{"id":11442,"date":"2020-04-06T09:00:33","date_gmt":"2020-04-06T08:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/blog\/?p=11442"},"modified":"2021-11-11T15:23:39","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T15:23:39","slug":"chasing-and-repousse-techniques-for-beginners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/blog\/learn\/chasing-and-repousse-techniques-for-beginners\/","title":{"rendered":"Chasing and Repouss\u00e9 Techniques for Beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chasing and repouss\u00e9 has been used by jewellers from as early as the ancient civilisations in the Bronze Age, and even before. The technique picked up speed all around the world, being used in Ancient Egypt, Greece, India and Pre-Columbian America \u2013 and is still a skill sought after by many jewellers today. Although, getting the hang of chasing and repouss\u00e9 can be challenging at first, it\u2019s super rewarding once you\u2019ve mastered it.<\/p>\n<p>Find out more about the chasing and repouss\u00e9 tools and techniques and what it actually is, below.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11463 size-medium alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/AdobeStock_131737720-200x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Using the chasing and repouss\u00e9 technique\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>What is repouss\u00e9 jewellery?<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re completely new to this technique, you might be wondering; \u201cwhat is repouss\u00e9 jewellery?\u201d. Let\u2019s start by decoding its name.<\/p>\n<p>Chasing, originates from the French word \u2018chasser\u2019 meaning, \u2018to chase\u2019 as the technique involves pushing back the metal to make the design protrude forward.<\/p>\n<p>In a similar vein, repouss\u00e9 is another French word meaning \u2018push up\u2019, referring to the action of hammering behind the design to bring it forward at the front. The combination of these two methods produces a tactile design with an equally eye-catching look.<\/p>\n<h2>Chasing and repouss\u00e9 tools<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s important that you pick up all the right chasing and repouss\u00e9 tools before you get started. Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll need:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/Jewellery-Tools\/Chasers-Pitch-Yellow-450g-prcode-999-0104\">chasers pitch<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/Jewellery-Design-Stationery\/Staedtler-Marsmicro-Mechanical------Pencil,-0.5mm,-HB,-Blistercard-With-Free-Leads-prcode-997-462\">pencil<\/a> or fine marker pen.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/Sheet\/-Alloy=9ct_Yellow_Gold_Sheet\/-Thickness=0\/-Type=0\/&amp;prdsearch=y&amp;show=N\">Sheet gold<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/Sheet\/-Alloy=Silver_Sheet\/-Thickness=0\/-Type=0\/&amp;prdsearch=y&amp;show=N\">silver<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/Sheet\/-Alloy=Copper_Sheet\/-Thickness=0\/-Type=0\/&amp;prdsearch=y&amp;show=N\">copper<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>A selection of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/Jewellery-Tools\/Set-Of-24-Steel-Doming-Punches,----Value-Range-prcode-999-3046\">smooth round steel punches<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>A selection of blunt, chisel-shaped punches.<\/li>\n<li>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/Jewellery-Tools\/Repousse-Hammer-32mm-prcode-999-620E\">repouss\u00e9 hammer<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/Jewellery-Tools\/Hand-Torch,-Please-Note-Jewellers--Torch-Is-Supplied-Without-Gas-prcode-999-955\">hand torch<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_11461\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11461\" class=\"wp-image-11461 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/999_620E_12-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Chasing and repouss\u00e9 tools\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-11461\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Repousse Hammer<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>The chasing and repouss\u00e9 technique: step by step<\/h2>\n<p>Now you know what repouss\u00e9 jewellery is and the tools it requires, it\u2019s time to talk you through the chasing and repouss\u00e9 technique itself. Just follow the steps below to get going:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Make your pitch.<\/strong> The first step in the chasing and repouss\u00e9 process is to prepare your pitch. Use a heat gun, hand torch or powerful hairdryer to heat up the pitch, before pouring or pressing it into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/Jewellery-Tools\/Pitch-Bowl-8-X-2-14-With-Support-Pad-prcode-999-6814\">pitch bowl<\/a>. As an alternative, you could use a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/Jewellery-Tools\/Multi-Purpose-Leather-Cushion-8--180mm-Diameter,-Filled-With-Fine,--Light-Weight-Grit,-588g-prcode-999-089&amp;query=Grit%20bag&amp;channel=uk\">leather cushion<\/a> filled with sand or grit which should function like a standard pitch.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prepare your design.<\/strong> Using either your pencil or marker pen, highlight the area on the front of the metal\u2019s surface to indicate where it will be pushed out from the back. Once done, curl the corners of the sheet into the pitch to keep it steady.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Punch in the design.<\/strong> Next, use the blunt chisel punch to mark out the design. To do this, repeatedly strike the chisel with your chasing hammer until you have followed the whole line. Make sure you\u2019re holding the chisel correctly too, at a slight angle with your thumb on one side and fingers on the other \u2013 touching either the pitch or the metal for further support.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Top tip! You\u2019ll need to strike the very top of the chisel with the flat end of the hammer, gently enough to make a smooth line that will show on the other side of the metal.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><strong>Repouss\u00e9 the metal.<\/strong> Take your repouss\u00e9 hammer and punches, turn the metal over and hammer within the areas that you have just marked out. Is the metal too hard to mould? Quickly anneal your design, cool and then try again.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prepare for chasing.<\/strong> Once you\u2019ve repouss\u00e9d the metal, remove it from the pitch and clean it before chasing. If there\u2019s any pitch still left on the design, lay it on a soldering table and use a flame over it, then you should see the residual pitch flake off. Quench the metal by placing it in cold water until it relaxes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Redraw the design.<\/strong> Using your pencil or marker pen, draw the outline of your design once more. When you\u2019re done, add it to the pitch the same way as before, front side up. Now you\u2019re ready for chasing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use your chasing tools.<\/strong> Make the repouss\u00e9d areas really stand out by using your punches and chasing tools to push the metal further down, all along the lines you\u2019ve drawn. Looking to add a pattern to the background? You can use marked punches at a right angle to the design to add more detail, just make sure you\u2019re annealing every time you switch sides. This action will make the corners of the metal become slightly distorted, but this isn\u2019t a problem as you\u2019ll be cutting it away.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Finish off the piece.<\/strong> Once you\u2019ve removed your work from the pitch, you\u2019ll need to anneal it once more, followed by quenching. When it\u2019s dry, put it on a metal flat plate with the design facing upwards, and use a large round punch to even out the sides. Then take a piercing saw and cut off the edges, before filing to finish. And you\u2019re done!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Ready to give this chasing and repouss\u00e9 technique a go yourself? Make sure that you\u2019re fully prepared with all the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/Jewellery-Tools\/\">jewellery tools<\/a> you need before you start. For more on the different techniques and equipment you can use, check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/blog\/category\/beginners-guides\">beginner\u2019s guide<\/a> section of our blog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chasing and repouss\u00e9 has been used by jewellers from as early as the ancient civilisations in the Bronze Age, and even before. The technique picked up speed all around the world, being used in Ancient Egypt, Greece, India and Pre-Columbian America \u2013 and is still a skill sought after by many jewellers today. Although, getting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1782],"tags":[113,114,705,45,29,71,49,30,1775],"class_list":["post-11442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metal-forming-stamping","tag-cookson","tag-cooksongold","tag-how-to","tag-jewellery-blog","tag-jewellery-making","tag-jewellery-making-blog","tag-jewellery-tips","tag-jewellery-tools","tag-legacy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>Chasing and Repouss\u00e9 Techniques for Beginners - The Bench<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you new to the chasing and repouss\u00e9 technique? 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