How to Make an Intarsia Cabochon with Sterling Silver Strips
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2024
- It’s intarsia, but even fancier! I love using this technique instead of inlay since It allows me to get more creative with my silversmithing since I don’t have to worry about my bail or other design elements getting in the way as I’m grinding and polishing stones for my inlays.
If you’re interested in checking out more of my jewelry, you can visit my website: www.c-albritton.com
Instagram: c.albritton.jewelry
Facebook: Caitlin Albritton Jewelry
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:51 Stone Pick and Prep
1:59 Start on Sterling Silver Strip
4:40 Gluing the Intarsia
7:11 Pre-shaping the Sterling Intarsia
9:09 Doming the Sterling Intarsia
10:11 What not to do while cutting your intarsia
10:49 280 Resin Shaping and Polishing
11:31 Finished!
12:08 Troubleshooting
Materials/Tools needed for intarsia cabochons
-a selection of stones of similar hardness on the Mohs scale (they’re easier to work with if they’re the same height as well) and a piece of 2-3mm thick slab for the backplate (basanite/basalt is standard, but you can use what’s on hand trying to pick similar hardness if not a little harder than the main intarsia stones)
-24ga sterling silver sheet (maybe start small with a 3x3inch square; you could also do a different metal like copper or brass)
-jewelry shears
-center punch, flex shaft/Dremel, a small drill bit, a file, a hammer, and steel block
-Xacto blade
-Epoxy 330: amzn.to/3TJDMl4
-craft mixing sticks: amzn.to/3TKDdaM
-Pack of multiple sized spring clamps: amzn.to/3gt2M1z
-cardboard to keep things from getting glued to your table (because that would be a pain in the patooty to remove)
Equipment I’m using:
-6-inch CabKing. Use coupon code “CALBRITTON” at checkout for 10% off your purchase (excludes machines, extended warranties, and gift cards): cabking.com/products/cabking-... or you can find on Amazon: amzn.to/3eWP8n0
-Hi-Tech Diamond 8-inch Slant Cabber will make sure your slab surfaces are perfectly smooth and suitable for bonding together for a tight-fitting doublet. Use coupon code “CALBRITTON” at checkout for 10% off your purchase (excludes machines, extended warranties, and gift cards): hitechdiamond.com/collections... or you can find on Amazon: amzn.to/3jgU0Fy
-Hi-Tech Diamond 6-inch trim saw (code as above): hitechdiamond.com/collections... or you can find on Amazon: amzn.to/3Fzq7J8
-Candle warmer to remove moisture from slabs: amzn.to/3D0k2D8
*As an Amazon Affiliate and Cabking/Hi-Tech Diamond Ambassador, I earn from qualifying purchases
Finally!! Someone explaining the process! I've been looking for a long time trying to find someone to teach me how to do this, and there are very few videos out there. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and talent with us. You've been a Godsend! I can't wait to watch your other videos now... 😃😃
Seriously, there's literally nothing out there on any of this--maybe except chip inlay but I'm not really a fan of that style. I'm so glad to be able to help out, hope this enables you to make some awesome things soon! :)
Thank you! You had beautiful clear directions. I watched the video just one time and my cabochons look awesome!
I love to hear this!! I’m glad you were able to make some gorgeous intarsias from my video ☺️
I’ve been looking for more information on intarsia and inlay on RUclips. Thank you so much for posting this. I have learned some valuable tips from you.
Yea there’s not much out there in advanced lapidary techniques besides chip inlay, which looks totally different. If you have any tutorial requests, just let me know and I’ll see what I can do 😊
Fabulous video. Thank our so much for explaining the process.
You’re welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed it! 😊
Fabulous tutorial! I loved it! Thank you so much!
I’m so glad to hear this, Anne! Hope you give it a try soon! 😋 let me know how it goes!
That was a very good, informative video for this technique. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks for taking the time to respond, it makes me happy to hear it’s been useful for you! Good luck with your projects 😊
Fantastic video Catlin really looking forward to trying this out later this week. Love your videos they are awesome
Thanks Nancy! This will be a bit more of a challenge, but seeing your other work, I know you’ve got this! Good luck!
Ha. I have that slant cab. I may look into creating a 90° step so I can get a good flat surface.
