Copper Patinas

So, the past few days I have been obsessed with copper patinas. It all started with a great thread on Etsy and I jumped in with both feet. Most people know that copper will darken with age. Just compare a freshly minted penny to an old one and you will see exactly what I mean. The darker color is actually quite beautiful when offset with colored beads. However, I wanted to see what else could be done with copper.

My first experiment was to blue copper using ammonia. I got the idea from BeadStyle magazine.

I decided to try it on one of my copper byzantine link keychains. I carefully cleaned and polished the keyring to ensure the patina would cover the copper evenly.

I soaked the keychain for about two hours in a solution of salt water. Then I lightly patted it with a paper towel to remove the dripping salt water. I then suspended it on a bamboo skewer in a plastic container with about a half inch of ammonia in the bottom. I closed the top securely and let it sit for about two hours. Within ten minutes, the copper darkened and started to look really nasty. I was a bit concerned about whether it would turn blue or black.



After about and hour I started to see bits of blue developing. However, the majority of the copper was still a nasty blackish color. The water in the container also started to take on a blue cast.








After two hours, there was quite a bit of blue on the copper rings. As it dried, the blue lightened up to a beautiful rich turquoise color.

Important Notes: The copper must be cleaned and free of all chemicals. Do not use a commercial cleaner such as Never Dull or the patina will not stick. The patina is fragile and flakes off with handling. I rinsed the piece and allowed it dry several times. Some of the blue flaked off, revealing the lovely darkened brown beneath. I recommend sealing the finished piece with a matte sealer to preserve the patina and keep the weathered look. If you prefer, you may use a gloss sealer to give the finished piece a lot of shine. If you plan to incorporate the finished piece into a larger work, please note that the patina is a surface finish and will easily scratch off with tools, so be gentle and plan your work carefully.

My next patina experiment was to heat color copper. This is a particularly lovely technique that I have long admired. There is a great blog by the Etsy Metal Team explaining this process in much more detail. It is typically done with a torch on sheet copper. However, I use heavy gauge copper wire in my work and have a six year old little boy who helps me with my work. The use of a torch is simply not an option for me at this point. After much thought and an idea given by a fellow Etsian, I decided to try a heat coloring experiment using my electric oven.

I have a pair of earrings and a spiral neckwire that I wear quite a bit. I decided to use these pieces for my heat experiment. I set my oven on high broil, moved the rack to the highest level and made a little aluminum foil tray to place my earring component on. Making sure that the copper was directly beneath the heating element, I broiled my earring components for about 10 minutes, checking frequently to ensure the color didn't go beyond the pink/purple shade I was shooting for. As soon as I saw the color I wanted, I very carefully placed them on a piece of cardboard in my freezer to quickly cool them and lock in the color.

The neckwire was a bit trickier as it is shaped to sit smoothly around the neck. I wanted the color portion to be focused on the spiral, not on the curved sides. I ended up carefully positioning the neckwire through the wire of the oven rack so that the spiral portion was fairly flat under one of the heating elements. I broiled it for about 15 minutes as it was a bit thicker than the earring components. As soon as I saw that gorgeous pink/purple color, I carefully placed it in on the cardboard in my freezer and allowed it to cool for about two hours.



All in all, I am very pleased with my first attempts at heat coloring copper...especially as I was improvising with my tools and techniques.

Important Notes: As with the bluing technique, it is very important that your copper be clean and free of all chemical residue. I often use Never Dull to clean my copper pieces as it leaves a slight protective film. I did not get all of this off the first time I attempted to heat color my earrings and I ended up with a very unattractive mottled brown finish. I was able to clean it off, but the heat combined with the chemical left a pitted surface on the copper. If you do not achieve the color you want, you can buff the surface clean using emory cloth.

I lost a great deal of the pink/purple color as the copper cooled. I am not sure how to resolve that issue, but I am still researching and experimenting. Many people recommend using Rennaisance Wax to seal the pieces after heat coloring. I have not done this yet as I don't have any Ren Wax on hand at this moment.

