Thanks Rich - I do have a small set of needle files and do see the necessity of the bench pin and saw... those tin snips will only do so much.

...on & on & on indeed. that seems to be my problem, i want every cool tool i see!

Embrace Simplicity

Sadly, the desire to possess tools is an affliction I've suffered from since I was a child. I confess - I am a tool junkie. According to my wife I own every tool known to man, but that is a gross exaggeration. I will cop to having some 1800 square feet of shop space that is awfully crowded, but I'm sure there are some tools I don't yet own. (grin)

My problem is that if I ever want to move back to the States it will take two 40' ocean freight containers to move me due to the weight of my tools. It's astonishing how fast the weight accumulates when you're dealing with tools for blacksmithing, silversmithing, sheet metal work, construction, machine work, mechanics and so on, to say nothing of the tractors and implements, boat, etc. The very thought of moving makes me cringe! My wife has nightmares about the estate sale, too.

I probably should stop buying tools, and I keep telling myself that, but then I just bought a rolling mill the other day, simply because I've wanted one ever since I was a silversmithing student in college. That was forty (!) years ago so I think I've been really very patient about that one.

On the whole, I think crack *might* be a cheaper addiction...

yeah, but crack is not the sort of addiction you can brag about & share with your pals in order to make them jealous.
like right now, i'm a lil jealous of your rolling mill.

Embrace Simplicity

Hey Lorianne,

you may want to contact •Jamie Santellano on here. She is a jewlery person and could probably give you all sorts of insight!

sam - thanks for the suggestion! i have seen her work here and its something to be admired and aspired to!

Embrace Simplicity

hmmmm... not sure if thats an insult or a compliment.

my arts background is nothing more than possibly genetics, my mother was very good at drawing and my younger brother is a commercial art director. the last art class i took was in high school, and that was over 25 years ago. professionally, i spent most of my adult life working in the field of psychology, now i am a writer.

what i do know has come strictly from reading, watching youtube videos and learning by doing. i did exactly as i said - took some tools we had and a torch and just started 'playing' with my ideas. the pictures above are the results.

if i had more knowledge or experience or education than that, i would be proud of that fact and certainly claim it.

oops! what i obviously didn't learn was to log in before i comment... so my response should show up here as soon as it is moderated. sorry about that.

Embrace Simplicity

thanks john - yeah, sculptural "stuff"... stuff - thats a technical term. :)

i think i would like to stick with one of a kind and be able to continue/advance without spending too much on additional tools and supplies just yet.

i have watched some videos on casting and am not sure thats for me. right now i love working with the sheets and bits of metal, i just want to expand on that a little. i guess when i think of casting, i think some sort of forge or kiln is necessary, and right now i am in love with the torch and learning to use it to get the results i want.

thanks for the info though, because who knows where i may go with all this new-found knowledge!

Embrace Simplicity

Lorianne,

I neglected to mention the most valuable "tool" of all - information. I suggest you obtain and study some books on silversmithing and jewelry. You'll gain new insights into techniques, design ideas and materials that will stimulate new ideas of your own.

Some book I would particularly recommend are:

"Metal Techniques fo rCraftsmen" by Oppi Untracht (the Bible of Metalsmithing)

"Design and Creation of Jewelry" by Robert Von Neumann (old standard textbook for many colleges)

"Creative Goldsmithing" and "Creative Casting" by Sharr Choate

"Silversmithing" by Rupert Feingold and William Seitz (the best text on forging and raising of non-ferrous metals that I've seen)

Most of these books are or have been used as textbooks for university courses so they should be available used. Both Untracht's book and Feingold's book have gotten rather expensive bought new, I was sad to see.

Rich - thank you very much for the book suggestions, i need that. i have searched for some classes locally, but other than a patina class at my local metal supply shop (which i am signed up to take), nothing so far. I like learning from books, but more hands on, practical learning would be great too.

luckily, i am in no hurry and can start with the books for sure. i wonder if they might be available at the library? tomorrow i shall hunt for some of your suggestions, so thank you for taking the time to add them.

Embrace Simplicity

If your local library does not have them, ask them about the InterLibrary Loan (ILL) program. They can get books from other libraries for you.

AbeBooks.com is often a good source for used books, I've found.

Have you checked with nearby community colleges or universities? Many have courses in metalsmithing and you could take one of their courses on an "audit" (no credit) basis fairly cheaply.

You could also try SmartFlix - they rent how-to videos on metalsmithing, among other subjects.

rich - i found Metal Techniques for Craftsmen at my local library and i can see why you suggested it.
i borrowed the book, but in looking through it, i quickly realized this is one i want to own.
again - thanks for all the help & info!

Embrace Simplicity

Yes, I bought my first copy of that book in 1968 when I was a college art student. After only thirty or so years I had literally worn it out. I bought a replacement for it and had to spend a couple of hours transcribing my notes from the old one to the new one. I passed the old one along to friend who was starting out in silversmithing and she was so thrilled I thought she was going to cry.

These are good books and I do own them. Besides being tool junkies, many of us are book junkies as well. Earlier you mentioned a torch. If you are going to work with silver and copper, I recommend an acetylene/air set up. A tiny welding flame will too easily burn holes and not be good for annealing. I’m still using the second torch I bought, a PretoLite. Guess what the first one was? Yep, a welding torch.

marilyn

Marilyn - thanks for the advice on the torch. i can see that in the future i will join the ranks of tool junkies and want more tools... i'm already struggling to hold myself back from buying every tool i see!

Embrace Simplicity