You are welcome Sarah – just so you know there will likely be some wave – you can always tap it out flat again with a nylon hammer on a steel block if its causing you grief.

Laura,

What sells at First Thursday vs PSM? Is it anything different? A different price point? I think the snakes at $50 are a bargin – they would be $75 or $100 on my table.

This is super hard but try not to worry about the crazy people selling $5 earrings or $10 3 for $25 – they have to sell (and make) massively more things than you do – they…

Read more

Hey I was at that market on saturday tooo🤣 and Ill be back in 2 weeks to do it again.

It was an off day all around. The night market with all the crazy stuff is super annoying. There are a bunch of seemingly well loved markets that cater to those super low end venders.

The snake earrings came out pretty cool in person.

Sorting things out implies there is a place to sort things into, which doesn’t exist. I need to completely empty the whole room. Then completely start over. You know how that goes.

Laura

We are getting the same questions. I offer real gold at 10x the price listed as a starting point. Shoppers by and large dont understand the costs of real gold and there are a lot of businesses out there who will cheat. Plated anything should never be sold as anything but plated. Remember in the US the word Gold has no implied value…

Read more

Sarah

Pick a direction and stick to it. As long as you roll in the same direction things should work out. I use a sharpie and mark the end Im feeding so I dont rotate the sheet in error. I do flip my sheet side to side and roll it a second time for every move I make. Just to make sure that Im getting and even roll. Make sure you anneal your…

Read more

Regan

Thats a great idea. Ive been following a jeweler who has a whole outdoor work anywhere bench setup that you can literally strap to a tree and work. So cool.

Carmen

I have zero experience with this, which is not going to stop me from pusting my opinion 🤣

I would add the hinge first, then set the piece into pumice to support the hinge. I might also add a piece of copper inside the hinge tube as a heat sink, though I would also be concerned about solder reflow so maybe a graphite stick?

Anyway Id add…

Read more

The last piece I finished, is on my table for sale the next day. This is Rosiritia with my signature twisted bail. Nothing went wrong and I would do things the same way next time. Unlike the earring settings I trashed before I finished the pendant 🤣

Woot! Im happy to hear that you got a compliment on them. Huhs

The last I did the math Rio Pro was the cheapest for silver though Stuller has a better selection of wire options. Stuller was better on Gold however by quite a bit

I totally agree about the height limitations. I definitely end up cutting things down more than id like. I haven’t used 22g though. I might have to try that.

I do like the labels though that is a good idea

Those are going to be awesome when they are all finished. The bezels look pretty perfect.

Dan

actually its just shadow from something else on the table – they weren’t treated. Though I can say that i often tumble my LOS pieces and the LOS survives beautifully – It really adds a nice finish to LOS then remove some then tumble finish

I can’t believe that I’m doing this . I dislike my space so much. This is where I do most of my work – hot on the right and setting on the left – “storage” literally anywhere flat. My big cutter and press are in the garage and my finishing/tumbling space is in the kitchen along with the pickle pot.

I actually found a space that checked a lot…

Read more

I was making another of these little rings. Its silver with a roll printed texture and a little Moissanite stone. They started off as a way to reuse a couple of stones that I tried on some earrings that just didn’t work but these little rings have been a hit in the case so far.

Its my last 3.5mm stone and I cracked it doing the Octopus…

Read more

Fresh out of the tumbler to get set and cleaned up today for the show this weekend. Large and Medium sized hair clips – 3 sizes of hair ties (hair things have been super popular lately at all out markets) small umbrella earrings – small jellyfish earrings – bezel settings for a pendant and earrings and a roller ring plus some chainmaille.

I’ve sold a little bit of everything recently. A few highlights and some pricing – Lucy you have a pair of these Fuschia earrings. It was one of the first flower earrings that I ever did and has always been popular. Its all cold connection to give the flower a lot of movement and the stamens also swing. There are also a few custom pieces -…

Read more

Hi Cecelia

I completely agree with Carmen – I use Renaissance Wax on some of my pieces but – its basically just to slow down how often I have to clean things.

Anything you do short of clear enamel is going to come off over time – even enamel frankly dpending on wear – plating, coatings, waxes all wear off.

Good plan. I never think that far ahead 😂

How are you planning to cut the bezel in half? Are you thinking to cut the strip in half before you form the circle? Not after you form it up right? I am interested to know if it actually saves time in the long run – I stock a number of heights of strip so I pick something close for each stone – more $$…

Read more

Sabine

If Ace can’t help you – Fretz sells replacement parts for those hammers

Hi Polina

My suggestion is going to be fiddly but I think it would work really nicely.

