Brooches for Scotland

 

Continuing to make product for the two markets we plan to participate in during our next visit to Scotland. As you can see from the photo above I have made a wee stash of brooches. Made with my melted metal hearts and stars.

These can be used for scarves but also just as decorations at the top or bottom of a coat - bottom decoration model by Fiona.

A few photos of groups of three of the brooches.

That is another task ticked off my todo list.

Brooch pins and other gorgeous bits

 

Most of the day was spent with Fiona doing curtain stuff for her dad. But I did grab a bit of time this afternoon to turn some of the beautiful bits of metal below into jewellery including the brooch pins above. These pins can be used to pin a scarf or simply as a decoration on one's coat. Fiona tested the prototype and pinned it on the lower side part of her coat. The brass pins are 50mm across.

Some of the components became earrings as you can see below.

I did add a jump ring and a rubber neck piece to a lovely textured melted metal rectangle to make a pendant. The rectangle of metal is about 50mm long and 25mm wide.

There are still more melted metal components to be assembled; but that is for another day. 

Metal women

©2016 Fiona Dempster - Delicately hammered

We had our friend Caren visiting over the weekend. It provided another of those opportunities to have fun with metal. Fiona was keen to join with Caren in hammering a bowl and making a brooch.

We started from scratch - a piece of metal cut from a small silver-plated tray.

Great apprentices - I demonstrated various techniques and tools and Fiona and Caren went down their own paths.

Hammering...

©2016 Barry Smith - Fiona using a light shrinking hammer

©2016 Fiona Dempster - Caren used a couple of ball-pen hammers

Grinding and polishing

©2016 Barry Smith - Caren in action on the grinding wheel

©2016 Barry Smith - Fiona in action on the grinding wheel

©2016 Barry Smith - Fiona grinding and Caren polishing 

And the finished products

Karen's brooch and bowl

Fiona's brooch and bowl

©2016 Barry Smith - Show and tell????

So two more metal women.

Recycled metal brooches

On Friday completed a stash of brooches made from recycled silver-plated EPNS and silver-plated copper. As blog readers know when I cut up discarded and recycled silver-plated trays for making bigger works I set aside the smaller offcuts for assembled (usually fold-formed and/or riveted) jewellery and other small pieces.

©2014 Barry Smith - Brooches made from recycled metal

As you can see from the photo above I made 7 brooches. On Saturday morning I took into Maleny Additions to see if they were what they wanted to sell. The answer was yes so all 7 are on their way to Maleny Additions on Monday.

Photos of the individual brooches follow - as usual my photos leave a bit to be desired.

©2014 Barry Smith -  Recycled leaf form (9cm long)

©2014 Barry Smith - Recycled Bakelite tray handle (5-6cm long)

©2014 Barry Smith - Fan form from a tray (4cm squarish)

©2014 Barry Smith - Bit Gothic? - raised edge of a tray (5cm long)

©2014 Barry Smith - Foldformed brass on silver-plated EPNS (7-8cm long)

©2014 Barry Smith - Fold-formed brass on silver-plated copper (7-8cm long)

©2014 Barry Smith - Fold-formed silver plated EPNS on silver-plated copper (5cm long)

Fiona has completed and attached handmade swing tags - she kindly does the original calligraphy on each swing tag. And they have been packed in elegant black boxes. We will see if these appeal to the public and sell as lapel or scarf brooches.

Around the bend and other matters

Its Friday right? Well that means as much art as can be squeezed in. The day started with a 2-hour meeting regarding some serious community-placemaking art for our preferred local store - but more on that when it can be revealed.

As part of a commission I need to be able to hammer metal over rounded corners of boxes. The form needs to be segmented and come to a point. I tried a couple of approaches which at best were okay; so I turned to Fiona for help. She suggested we went to folk who made balls or globes out of paper and see how they did it.

©2014 Barry Smith - Testing globe sections

Well as you can see from the photo above Fiona tracked down a free online globe pattern which we began to experiment with. After a number of tests and measures we have worked out that I can use a segment of the globe pattern to create the form I want on the corner.

©2014 Barry Smith - I think we have found the right section

©2014 Barry Smith - Yes that looks like it will work

Next step is to create the perfectly rounded wooden corner of the box and test the template out in metal.

But I needed a break from all that intellectually demanding stuff; so I decided to go to the studio-garage and start a stash of brooches.

©2014 Barry Smith - Bits and pieces cut and punched etc

©2014 Barry Smith - A bowl of brooches

Why am I doing brooches? Well it is because the folk in Maleny Additions have now asked me 5 times to do this - and they will not be denied. So I have made a stash and will take them in to see if it is what they want. I will share photos when I have had time to take photos of each of the finished brooches. Fiona has just said the curry is ready so I must away and enjoy it with a soft red.