Silver Spoons

American Silver

07.05.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

Since yesterday was the 4th of July I decided to have a look across the ocean at American Silversmiths. America has a great history of silversmithing and has lots of societies and organisations dedicated to maintaining this 3000 year old craft. I didn’t know I was part of a 3000 year old club until I found the Society of American Silversmiths website. It’s nice to know they were dealing with the same hammering, forming and soldering problems all those years ago!

When most people think of American silversmiths they probably think of Paul Revere, the country’s best known silversmith. Although he was made famous for his legendary ‘midnight ride’ in the American Revolution and not his silverware!

I’ve picked out a few pieces from some American artists, of course there is lots more amazing work out there but this is just a little taster to celebrate Independence Day.

I found the work of Michel Royston through the Society of American Silversmiths website, where I also spotted the work of Cynthia Eid who’s masterclass I’ll be attending this month. I love Royston’s flatware. Like all the best functional work it is just crying out to be put to use. This ladle which is hand forged is a perfect balance of beauty and function.

The other American silversmith I wanted to talk about Randy Stromsoe. I posted a picture of his workshop last year when I was dreaming of my perfect workspace. I kept meaning to come back to his work but I couldn’t remember his name and figured some day I would stumble across it. When I was doing a bit of Googling for this piece I found him and was reminded why I wanted to revisit his work.

I was looking at the website to see where he is based and discovered he has an exhibition space in Paso Robles, California. Paso Robles is a small town between Los Angeles and San Francisco that is well known for it’s wine. (I think it’s where the film ‘Sideways’ was filmed). Now here’s the weird thing…I’ve been to Paso Robles and I’ve stood in that gallery and I’ve drooled at his beautiful silver. And not until today did I put all of those facts together! When I was California last summer (sorry shameless name drop) we spent two days in Paso Robles sampling some of their amazing wine. After a tiring day of drinking wine we took a walk around the town and found a gallery that was having an exhibition opening. Randy Stromsoe’s work jumped out at me straight away, not only because it was silver but because it was so beautifully made. So there you go, my tribute to the 4th of July resulted in the rediscovery of this silver that had been blurred by a weekend of wine drinking.

Lucian Taylor

06.16.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

Since I was at the Mindful of Silver exhibition in London I’ve been having a look at the work of Lucian Taylor. His work is featured in the exhibition along with a video of how the work is created. I found his work so interesting not only because of the amazing forms he creates but the process behind each piece. I can’t find the video on the internet so I’ll have to explain the process…sorry if I don’t do it justice.

Becoming Spherical I & II, Lucian Taylor

He begins by creating the forms on a CAD program so he can work out the exact shape of the sections to create a sphere. This is then transferred onto the silver and cut out. The shapes are manipulated so it loses the precise aesthetic of the computer generated design. These sections are then shaped and TIG welded together. For those of you that want to know the TIG stands for Tungsten inert gas. It’s a type of welding most commonly used to weld thin sections of metal. They are welded together to form an accordion like shaped sphere. These are then expanded using hydroforming so the previous shriveled forms get transformed into bulbous silver spheres. They are inflated with high pressure water until a plump ripeness is achieved. The silver is pushed to its limits and I’m sure this process has suffered many casualties but it’s well worth the risk in my opinion.

In the Mindful of Silver exhibition he references 17th century Dutch art and his forms are influenced by these still life paintings. I love the finished pieces and knowning the process that created them. His use of industrial techniques along with traditional silver raising and forming techniques create these beautiful vessels. I also love the way the stems(where the water is pumped in) of the pieces remain on some of the work so you get a sense just by looking at them how they might be made. If you’re in London call to see them displayed along with the preparatory work in Goldsmiths Hall, the exhibition runs until the 26th July.

Spoon Part 5

03.07.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

This is part five in a series on how to make a spoon.

Click on the links to see Part one, two,three and four.

The spoon has been polished on the lathe and now it needs to be cleaned in the ultrasonic. The ultrasonic cleaner is a bath of water that uses ultrasound and a cleaning solution to remove any dirt and grease. It does this by agitating the water to get into the difficult areas without damaging or scratching the piece. For this reason it is used for delicate items such as jewellery and optical lens and equipment.

Now that the spoon is nice and clean it just needs to pose for a few photos…

Spoon Part 3

02.25.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

This is part three of a series on how to make a spoon.