I learned a lot from watching your videos
I need to find the time to do that, but I have to many tutorials to get to before then 😂 but honestly it wouldn’t be too hard to just take a 2x4 or the like and cut slots to rest the wood on the black splash guard that would bring the bottom just a few mm above the lap surface. You could either hold it with your other hand, or I was trying to figure out a good way to pretty much clamp it to the machine itself.
Let me know how yours turns out! 😁
Beautiful! I’ve always wanted to try this technique!
Thank you, it’s a fun change from the usual cab! Hope you give it a try sometime!
Fabulous stone and beautiful job done too. Love how you made its with the silver metal in between the stone it’s amazing, it’s stands up so beautiful and thin….I love it’s.💖💖💖
Thanks, Rosaelina! I’ve made quite a few of these for wire wrappers recently, and they love them! I still have the cabochon from this tutorial if you’re interested 💜 you reach me at info@c-albritton.com
@@calbrittonjewelry thank you so much, I have two friends who like them two. I’ll give her the website too…have a lovely Sunday morning.💖🙋♀️💖
You are living making my fantasy life that I've had since HS.
Hahaha, it’s never to late to get into the game!!! 💜
Gorgeous, thank you for this tutorial ❤😊
It’s my pleasure, I hope it’s helpful for you! 😊
@@calbrittonjewelry it IS!! I just found your channel and subbed. I am brand spanking new to metalsmithing and just made my first couple pieces without melting parts off 🤭. What amazed me is that with every single tiny detail you decide to create there are a billion ways to tackle it! It's extremely helpful for people with my learning styles to have someone like you guide you through every detail and explaining why they do what they do, and the results, and even trouble shooting and other nuances.
I have made videos before and know not only do you spend more time than people realize as an artist, but filming on top! Thank you so much. Looking forward to applying what you have shown me ( already excited thinking of new materials to use your techniques with).
By the way I looked at a bunch of your work and ooh la la!! It's so well done and visually appealing and lots of interesting detail. It mixes wild and elegance. .....sorry for the novel, nice to meet you have a great day 👩🎨
Sorry I didn't see your reply until now! Congrats on your journey into metalsmithing, I hope you've been enjoying it! and absolutely, I always say that just because I do it one way, doesn't mean you can't do it a different way since that may be easier or makes more sense to do. I just like to introduce ideas for people to try out.
It's always hard to know exactly how best to teach on here, but I try as best I can to be proactive about what hangups people may face.
And thank you for the kind words about my work! I hope to see some of your inlay work someday :) feel free to send me some pictures sometime!
Great video. Looking forward to seeing more. Thank you!
Thanks, and you’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
I just found your channel and I'm so in awe over your impressive work! Everyone should check out your shop to see your phenomenal talent and vision on display. Just wow! Thank you for sharing your skills and techniques!
Thank you so much for the high praise, Typhenus! :) I’m glad my work is inspirational, and hope the videos are helpful to the lapidary community!
This's very creative.... nice job 👌👌👋
Thanks, I appreciate it!
An excellent tutorial, thanks!
Thanks for sayin so! 😊 Good luck if you decide to go for it!
Great video, so helpful thank you so much!!!!
My pleasure, Dwayne! I hope this cuts out some of the frustration of adding metal to intarsias :)
Fun project, I had to subscribe and look forward to many more videos! My dad studied geology and has so many rocks and rock slices. I love to make jewelry and am ready to go to the next step with more artisanal designs so your channel is perfect!
I feel like it’s easier to get into lapidary from jewelry than vice versa, but you’re really going to love the flexibility it will afford you to make exactly the stones you want for your designs! 😊
Right on time.thankyou!
Hope it will help you out!
Great video!
Thank you, Chrissy! :)
Really good tips and a great tutorial. Thanks for sharing.😊 😷⚒
Thanks for the kind words, and good luck on your inlays! 😁
I've done a lot of intarsia. Most of the time I am very successful you have given some really good tips!
So glad you were able to get a few things from my video! 😊 Thanks for watching!
I like your style- you move at a good clip and put resources below. Keep up the good work! I subscribed and will refer back to this.
Thanks for the feedback, Donna! I’ll make sure to keep doing that moving forward. Glad you’ve been enjoying my channel!
Beautiful, thank you
Thank you Leona, glad you enjoyed!
Amazing!
Thank you! 😊
LOVE! ❤
Thank you! 😊
Thank you!
You’re absolutely welcome, have fun making some fancy intarsias! 😊
Muy buen Video ! gracias por la explicación ! un Saludo desde Bariloche Argentina !
