Number 3: A Chain with Flowers

So, in late February, after taking Amy Tavern's workshop (Innovating the Chain) at Pocosin Arts Folk School's annual retreat, I was inspired.  I was inspired to make more chains, and to focus my energy and create some boundaries for myself in my jewelry making.  I challenged myself to make ten chains from aluminum sheet metal.  Why aluminum?  Because I have a lot of scraps left over from an Airstream Trailer renovation project.  And, it is shiny, light, and soft.

In my first post to this blog, I loosely listed my criteria.  I wanted to create some limitations for myself, to not think too much about jewelry making in the sense of creating earrings, pendants, broaches, bracelets, necklaces, rings, etc.  And I didn't want to think about making things to sell.  I wanted to make some chains made of shapes which connect somewhat self-consciously.  Each shape is made with the intention of connecting to another very similar shape.  They are all sawed by hand, so they vary, and I also vary them intentionally. 

I'm in the early stages of jewelry making, and I feel the need to learn more about what I like, before I go banging out a bunch of stuff I'm not so sure about.  I have a lot of ideas.  I'm trying to refine them, and grow my technical skills.  This ten chain project is a learning exercise for me.  The blog is to keep me on track and say things out loud.  I also work really independently and I feel a need to connect, so blogging seemed like a good idea.


Number 3: A Chain with Flowers
I made a wee bit of progress on my third chain.  In the photo at left you can see the shape of one of the links, just after I drew it, cut it out with my jeweler's saw, and filed the edges.  It still lays flat on my bench pin.  The next step is to form it, give it some dimension.

 Here you can see I formed one of the links.  I used a weighted rawhide mallet to hammer and form the aluminum to a round steel dapping punch.  This process also hardens the aluminum.

The rawhide doesn't mar the top surface.

The underside is shiny, burnished by the steel.

After the links are formed, they are connected and are secured with tube rivets, and this connection is bejeweled with little blue anodized aluminum flowers (which I sawed, filed, and domed).  To complete the chain, I'll probably make around 18 links.

 Thank you for reading!

Chain Number 2 - Finished!

Here is chain #2 of my ten chain challenge.  Aluminum sheet metal and tubing.

 

I wanted to make a chain connected with rivets.  Rivets are round, so I chose circles for the holes for tabs to pass through.  I then tried to draw/saw the external shape of the link in such a way that would nicely contain the two circular elements. 

To bring in some color, I tried some lime green anodized aluminum.  I used this in the clasp (also adding a bit of strength), and added little circles as highlights around some of the tube rivets.  The color held strong through the patina and the tumbling. 

The back of the chain. 





























I think my next chain will have some flowers...

Chain Number Two - Sidetrack

Chain number two is actually complete.   I'm a little behind in blogging.  Before I post the finished chain, I want to write about this direction I started in, then turned back and clarified my criteria.   

While working on this chain, I made a link different than the rest.  It involves two layers separated by two sections of tubing, and tube riveted together.  It's kind of like a link of a bicycle chain. After I connected this link to the rest, I considered making a centerpiece for the chain, making more of a symmetrical necklace (as seen in my sketch in the top photo).

But I just didn't feel good about where this was heading.  It was seeming a little too cyborg or something. I kind of liked the new link, and maybe it will be the start of another chain, but I wanted to take it out, set it aside for awhile.

For this ten chain project, I realized I'm most interested in chain-likeness.  Chains with varying links, similar in form and function, with no dominant center.  I think I partially made this decision to keep it simple, and not let too many ideas creep into one chain.  Tune in to the way the forms are repeating.  Pay attention to how slight differences in the links affect the way they connect and move.

The links of this chain are connected by a tab folded over then riveted with aluminum tubing.  The green circle is a piece of anodized aluminum.  I was curious how the anodized material would hold up with the patina and in the tumbler.