Throughout the year, workshops are run which teach you different and more advanced skills,

these include casting and enamelling. Usually, workshops will go over a weekend.
 

Images from our recent Casting Weekend

We enjoyed a weekend of creating beautiful pieces. Click on the images below to see larger photos of our work.

 

News from our recent Wire Wrapping Workshop

There were 5 participants in our first wire wrapping class of 2012. In just a few industrious hours all of us created a wrapped or caged cabochon ready to attach to a chain or brooch mount.

We used stirling silver square wire as the body wires which support the stone and a half round stirling silver wire as the wrapping wire.

A previously prepared pair of flat nosed pliers was used to form the wrapping wire around the square wires to hold them in place.

Specially angled bends in the square wires formed part of the cage and all the wires were then tied together at the top with more half round wrapping wire to then form a bale at the top of our stone.

Elaborate wire designs were then a choice to finish and embellish the bale.

Our thanks go to our instructor, Prof Lyn Bridson and also to Barbara and Tony.

 

News from one of our Wax Casting Workshops

Feedback from the Casting Weekend held 2nd and 3rd April and cleanup day 9th April 2011.

Ten participants undertook the workshop. Three experienced members shared their knowledge to allow the others to learn or brush up the skills necessary to create our silver treasures. Some of us wished to make silver jewellery such as a ring or brooch or pieces for a bracelet or to cast silver pieces from our garden or from nature.

After deciding on what we wished to cast, the basic process began with making wax models or adapting the organic pieces, we attached them to a tree (or carrier) which was also made of wax. Wax is easy to work with and inexpensive and the organic pieces provided our examples from nature. Some of these organic items required wax reinforcing to strengthen them.

We had some unique items such as leaves, gum nuts, insects, flowers and other organic items. We used different forms of casting wax, for example, sheet waxes for thin flat pieces, sprue wax for thin
sections and sticky wax.

The wax tree, once completed (with organic pieces and created wax pieces attached) is fitted to the base of a metal cylindrical flask using more wax (button). The flask containing the wax model was then filled with investment. The investment is a powdered substance mixed with water that is similar in consistency to liquid plaster. Our wax and organic model, encased in the investment, was then heated in a kiln for several hours. The high temperature of baking in the kiln causes the wax to be lost by melting and vaporisation.

A perfect cast of our design is thus preserved in the hardened investment and hence the name,
lost wax casting.

After the hot flask was removed from the kiln, it was placed in a centrifuge. In the centrifuge, silver grains were heated in the centrifuge crucible until molten then forced into our moulds as the centrifuge spun. Although we used silver, gold or platinum or other metals could be used. After the centrifuge stopped, the silver cast is allowed sufficient time to cool and harden.

The tree is then exposed by plunging the flask with investment containing the silver into water to reveal an exact replica of the wax or organic originals still on their tree. The button and sprue tree are
cut away and filed off the pieces.

The metal is washed and/or pickled, cleaned and dried.

For some examples of what we produced, the centrifuge, flasks and one of the silver trees, please see the photos.

Thanks to our three instructors/facilitators Barbara, Sharon and Richard for their time encouragement and patience.

Thanks also to Bert for his “deflagatory” skills.

Article by Rod Powell

 

What You Need To Bring to Lost Wax Casting

In these workshops you learn or improve your skills in the art of casting.

Casting is turning wax or a natural thing into silver. The workshops are fun and exiting and the things you can make include; rings, pendants, broochs and little “objects” to put around the house.

If you want to come, make sure you put your name down in the clubrooms.

Things to bring to lost wax casting workshops:

1. Small methylated spirit lamp. The finer the wick the better, as heat is more easily controlled.

2. Lecron Dental Tool. This tool is the most necessary tool for working wax.

3. Wax knife or small paring knife or small old kitchen knife or scalpel.

4. Two small sewing needles, one medium and one fine, set in cork “handle”.

5. Cheap small paint brush also one about 0.7 to 1 cm wide.

6. Approx. 10cm (4″) length of wooden dowel stick, diameter of students finger size. (Oil stick with any vegetable oil.)

8. Small piece of nylon panty hose.

9. Methylated Spirits.

10. 50 grams sterling silver casting granules or 50/50 scrap and new sterling silver.

11. Wax to make item to be cast. (Some is available for purchase from NDLC)

12. Old toothbrush and/or nailbrush

13. Little container to melt wax in, over your spirit lamp i.e. cut down beer can with wire saucepan type handle attached.

14. Tripod to sit on if possible

15. Any old dental tools you can get hold of.

16. Small Water bowl for melt/pour exercise.

17. Old wooden or nylon breadboard or piece of perspex for working surface.

18. Plasticine not Blue tack, or Modelling clay.

19. 1 Small bottle of eucalyptus oil (for smoothing wax)

NOTE: Please bring all of the above items or you may have difficulty producing a satisfactory result.

 

Wax Carving

Mark Young ran a series of wax carving lessons for us on Saturdays over 3 consecutive weeks.

Those who attended the last series enjoyed the classes, and thanks to Mark’s expert tuition came up with beautiful results. Lessons were learnt about casting larger items, a technique we had not tried before,and we will know how to go about this much better next time.

If another series is held next year a sheet will been placed on the notice board for those who would be interested in attending, to add their name.

 

Beading

One of our talented members ran a wonderfull beading workshop. This one day workshop was limited to 10 people and cost $10.00.

For future reference here are the details in case another day is held. Please bring your lunch and a hand-towel along with a selection of beads to make a necklace and 2 pair of earrings. Beads can be purchased at a number of places including Spotlight & Big W. There could be a nominal charge for other basic materials that the Club can supply.

Please contact Nivea for any additional information.

A list will be put on the notice board in the Cutting Room for those members who are interested in attending.

Enamelling

Enamelling workshops have been run each year.

Members attending have sometimes found that working bowls was considerably more difficult than working flat shapes. The challenges faced by all concerned were met with some original thinking and the experience of Annette Clarke from the Central Coast Lapidary Club, who we were fortunate to have with us for the day.

By the end of a long day we believe that most of the participants learned a lot and were happy with the end result

Kevin Davey reports that a successful afternoon was spent with our junior members with Barbara Try sharing her knowledge.

Some interesting and outstanding designs were produced in a short time, our juniors are very enthusiastic and keen to absorb all aspects of lapidary.

Here is a photo of some items created during the afternoon.

In an earlier enameling workshop members spent a full day experimenting with colours and shapes.

From all reports it was a great day with first timers quickly grasping the processes required while those who had been before reinforced techniques in preparation for future workshops where more complicated methods and different pieces will be attempted.

 

Precious Metal Clay

Members attending our precious metal clay workshop were impressed by the techniques and success they enjoyed, guided by our Instructor Margaret Lightfoot. A lovely and informative book titled “Introduction to Precious Metal Clay” by Mary Ann Devos has been purchased for the members and is now available for use within the club from the reference section of the club’s library.