De nada! 😊
👍
Hope you enjoyed!
And you do lovely, tasteful, careful work, too. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion. Makes me want to hunt down one of those goofy machines. Intarsia machines (just fixed typo for "madchines" which is probably closer to the truth) made by Alcizona ( or Al Tizona?). Wow.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Richard! It is a nutty machine, but it's great if you want to make those nice perfect angles! They were made by Al Sesona, and from what I've read online, he sold his business sometime around 2020. I'm having trouble tracking it down from there though, but I think I have his number or email so I can always ask him if you would like me to!
I've also seen people turn flat flaps into intarsia grinders if you're into a little DIY. I have some pictures I can email you, just reach out to me at info@c-albritton.com and I'll forward them to you! I don't have any instructions per-say, you'd just have to kinda wing it from what you see or until I get around to making a video of that, haha!
@@calbrittonjewelry I'd love to have one, but I don't have any more room in my garage. LOL. But if I found one at a good price I'd consider it. Do you know who bought the business and if they have a web site? Please ask him. Thanks for your great videos.
Oh, I so hear you there! I'd need at least 2 more tables for the other pieces of equipment I have tucked away :) lol! I just emailed Al now and sent out an email to one of my lapidary friends who is in-the-know, so I'll let you know what I hear. When I bought mine back in 2019, it was $399 but who knows if it is still that.
Hello again, Richard! I spoke with Al and his intarsia machine business has been purchased by Jim Munyon
Phone: (904) 449-5090
Email: Jem1cutter@aol.com
You should be able to reach out to him with that contact BUT I did hear through the grapevine that Highland Park should be releasing an intarsia machine soon so personally, I’d wait it out, get on their mailing list, and see how it compares to mine. I have a feeling it’s going to be pretty awesome
Oh! And if you don’t hear from him, you can contact Al directly at intarsiagrinder@gmail.com
He’s 96 years young but said he’s in the midst of refurbishing a few grinders that he has available! 🙂
You are talented and you work hard, but you are also very generous to share your insights here with the world... thank you!
Do you see any significant differences between various metals when it comes to cutting, grinding, and polishing stone/metal combinations? Have you tried doing this with harder metals (steel, palladium, titanium)? Even brass would be a bit harder than silver. Does it make a difference when it comes to mushrooming or undercutting?
Thank you so much for taking the time to say so! It means a lot to hear that these have been helpful for other folks.
So I've worked with steel kitchen knife blanks (which is much different from doing strips in an inlay) and I've worked with both copper and brass in those knife blanks. I didn't notice mushrooming or undercutting on either of those, but I think a lot of it depends on how much heat is being built up plus how much you're grinding on it with your diamond bits to be honest.
I do think that you could have mushrooming from copper and brass due to their hardnesses (all around 2.5-3), but I don't think you'd have an issue with other metals mushrooming. I'd actually be interested to know what you find out if you happen to do some tests! :)
Great videos! Thank you for sharing. So glad I found your channel. I watched another channel using old vinyl albums for a doublet backing. Is that something you’d try or not. Curious for your thoughts on that.
I’m all about trying new things as I had also heard about backing that way as well and I hear that many people did it. Someone recently suggested using 78RPM records so I got a cheap lot of them on FB Marketplace. After inspecting them, I noticed that they can bend VERY easily. Other vinyl may be different, but I personally want something more rigid for a backplate, especially for an intarsia (with or without silver banding).
I guess my thing is: I like keeping the quality of my stones consistent so if I make a really killer cab or intarsia, it feels like it doesn’t suit it to put a vinyl backing on it so I often prefer to use stone instead.
But I think as long as your backing is doing its job of protecting the stone, and it’s not in a setting you can see, I also think why not? Because it is a lot less expensive to go that route. I just have to find those thicker records to try out one of these days!
Fantastic video, Thank you! Question: I have had problems with the silver causing a blackish stain to sort of soak into some types of stones (and contaminate my felt polishing disc). Have you experienced this, or heard how to avoid it?
Hey Susan, thanks for the kind words!
I also get the black stain on my polishing pad from the sterling, but I’ve never thought twice about it since I’ve never had it stain my stones. What stone has it soaked into? I’m guessing it’s very porous for it to be doing that. I was chatting with a lapidary about to because the first thing I’d usually do is take a soft-bristled toothbrush with warm water and some Dawn dish soap to see if I couldn’t scrub it out. The next thing I’d do (while being very careful) is dipping a Q-tip in some acetone and trying to rub just the stone to see if the little microfibers can get in there and pull out some of the discoloration. (I know what you’re thinking, why would you ruin your epoxy bond with acetone?! But if used in small amounts, it won’t break it. I literally had a doublet soak overnight in acetone and I still couldn’t get the two pieces to come apart lol!)
