What have I got myself into?

[CJ57]

Hi Luke welcome from me too
I would agree that it would be really helpful to get very basic bench skills under your belt and with those you can then turn your hand to anything. Sawing, filing, soldering, finishing, these are skills you would need before you had anything cast even by someone else. It's useful to get a feel for the tools you are going to use, how metal works, playing about with finishes, so it's always suggested that you start off working in copper and then build up to precious metals when you are confident.

[Dennis]

I can see nothing wrong with Luke's idea, even though it seems counter-intuitive. He will simply be a designer and finisher: jewellery skills like all the others.

The weak link in his ambitions is finding a suitable caster. From what I have read of failed and porous castings and an unprofessional attitude, some of them don't deserve the title. So:

Find a suitable caster, http://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/libra...1&subcat=11321
Make moulds for duplicates if necessary, learn ancillary skills such as adding findings,
Get a good reference book and go to a general beginners' class for background knowledge. Dennis.

[Patstone]

Yes I agree with Dennis, I am a sort of novice too, went to an evening class at a local college three years ago, and more of a traditionalist, but beginners classes will give you a basic knowledge, even down to finishing a piece. On this forum you will learn most of the rest of what you need to know, because someone has done it before.

[caroleallen]

I'd have to agree. Casting's all very well, but there's usually a lot of finishing needed. Get some basic skills under your belt first. It's so much more satisfying to know that you've made something from scratch, and a lot of the stuff that I get cast has been made in the traditional way first.

[luke1990]

Thank you everyone for all the advice. I'll do more research, adjust some ideas and get moving.

[Nick martin]

Just train yourself in the basics and fundamentals Luke, then you'll have the knowledge to go forward.

Nick

[Vos]

I'll just add that a little evening class can be worth it's weight in gold (s'cuse the pun). It not only gives you the basics, but gives you chance to play with all the tools. This helps get a feel for not just how you work, but what tools work best for you. It certainly gave me an insight into which tools I could 'scrimp' on, and which were worth spending good money on. Just having access to a workshop for 6 weeks was a brilliant start for me.

And don't think it'll not move quick enough for you. If you're an avid self teacher and reader you'll soon be way ahead. I see a craft like this much as driving a car. Learn bad habits in the beginning they're much harder to un-learn. Better to get taught the correct way to do things, then ignore them if you choose.

Whatever you choose, good luck on your path


Vos