silversmiths techniques | Eileen Moylan

A Hammering Holiday

06.28.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

June has been a busy month and it looks like July will be equally hectic! As well as adding new products to the shop, blogging and keeping up with the orders I’ll be spending a week in Birmingham. I signed up for a course on Anitclastic and Synclastic hammering and raising so I’ll be jetting off to Birmingham on the 17th July for a week.

This five day masterclass is run by the Birmingham Institue of Art and Design and is taught by Cynthia Eid. It is part of the college’s summer course programme. Click here to view to full catalogue of courses.

The course that I’m going on looks specifically at anticlastic and synclastic hammering and raising. These sound like very fancy terms but synclastic just describes a form where the dominant curves both move in the same direction like a bowl. Anticlastic forms are when the two dominant axes curve in opposite directions like a saddle. These techniques can be used to amazing affect in sculptural silver pieces. If you look at a detail of the work of Cara Murphy below you can see the hand raised anticlastic curves. Another artist that uses this type of forming is Benjamin Storch, I wrote a post about his work last year. Click here to read it.

These raising and forming techniques can be used in both silversmithing and jewellery. The course will also look at refining hammering skills and will teach how to hammer comfortably for several hours at a time. A very useful skill considering I’ll be hammering for five days!

I’m going to bring my netbook with me so I can keep the website updated with lots of photos and stories from the week.

Mindful of Silver

06.23.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

I’m finally getting around to telling you all about the Mindful of Silver exhibition which is currently running at Goldsmiths Hall, London.

This show curated by Julie Chamberlain invited twelve silversmiths to keep all the material produced during the process of designing and making a vessel. This material including sketches, photographs and models was then exhibited alongside the finished piece. The result is a really interesting combination of beautiful silver items displayed alongside tea stained sketches and roughly done models.

I loved the idea for this exhibition. I invariably look at silver items wondering how they were made and what influenced the aesthetic. With this work I still looked at the process and the techniques used in the final piece but now there was an exhibit of research work which begins a whole new dialogue with each piece. This informs another dimension of the work, both the concepts and silversmithing techniques. So the show becomes about the intellectual process rather than the finished object. For the curator this is fundamental, here she discusses her dislike of the word inspiration!

as if the final object had just pinged in out of nowhere. Intellectual development takes as long as the making.

It really enhances the work to see the starting point of the artist, some of which begin with the concept and other the techniques. The show’s name ‘Mindful of Silver’ also informs this idea, this marring of ideas and concepts with a respect for the silver as a material.

Some criticism of the exhibition has been that certain artists have not produced innovative final products or have not pushed themselves to fully explore the concept of the show. It has also been said that they have not been entirely honest in their supporting materials, which may have been edited and enhanced retrospectively. Whether any of these statements are true or not, it doesn’t take from the overall idea of the show. Silversmiths work is often just appreciated for the ‘making’ time and the material costs. It’s refreshing to see a show that highlights the concept and developmental work behind these silver objects.

I had great intentions of taking lots of photos but they don’t allow cameras so here are some of the catalogue pictures.

Becoming Spherical I and II, Silver, Lucian Taylor

I wrote about the work of Lucian Taylor last week. Click here to read that article.

David Clarke displayed a number of manipulated antique silver spoons. This humorous collection is informed by a number of models, drawings and photocopies which explore the the forms and how they can be pushed and exaggerated.

Sarah Denny‘s hand raised vessels evolve from a series of sketches which explore each stage of the hand raising process. Her work is influenced by forms in nature such as vegetables which she photographs and then draws over to explore the shapes and curves.

Theresa Nguyen’s work is also influenced by nature. Her preparatory work includes sketches and models of leaves, focusing on form and movement, in particular the overlapping patterns.

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.

The Travelling Silversmith

05.31.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

This is going to be a short week’s work for me because I’m London bound on Thursday. I’m going over for a friends wedding but I’m managing to mix business with pleasure as I’m going to spend Friday in Hatton Garden buying metal and tools. Hatton Garden is the main jewellery area of London and is packed full of places selling everything from diamonds to tools.

I’ve a list of things I’ve been promising myself for a while now, new hammers and stakes and a much needed sandbag. Hopefully I should come back with all of these and not exceed my baggage allowance! The other great thing about going to London this week is that it’s the start of London Jewellery Week and they have loads of great exhibitions and events organised. Most things are starting on the Monday I come home, but hopefully I might get a sneak peak of what’s on.

There’s also a brilliant silver exhibition on in Goldsmiths Hall called Mindful of Silver. The exhibition features twelve silversmiths each displaying a silver vessel. The really interesting thing about this exhibition is that the artists were asked to also exhibit objects that fuelled the creative process. Apparently there’s everything from torn envelopes to bleach bottles.