My friend William Bogg’s final suggestion would be to take it back a few polishing wheels (maybe 1200-300 then work up to 14,000). Then if you have any extra diamond pastes, go ahead with that and skip the polishing disc. I might even add trying Zam, but if the stone is that porous the Zam may get in your stone too. Hard to say without knowing what the stone is.
Sorry for the long-winded answer, but I hope that helps! Let me know the verdict!
@@calbrittonjewelry Thank you so much for the detailed answer! The stones that got stained were rhodochrosite, serpentine (the chartreuse colored type, I think sometimes sold as "lemon quartz") and phosphosiderite. The phosphosiderite is for sure porous, maybe the former two are also and I just didn't know it. The piece I cut with Pietersite and plume agate, using the same polishing style, didn't have the problem. I'll try the acentone and see if it has any effect. What I'm hearing is that this isn't generally "a thing" that people are taught to watch out for, so maybe it's just the porous stones. I tend to get a little "maverick" in the stones I use in search of color, lol. :) Anyway, THANK YOU and I look forward to more videos and/or classes!
@@BlueSkySusan Hey Susan! Sorry for the late response, my phone app didn't notify me and I only now just saw your comment on my computer.
Yes, you're right about the phosphosiderite being porous and I know that rhodochrosite is soft, but I suppose depending on the quality of it, it may be a little more porous. I wouldn't have thought serpentine would do that, but once again, that's also a softer one.
Did you try the acetone yet? Or were you able to try out a different solution? Sorry I hadn't faced that myself yet in my intarsia journey, or I'm sure I would have come up with a better answer for you :)
And I love the maverick approach, that's the best way to make truly unique and exciting things!
What flat lap do you own? Thank so much for your amazing tutorials!!!
You’re so welcome! I have the Hi-Tech Diamond 8-inch angled flat lap (I have a link in the description for it and always appreciate when people can purchase using my affiliate links! 😊)
I use it for so many different applications, even just flattening the backs of cabochons!
Thanks so much‼️
I wish I had your intarsia machine. Any idea where one is available? Thanks very much for the instructions you kindly took the time to help all jewelry artists out here!
You’re absolutely welcome, William! Actually I just spoke with Al Sesona (the maker of those machines) and he has a few refurbished ones. He sold his business to someone else, who has been hard to get a hold of from what I’ve heard. Shoot me an email at info@c-albritton.com and I can give you his contact!
If you’re in the UK, I know someone who is making his own intarsia machines that look epic! For a good price too
@@calbrittonjewelry Thank you. Caitlin.
oh ma ghaaaad I can't wait to try this! Thanks for the tips, just finding your channel and LOVE it!
😂 heck yesss, I’m so glad you found my channel and hope the tips work out for you! Let me know how your intarsias turn out 😁
@@calbrittonjewelry definitely. I love your style with the figure pieces. Very refreshing to see!
Nice tutorial. Might be a stupid question but do you use a 2 part epoxy like Art Resin to adhere the silver and stones together!??
Oh goodness, there’s never a stupid question! Sorry I think I overlooked that since I had just done a stone-to-stone intarsia where I said what I used, which is Epoxy 330. It’s a two-part epoxy that is very well-trusted and loved by some knowledgeable lapidaries I know. I can’t vouch for the Art Resin brand, but I do know that some people have had troubles with adhesion with other brands (I don’t know which ones to look out for). Hope that helps, Aimee!
@@calbrittonjewelry thanks. Yeah it didn’t look like art resin because you didn’t mix it long enough so I figured it was something else but I didn’t know. Thanks so much! Pretty results!
What stones are good to use a back plate? Or is it an specific material?
Traditionally people use basenite/basalt sliced thin for backing, but here I used obsidian since that’s what I had on hand at the time. My local lapidary club would often cut “intarsia slabs” that were that 2-3mm and they’d cut a variety of agates, jaspers, etc so you could have a fancier backplate but I’d say just use something that has a good hardness and doesn’t have any visible fractures in it. Good luck and have fun! 😊
Ok. Thanks for telling me what I was doing wrong! LOL. I tried doing this a few months ago and it did NOT work. As soon as I started cutting my bond started coming apart. But looks like I did everything wrong. 😅 I didn't glue it to a backplate or put holes in my silver and I kept my wheel directly on the metal. Heh. I'm gonna clean the pieces and try again with all this new info.