Pathetic

Before I developed an addiction to Etsy, I was locked in a love affair with words and music. I indulged in this passion through Pathetic a website dedicated to poets. You can visit my own pathetic library here. I haven't written much since opening my Etsy shop and I have missed it more than I thought I would. So today I thought I would take a brief moment to share with you the wonder of poetry and my own love affair with the written language.

There is something magical about our ability to express ourselves through the written word. Without facial expressions or vocal inflection, we must choose our words carefully in order to draw the appropriate response from our audience. Writing is an outlet for our emotions. It is a way to purge ourselves of events, memories, experiences that threaten to poison our souls or curdle our inner selves. Without this outlet, I truly believe that I would be sporting a white coat with extra long sleeves and residing in a lovely studio apartment with padded walls.

Poetry can be light hearted and fun:

The Unwanted Guest
by Genevieve Sturrock

if i feed this cold
will it go away
or decide to visit
for yet another day

i could try and starve it
let it wither up and die
maybe without sustenance
it will bug some other guy

do you think that sleep would bore it
and send it on it's way
or just rejuvenate it
enough to want to stay

i'm sick of all the sniffling
the sneezing and the hacking
won't somebody tell me what to do
to send this d*** cold packing

01/30/2007

Or a way to share our own knowledge:

Love Life Marriage (Reprised)
by Genevieve Sturrock

all perfect men
have flaws to expose when
love gains sight

true love begins
when the honeymoon's over and
the first big fight

stumbling blocks
become building blocks for
the road of life

it takes more
than just exhanging rings to be
husband and wife

01/30/2007

Or, as is the most often case with me, an emotional outlet. Certainly cheaper than therapy:

Either Way, It's Still Dead
by Genevieve Sturrock

you held the knife
but i'm the one
who thrust my
heart upon it
as we both stared
in wide eyed shock
i'm the one
who had pulled
it off with
a wrenching twist
wringing out
every ounce
of pain
until all
that remained
was a mutilated
pile of emotion
putrifying in
the aftermath
yes, i thrust my heart
upon that knife
but you were the one
who held it steady

12/28/2007

I hope you enjoyed these selections from my library and that you will take a few moments of your time to really look at and read some of the wonderful authors at Pathetic.

Not Into Scrapbooking?

...but LOVE the papers? Join the club! I can't scrapbook to save my life. Believe me, I have tried, that is not where my talents lie! I leave that to my oh so very talented sisters-in-law!

So, what to do with all those gorgeous papers? Well, Origami of course! Scrapbooking papers are square, a nice weight for folding and with all the accessories in the scrapbooking department of your local hobby store you can go really let your imagination run wild!

Here are a few examples of what I do with my scrapbooking papers:

Do you love to give gift cards, but have no idea how to make the presentation cute and useful? This petite envelope is made from 6" x 6" scrapbooking paper and is the perfect size for gift cards, cash, or little gifts such as a pair of earrings or a simple pendant. I often slip a few business cards and a tip in one and leave them for my server at a restaurant.

This 2" x 2.25" album is made from a single sheet of 12" x 12" scrapbooking paper. This is Origami in it's most pure form. No scissors or glue were used in making this book, just a series of complex folds to create the 5 separate pages and the sturdy little cover. The clasp is made from scrapbooking accessories.

What can you think of to do with scrapbooking papers?

I've Been Spotted on Another Blog

I want to give a huge shout out to Water Rose, who very thoughtfully interviewed me for her blog. It's my first such honor and I am humbled to be included on her beautiful blog. I have admired her skills with needle and thread since first discovering her on Etsy. Take a peek at some of her work below and I think you will have to agree, she is amazingly talented!

I Was Featured in The Storque

For those in the know, pop on over and check it out. For everyone else, The Storque is the awsome newsletter for Etsy. They are currently running a series called, The Handmade Wedding.

