1st silversmithers

[Di Sandland]

Did you give it up on health grounds?

Yeah, fraid so. I really miss it - I used to come home from working on labour ward and take out all my agression on a piece of wood - better than

Agression at system and not at 'my' women by the way Thing is, working at a lathe (and I had a BIG one) not good when the brain goes awol from time to time.

[caroleallen]

Aw Su, that sounds like the holiday from Hell!

The turned bowl is beautiful.

[bustagasket]

Aw Su, that sounds like the holiday from Hell!

The turned bowl is beautiful.

Actually it was the holiday of a lifetime really, my friends are the most wonderful people who made sure that we had THE most wonderful time despite the health issues. They came to stay with me last year and we are hoping to go back to them in 2011

[marietaylor111]

Hi Silvergirl,

I am new to silversmithing, I start college next month doing a foundation degree in this, I am a bit daunted as to wot sort of tools I will need to be getting, I am a mature student, but just want some sort of ideas, for budgeting reasons as well as curiousity, I just hope I am gonna enjoy it as much as making the jewellery I have made, lol.

Marie

[nikki_d72]

Hi Silvergirl,

I went to Edinburgh College of Art and studied Jewellery and Silversmithing - I did one silversmithing project and was advised by my lecturer (Bill Kirk, who I now realise was a pretty influential guy in his day in Scotland - didn't have Google then, lol) to switch my studies from mainly jewellery to silversmithing. For some unknown reason (stubbornness, probably) I didn't take his advice, which is now one of my deepest regrets. What I'd like to know is do you think that with a decent amount of experience as a jeweller (I was a jobbing jeweller for 3 years after college) and a knowledge of the basic principles of raising and forging that I could learn the rest myself? Are there any books you'd recommend? And roughly how much would it cost to buy all the stakes etc I'd need, do you think? I'm hopefully going to be setting up a wee workshop for myself soon but would really love to move sideways a bit and make some vessels etc. I'm not really into spinning or pressing too much. like to make from scratch as much as possible. I'll never forget the smell of scorched tallow in the workshops when someone had been using the spinning lathe, yeuck! (I'm a vegetarian, too, so even worse!) Anyhoo, sorry this is a bit long, but any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Nikki

[ps_bond]

I'd suggest Finegold & Seitz - http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=m...negold%20seitz

As for stakes... Erk. They're expensive new. Check out David Huang's site for some ideas on home-made stakes for raising (as well as some really gorgeous eye-candy). http://davidhuang.org/gallery2/main.php

[nikki_d72]

Thanks, Peter!

You're a star.

The book's on my "I Want" list, and the website, bleedin hell, there goes my morning....

Do you reckon it's something you can develop yourself though, or would I be wasting my time without doing a decent course? I need to be able to earn somehow at the same time.
There's a gorgeous silversmithing studio near me, In Dunblane, He also makes jewellery - I really should go and ask the guy for a job, but I've been out of the game for a good few years now so my confidence is a bit shot. Also, the usual problem, I have a wee girl at school so my hours are limited. Daft though as I do have good experience, I was really lucky who I trained under (though I hated them at the time, too immature) and who I worked with in the commercial place, so should use it. Doing repairs may not be very arty but it sure ups your technical game - there's nothing like having someone's dead gran's micron-thin gate bracelet to repair to make sure you get your soldering act together!! I did loads of manufacturing too, just the design side of things that got left to wither and die...
Check this guy out:
http://www.grahamstewartsilversmith.co.uk/

I'm not very good at talking myself up face to face, d'you reckon I should go down there and beg and plead??

Nikki

[nikki_d72]

Hi Silvergirl,

I am new to silversmithing, I start college next month doing a foundation degree in this, I am a bit daunted as to wot sort of tools I will need to be getting, I am a mature student, but just want some sort of ideas, for budgeting reasons as well as curiousity, I just hope I am gonna enjoy it as much as making the jewellery I have made, lol.

Marie

I wouldn't buy any tools yet, the college will advise you on what you need and they usually have a deal going with a tool supplier to get you a good price. They usually have everything you need in there but will ask you to buy the basic hand tool kit - ie peircing saw, flat, round and snipe - nosed pliers, soldering prong, shears for cutting solder and a set of needle files and maybe a couple of ring files. I've probably forgotten a few things but all the big stuff will be there and you'll probably never have access to the amount of tools they have again in your whole life, so enjoy it while you can!! You never realise how spoiled you were for resources until you're out and trying to set up. Machine engrave your name on EVERYTHING, as they all look the same and often walk. Nothing worse than ending up with someone else's twisted sawframe.

You will enjoy it, just keep your mind on what you can do when you leave, milk as much info out of them as you can. All the mature students at my college got on well as they had a better attitude than the rest of us, I wish I could go back and do it all again, but hey-ho. Be flexible in your attitude whilst being yourself, if that makes sense.

Enjoy! I'm green.
Nikki.

[ps_bond]

The book's on my "I Want" list, and the website, bleedin hell, there goes my morning....

It's a bugger, isn't it? The stuff's gorgeous! Oh, I priced the gold for his submission - I think I came out at about £7k for the materials...

Do you reckon it's something you can develop yourself though, or would I be wasting my time without doing a decent course? I need to be able to earn somehow at the same time.

Some of my raising is giving me gyp at the moment, so I've booked myself on a short course with the specific goal of nailing bringing edges in. Once I've got that sorted, I'll tackle working with some of my mokume in raising. The rest of my learning on that was from books...

[nikki_d72]

Thanks, Peter,

You've been a great help. Good luck on the course, unfortunately because of where I live, the only courses on offer are knitting and scone-making, hehe. I'd need to travel to Edinburgh or Glasgow, I'll need to start looking for courses through there, I think and just bite the bullet.

Thanks again!

Nikki