Search results matching tags 'Art Jewelry magazine' and 'how to'

New online content — free videos, projects, and PDFs

Hazel Wheaton — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:56:00 GMT

::eyes calendar::

It's been a long time since we last checked in with the blog, but to make it up to you, I come bearing gifts. Our July 2009 issue made its debut just in time for the Bead & Button Show, which has occupied all our lives recently. We're awfully proud of the issue, and a quick look at the July table of contents will make it clear why.

To add extra value to the print edition, we've put a whole bunch of new content online, from videos that demonstrate particular techniques, to articles that give the basics about a particular medium, to charts that provide quick references when you're trying to pick out the right drill bit to use.

Plus, subscribers to the print magazine get an extra how-to project that directly ties in with one of the projects in the magazine.

Here's a rundown of some of the new stuff:

New subscriber-only project:

Learn how to use wireworking and wire-wrapping techniques to embellish a hook clasp in this beginner tutorial by Erin Paton. You can make a plain clasp or dress it up with a pearl — your choice!

Three new reference charts, available as free PDFs:

Ring size chart: Find standard U.S. and U.K. ring sizes plus inside diameter measurements and inside circumference measurements in this quick-reference chart. Also, learn how to calculate the length of metal sheet you'll need to make ring bands.

Metal piercing chart: Use this handy chart to determine which drill bit and saw blade to use for piercing your metal sheet.

Convert drill bit sizes to inches or millimeters: Drill bit sizes are based on a gauge system that's different from the standard wire-gauge system. Use this chart to convert between drill bit number, inches, and millimeters.

To get you all prepped for Angela Gerhard's lovely Sgraffitto enamel bracelet project, Associate Editor Jill Erickson has written an Introduction to Enamels: A glossary of terms plus safety basics.

And finally, the Art Jewelry editors unveil four brand-new instructional videos:

New video: Using a rolling mill Watch this video to learn about how to use a rolling mill to make a sheet of metal thinner.

New video: Roll-printing Metal Watch this video to learn how to impress a texture onto a sheet of metal using a rolling mill.

New video: Using a Disk Cutter Watch this video to learn how to use a disk cutter to cut circular disks from a sheet of metal.

New video: Using a Dapping Block Watch this video to learn how to use a dapping block to dome a piece of metal.

Enjoy all the new goodies!

Sneak peek behind the scenes as Art Jewelry magazine's editors tape new jewelry-making technique video tutorials for you!

Addie Kidd — Fri, 01 May 2009 21:24:00 GMT

Last week I told you about the free demonstrations of jewelry-making techniques that Art Jewelry magazine will be offering at the 2009 Bead&Button Show. Well, our online homepage poll last week showed that 73% of you guys have never even been to the show!

I hear you... traveling and workshops are expensive. So even if you can't attend the Bead&Button Show in Milwaukee, WI, you can still sit in on free demonstrations from the editors of Art Jewelry.

I'm talking about our online How To Jewelry-Making Videos. You can learn all sorts of stuff by following along as Jill and I explain various jewelry-making tips and techniques.

Plus our videos are shown in extreme close-up, which is a clearer view than you'll likely get in a class anyway. Ever tried to crowd around a teacher to see what they're doing?? Me too, and it can be frustrating when they're demonstrating a tiny little wee detail and you're the one stuck at the back of the group!

So here's a behind-the-scenes peek at how Jill and I make our videos.

Early in the morning, the camera crew of Keith, Roger, and Dave set up all the lighting around our workbench.

In this photo, Roger is using a light meter to check the lights and help us avoid any distracting shadows.

Then later, when Jill and I come in, the lighting and camera angles are checked and re-checked. You can see that we have two cameras. That way when Dave and Roger are editing the videos together after our shoot, they always have their pick of the clearest shot – you'd be amazed how often our hands get in the way!

Luckily, to help us with that, we have dual tv screens setup just off-camera, which you can see here. They help us keep track of where our hands are, and what's shown clearly within the frame of each camera's angle.

[What's tricky though, is doing a technique, while making sure that nothing (like your shoulders or stray hair) gets in the way, while watching both tv displays, AND verbally explaining what you're doing! *phew!*

That's why sometimes it's easier to just scrap the original audio, and voice-over the video later. We don't have to do that too often though, and prefer not to - it usually turns out better if we can go with the original flow of the visual and audio together.]

In this photo, you can see me pointing out the various pliers you'll need to make a wire spiral.

As I'm pointing to the tools, my eyes are fixed on those tv screens (that's my concentratin' face ;-) ). Jill took this picture from just behind the tv displays.

Shooting a bunch of videos — we taped seven that day — can be sort of hectic. After all, there are five of us in this little work room, with wires all over the floor, a tv cart, two camera stands, and lighting equipment setup everywhere!

(Did I mention how hot that tiny room gets with bright lights and a bunch of people after a few hours? Wow!)

