Stephen Fitz-Gerald

Dear Stef,
Tell me where you live and what school you're attending.
Also,may I recommend that you investigate WATER JET CUTTING.
I have found distinct advantages to it's use over the plasma for many applications(no burnt edge). I also outsource allot of laser cutting when my own plasma cutter at home is inadequate.Perfect fit inlays can be cut from metal, stone, or glass with the water jet with no heat warpage. These various technologies though not originally intended for decorative purposes, allow the exploratory artist to marry dissimilar metals and create seamless compositions with new arrangements of materials here-to-fore impossible.
May I draw your attention to my BURNING MAN BELT BUCKLES:
http://ou8nrtist2.deviantart.com/art/Burning-Man-Belt-Buckles-39917587
I have welded (with the MIG)the bezel that holds that glass bead. Can you figure out how this was done without exploding the glass? It is the neatest trick... Think, lowtech,high art...
Don't worry ,I will tell you the answer if you can't decipher the riddle...
Nice to meet you on here.

I could probably manage a few different ways to do that. I would think that the glass was set from the back. You could actually set it if you had a sharp enough tool to make beads, I guess. Most of the things I have set in metal at this point are way smaller and set into silver, gold, or platinum. I don't have much experience with setting something in bronze. Did you have any prongs or extra metal that you pushed over the back. You can tell me now, because I could go on and on. Did you dap it from the back to bend the metal just enough to secure it. I used to love bezel setting diamonds by making the seat and waxing them in then taking a file and lay the bezel upside down in a round hole of appropriate size on a dapping block. Then take a flate file and lay it on the back and give it a wack with a hammer. Sounds insane but it works well and is fast. I am pretty sure that when I was working for seven stores I almost gave one of the owners a heart attack when he brought me a stone and bezel and asked how fast could I get this done and I did it in two minutes while he watched. Let me know how you did it.

Stephen Fitz-Gerald

I arc welded the glass bead in place,by first making a good two piece setting so the fragile glass is held firmly between the two pre-fit pieces of metal,(usually with vice grips). I then do a SPOT WELD on the side over a bucket of water,dropping it in IMMEDIATELY after the spot is accomplished. If you do it fast enough the glass never gets hot...I did 250 pieces of jewelry like this with only 2 breaks.
http://ou8nrtist2.deviantart.com/art/Burning-Man-Bling-95046474

Hey
I guess you did get back to me. Very impressive. I would love to watch that sometime. I have soldered a lot of things while suspending most of it under water.
I love the Burning Man Thing. Have you ever gone out there and put up a piece? I know you can get grants from them to do large scale pieces. I am a couple of years away. I want to go real bad. It is hard for me because all my extra money goes to equipment. I am a single mom with a seventeen year old and I go to school full-time. I plan way in advance. Too much info?

Stephen Fitz-Gerald

You have allot on your plate.
I have never been to Burning Man and actually have no desire to,but mostly because it is the desert and I am an ocean person. If I get too far from the sea I start to desiccate, not a pretty sight.
But I have made many commissioned pieces for wealthy clients who go that want to decorate their camps with something appropriate.
Here's the latest:
http://ou8nrtist2.deviantart.com/art/Star-Tetrahedron-vert-format-130205046

I do know a little about this. I researched it bit when I was putting in my welding hours for my certification. It has a lot of benefits. Did you build a water table for your Plasma cutter? I would assume so.
I really want a hydrogen torch for my jewelry shop. I know they make those for cutting steel as well, but I don't know anyone that uses one for that. I have only seen jewelers use them. They are really great for pinpoint accuracy when you solder small parts. I love this blog. I can't really talk about this kinda stuff with anyone. I only have one good friend that welds. He lives in another town.
Can't talk jewelry making with too many people either. Unless people can see what you do they don't understand the extent of it and even then it is hard to grasp the skills and such.
I take it you have a water jet cutting machine?
I wanna know how you do the sinks if you don't cast it. You reticulate the bronze or what? It seems like you might cook yourself doing that. Sorry if you think I write too much. I talk a lot too.

Stephen Fitz-Gerald

I recommend another website for you called:
www.deviantart.com
It is from Sydney, Australia and has millions of art student userd worldwide. Very creative young folks working in every medium you can imagine,and from all corners of the globe...

Stephen Fitz-Gerald

Dear Stefani,
All concrete work seen in my images have been done in collaboration with Patrick Miller of www.bohemianstoneworks.com He is one of my erstwhile partners for projects that require,or encourage collaborations with artisan mediums other than metal.I am blessed to have a whole retinue of skilled artisans at my disposal. When I get a big commission,I like nothing better than to employ my friends and I often find that in these collaborations a type of MAGIC can sometimes occur wherein we create something that exceeds the sum of our individual parts...

Hello Stephen,
You might want to check out two West Virgina Artists that I know. Robin Hammer and Chris Dutch. They produce museum quality work that incorporates wood and stain glass. Robin does this incredible air brush stuff on parts of it. They have at least one piece at the Clay Center in Charleston West Virginia and have won the juried competitions in W.V. for years. Check it out

Stephen Fitz-Gerald

Thank you Stefani...

I take pictures of other people not myself so I posted a picture of a custom gold piece I made for a friend. I hand cast in cuttlefish or fabricate mostly. I hope you get back to me on how you set that stone in bronze.