Hello, hello, hello Thursday,
Ann is done! Her lovely charms look so cool! We are almost done with this swap and looking forward  to seeing everything put together!

Ask Auntie EM

If you're new here, this is a weekly blog post written by Sue and Ann where we tackle your metalsmithing and non metalsmithing questions. Having trouble with your solder? Need some help with stone setting? Have a problem 2 year old? We and EtsyMetal's 100+ members probably have the answer. If you'd like YOUR question answered in the future, please email your questions to askauntie@etsymetal.com and we will get to it as soon as we can. If you'd like to read past posts, they can be found here.


Let's jump right in to this week's question- it's a good one.

Hello Ladies!

I am a high school art teacher and I teach a jewelry/metals class. I’m definitely no expert in metals but I’ve been teaching the basics for many years. The one thing I haven’t really figured out is at what point in the process to add a hammered texture to the metal? Before soldering or after soldering? If adding it after soldering you run the risk of tapping an area you don’t want to hit, and if you do it before soldering then the contact area to be soldered is no longer a snug fit. Any helpful tips would be great!

Thanks so much!

Laura

Well Laura, as with most things in life, it DEPENDS.  There is no absolute right and wrong to this question, each situation requires thinking through the fabricating process and doing what makes the most sense.  I would say as a general rule, I apply texture before fabricating.  But, of course, rules are meant to be broken and sometimes should be.  Let's talk about some specific examples and discuss how we might solve the texture problem.

For textured ring shanks you can do it either way but i prefer to put the texture on first and then cut the ring blank out.  This prevent tapping an area you don't want to hit or distorting your fit which may happen if you texture it afterwards.  If the texture is just in a line, or a small area and not the whole band, then i might texture it afterwards, placing the band on a steel ring mandrel and tapping it on that to prevent the ring shank from going "out of round".  

Of course, if you texture first and then fabricate you must consider your solder seams.  Wherever you place the solder, that spot will require filing and sanding and that runs the risk of removing your texture.  I try to place the solder seam in the least noticeable spot so that if there is a loss of texture, it is hidden as best as possible. 
 

When soldering on a textured surface, I try to place my solder on the non-textured side.  Say in our ring shank example, I would solder from the INSIDE of the band and draw the solder to the outside texture.  At least then the remaining solder blobs will be on the smooth inside where they are easy to clean up and not on the outside where I will lose the texture in the clean up process.  You may still have to do a bit of cleaning on the outside too, but you will be dealing with a relatively clean line of solder and not blobs which will require more aggressive filing.  Make sense?  I do this as well with brooches, necklaces etc.

If I cannot fabricate the piece by putting on the texture first, then I will do it afterwards with the realization that yes, I will have to be careful and tap on steel that supports the piece in the best way so as not to distort it.  Another trick, if you have access to this, is to etch the texture in after fabricating and this works beautifully.  Of course, not all pieces will be amenable to this process and you may need to use asphaltum or another stop-etch measure to prevent areas from being etched if the piece also has non-textured areas.  

You certainly could also cut a ring blank, texture it and then true it up again afterwards so you get a proper fit if anything gets distorted if you prefer that method. 

I hope this helps you Laura.  There are many different ways to deal with this particular issue, with no one way being correct for all pieces.

Until next week, happy metalsmithing, and keep those good questions coming!

Sue

“What’s New”

Welcome to “what’s New” on EtsyMetal.
Every Saturday I am here to show you the new listings from our team members on Etsy site.
We on EtsyMetal team set our mission to support each other as independent artists and Etsy as a platform for selling quality handmade goods.
The EtsyMetal mark is your assurance of hand made craftsmanship, quality, and that the artist follows ethical trade practices.


Quercus Silver                                       lsueszabo


aroluna                                                    SCJJewelryDesign


EveMMetalsmith                                   Michele Grady Designs


nova of sweden                                      Hartleystudio


2Roses                                                       Mary Anne Karren


betsy bensen                                           LivelyHood


Kathryn Cole                                           LjBjewelry


 e5jewelry                                                GeckoJ Designs


VirginieMartinStudio                        Victoria Takahashi/Experimetal


Peculiar Forest                                       silentgoddess


Anne Walker Jewelry

Be here on next Saturday for much more jewelry !
Subscribe to our blog for reminders.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND,
Inbar

Charm Swap 10

Hello Thursday! We have more charms finished! From Laney, we have these fabulous charms.

