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View Full Version : Silversmithing and Jewellery Making-Hillsborough College



NatSiddle
01-04-2010, 11:24 AM
This is a part-time course at Hillsborough College in Sheffield. The course runs from 630-9, and you have the choice of Mon, Tue or Wed. The course is 16 weeks long.

This is a great course for people who want to get into actually working with metal. There's no sitting around, reading from text books-this is miles away from Design and Technology at school. You dive straight into making a copper ring after a brief health and safety tutorial, and you have access to a range of quality tools. The course teacher, Sue, is enthusiastic and patient and skilled at her craft.

You work in copper provided by the college to build up your confidence and skills-each project is open-ended, you learn a new metalworking technique and are free to pursue it, overlapping projects so you always have something to work on. Research is done in your own time, the college prefers you look to natural sources of inspiration rathr than existing jewellery designs from the High treet.

Already, after six weeks we have covered basic texturing, annealing, soldering, polishing, milling and linking without soldering, repeating patterns and shapes.

Copper, Brass, Gilding Metal and some Silver can be purchased from the college workshop, but we are encouraged to buy our own a a group (saves postage costs!) and usually Cooksons is reccommended.

There is a broad range of students in my class, different ages and different backgrounds. The atmoshpere is liely and inspiring and during these Easter holidays Im going to be suffering withdrawal symptoms!

The course is over £250, but a discount is available if you pay online before the start of the course :)
All tools are provided.

PS Im a part-time student, not a tutor :)

ps_bond
01-04-2010, 11:34 AM
Hi Nat -

What's you connection to the college?
And do you have a sister named Vicky?

NatSiddle
01-04-2010, 11:52 AM
Im a student on the course-first time doing anything to do with metalworking, and I DO have a sister called Vicky-she's studying in Hull :) know her?

ps_bond
01-04-2010, 12:02 PM
I take it from the write-up you're in your element there! :D

Haven't met her; there's only a few people in Hull I know these days. Lucky guess ;)

NatSiddle
01-04-2010, 12:11 PM
Im loving it-two and a half hours a week is NOT enough! I could spend my whole week there. We're supposed to have a 15-20 minute break halfway through but so far no-ones ever stopped to take it :)

geti-titanium
01-04-2010, 12:20 PM
Hi Nat -

What's you connection to the college?
And do you have a sister named Vicky?

Crikey Peter! Have you tried that chat up line in a club yet?

ps_bond
01-04-2010, 12:40 PM
Crikey Peter! Have you tried that chat up line in a club yet?

No, but you can use if it you want?

Lisa Quinn
01-04-2010, 12:50 PM
Geti is a man of little words and big tools Peter. the girls are fighting to get into Geti towers, so no chat up lines are required!!
Hmmm.............. if I only I weren't married already !!

cal
12-04-2010, 07:18 AM
Hi there...first time on the forum and I'm glad to hear of someone on the Hillsborough course. I'm hoping to enrol there this Sept as I've been studying at Barnsley. However,they're having trouble getting a tutor to continue with the evening sessions so I've been left to my own devices since Christmas....desperate to get back into the workshop!....... I've got the tools to work at home but really miss the larger equipment and space....my kitchen table is a makeshift workbench at the moment.
I've recently returned to silversmithing following the realisation that my kids really don't need me around during the school hols now. I studied silversmithing at art college back in the last century and for whatever reasons you have when you're 19, I never took up my uni place to do my degree!!! Big Mistake! So I'm trying to make up for lost time.

If there is anyone out ther who will be at Hillsborough in Sept let me know...it's always nice to have a name to look out for when you go somewhere new. :)

Cal

Emerald
12-04-2010, 03:24 PM
Geti is a man of little words and big tools Peter. the girls are fighting to get into Geti towers, so no chat up lines are required!!
Hmmm.............. if I only I weren't married already !!

you cant beat a man with big tools can you Lise and Geti has some of the biggest and most powerful that i have seen !

bustagasket
12-04-2010, 04:58 PM
you cant beat a man with big tools can you Lise and Geti has some of the biggest and most powerful that i have seen !

*sigh* i have yet to sample his wares :(

NatSiddle
14-04-2010, 10:01 PM
Hi Cal :)

There seem to be a few people on the course who are either re-taking it (obviously progressing with their work, not flunking the first time round!) and some who use the workshop at other times, so I assume its possible to keep returning (ufortunately the fee will probably still apply).
We are working on 'linking' at the moment, but these other students are shaping bowls and practising enamelling already and are definetely more advanced than us beginners :)
There's a wide range of people and we all get along well in the workshop setting :) everyone's kinda bouncing idea's off of each other and sharinf inspirations. The tutor, Sue, is welcoming and enthusiastic, and I say that having had a lot of 'By The Lesson Plan' tutors. She's well wicked.

If Im there again in September Ill say hi :)

Laura1015
08-06-2010, 12:07 PM
Hi,

I have also taken a course at Hillsborough and can say that they have an excellent well equipt workshop and the tutor is brilliant - she obviously knows her stuff and there are plenty of techniques to learn and try out.

On the downside, if you are looking for a structured course then this is maybe not the one for you, altough basic techniques are introduced you are pretty much left to your own devices from there so it can be difficult if you are not sure how to go about something. There seems to be quite a difference between the 3 classes (they run Mon, Tues and Wed), one class were doing casting which we had not done anything about so they do move at the pace of the group but you have to be prepaired to push yourself. The class is quite large so as there is only one tutor she is spread pretty thin at times and as there are continuing students from last time they do demand a lot of time as they are doing more complex things (although you can pick their brains!). It is also not cheap, although the actual course fee is reasonable you soon get dragged into the metal working web and end up buying silver and a saw and a toolbox etc etc.

On the whole I would recommend this course as it does give you a basic set of skills to develop and as I said the tutor is really good.

Does anyone know of any other courses in the sheffield area? Any feedback?