Monday, November 17, 2008

New Earring Monday - not exactly earrings yet, but...



Okay, this is a pendant, BUT - I am working on earrings with the same design. I have wanted to make ruffles in my metal pieces for ages now, but didn't have the tools to do it well. Now that I have my new hammers, and have learned to make wooden forms, I am ruffling away! I am planning a series of ruffled pieces, many of which will hopefully be earrings. So, does this count for new earring Monday? ha, ha.....

3 comments:

  1. Earring schmearring! That pendant is gorgeous!!! What kind of hammers did you get?!?!?!?!

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  2. This pendant rocks!!! Tell us more about how you made the ruffles~~please???

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  3. Thanks, Barrie and Chris! The hammers are Peddinghaus forming and raising hammers. I had been trying to do the same thing with a riveting hammer, but the edge was too small. At the retreat, Lisa taught me a lot about cross peen hammers, and I'm having a blast now.

    Chris, you need a cross peen hammer with smooth edges. When I do the ruffles, I hammer first to move the metal, then shape with my fingers, and anneal a lot! I also will be using a wooden stake that I'm making to do larger ruffles. This is a technique that Lisa taught in her leaf-making class. Make smooth grooves in the edge of a wood block, then hammer into the groove to bend the metal. When I get a chance, I'll do a blog about it with pictures of the block.

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