Making your own findings from wire and metal really does up the ante on handmade. By doing so, the jewelry designs will truly be unique and one of a kind. Sure it takes extra time but the effort is worth it in the long run. The most common findings people make are ear wires and clasps. But there is so much more you can do.
I recently received this new book
Handcrafted Metal Findings from Interweave (
also available on their website) for review.
Denise Peck and Jane Dickerson were the main designers behind this book. This is the follow up to their first book,
Handcrafted Wire Findings
.
There are 30 projects in the book which cover both cold (wire or riveting) and hot connection (easy soldering) techniques. Both the projects and the methods used are not that difficult and can easily be tackled by a determined late beginner or intermediate jewelry maker. Cutting metal, for example, is accomplished with metal shears not saws; simple hand held butane torch for the basic soldering.
Most of the tools used in the book are common ones like pliers, hole puncher, hammers and dapping blocks. But there are tools which may yet be on wish lists - disc cutter, Crafted Findings Riveting System (see
my past post),
tube ringer
(for corrugated metal effects). This book, while not intended as such, also serves as a handy reference for the kind of tools and techniques one needs to advance in jewelry making.
The techniques are covered at the back of the book. The templates used for some of the projects are also there. Here too is a helpful list of metal supplies - some of which are more unusual like the patterned wire.
Shown here are some of my favorite projects from the book. The
Poppy Bead Caps by Kiersten Giles is a simple metal work project requiring punching holes into a metal disc and using metal shears to shape the bead cap. Hammering and patination really enhances the pieces.
I was indeed
Easily Charmed with this design by Jane Dickerson. The snap rivet is a clever adornment.
Other standouts from the book are the toggle clasps like this one, the
Fizzy Flower toggle by Cassie Donlen. The copper enameled flower is riveted while the central lamp work bead is glued on.
The
Bubble Wand Head Pins by Denise Peck shows how versatile bead wire can be. The bead wire is soldered into a circle and another wire is soldered on.
The all in one textured ear wires (
Speak to Me) by Denise Peck also caught my eye. 18G wire was used which may not be okay for those with smaller ear holes. However, there were two other projects in the book where short textured pieces of a narrow metal strip are soldered onto thinner ear wires.
The
Starlight studs by Denise Peck required the soldering of shortened head pins behind the small metal rectangles. The unusual texture was formed using dimpling pliers, one of the less common tools in the book.
The
Buttercup Bead Caps by Jane Dickerson demonstrates how a tube wringer can be used to add texture to metal discs.
The instructional pages had large and clear closeup images in this beautifully presented book. Each project also had a resource section for suppliers. There was just one thing I wished this book had - an indication at the beginning of each project whether the techniques used were hot or cold ones. Not everyone is ready to use the torch. So it would have been useful to be able to quickly pick out the relevant project given a particular skill set.
If going totally handmade is your thing, then this book might just rev up your creativity.
Giveaway If you'd like to win a copy of
Handcrafted Metal Findings
please make a comment below. Make sure you leave contact info below if you do not have an online shop or blog.
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This giveaway is international. If the winner has a non-post box US address, the prize will be a physical book. Otherwise it will be an eBook. Extra entries if you become or are a blog subscriber or follower etc. If you also do shout outs about this giveaway, those will count as additional entries too! Please say so in the comments.
It ends in a week's time at
6 pm EST Thursday, September 3, 2015 . I will pick the winner randomly and announce the results as soon as possible after. So be sure to leave a contact email if you don't have an online link or make sure you come back and check! Otherwise I will redraw in a week. Good luck!
Disclosure I receive books and products for review. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation.
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