast and easy in the full tutorial.  She also has a “sneaky” trick for adding the curvature!

After making a mark at the end of the bracelet, using a metal hole punch or drill and drill bits, make a 14g hole at the both ends of the bracelet.

Make 2 jump rings and fuse them shut.

Take one piece of wire and ball up both ends.  Using round nose pliers create the s-hook and hammer the edges for a textured effect.

Pickle your piece.  Anne shares her non-toxic formula for pickle in the tutorial.

Polish

Set your cabochon stone in the bezel cup.

Patina and using either a brass brush or Pro Polish Pads, remove patina in the high areas.

I love how Anne approaches these projects.  She’s low-tech, safe, and efficient!  There’s nothing complicated about the techniques or processes, but the piece itself is technical and intense with all its hinges and components.  I also love that she has a non-toxic simple pickle, solders on metal clay and then sets a stone!  It’s a great example of how metal clay can be a wonderfully useful component to combine with traditional metalsmithing techniques.  Plus it’s delicate and beautiful!  So much to admire and presented simply enough that just about anyone will be able to try it with success.

Each of these Master Muse class tutorials exposes new techniques to even the most seasoned of instructors and makers. I’m always surprised at how differently each artist approaches a challenge and how their skills allow them to execute a creative result. I learn at least one valuable shortcut or new technique in each tutorial.

These are affordable classes that you can take in your studio, at your pace, with all the details and more that you would get in a live class. Not to mention that they are scrupulously edited and if the details aren’t there, I ask for more info and pictures. 

We’d love to see you take the challenge and make this or a similar piece as well. Can’t wait to see your pieces. Send them and we’ll post pictures in a future Challenge Gallery. Challenge yourself!

Don’t forget to leave a comment. We are giving away a 1/2″ Faux Bone Ring Blank along WITH a Faux Bone Peeler from Robert Dancik this month, a $40+ value!  Try your hand at making a Faux Bone ring from our third round of challenges by the Master Muses.

How to win? Leave a comment on every blog (even older posts) or get two entries for tweeting, putting it on Facebook, the Metal Clay Yahoo Gallery forum, your blog etc. Just send us a copy of the link to support@wholelottawhimsy.com! Let your friends know how to make their Wednesday’s rock…. with of course, the Master Muse Tutorial launch!  Your odds of winning are pretty darn good so leave a message or comment.

 

Anne Mitchell started her creative career over 20 years ago as a professional lighting designer. Looking for another outlet for her artistic energies, Anne began teaching chain making and metal working approximately eight years ago for just pure enjoyment. During those years, Anne found that the creative outlet provided by teaching, as well as a consistent demand for her classes was too alluring to deny. Leaving lighting behind in 2003, Anne is now a full-time designer, teacher, and author. Her classes always sell out at the Bead & Button Show. She was the recipient of Bead and Button’s Excellence in Bead Artistry in 2009. She is a dynamic teacher who always pushes the technical and artistic limits with her designs.

Check out Anne’s work at www.AnneMitchell.net. She is teaching at many different venues. Treat yourself to one of her classes!

Photo credit: final piece Drew Davidson; step-by-step Anne Mitchell