Who is that woman?

Hi, I'm LeAnn. I'm not strictly brand new to LMAJ. I've been operating a little behind the scenes with the Call to Create Flickr site and other odd jobs. I'm primarily a maker of jewelry components. I started out as a potter and then became enthralled with all things small. But let me back up a little.

When I was a young girl, my father taught me how to silver solder and do lapidary work. He made all of his own equipment and I loved the smell of oil on a grinding wheel while I turned slices of stone into cabachons to be set in silver. I loved the torch too. Watching solder flow into a mercury like stream as it melts is just something I really couldn't get enough of.

But I grew up and did other things. Then nearly 20 years ago I picked clay again after not touching it since my high school art classes. Another love affair and a potter was born. A couple of years ago I started making buttons and then beads and pendants. A new obsession.

Recently, I've picked up the torch again, throw in a bit of etching and metal clay, and am happily combing all of my loves into one. Dad would be shocked to see me working in brass and copper. But times change and I am excited to be creating jewelry components with my own two hands. And I am super excited to be part of Love My Art Jewelry!

tool time (or introducing you to some of my closest inanimate friends) ~

by mary jane dodd

my grandmother had a goal of learning something new every day - and she was quite serious about it... if she got to day's end and felt she hadn't, she pulled out the dictionary or an encyclopedia... 

it is a quality that i admire & i try to emulate (emphasis upon try)... 

patty's post from the other day on her adventures with metal was really enjoyable... i love when people share themselves... like barbara lewis showing how she enamels...i think it tones down the initial fear people have of trying something new... you know, that 'oh, i can't do that' feeling... which is mixed with an excitement because you really want to do it... 

and how else can you create your own jewelry and components unless you try?!

i have become addicted to playing with metal - to the point that i am known to rush from whatever room i am in to my work area so that i can 'try something'... 'i just need to try something' has become a phrase my kids often hear... 

so i wanted to talk about tools a little bit - because outside of having sheet metal and wire, that is where it begins... oh, and a general idea of where you are headed is nice as well! 

my favorite cannot-live-without basics (we are going to leave out pliers and torches today) for working sheet metal ::

my hammers - jewelry grade to hardware store... and i have more... hammers for shaping, texturing, riveting, chasing, etc... and for striking - one of my most favorite hammers that i didn't even know i needed - the brass head... do you know that my pile of hammers is adored by the kids that come to my house? 'they are sooo cool!"... yeah, so now you know - em, alex, and nick's mom is so cool because she has this awesome pile of hammers... and while i am a mama bear when it comes to protecting my kids - i can get a little protective of my tools as well!

do you by any chance have a hammer whose face is marred? did your kids want to use the alphabet stamping set and unknowingly pick up the wrong hammer to strike them with? no? oh... well, mine did... and instead of setting this off to the side, i discovered that i got a great texture from it... stay open... 

disc cutter - saves time and money... swanstrom makes a big beautiful one as well... invest in the lubricant... 

dapping sets... these curve your discs... 

i happen to have both... different sets for different needs... 

5 lb. anvil... i love it... 

i just want to say that it is only in the past year that i have invested in some of these different tools... i do not have a big fancy studio... i had a very basic plier set for 10 years... but if you are interested in making your own components - even simple ones like bead caps, the tools you choose make a huge difference...  i know that they can be expensive... but they will save you money... a 6" x 18" sheet of copper is about $10 - that is it... 


** mary ann just brought up the question of where to get some of these tools - and it's a good one... i will honestly tell you that i forget the price comparisons for these... but some of the places i turn to are - my local bead shop (not read as 'large craft store chain' - nothing against them, i just like to support my local bead shop and the quality is usually higher), my local hardware store, rio grande, otto frei, fundametals, objects & elements to name a few.... please feel free to share any suppliers you know of in the comments section... **

more than the money, far far more than the money for me - the right tools are a ticket to freedom... they tap right into my lifeblood - at this point in my life, i cannot fathom being without them... 

'logic will get you from A to B.

imagination will take you everywhere.'

~ albert einstein

A Lampwork Bead Maker's Dalliance

OK, now that I've got your attention, what I meant was pertaining to my playtime with metal. Since I'm a glass bead maker who also makes jewelry, from time to time I have to drag myself away from the torch to make components to go in my finished pieces. I am by no means a 100% DIY gal, but I much prefer to make my own parts when I have the time and the skill. In the past this has been limited somewhat to PMC and wire work, including fusing fine silver (which I dearly love), but lately I've been drawn to other metals like brass and copper. I love the look of a nice, aged patina, and (shhh! don't tell) I've been coveting Missficklemedia's patina tutorial for a while now.

Part of it might be because of the company I keep - Cyndie Smith does wonderful, organic work with all kinds of great metals, and Mary Jane's creativity and affinity for many materials inspires me. The other cool thing is that metals like brass and copper are a lot less expensive than silver is these days (but if you're reading this blog you probably already knew that).

So, I've spent some time on a new playground, and thought I'd share my results. On the left is how the brass blanks look when you get them. Kind of boring and useless, huh? The rest are finished components - some embellished with fine silver bead caps and rings, and some just textured and dapped. I got the great color by heating the elements to red hot with my butane torch, then dropping them into liver of sulphur (I mix mine from dried chunks). Once I wiped off the patina on the raised parts with my polishing pads the texture was more pronounced and the finish was great. These have been tumbled as well. Some have been brushed with a brass wire brush as well.

Bead caps are a girl's best friend, and these made using brass discs, a metal punch, a texturing hammer, a dapping block, and liver of sulphur are just what I need. They'll look great when paired with a contrasting metal (e.g. silver) smaller cap and then cored for a finished look.

UFO component made by soldering two dapped and punched discs together.
A couple of large jump rings through the two discs and you're off on another jewelry adventure.

So there you have it. A quick summary of my day at the playground. Next time maybe I'll go down the slide too!