Click on the links to see Part 1 and Part 2

The bowl of the spoon is nearly finished so I began working on the handle. The handle is going to be curved as this is a baby spoon. In my original sketches I explored the different options for the handle and have decided to curl the handle in a loop.

To get this loop shape I am using my ring mandrel on a vice to curve the handle. I have annealed the spoon so it will be easy to manipulate. Using my mallet I begin by gently curving the handle around the mandrel.

When the metal starts getting stiff I annealed it again so I can begin to planish and finish the entire piece.

Once the spoon has been annealed and cleaned I planish it on the ring mandrel. Planishing is the when you hammer the surface with a highly polished hammer on a stake. This is to refine the surface after raising or sinking.

To get the curve on the handle I use my saddle stake. When the entire surface of the spoon has been planished and I am happy with the shape I can begin finishing the piece. This will involve filing the edges and then buffing and polishing it on the lathe.

Spoon Part 2

02.16.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

This is part two of a series on making a spoon. To see Part 1 click here.

Having cut out my spoon pattern I take the rough edges off with a file. I also rounded some of the edges slightly.

Because I will be doing a lot of hammering and forming on the bowl of the spoon I annealed the metal so it would be softer. Annealing is the process of heating and cooling the metal to soften it and make it easier to manipulate. To see my video blog on how to anneal metal click here.

Once the spoon is annealed and cleaned it is ready for sinking. Sinking involves hammering a flat piece of metal into a concave shape which has usually been carved into a tree stump. The bowl of the spoon is held over the dip and hammered into it using a mallet. The mallet hammers the metal without marking it.

The spoon is now taking shape so it is then put on a spoon stake to give the bowl of the spoon more depth and form. This is hammered using a planishing hammer. This highly polished hammer face is used to refine the form and surface on the stake. The stake that I am using for this is called a spoon stake as it is the shape of the bowl of a spoon. This domed stake is held in a vice.To see my blog post on some of my other stakes click here.

The way I hammer the piece is to start in the centre and work clockwise around the bowl until I get to the edge. When the entire bowl has been planished on the stake it is time to anneal it again. After annealing the spoon I will do some more work on the stake and then begin work on the handle. Part 3 to follow…

Models for a spoon

01.24.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

At the moment I’m making a simple child’s spoon to give me the opportunity to try out and show off my new stakes. Through this process I will demonstrate the various techniques used such as sinking, planishing and annealing. The first step involves designing and making a pattern for my spoon.

As with all of my projects I start out by doing my designs on paper and photographing then to play around with the angles and the curves. I have decided on a simple spoon shape so these photos show variations of curves and handles.

Having decided on the design I will use this pattern to outline the shape on the metal. The next step is to cut out this design in metal and using a technique called sinking create the bowl of the spoon.

11.19.2010 by Eileen Moylan //

I went looking up the phrase ‘born with a silver spoon in his mouth’ partly I’m exploring all things silver, but also because we welcomed a new nephew last week (not that he was born with a Silver spoon!)

It is defined as “opportunities that you did not earn but that you have from the influence of your family”

Etymology: from the idea that silver spoons were given at the birth of wealthy children

Like most children of the 80’s I associate silver spoons with Ricky Schroder living it up in the TV sitcom ‘Silver Spoons’. So even from a young age I knew a silver spoon had something to do with inherited wealth because they had a huge toy train set running through their house!

: Ricky Schroder, Silver Spoons

I was thinking, if the phrase is to denote being born into wealth why not say born with a gold spoon as it is of higher value.

Anyway it turns out that it is more the properties of silver than its value that have lead to the saying. Beyond their value and beauty silver cutlery self-sanitizes as silver is a natural anti-biotic. I knew it had been used for dressings for wounds and burns to prevent against infection but it seems it has other properties which have been utilized for centuries.

Silver was used by royal and wealthy families to detect poison. In the Korean Joseon Dynasty this was used to great effect to protect the heir to the throne. During this Dynasty the king would have a number of wives all vying for their sons to inherit the throne. Usually the first born would inherit everything so the queens would attempt to poison his food so their sons might succeed him. The silver spoon would tarnish when it came into contact with sulphur which is present in arsenic. Therefore protecting the king from his ambitious family!