But all in all, it's a pretty fun way to spend a day. We have a good time on our "Art Jewelry Soundstage." There's plenty of joking around, like in this shot, where I'm sharing a laugh with Keith. Maybe we should release a bloopers reel... :-P

We really love that we can offer videos to you guys — we know that there's no better way to help our readers learn new techniques that to show you ourselves. All or our jewelry-making videos are on our Web site. They're free to watch, you just need to be registered on the site first, which is also free.

FYI, We also have a selection of some of our videos on YouTube! Visit Art Jewelry magazine's YouTube channel to subscribe – you can get email updates whenever we post new videos. And you can easily share your favorite videos on social sites like facebook, myspace, twitter, stumbleupon, or by embedding the videos on your own Web site or blog. Have fun with it. :)

I'll keep you posted as to when our newest videos are finished in the editing room.
Until then, have a happy Friday!

~Addie~

We know you love bronze clay, but have you tried copper clay yet??

Addie Kidd — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:37:00 GMT

Silver clay has been around for over a decade now. Can you believe it??

Bronze clay was publicly introduced last year with great excitement.

Well wait no more. The next phase is here – copper clay!

(Shown at left is a photo of bronze clay next to silver clay - the contrast in each clay's quantity illustrates the vast price difference.)

The makers of BronzClay are in the final testing stages of a formulation of copper metal clay, with tentative plans to release it around spring time of this year.

But you don't have to wait until then to play with copper clay. There's another version of copper clay out on the market right now!

Hadar Jacobson, jewelry maker, author, and Art Jewelry magazine contributor, has been making her own copper and bronze metal clay for a number of years now. And she's just recently started selling her clay to the public.

Her clay comes in powdered form. It stores easily and you only make what you need – just add distilled water to mix up a batch. You can purchase powdered copper clay and bronze clay here.

Visit our Featured Videos page to check out Hadar's video – she'll show you how easy it is to mix your own copper or bronze clay.

As she describes on her Web site (click the history section), Hadar originally had inconsistent firing results with her clays.

But that all changed when Bill Struve (the creator of BronzClay) revealed his unique firing technique: immersing a clay object in activated carbon (shown at right) and firing it in a kiln. The carbon helps to prevent oxygen from getting in the way of the clay's sintering process.

If you're craving more about alternative clays:

Here at Art Jewelry, Jill, and I got to test bronze clay and its unique firing process before it was available to the public. You can read the article about it entitled "Now Entering the Bronze Age" in the July 2008 issue of Art Jewelry magazine.

And check out this blog post about bronze clay to see the adorable snail Jill made, named BC. He's so cute!

Here are some of Hadar's projects from the pages of Art Jewelry magazine:

March 2005: Learn how to make Bountiful Baskets, metal clay earrings. Click here for the download-able project.
September 2005: Learn tips and trips for working with metal clay. Click here for the download-able article.
July 2005: Learn how to make a metal clay pendant. Click here for the download-able project.
July 2006: Learn how to make a metal clay link bracelet. Click here for the download-able project.
March 2007: Learn how to use metal clay and screen to make earrings. Click here for the download-able project.

And if you do get any copper clay, be sure to post photos of your work in the Show Us Your Work section of our forums. Or if you're a subscriber, post some photos in the Metal Clay section of our Subscriber Gallery.

I can't wait to see what you create!

~Addie~

Special thanks to Elaine Luther and her blog, All Things Metal Clay for the link.

How To Polish Your Hammers — New Subscriber-Exclusive article on Art Jewelry magazine's Web site

Addie Kidd — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:28:00 GMT

We've just posted a new how-to article on our Web site exclusively for subscribers. It's in conjuction with Marie Cristine Knuff's article "Forge and Easy Chain" on page 58 of the newest issue (November 2008) of Art Jewelry magazine.

In it I walk you through the simple steps necessary to clean up your dinged, rusted, or worn hammers and bench blocks. (The Before and After shots are shown at right.)

So why take the time to polish a hammer??

When hammering, the texture of your hammer and bench block are transferred onto the metal. So a polished hammer and clean bench block are needed if you want to impart a shiny texture on whatever metal you're hammering. Clean, shiny tools will also save you extra time that would otherwise be spent cleaning up the hammered metal afterwards.

If you're a subscriber, check out the article in our Online Reference section here at www.ArtJewelryMag.com/reference. (That's under the Web site's Resources tab in case you didn't already know.)

And once you're ready to take that shiny hammer out for a spin, check out the current issue of Art Jewelry magazine.

~Addie~

P.S. If you're not currently a subscriber, you can still see our handy Abrasives grit chart. It lists traditional sandpaper grits in conjunction with the micron-graded equivalents.

P.P.S. If you're curious, you can find out more about the benefits and bonuses of subscribing here.

Art Jewelry magazine new instructional videos posted

Jill Erickson — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:42:00 GMT

That's right, we've got two new videos on the AJ site under the metal clay category. One video demonstrates how to roll out and cut wet metal clay, and the other video shows you different ways to add texture to wet metal clay. We'll keep adding new videos in the various categories (metalsmithing, wire, polymer clay, tools, etc.). Let us know if there's a specific technique or topic you'd like to see us demonstrate. As always, thanks for stopping to check out our blog. Cheers ;) Jill