The participants were asked to make a vessel but they had to keep any objects, sketches and photos that contributed to the development of the work. It has gathered together a great line up for the exhibition with artists such as Theresa Nguyen and David Clarke. I’ve loved Clarke’s work since I was in college so I can’t wait to see some of it in the ‘flesh’. I don’t know which artist’s piece was inspired by the bleach bottle but I plan to find out this weekend. And of course I’ll write all about it next week…

Alex Ramsay

04.18.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

This week I’m taking a look at the silverware of Alex Ramsay. She uses traditional silversmithing techniques along with her stunning contemporary designs to create a range of vessels.

'Nitrate Negative 2' Alex Ramsay, Silver & Glass

Her silverware inspired by silver nitrate photography explores the ideas of light and dark, positive and negative in these pairs of vessels. Many of her pieces group together a silver vessel with a hand blown glass vessel. The combination works beautifully each object reflecting different elements of the materials.

I don’t know much about hand blown glass but I think the design here is created by the addition of copper oxide to give these effects of light and dark. The silver vessels area all hand raised with the surface patterns on the glass creating a starting point for each pattern on the metal. She begins by raising the forms of the outside and the inside bowl separately and then transferring the patterns onto the domed silver. These drawn patterns are then painstakingly pierced out of the silver using a traditional silversmiths saw frame. Once the design has been cut out, the two bowls are soldered together to create these hollow layered vessels.

'Nitrate Negative Series' Alex Ramsay, Silver & Glass

'Nitrate Negative 3' Silver, Alex Ramsay

The double walled technique is used to great effect here to build up the shadow and depth of the silver vessel. It also enhances the play between reflection and shadow. When the silver vessel and the glass vessel are brought together they become a unique pair, each piece balancing and reflecting the other. If you want to see more of this amazing work take a look at her website or she’s also featured in the members gallery of the Contemporary British Silversmiths.

Silver Peaton Pots, Salt & Pepper, Alex Ramsay

Cutting Silver Part 2

04.11.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

This is part two in a series of how to cut out a design in silver sheet using a jewellers saw. To see Part One click here.

Here are some photos of the piece once the paper has been taken off. I began by using my file on the rough edges and removing the scratches with emery paper. I then give it a polish on the polishing lathe.

Cutting Silver Part 1

04.08.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

I’m going to go through the steps of cutting out a design on metal showing the different techniques and tools that I use. I’ll start with the design on paper and show how I transfer and cut this out on my sheet of metal. Because this is only a demonstration I’m just going to use a piece of scrap copper.

I’ve chosen a pattern with a lot of cutting out so you can see how to cut a small detailed area with a jewellers saw. I am only going to use a section of this pattern so I using a stencil to pick an area and mark it out.

Design glued to metal and piercing frame ready to go!

Once I have the design I glue my piece of paper on to the metal. I don’t always work this way. Often if it’s a pattern I might use again I will transfer the design on to the metal and save my original piece of paper to be used again. Once the paper is glued on I mark out the areas that will be cut out. With this design I’m going to cut out all the black sections.

Marking drill sections with centre punch

These black sections will have to be drilled through to allow the blade to get into these areas. So I am going to mark the centre of the drilling hole with a centre punch. I use this because a drill bit has a habit of wandering if it doesn’t start on a recess. The centre punch forms a large enough dimple to guide the drill bit. It’s important to use this when I’m drilling in such a small area where there’s no room for error!

I’ve drilled all the holes and now I’m ready to start cutting. I open one side of the frame so I can pass the blade through the drilled hole and reattach it to my piercing frame on the other side.

I’m going to make a video of the cutting so you can see how the blade moves along the metal. I’ll post that on Monday..

Fools Day Facts about silver

04.01.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

Since today is April Fools Day I’ve gathered lots of interesting facts about silver but it’s up to you to decide whether you believe them or not!

Silver has the most thermal and electrical conductivity of all the metal elements.
Silver is used for water purification because it prevents bacteria growth.
Silver can protect you from werewolves.
It is illegal to use silver as a food decorative in Australia.
Silver is the whitest colour of any metal.
Consequently dogs can’t see silver.
The word silver comes from the Anglo- Saxon word seolfar.
Rolls Royce jet engines use high performance silver coated bearings to give their engines a higher degree of safety.
Silver is mentioned in the bible in the book of Genesis.
Silver is harder than gold but softer than copper.
Lance Armstrong used silver coated fabric in his clothing in the Tour de France to help control inflammation and promote healing during the race.
The symbol for silver Ag comes from the Latin word Argentum meaning silver. That is how Argentina got it’s name.
Alexander the Great was advised by Aristotle to store boiled water in silver containers to prevent diseases caused by contaminated water.
Silver iodide is used to make clouds produce rain.
Silver Fulminate is an explosive.
Silver is so malleable it can be pounded to a thinness of 6/10000 of a millimeter and a single ounce of silver can be stretched into a wire over 48km long.