Reagan sends us these lovely geometric charms.
Finally we have a last minute addition! Mary Anne joins us with only a week to go! We are so excited to have her!
Check back next week for more updates!

EtsyMetal Turns 6!

Happy Birthday EtsyMetal!

Image courtesy of Erin Austin

Each year in October EtsyMetal grows another year older. This year we are celebrating our 6th year of being a team. Hooray!

With our birthday celebration in full swing many of our members are marking this momentous occasion by offering you, our loyal followers, a great deal in their Etsy stores.

All you need to do is check out the stores listed below and be sure to use the coupon code: ETSYMETAL6 when you check out (code will only work in participating stores and must be used at checkout to get the discount).

LET'S GO SHOPPING!

discomedusa
rubygirl
daniellejewelry
karlawheelerdesign
virginiemartinstudio
quercussilver
tkmetalarts
e5jewel
LjBjewelry
peculiarforest
mariagotijoyas
colleenbaran
NRjewellerydesign
michelegradydesigns
kathryncole
cynthiadelgiudice
JujuBySarah
markaplan
erinaustin
inbarbareket
aroluna
silentgoddess
sudlow
livelyhood
scjjewelrydesign
simplymega
annewalkerjewelry
metalluxe
wildflowerdesigns
panicmama
LichenAndLychee
geckoj
lsueszabo
novadesigns
novaofsweden
simplyadorning

We want EVERYONE to know about our 6th Birthday so we have been busy creating treasuries to celebrate.

EtsyMetal Birthday Treasuries!

We are pretty darn proud of our team and we want to thank everyone who has made EtsyMetal grow stronger each year. Here's to many more great years of EtsyMetal!

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Do you get the EtsyMetal newsletter?

Check out this month's edition here:

EtsyMetal October Newsletter:
Witches, Birthdays and Rainbows, Oh My!

Sign up to have the newsletter delivered to your inbox monthly so you are sure to keep up with all of the current happenings with EtsyMetal!

Members' News for October

Happy fall everyone!  Today is supposed to be Ask Auntie EM, but I also need to post this month's news so I'll do that today.  Ask Auntie will return next Tues.  In the meantime, have a look at what our members are up to this October....

Michele Grady Designs entered a photo of one of her pieces into the cover contest for "The Crafts Report Magazine". Out of the 249 entries she made it to the final 4. Her "Patchwork Necklace" can be seen in print along with info about her and the contest in the October issue of this national publication.
She also will be participating in the following shows:
October 6 & 7- Wheaton Village Festival of Fine Craft, 1501 Glasstown Rd., Millville, NJ
October 20 & 21- Crafts in the Meadow, 10 Stable Mill Trail, Tyler State Park, Richboro, PA

Winona from ArtbyWinona is going to have work in Lane gallery for the month of October:
2627 SE Clinton Street
Portland, OR 97202
Winona also asks for your vote- http://www.rawartists.org/artbywinona
She is in an art competition and needs all the votes she can get to move on to the next phase. Vote once a day until October 15th. Thanks for all of your help and support. --You need set an account first, that way there is not cheating.


Oh, and she got engaged on the 10th of September!  Congrats Winona!

2Roses will be participating at the International Fashion Photography Workshop in Los Angeles on Oct 13th & 14th. The high-profile events are held in LA, NY, Chicago, Miami and Milan, Italy and are sponsored by ProFoto, Samys Camera, ProGear the APA, ASMP, SLR Lounge.
They will also be participating at the Artistic License Show in Costa Mesa California, Oct 26th & 27th. Artistic License is among the oldest juried craft shows in Southern California and draws collectors and buyers from across the United States.

Silentgoddess Art Jewelry will be a vendor at the upcoming Make Olympia Arts Walk on Saturday, October 5th from 11am to 5pm at the the Artesian Well- 415 4th Ave E between Adams S and Jefferson in downtown Olympia.

Andrea of  ArtigianoJewelBox will be included in the 'best of etsy wall' in the coming Oct issue of the online publication 'Creating Linus Jewellery'.

Maria of Fluxplay will be in Twenty Twenty Gallery ,October 14 - November 9 . A selection of some of her popular fave's and some new designs at this Shropshire gallery.

