My first copper etching experiment!

I'm still in the process of picking up a few more things, but I really wanted to try etching this weekend, so I went ahead and did a practice piece.

I picked up a lot of different sizes of pendants from Rings & Things, and decided to go with a small piece at first, because the larger pieces seem like they'll be more conducive to the designs I want to make.



I'm in the process of converting my sunporch into a workshop. Tons of ventilation, light (both natural and electrical), electrical outlets, and there's even a phone jack. Plus, the view is gorgeous. Here's the table with its messy array of items:



I cleaned up the table a little, and put down a vinyl protective cover that my uncle made from me, and rearranged things so that everything I need is on the table. Everything else is stashed all over the place, but that will change once I bring a rack into the room.



Since I do not currently have a laserjet printer, I decided to go for a simpler resist: a Sharpie marker. I drew a little test pattern on the piece.



Then, while coating the back and sides with more marker, I slipped, so I ended up adding a little more resist to the edges and front. I'll have to remember to be very careful in the future, or simply wipe it off and start again.



I'm using the electrolytic method, where you put the pendant in a salt & water bath and then hang another piece of copper opposite it. You then run an electrical charge through both pieces--positive to the pendant, negative to the scrap piece--and eventually the parts of your pendant that are not coated with resist will be eaten away.



I've just started the air pump, which is connected to an airstone I've immersed in the water, which will keep the water mixing and allow the pendant to etch faster.



After a half hour or so, the solution changed color.



After taking it out of the solution and using rubbing alcohol to clean off the marker, the pendant looked like this:



I then applied liver of sulfur to patina it, and rubbed off the highlights with a polishing pad.



In the future I will have to be more careful. I must have missed the bottom edge, because you can see that there's a bit that was eaten away. Also, I think some of the marker smudged, because the design in the lower right hand corner isn't very clear.

All in all, I think it was a pretty helpful experiment. I look forward to learning more about this technique.

A new world in a bottle

It's been so long since I tried anything new. Like...really new. I took a few metalsmithing classes a while ago, but I'd already taken a metalsmithing class, and some of the topics were familiar.

But experimenting with these copper blanks will take me far out of my comfort zone. I'm excited and a little fearful. My brain teems with images. It also reminds me how much I've spent on supplies and how disappointed people might be by the end product.

I have to remind myself that without taking that first step, no journey will ever occur. It's okay for it not to be a rousing success. It's okay if nothing comes out of it at all. The important part of this is trying something new. Remembering that there are new doors all around us.



This is just an ordinary canister filled with salt water. There isn't anything magical or special about it. It's a good beginning. Water and salt, basic things.

I remember thinking about fingerpainting recently. Does anyone ask What's the point of fingerpainting? It isn't the art created. It's the feeling of the paint on your fingertips, the touch of paint to page. It's about suppressing the rational mind and letting something new form, something which may or may not contribute to the gross national product.

Nearly ready to begin

I've purchased what I hope is the last set of items I need to start my experimentation. I'll start saturating the salt tonight into the water, and hopefully I'll have some preliminary pieces by next week! I'm so excited. It's been ages since I did anything creative like this.

Real life intrudes, as always

It's been a really crazy couple weeks--I'm still trying to get caught up with my eBay listings and Etsy. I plan on restocking both shops very soon--hopefully within then next few days.

I'm beginning to really get excited about my copper blank experimentation. I've decided to transform my sun porch into a workroom. Lots of light, lots of ventilation, and a great view of our backyard. I think it'll work out well. I'll post pictures soon.

Prelude to experimentation

I've been doing a lot of thinking, and thinking, and thinking. About business, and art, and where I want to be, and what I want to do.

That's a rough set of thoughts for anyone, and it's been a little tough to point the eye inward.

I started making beaded jewelry in 1996. I still enjoy it, but not in the same way that I once did. The market is so much different today that it's difficult for someone like me--laidback in presentation and personality--to catch the eye of potential buyers, especially when so many sellers are out there, putting together fantastic displays and engaging every prospective buyer with charm.

Once the competition to get into art fairs began to mount, it seemed like a natural fit for me to sell beads instead. I'm much more enthusiastic about the work of others, and I love beads, and it's been a great part-time occupation for a long time. I've worked as a sales rep for a company or two, and nowadays I sell my own inventory of closeout beads.

I really thought that closeout beads would be perfect in this market. People are scaling back their bead purchases and trying to make the most of their money, and I figured that selling discounted beads would be a cinch. I thought that it was perfect; I wouldn't have to have a really knockout display, because I wanted to have an image of low prices and bargains. It did seem to draw people at first, especially the bags of beads priced for a dollar each, but it seems to have slowed a little. I don't know if it's the economy, or competition.

Through all of this time, though, I've wished that I had a product or a line that would be more wholly mine. Something that I could use to indulge in my favorite things, images, words, anything. I don't consider myself an artist, but I do feel like there are images and ideas I can bring to something that would be interesting and unusual.

About a year ago, as I was going through the Bead & Button class catalog, I noticed classes being taught in metals. I don't remember if they were etching classes or just hammering/texturing/stamping classes; I do remember feeling extremely intrigued. Excited. My brain sparked, and for a moment I thought of all the interesting designs I could put on a pendant. I was on a cloud for an hour.

Of course, I am my own harshest critic, as many of us are, and by the end of the hour I had reminded myself about the reality of a project like this. Dealing with chemicals, working with metals (which can be a time-consuming process), having to contend with graphics programs like Photoshop to create and clean up images; well, I am not a girl with a lot of patience, and these things are daunting.

But the desire grew and grew. Designs kept popping in my head. Even thoughts of marketing, which is usually an alien subject for me.

I've finally given up trying to resist. The process isn't a terribly expensive one, it seems, though I'm still trying to work through electroetching (salt vs. copper sulfate?) vs. acid etching, and I haven't quite located every last cog. But the desire is still there, almost bubbling over. I just hope I can sustain it, even when nothing turns out as I expected, or my patience short-circuits.



Today I reached into my mailbox and found one of the last things I need; copper blanks that I had ordered from Rings & Things. I feel like a page has turned. Will I be able to turn this into something more? Could this be a new line and a new vocation? Or will I be closing out the results of this experiment in my dollar bags?

Only time will tell.