As a seamstress, I have seen my fair share of wedding dress disasters. You would not believe some of the stories I could tell! I once had a bride's maid decide that she was too fat for her custom made gown, so she did a crash diet...three weeks before the wedding! Of course, she lost weight in all the wrong places...like her bustline! I had to remake the bodice of her dress and she insisted that i take it in one more time the night before the wedding!

Here is the full article I submitted to The Storque. I hope you enjoy reading it and, perhaps, learn something to help you should you ever have a gown custom made.

CUSTOM WEDDING GOWN TIPS:
I have been a special occasion seamstress for over 15 years. So, when one my dearest friends, Amy, got engaged, I was thrilled when she asked me to make her dress. She was a dream client and followed every little piece of advice I gave her. Making her dress was the smoothest, least stressful experience I have had. I hope by sharing our journey together, you will learn some tips and strategies to making your custom dress experience joyful.

Be Prepared!
I told Amy that just because I was making her dress didn’t mean she couldn’t have the fun of trying on gowns with her family and friends. In fact, the more dresses she tried on, the better knowledge she would have of what really worked for her. Amy took pictures of a few of her favorite dresses so she could show me what details she liked and what fitting problems she had.

Be Detailed!
As with most things in life, a bridal gown is all about the details! Amy knew she wanted a simple, clean lined dress without beading or heavy lace, but it still had to be spectacular. So we spent an afternoon looking through a stack of bridal magazines and picking apart the dresses to find design elements she really liked. It turned out that she did like a touch of a lace, hated pearls and sequins, but loved rhinestones.

Know Your Budget!
Like most brides, Amy was on a budget. We started with her ideal dress of silk charmeuse and chiffon with rhinestone embellished lace and looked for ways to trim the cost without losing the look she wanted. We ended up with a lovely low sheen satin (also called dull satin) and an extremely soft chiffon. The lace was our real struggle. It is difficult to find bridal lace without pearls and sequins and all the pre-embellished lace was extremely expensive. We finally found a beautiful plain lace and embellished it ourselves with glue on rhinestones. Because Amy was so honest with me about what she could and could not afford, I was able to prevent her having a nasty sticker shock and I had the fun of designing the embellishments on the lace rather than just using what was pre-manufactured.

Be Time-Wise!
Making a custom wedding gown takes time. Amy was the perfect client. She came to me the day after her engagement to discuss her wedding dress. She was clear about her deadline needs we set a fitting schedule that worked for both of us. She lived out of state, so it was very important to keep our communication open about the progress of her dress. We set her final fitting about two weeks prior the date she needed the gown. This way we were prepared to handle any last minute emergencies without adding stress to either of us.

Be Flexible!
Although this was Amy’s wedding dress and she had been planning it for years, I knew more about fabrics and patterns and how each would work with her figure. Amy really wanted a soft, easy flowing fabric. However, that fabric was not going to work well with the dress style she had picked out. By listening to my advice and going with a heavier weight fabric, she ended up with a dress that fit her and was able to support her chosen style. Lightweight, flowing fabrics are great for loose fitting dresses, but just cannot support a highly tailored gown without a great deal of inner structural support.

Be Supported!
Amy is large busted and was concerned about having adequate support for her wedding day. We discussed the styles of dresses she liked and decided on an appropriate undergarment to wear. She bought the undergarment before I took her measurements and she wore it each time we did a fitting. Every support garment affects your figure differently. One bra may lift and separate while another may flatten slightly and yet another may be padded. Each of these differences drastically changes the way a well-tailored gown will fit your body.

Amy also knew that she wanted to wear a slight heel. I explained to her that our shoes effect our posture as much as our height. We all tend to relax and maybe slouch a little when we are barefoot or in flat shoes, but we stand straighter and hold our tummies in out of habit when we are in heels...and the higher the heels, the better our posture. At each fitting, Amy wore shoes that were the same height as her intended bridal shoes.

Be Fit!
As I explained to Amy, a wedding gown will require at least two fitting muslins prior to starting on the actual dress. (If your seamstress does not offer fitting muslins, get another seamstress!) Fittings are crucial to creating a perfect dress and fitting muslins are often used as the pattern for the final dress. Once the fabric for your dress is cut, it cannot be uncut, so it is imperative that the fit be exactly what you want before scissors touch that special fabric.