Instead of making a bezel to try to stabilize your backplate and stone. Could you use wire (maybe half round) to build a type of seat for the crystal? I envision something that fits under each crystal and is soldered in place lea ing all the existing prongs…

Read more

Today we stop in the absolutely beautiful town of Poulsbo. Trina and I are at the Art festival here and I got to meet Lisa of @lisabakerstudio fame. We got to have a great chat and take a selfie. I love it when I get to meet other people from the MA.

absolutely don’t go back to adulting if you can😁 – I don’t recommend

Hi Kayla,

My big things for new venders are – Get the absolute best canopy you can afford – with a white top. Cheap canopies are cheap for a reason and wind is really dangerous. Use more weigh than you think 40lbs per leg is the minimum – and tie the weights into the upper portion of the canopy frame. Just setting weight on leg isn’t…

Read more

We basically sell in person almost exclusively. I make maybe 3 online sales a year. Mostly to return customers. We will do 60 in person events though.<div>

Customers say some outrageous things. We had a guy actually scream out loud at the price on something once. F the haters. We sell art.

I promise no matter what price you have somebody is…

Read more

Hi Sarah,

As a working artist there are basically 3 avenues to sell in – in person, online and through a 3rd party rep/consignment/wholesale.

I am going to encourage you to keep making and gifting things if thats what makes you happy. Don’t try to sell or consign your work if your heart isn’t into it. As you’ve found selling is a lot of work…

Read more

😊😊😊

I hope you had a great time at the festival

Hi Bobbie,

You can absolutely get Gold posts (or make some from 20 gauge wire even)

The gold filled shoudl take a hammer texture pretty well – what it doesn’t do well is handle heat and things like filing – the gold layer is pretty thin relative to the Brass layer and it can melt or be filed therough faster than it seems like.

You may be better…

Read more

☺️☺️☺️☺️

Trina and I have a great time hanging out and talking shop

Its true, I love a good tourist market.

Hi DJ and welcome!

I drive by your place quite a bit these days. We do a lot of shows in OR and Portland, coming down from south of Seattle.

What kind of cabs do you work with?

Im super jealous that you are on a canal boat. The idea is so cool to me. Im sure in practice its like many things but from the outside its sooo interesting and cool. Im happy to talk selling anytime. Feel free to message me.

Sarah

If you ever want to chat about markets. Im happy to talk tops amd tricks. Its completely doable to go to a market while you are still learning the ropes

I love it when I get to meet other MA members out in the wild!! @Birgit stopped by our booth today at the Bellevue Arts Festival and I got a picture

If you ever see me out and about stop by and say hi

Yay!!!! Thats great news Carmen. I love it when saying No works out.

yes please @weng

@Weng This is the thread

https://metalsmithacademy.com/discussion/where-to-start/

@Weng the photo upload issue seems to have returned. I just tried to load photos twice to acthread started by Kimberley today and neither set loaded.

I thought i had loaded these. Let’s try again. 2 different pairs of blob earrings

So far the earrings are hanging. This is a set I did with tube set sapphire.

Im here whenever you have questions😀

Hiya Lovely

I’m going to come in and say do some octopus setting – cause thats what I do. 😂

i’ve been experimenting with what i’m calling blob earrings – I take a blob of melted silver (3 grams) and i press part of a larger impression die – just getting some of the pattern – cut the bits down into something roughly similar in size and shape and…

Read more

Yeah – I don’t wanna think about ordering silver. 😁I absolutely couldn’t stop myself from getting the mini bench though.

Some of you may be familiar with Corky from Metalsmith Society online. If not give her a follow for some fun content and merch. She is a truly sweet person. Her new product is a miniature jewelers bench and its fabulous! All wood, really well made with working drawers and a bench pin. All the drawers are felt lined.

I just had to setup an…

Read more

That photo looks just like my bench🤣

Hi Sarah – Have you looked at Lucys shop yet? She often has really great stones.

Kayla

The earrings look super fun. Ill be interested to see what some brass polish and a stiff bristled brush does.

Hi Michelle

You have a lot of options depending on what tools you have available or like to work with.

The fastest way is a sanding disc on your flexshaft. Or a rubber wheel with some abrasive – I personally like sanding discs because i like the control I have better but there is nothing wrong with a silicone wheel. You’ll probably want to…

Read more

Katherine,

Finding a way to hold and work on/with small pieces is something we all have to come up with a solution for.

This is where your bench pin, parallel pliers and some smaller files come in.

This is not the only way to do this – but what you could do is hold your piece with the pliers braced against the bench pin and then use your…

Read more

Hi Kayla,

Its super helpful if you can post a picture of the piece you have questions about. Sometimes that visual is the key to helping find a solution.

Have you tried using a brass polish at all? Sometimes thats all it takes.