_{I might have made up the fact about the dog!}

Acid etching Silver: the results

03.21.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

In January I decided to try out acid etching. Having never tried it before my first attempt which I documented in this blog wasn’t a complete success. The etching was good but the silver was slightly marked in places and definitely not good enough to sell. I said at the end of the post that I would try different techniques and put up some photos when I thought I had it cracked! So here’s the story of my extensive testing and the results.

If you want to see my previous posts on acid etching click here.

The problem I had with the etching was that the acid was eating through the resist in certain areas leaving me with little marks on the parts of the silver that I wanted untouched. Rather than waste silver sheet, I began doing a series of tests on the different resists using some scrap silver. This way I could figure out which resist wasn’t doing it’s job.

The technique I used was to transfer a photocopy on acetate onto a clean silver sheet using heat so the printer ink acts as a resist. When I tested this on it’s own it worked perfectly but only when the image was transferred without gaps or marks. This meant controlling the heat when I was transferring the ink. Too little heat and the image would not transfer completely. Too much heat and the ink would run into the design blurring the fine detail. Once I resolved the heat problem, the ink held up in the acid so at least I knew the printer ink worked.

The next thing I used on the silver to patch up any gaps left by the photocopy transfer was a red Staedtler permanent marker. I had read on a few acid etching websites that this was the best to resist the acid. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me, after a few hours in the acid it began to break down and let the acid attack the silver. I tried putting extra layers of it on the silver but it made very little difference so the red marker has been relegated to the office.

The final thing I tested was the nail varnish as I used this to cover the sides and the back of the silver for etching. This was by far the best. I left it in the acid bath for eight hours and I still had to scrub it with nail varnish remover when I took it out.

Since then I’ve ditched the marker and am using the photocopy transferring which I’m touching up with nail varnish. While previously I only used the nail varnish for the edges and back, I now use it to touch up any areas of the printer ink that haven’t transferred. I use a bright opaque colour nail varnish so I can see clearly what areas have been covered and make sure it doesn’t run into the design. I’ve tried it on a number of different designs and it hasn’t let me down. The great thing about this is the level of detail I can achieve. Here are a few photos of some of the pieces I’ve done recently.

My Jewellery Bible, by Oppi Untracht

03.18.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

The other day in the workshop I reached for my battered copy of Oppi Untracht’s ‘Jewelry Concepts and Technology’ to solve yet another problem. This book is like the bible of jewelery making and has served me well over the years. So today I’m dedicating a post to Oppi to share this brilliant book with everyone else.

Jewelry Concepts and Technology’ Oppi Untracht

Oppi Untracht was an American jewellery teacher and historian who trained and taught in New York but later moved to Finland. He has written a number of books on jewellery and metalwork. His best known were ‘Jewelry Concepts and Technology’ and ‘Metal Tachniques for Craftsmen’.

When I first got the book years ago it was on the recommendation of a South African jeweler I worked with. She’d occasionally mention that she had checked different things with Oppi and I just presumed it was an friend or old lecturer she was referring to. The minute I found out that all this knowledge was coming from a book and I too could have my own “Oppi”, I snapped up a copy!

I’m delighted to say Oppi has rarely let me down in that eight years. I’ve dragged this heavy book out for everything from starting new projects to idle curiosity. There will be times when I’ll be a bit rusty on different techniques and I dip in to the book quickly to check I’m not about to burn off my eyebrows! Sure enough, Oppi will provide the answers. Because I didn’t study jewellery in college there are some techniques that I’ve never had the opportunity to try. This book is great because it allows me to research different techniques from the process through to the finished piece. While I may need to get some extra help elsewhere on modern procedures (the book was published in the 80’s) I have a great basis on where to start. When I tried acid etching this year the majority of the information came from this book. He goes through different types of surface ornamentation from around the world like the Japanese Mokumé Gane. As well as lots of technical information, he also looks at the origins of jewellery and why we wear it. He has a brilliant diagram that breaks down the various reasons for jewellery such as tradition, collection and fashion.

So for all of you who have never heard of this book definitely check it out and for those of you who’ve looked at it on Amazon and debated whether it was worth the money take it from me, it is!