Be Consistent!
As with most brides, Amy’s weight fluctuated some as her big day approached. This is normal and slight variances can be accommodated with little difficulty. Do not go into a custom dress situation planning to change your weight. Drastic weight changes will effect the shape and proportion of your body in ways that are impossible to guess. If you want to modify your weight prior to the wedding, then do so before having your gown designed and fitted.

Be Realistic!
Amy knew that having her dress custom made would take longer than just picking one out at her local bridal boutique and was prepared for that. I have been amazed at the unrealistic ideas some of my clients have had. You cannot expect haute couture detailing on a shoestring budget. If you are a curvaceous lady, do not expect to suddenly look like a runway model and vice versa. If you make major changes in design elements, expect the cost of your dress to change accordingly. Be thoughtful when requesting changes. Discuss the consequences of any change with your seamstress so that you are both aware of the effect on budget and time lines.

Enjoy Yourself!
Amy knew that having her wedding dress custom made was a once in a lifetime experience. Her dress was fitted to her body and filled with details and design elements that she picked out. Although it was time consuming and, at times, tedious, Amy enjoyed the attention and the opportunity to create her perfect dress. It was all about her big day. Every rhinestone, every yard of lace, all the hours of fittings and design details were part of creating the perfect dress to showcase her. We both enjoyed every minute of it!

Introducing Lauren Gray

Every once a while an artist takes you by surprise. Not so much because of what they do, but how they do it. Lauren Gray's work is ethereal, soft spoken, gentle and timeless. I cannot take my eyes from it. Everytime I enter her Etsy shop, GrayArt, I am enthralled by the beauty of her images.


There is a vintage feel to her work, as if it has existed for ages. When I first saw her work, I thought she was a charcoal artist using various shades of brown. I love the soft, slightly fuzzy look of charcoal sketches, so I was immediately charmed by her work. Especially as the brown colors she used was reminiscent of sepia toned prints, which I adore. You cannot imagine my surprise when I discovered that she does all of her drawing on wood with a wood burning tool. I have never seen such delicate work done with this technique.


Lauren describes her work as follows:

"I am a small format figurative artist (all pieces 5" x 7" or smaller). All of my original artwork is pyrography (woodburning) and oils mixed media. All of my artwork is original and hand drawn onto wood (italian poplar, or baltic birch) using a burning unit and burning pens. I like subtle color and the texture of the paint, so in most pieces I apply oil paint as well.

Aside from my visual art pieces, I also like to create one of a kind jewelry pieces, bookmarks and other items, all of which feature original art and make for great gifts.

All of my prints are from a top of the line archival epson. It prints what it see's. The originals were created on wood, wood has natural variances in its surface (darker spots, divets. etc.) all of which lend to the beauty of the artwork. These natural blemishes DO show up in the prints. They are not defects in the print themselves, but are a natural part of the original artwork"


I asked Lauren for a little information about herself as an artist and she provided me with a brief bio from the Create, Collect, Trade 2008 book that she is featured in:

"My name is Lauren Gray and I am a 28 year old self-taught artist living in Pennsylvania. Like many artists, I discovered a love for the arts at a very young age. I grew like many artists who have had no formal art training, through trial and error. I have experimented with all mediums and styles and slowly evolved to where I am now...continually changing, learning and most importantly, practicing every day. The main constant in my work, one that will never change, is my love for the figurative arts. I love energy, expression and attempting to bring the figure to life.

In 2005 I discovered Pyrography. Pyrography is the art of drawing an image onto wood using a hot tool. It is more commonly referred to as woodburning, or “writing with fire” as it was described in the past. It is one of the more challenging and time consuming mediums I have worked in, but I feel the end result offers a classic beauty that truly is unique to the medium.

I have been selling my art privately and online since 2002. You can learn more about me and my art at LGrayArt.com."