She will be in the Christmas Craft Trail on November 11th. 11am-4pm . She will have a stand as part of a 'craft-trail' of local artists and makers work for sale, that visitors can follow by map around the site of Cotehele in Cornwall.

She has also begun an MA (Masters) at the University of Plymouth in Devon (UK) for Contemporary Designer Maker. She'll be exploring combinations of industrial and handmade processes and materials to eventually develop more efficient and cost effective ways of working then designing new ranges of jewellery as a result.

Sarah Holden of Facet and Forge Jewelry has a busy month.  She is participating in the national exhibition of jewelry, called RE-Fresh, in Brooklyn NY, 10/6-10/26.

She is also participating in the invitational JAWAchic: Jewelry and Wearable Art, in Chicago, Oct 19-21 at the Zhou B art center.

She will also be participating in  the holiday show One and Only: Gifts mad by Hand, at ARTspace in Kohler, WI.  Click on the link for more info.

Finally, L. Sue Szabo was accepted into the national multi-media show "Lines Into Shape" in Estes Park, CO. The show runs Oct 26- Nov 11, 2012. It is at the Art Center of Estes Park.

She was also accepted into the national multi-media show The Now Wow Project, at Hudson Gallery in Sylvania OH, 10/13-11/10/12.

Wow!  Etsy Metal is out and about this fall.  Please stop by and say "hi" if you are in the neighborhood.  Til next month,
Sue

Fall Favorites

Fall has arrived! We asked Etsy Metal members to share what they love most about the season as well as a piece of Fall inspired jewelry! Enjoy!

2 Roses:
Fall always reminds John of his childhood when his Uncle and Dad would take him out to the woods on the reservation and the still where they made moonshine liquor. He would help them fill up the false gas tank in his dad's hot-rodded 1956 Ford Fairlane with the "shine". The three of them then would set out on a night long shine-run across rural Indiana and Ohio making deliveries as they went. Barreling lights out down back country roads at well over 100 miles per was great adventure for a 10 year old boy, and sometimes they would let him drive.

Sterling Silver double Leaf Earrings

 

 

tkmetalarts:
Fall reminds me of the stunning colors that surrounded me 2 Octobers ago spent in New England. I just don't see much of those orange-yellow-red colors here in California. But that's OK because this subtropical gal will never survive even one of those New England winters.

Round Circle Pendant, Tangerine Chalcedony

LjBjewelry:
I grew up in Connecticut and the fall there was always so beautiful, the leaves changing colors, blowing around in the wind, the big pile of leaves we would make on the front lawn after raking them up, I miss that a lot, and of course the holidays that come with the fall season.

Copper Leaf Dangle Earrings

annewalkerjewelry:
The other day at school, my five-year-old daughter had to complete the sentence "What I like most about fall is..." And she said "picking up pretty leaves." (I like doing this too!) She likes to make leaf bouquets, which we bring inside to decorate our table. She also likes to make pretend salads with leaves in her playhouse.

Maple Tree Pendant

AdobeSol:
Fall Color!

Condor Agate Ring

TheSilverPearl:
I love running in the mountains in the fall, with snow dusting the peaks and fiery colors on the slopes and the smell of leaf mold underfoot. Running and apple pie. My apple pie is to die for.

Wood and Sterling Silver Hoops

quercussilver:
I studied English at Uni and I loftily despised the romantic poets then. Now, years later, I love to wallow in the rich language of John Keats "Ode to Autumn". It reminds me of the beautiful orchards of Somerset, where I live. Here's the start:

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

Sterling Silver Oak Leaf Earrings

sudlow:
Fall is all about apple picking & pumpkin patches!  

Wide Bronze Oak Ring

lsueszabo:
Fall is my favorite season. we got married in October in New England at a 17th century inn, in the forest. It was beautiful. I live in a deciduous hickory and oak forest now. It's just starting to get some color and lots of these guys....

Acorn Necklace

michelegradydesigns: 
Fall means Halloween is coming! I guess its the creative part of me but I love making my own costumes and dressing up!

Rain Forest Jasper Peridot and Amber

Check back next week for the second installment of our Fall Favorites including recipes for Spicy Pumpkin Soup and Home Baked Quince! Yum!

Thanks for reading and let us know what your Fall Favorites are in the comments!