Ahahaha! It hurts your heart when it all starts coming apart, doesn’t it? 🥲 I mean, it really does seem straightforward until the metal starts pulling apart and it’s a hot mess, ugh. I hope it goes more smoothly now, let me know how it comes out! 😁
I have a question...do you anneal the silver before gluing it into place?
There’s no need to anneal the silver in this situation 🙂 definitely do the drilling though
@@calbrittonjewelry I thought perhaps annealing would make the silver easier to grind on the wheels. I might try it both ways and see if I can tell any difference.
Thanks for the reply, you really do some nice work and good quality videos.
Sterling silver is a 3 on the Mohs scale, so that would really change whether you anneal it or not. Annealing it would only be helpful if it was a thick gauge that you wanted to roll out thinner for your intarsia banding.
But honestly it won’t hurt to give it a shot if you’re feeling up to it! 😊 good luck and have fun with your projects. Do let me know how the annealing goes!
@@calbrittonjewelry I will! Yesterday I finished making a machine to do intarsia and made my first cab....no metal in that one though just three slices of stone. I am so glad I found your channel!
That’s amazing that you made your own machine, that’s a talent in itself! Be prepared to get addicted to intarsias 😉 the combinations are endless!
What are you using for epoxy?
Epoxy 330, I have a list of all the materials in the description if you need it!😊
I was very surprised that u used 24ga. silver it looks thicker,but it looks good when ground down. Whatevers adequate!
You could probably use any thickness, but I think the thicker the silver, the more chances you have of getting the metal too hot and having your intarsias pull apart. But you could always do thicker metal strips for something like a pillow inlay (maybe I’ll work on that tutorial next).
Maybe this is dumb, I’m slowly dipping my toes into lapidary/intarsia work. Do people use CA glues? Or can it work? Or is epoxy 330 the better choice?
Oops answered my own question about using CA glue by watching your other intarsia video haha! My secondary question to anyone who might know, does the ratio of moving the parts of 330 have to be PERFECT? When you mixed it on the cardboard I wasn’t sure if you measured it out beforehand
Welcome to the wonderfully addictive world of lapidary! So as you’ve seen in my other vids, people use CA glues but they don’t hold up as long as epoxy 330. To me, it’s not worth making an inferior product to save some time. You’d have to back it with another stone and epoxy.
For your other question: no I actually don’t measure it as in I don’t use a scale. Even my jewelers scale can’t seem to get those minute weights of epoxy to get perfect so I just eyeball it. To do that, you can draw out small circles to fill but do note that one of the parts is thinner than the other so you’ll want to look it it from the side (by lifting up the cardboard) to make sure that they have the same bulbous height, if that makes sense.
If you need to test to see if it mixed properly, leave a small bit of mixed epoxy on your cardboard as it cures. If you come back in 24 hours and stick your nail in it, it shouldn’t leave a dent. If it does, you need to remove the pieces as re-glue!
I’ll probably do a short video soon on how I approximate mixing epoxy, but don’t overthink it! You’ve got this!!! 😊
And as a side note: I don’t consider any question stupid! We all come to the lapidary arts from different backgrounds, and I’m always happy to help ☺️
@@calbrittonjewelry ahh thanks so much!! I grew up loving and collecting rocks which lead me to silversmithing, and now it’s circling me back to loving rocks and cutting my own cabs! Thank you so so much for taking the time to reply and extending even more knowledge. I’m so glad I found your channel! I just following your Instagram too, your jewelry is gorgeous ❤️
It’s my pleasure, Aubrienne! It’s so rewarding to cut the rocks you personally find! Have fun playing around with these techniques! 😊✨
When you fix your flat lap into a intarsia machine,make us a video.
Absolutely! I have some ideas in mind of how I want to do it, but it may take some drawings to figure it all out. I may do a different tutorial in the meantime until I get around to it.
@@larrymoremckenzie3029 I understand, but do know that I have a lot going on with my own jewelry business and I try to make time here and there to work on these free videos . I haven’t even had time to make the rail for myself yet but I’m hoping my schedule will clear up in a few weeks. We’ll see, but thanks for your patience.