I think you will agree that she has succeeded in bringing the figure to life in her artwork. Lauren offers originals as well as ACEOs and limited editions of her work in her Etsy store. She also has bookmarks (which sell out fast, so if you see one in her shop, grab it!) and Tagua Nut pendants and is soon to offer wooden bangle bracelets.



Lauren has written quite an informative explanation of the process involved in doing Pyrography on Tagua Nut here in the description of her pendant. I highly recommend visiting her Etsy store and discovering for yourself the incredible talent this young lady has.

Conquering 10 Gauge Stainless Steel Wire

I love copper, as I've stated before. The color intrigues me as it ages from bright shiny penny to rich nut brown to that heavily weathered green and blue patina. It is a soft wire and a great deal of fun to play with. You can curl it, bend it, hammer it flat to get whatever shape you want. I made a hefty keychain out of 8 gauge copper wire and my husband liked it so much, that I made one for every guy in my family for Father's Day last year. I received so many compliments that I decided to list it in my Etsy store.

Many people looked at it, a few commented and left hearts to let me know they liked it. One brave soul contacted me and asked if I could make it in stainless steel. Well, having never worked with stainless steel before, I told him I had to research it a bit. It took me quite a while to find a source for stainless steel wire in a heavy enough gauge to get the same look, but I finally did at The Ring Lord, located in Canada. The heaviest I could find was 10 gauge, but according to the measurement charts, it was only a bare fraction of an inch smaller than the copper, so I went ahead and ordered it. I eagerly awaited it's arrival, looking everyday for a little box on my front porch. You can't imagine my surprise when I discovered a white tyvek bag holding what appeared to be an 18" frisbee. I knew right away I was in trouble! This wire had traveled from Canada to Georgia in a plastic bag and was so stiff, it was left loosely coiled and was not even the slightest bit warped! I wish I had thought to take a picture, because it really was intimating looking.

So, off I started on the journey to tame 10 gauge stainless steel wire. The first thing I learned was that i could not cut it with any of the shears I have on hand (even the ones used to cut 4 gauge copper wire) nor could i cut it with a cold chisel...got a nice big nick in my hubby's blacksmithing chisel...good thing he has a grind wheel. I finally dug out the hacksaw and that did the trick.

I coiled it around a 1/2" aluminum rod that was secured in a smooth jawed vise. I discovered that steel gets warm as it bends, copper does not do this. It also has a lot more spring back than copper. I can see this being extremely dangerous if tried with a motorized coiling system. It coils fairly neatly, but you have to really watch your coils as they form, I had at least two that are slightly oval. I was able to get about 18 rings from 36 inches of 10 gauge wire.

I don't have a jeweler's saw, so I used a hacksaw to cut the rings. I discovered that a 24 tooth blade worked much better than the 32 tooth blade. The blade with more teeth left a smoother cut, but it took forever and it dulled very quickly. I actually snapped two 32 tooth blades while cutting the rings. I am figuring it's going to take at least a couple of blades for each keychain.

Once the rings were cut, it was time to clean them up and get ready to assemble the byzantine link. I went through about 3 jeweler's files, before i just gave up in disgust. Automotive emory cloth worked much better for smoothing the burs and wiped away the slight scratches with ease. I didn't want to scratch the rings as I opened and closed the rings, so I had my husband cut the toothed portion off the end of two pairs of heavy duty needle nosed pliers. This gave me two pairs of snub nosed, smooth jawed pliers to use to twist the rings open and closed. Not that it did me any good as I could not budge these rings by hand.

So, back to the smooth jawed vise i went. I clamped each ring in the vise and then used a pair of the modified snub nosed pliers to twist the rings while applying pressure to close them.

It took quite a bit of hand strength and I didn't think to wear gloves until after I had pulled up an inch long blister at the base of my right thumb...ouch! You can bet I dug out those gloves fast to finish assembling the link!

Although I still prefer the look and feel of copper, I am very proud to say that I can hand coil, cut and assemble a byzantine link from 10 gauge stainless steel wire!


You can see more photos of the link of the link assembly on my flickr page.