Chain Number 5

In September I attended a powder coating workshop taught by Kathryn Osgood. She is a friend of mine and her work is incredible! She accomplishes great things with enamel and is beginning to incorporate some powder coating in her work. Her workshops are always really informative and I was excited to learn about applying powder coat to aluminum. Initially I wanted to incorporate the technique in some components for chain #4. Instead, I was inspired and went home on Saturday evening of the workshop and cut out what I hoped would be enough pieces for chain #5. Here are some of the links curing in the toaster oven.

 

Not long after the workshop, I purchased some colors to try at home. I don't have a powder coating gun yet, so I experimented with sifting onto flat pieces (one side at a time) and then curing them on trivets in a toaster oven. (If I had a powder coating gun, I could coat the entire piece at once since it adheres with the help of an electric charge, and hang the pieces as above). At right is an image of the aluminum trivets I made sitting on top of and in the toaster oven. The pink flower components in chain number 5 (see below) were made at home, using the sifting technique. I decided to only coat one side of the flowers to let the bare aluminum show on the underside of the flower. I just finished a temporary clasp in green and pink. I would rather have the clasp be a matte black like the main components, but I think I need to wait until I have access to a powder coating gun in order to get the uniform finish. This was a fun chain to make.

 

My five aluminum chains. Halfway done!

 Thanks for reading!