Studio Setbacks

Some days are just not good studio days. Today I got SO close to finishing a ring that has sat on my bench for a year. I cut copper discs, then etched, domed, torch-enameled, relief-sanded and heat-patinated both. I chose my favorite for the ring and started to form the bezel around it. One of the reasons this ring mount has been sitting is that I didn't make it quite right. I made the bezel wall a bit too heavy, and I forgot to do the decorative edge before it was fired. Thus, today the bezel didn't fit as neatly as I would have liked, and the plain edge caused me to push the forming a bit too far. One slip and whack onto the enameled copper caused the glass to chip right off. See the bright, shiny copper area in the upper right quadrant? One ruined ring, this close to finished ...

What do you do when some days just go wrong? This isn't the only project I'm trying to progress on today, and it isn't the only one being difficult. 

Ring a Week 14/52 -- Glass Bird Rings

And now for a little diversion. My DH and DS went to an airshow over the weekend, leaving me home alone with my art supplies. I spent a lot of time on the torch, since I haven't been out there much over the last year. I got to try out a lot of experiments from my idea stash. The foremost was to make a glass ring to keep up with the Ring a Week challenge.

Several weeks ago, I bought a large round mandrel that I thought would be big enough for a ring. My idea was to sculpt a bird ring, similar to the bird rings I carve out of bronze. Glass, of course, is a different beast. But this was the first experiment. The hardest part was to get the glass (semi)evenly deposited onto the mandrel in a ring. I decided I needed to work right at the end of the mandrel, where I had the edge to guide me, rather than in the middle of mandrel, where my wrap didn't exactly meet up -- that was a seriously jogged first ring! This first effort is rather simplistic, but it shows that I can make it work.

I ground out the inside of the ring to remove any sharp edges. It fits quite well on my size 8 forefinger. How sturdy it is? That is the question. I guess I need to wear it around some to see how it takes knocks. I made the bird fairly stocky to avoid weak glass points on the beak, wings and tail.

Since I only have the one mandrel this size, it's a one ring at a time experiment. Next round, I'll get a bit more elaborate.

Ring a Week 12/52

I found a new simple ring design that I love. I think I might make a whole handful of these. Here's the first, Nestling.

It was rather serendipitous design. I cut an oval and then a frame for it that had a hole too small. As both were drying, I cut another image into the proper size oval. Eventually I stacked them all up with the ring embedded between. Easy as it possibly could be.

And I finished ahead of my deadline this week!!! See the rest of the challenge offerings at the Ring a Week Flickr site.

Ring a Week 10 and 11/52 -- Metal Clay Strap Band RIngs

This week I made two rings to make up for one of the weeks I missed due to being away. After prowling through my sketchbooks for new ideas (why haven't I drawn anything in there lately??), I decided to try a new strap band ring design. The band was fired flat, then drilled and attached to the top with beaded rivets.

I'm not crazy about this strap band design. The rings feel too flat and dimensionless to me. The strap band attaching at the edges makes the ring shank less than round. I did like the ring face designs, so I think I'll try to do the shank differently with a similar top. Even as I write this, modifications are popping into my head. Next week's ring is coming right along (maybe I'll even be on time).

Ring a Week 4/52

While I thought I was catching up last week (really, I was!), I still managed to fall behind schedule on my Ring a Week construction. I decided (wisely, I think) that doing the enamel work last night after 10 pm was not the right choice. So it had to wait until afternoon today.

I just finished another project that I incorporated enamel into, my final Master Muse tutorial, so I really wanted to try some enamel on a quick ring. This is a spin-off on my second ring, but with a pop of color. When I went to fire the enamel, it occurred to me that I had no sure idea how to support a ring well in my kiln for enameling, so I decided to torch fire it, which was very quick and easy.

I have a couple more variations in mind, and even components lying about on my table. Perhaps I'm catching up after all. I could stand to have a bit more time to fuss with the enamel, to clean off the exposed silver better, etc. Time -- the limit of creative output!

Broken Birds

Alas, the kiln gods did not smile on the bird rings. Last night when I finished the rings and then checked sizes, I decided to carve the shanks just a bit more to enlarge them. Bad idea. Three out of four opened up, and the fourth one has a tiny crack. So the flock going to Purdue is the same five from before.

Now I just need to dream up an idea for using the broken birds in another piece. I can see they all broke right under the head, so I know to carve extra carefully there next time.

Bronze Bird Ring Flock Increases

So many people have asked about bronze bird rings that I broke down and carved another set last night.

The issue with rings, of course, is one of size. And with bronze clay, the size issue is exacerbated because of shrinkage. I should be more scientific, I guess, and carefully measure before and after to analyze the shrinkage. For some reason, I feel unscientific about this, preferring just to get out my circle template, choose circles 2-3 ring sizes larger than my target size, and then cut each one with a different hole. Not that the size stays what I cut, as I carve the shank, making it larger. I notice when I slip them over the ring mandrel afterward that they are not perfectly round any longer (surprise!). That hand-carved look is the point, after all.

Ah ... they are what they are. The kiln gods have them, and each bird will hopefully find a willing finger to roost on, appropriately sized. This makes a flock of nine to take to the PMC Guild Conference.

Bronze Birds of a Feather

They came through the kiln unscathed, that fearless flock of bronze bird rings.



Of course, there is always one that has to fly a different direction.

Simple Enamel Ring

In the interest of using up more bits and pieces lying around, I set a plain dome of enameled copper into a silver ring. This piece is smaller than the previous enamel rings that had larger discs of copper etched with drawings of birds. BTW, it's size 7.



The blue fading to green with speckles of white overlaying is just luscious.



Of course, this got me to wanting to make more rings and torch more enamel. Wonder what else I have stashed?

Fine Silver Bird Ring

My progress is rather slow due to healing exhaustion and therapy, but I did manage to finish a domed silver ring. The silver dome was shaped over a polymer clay mold, then attached to a thick base with embedded wire shank. To finish, I wrapped a mock bezel around the side and notched the top edge.


It's a substantial ring, rather solid on the finger, so now I want to make another lighter version.

Silver Clay Rings -- Strap Band and Wire

I finally got around to working on the strap band ring I made in Kate McKinnon's workshop. The band is 10 cards thick, cut as a flat strap, fired then formed, inserted into a wet clay slab. I got that much completed in class, but the ring has been sitting on my worktable for a couple of weeks.


Yesterday, I cut a thin circle with my bird texture and attached it to the top. Then I domed an open ring (actually two, since I underestimated the needed size on the first) and set that over the texture. Two hours in the kiln, some finish work, and a quick layer of turquoise resin gave me this hefty ring.

I'm not much into rings usually, but this was so fun and easy, I might have to do a few more.


And I formed the heavy 12 gauge wire ring, with silver clay bird and flower added to the ends. Even easier!