Poor mans Mokume Gane

[jille]

wow fascinating to watch,
jill

[caroleallen]

Cor that looks like really hard work - no good for me!! The finished result is beautiful. I think you're right though about cutting off the swirls. Is Mokune a man thing as I don't know many girls who do it?

[ps_bond]

Nicely done! I'm unsure about the use of CNC with mokume, it doesn't sit right with me for some reason. However, given I use a digitally controlled oven to fuse the stuff I can't quite work out why!

I'm told that UK coinage ceased to use bronze in 1992 - but the easy test is with a magnet. I've made coin mokume before, but just as a stack of coins - which results in poor contact between the surfaces, and needs to go closer to the melting point of the metals to compensate. Did you roll the coins out before laminating? And how did your mill react to the steel coin?!?

I know a couple of women who do mokume - one who at the last count was trying to get hold of Ian Fergusson's rig, as apparently there's no-one there who can repair it.

[Shaun750]

Nicely done! I'm unsure about the use of CNC with mokume, it doesn't sit right with me for some reason. However, given I use a digitally controlled oven to fuse the stuff I can't quite work out why!

I'm told that UK coinage ceased to use bronze in 1992 - but the easy test is with a magnet. I've made coin mokume before, but just as a stack of coins - which results in poor contact between the surfaces, and needs to go closer to the melting point of the metals to compensate. Did you roll the coins out before laminating? And how did your mill react to the steel coin?!?

I know a couple of women who do mokume - one who at the last count was trying to get hold of Ian Fergusson's rig, as apparently there's no-one there who can repair it.

I think cnc is the answer to making even more interesting things with mokume.There's no way to cast a reflief image,but a CNC mill could cut 3D. The machine i used to engrave is just a plotter so the Z axis is just up or down.I've got a little proxxon cnc mill that i started to learn CAD/CAM,that might be the next thing to dig out.

Yeah good point with the 2ps and magnets.I did give it a quick file to see if it was plated,but not deep enough!!,The mill handled them no problem,but i wouldnt choose to do it normally.

I've got a few ideas of how to speed up the process,but there will probably be more faliures and more burnt fingers (reminder to self.Hot things burn).
I'll try one before I show it. I think if i told you before i tried it,you might have me sectioned.

I've got a therory(untested yet though) that if you want to sell something on the internet,appart from making something that folks want,you've got to make it difficult to make.
There is no way to compete with anything that is remotley mass produced,I've bought enough wholsale jewellery,to realise this.
I know a manafacuter who has a factory in India,he has 100 employees,his wage bill was a coupke of years ago was $2000 dollars a month,and i bet they don't sit chatting and reading the paper(no that's me)
The price(worrying about is it cheap enough) is irrelivant if it takes 10 hours to make,then you've got to charge ten hours,if it doesn't sell then move on and try something else.
It's my own theory,that I'm kind of trying,I'll be amazed if it works?

[ps_bond]

I think cnc is the answer to making even more interesting things with mokume.There's no way to cast a reflief image,but a CNC mill could cut 3D. The machine i used to engrave is just a plotter so the Z axis is just up or down.I've got a little proxxon cnc mill that i started to learn CAD/CAM,that might be the next thing to dig out.

If you have a look at Midgett's book, there are a number of examples of work done with CNC on mokume; I think maybe I find it a bit sterile by comparison with the other stuff. It may be that I don't quite see the point in setting up CNC for a one-off...? Still analysing that.

Yeah good point with the 2ps and magnets.I did give it a quick file to see if it was plated,but not deep enough!!,The mill handled them no problem,but i wouldnt choose to do it normally.

It's a surprisingly thick plating, you have to notch it quite deeply to see the steel.

I've got a few ideas of how to speed up the process,but there will probably be more faliures and more burnt fingers (reminder to self.Hot things burn).
I'll try one before I show it. I think if i told you before i tried it,you might have me sectioned.

Kevlar gloves are handy when handling slightly lower temperatures - how are you at manipulating things with tongs?

I've got a therory(untested yet though) that if you want to sell something on the internet,appart from making something that folks want,you've got to make it difficult to make.
There is no way to compete with anything that is remotley mass produced,I've bought enough wholsale jewellery,to realise this.
I know a manafacuter who has a factory in India,he has 100 employees,his wage bill was a coupke of years ago was $2000 dollars a month,and i bet they don't sit chatting and reading the paper(no that's me)
The price(worrying about is it cheap enough) is irrelivant if it takes 10 hours to make,then you've got to charge ten hours,if it doesn't sell then move on and try something else.
It's my own theory,that I'm kind of trying,I'll be amazed if it works?

Once you get to a certain point, it's the labour is the only thing that matters - the materials become effectively free. Mokume doesn't generally offer a great return - people don't (generally) see the amount of work that has to go into it before you even get as far as a bit of sheet to play with.

[Mia]

Thanks for going to the trouble of posting all those photographs. Way out of my league but It's brilliant for a beginner to see the work process.
Mia.

[Shaun750]

I'm ok with tongs,although if anyone saw me they would get scared. Gloves? just aren't me and when it came to they would probably have gone missing.

Thanks for all the comments,It's something i would like to see myself,so it's what i posted.
I love seeing pictures and hate reading if i can help it.
I prefer to make videos,but they double the amount of time it takes to do the task.