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Thread: Electroforming

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
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    470

    Default Electroforming

    Strictly speaking there's no smithing in this piece, but there is a little bit of forming/hammering so hopefully I won't get chucked out

    I had this big spectrolite that didn't look like much and I didn't want to spend time setting it in silver. As my new experiments are with electroforming in copper I decided to set it in a floating bezel and try something I'd seen - using blobs of latex to stop the copper forming over an area to create an "open window" effect.
    So the stone was sealed with about three layers of clear nail varnish, then edged in conductive paint. Conductive pain was applied to the back of the stone, and then latex blobbed on. The stone is then stuck to the shaped and hammered copper surround with superglue and that join painted with conductive paint.

    Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	11969 I took this photo during a check up whilst the copper was forming.

    I went to bed and in total the piece was in the electroforming solution for about 15 hours. I scraped off the latex and then used acetone to get rid of the untouched conductive paint underneath as well as the layers of nail varnish.

    Photographs were taken this morning in sunlight, no filters, and the spectrolite glows - the best angle for orientation for the front means that the wearer can flip it up to show whichever side is being used as the back and it glows just as beautifully.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Click image for larger version. 

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    This is another string to my bow with my recent inspiration from the arts and crafts Macdonald sisters and although the eforming process is long and requires a different patience to that of smithing, its a totally fascinating and today a very rewarding experiment.

    Deb

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Posts
    129

    Default

    Beautiful Piece Deb , Labrodorite not Spectrolite though
    John

  3. #3
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    Jul 2017
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    470

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    Quote Originally Posted by J Allison View Post
    Beautiful Piece Deb , Labrodorite not Spectrolite though
    John
    Thanks John - do you mind explaining the difference between the two please? Is it down to the colour play, so that the pieces with multiple colour are spectrolite? I've a few pieces so would like to get the descriptions correct!

  4. #4
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    Jul 2017
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    So is the piece on the left spectrolite and the other two labradorites?Click image for larger version. 

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  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
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    199

    Default

    Wow, this is so pretty. I'll have to read more about electroforming as don't know anything about it, but the results are beautiful.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
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    Quote Originally Posted by Animalnutty View Post
    Wow, this is so pretty. I'll have to read more about electroforming as don't know anything about it, but the results are beautiful.
    It's definitely a learning curve! The great thing is you can combine techniques so I've just made some more of these "floating" bezels by winding wire and soldering some points together to make sure it's secure. The first pierce was just held together with superglue and bicarbonate of soda.

    This a an ammonite I made from air drying clay pressed into an ammonite, and a stone stuck on. I then electroplated it with silver and although it's only a thin layer that will eventually wear off it still looks effective. Hopefully as a pendant it won't wear off too quickly.

    Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	11974. Click image for larger version. 

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    It's not going to replace my smithing, it's just a different process to play with.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
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    Central London
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    What a success this has turned out to be, Deb. Of course when I saw your floating bezel I knew I had seen it somewhere before: https://www.google.com/search?q=slic...ffl_laNz94sWM: Dennis.

  8. #8
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    Jul 2017
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dennis View Post
    What a success this has turned out to be, Deb. Of course when I saw your floating bezel I knew I had seen it somewhere before: https://www.google.com/search?q=slic...ffl_laNz94sWM: Dennis.
    D'you know what Dennis, the thought had wandered through my mind about trying to source some lotus root to form. But for now I'll stick to putting latex dots on nice glowing labradorites
    Deb

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Posts
    129

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    Hi Deb spectrolite only comes from Finland , Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	11976 It is a darker based stone almost looks like slate in its rough form as you can see from the pictures , Unfortunately you get a lot of people claiming that madagascar labrodorite is spectrolite

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Posts
    129

    Default

    Looking at the translucency they are all Labrodorite

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