Oh....I'm so glad I asked, because I NEVER would have guessed that it was a large 3M radial bristle brush - Thanks for this and all your videos, Melissa. keep up the great work.
Hi Melissa love your videos I just started to take metalsmith classes in Miami Florida. You make things look so easy. I do appreciate you sharing your knowledge in all you videos. Thank you.
while it might seem like an obvious use, i am happy to see your use of a bench block in a vise to create a narrow and relatively tall striking surface. i found this video via your post on the "Fold forming" facebook page. thank you!
Thanks Steve Anderson. A lot of times I forget that I can use things like my bench block in a vise to help me out. And then other times I go throughout the studio looking for any odd shaped item that can be used to get into a tight area. LOL.
LOVE your videos! Especially appreciate your sparing us the sound of the hammering, and speeding up the repetitious parts. The only downside is I get a terrible case of tool envy every time I watch you!
Hi Melissa, Absolutely love your copper cuffs and excellent tutorials, can’t wait to get hammering. Is there a final surface finish that I can use to help prevent the copper making my skin dirty please?
There are a number of products out there you can use. Renaissance wax is one that a lot of people use. There is also protectaclear and even a clear krylon. All of them will need to be reapplied from time to time due to normal wear. But it is what I have to use to keep my skin from turning blue and green.
Great piece and super helpful video, +Melissa Muir! It's obviously a somewhat time-consuming process, but it actually looks a lot easier to do than the final form would make one think.
It really is quite time-consuming. But I will tell you, when you get done making one of these, you feel so great as you have just beaten all of your frustrations away. LOL.
Melissa Muir LOL, I can imagine! I just wish I had somewhere I could do hammery things; I live in an apartment at the moment so I have to stick to much quieter techniques until I can maybe find some studio space somewhere. Or a house.
@@MelissaMuir yo lo hago en la llama de la cocina, con un martillo, un alicate común de mi marido, arriba de un 🪵 tronco ,lo lijo con un pliego a mano y hago cosas hermosas, con cobre 0. 3 😮 para practicar 😂
Had hard time really seeing what you were doing but great cuff. I have always had hard time figuring out how to work harden after soldering or annealing cuff. Any suggestions
Melissa, Great demonstration. I will try soon to make one. From previous comments, I read you used 24 gauge . What is the dimensions of the copper blank, 6 x 2? Your videos have been very inspirational to me. Thank you.
Hi Melissa, Thanks so much for your demo. I have done some fold forming but have always been told to use a nylon hammer to hammer the fold line so as not to mar the metal. What kind of hammer are you using? I feel like you are embracing any marring as part of the art piece. Love the bench block in the vice-never even thought of that.
Canadian Mommy Thank you. Yes, in this piece I have embraced the texture that comes from the hammers. This is a much more organic bracelet than my usual polished pieces. I used a square faced riveting hammer (available in my web store if you are interested... www.kcjewelbox.com), a raw hide mallet and Fretz texturing hammer.
Good question. Really for all the work that went into this one I should price it around $125. But it might take a while to find the right audience for this piece as it is copper. Had it been done in silver, I wouldn't sell it for anything less than $250-275. But perhaps I am still a bit low.
Oh wow, I love!!! I hope one day soon we will get control on my Lupus so I can use my hands, I was visioning a large or several Turquoise stones. How do you finish it so it won't turn your skin green. When I get a ring that I know will just after a few wears have the copper peaking through, I take clear fingernail polish on it. It helps
Oh Mardee Hill I hope you are able to get it under control. I turn green with the slightest bit of moisture when I wear copper. I use nail polish on rings, but on bracelets, I use a clear Krylon spray and that helps. It still has to be reapplied from time to time, but like I said, it helps.
Thank you, we Lupies live every day as best as we can. to the fullest if we're given enough energy for the day. I am so glad you said to use the clear Krylon, is that satin or gloss. I have a copper bracelet that a friend brought me back from Africa. The men that work the mines are able to pick up rocks that have fallen off of the trucks and they go back home and do what it takes to bring the copper out and they make wire that the women make into the bracelets and then the money goes to the whole tribe for things they need. She asked for $10 and my friend said no, it’s worth more than that and gave her $30. The lady was so appreciative and hugged Audrey to death she said. The lady also said copper has healing properties but to stay for a moment, she came back with a woman that she thought could be at 100 years old. She said some stuff that was in their language and then the bracelet maker gave it back to Aud saying it has been blessed by the medicine doctor to have stronger powers. I thought the bracelet looked beautiful and thought it was even better when she told the story. It’s made like a knot that I used to make in macramae when I was a teen in the 70’s. I know copper is easier to form but would have never thought it could be “woven” like it is. So now I can wear it. Again thank you so much for answering.
I use both Satin and Gloss. It just depends on the piece. In the case of this bracelet, I would probably use the Satin. That is a great story. Enjoy that bracelet.
just picked up potters bracelet bender..picked up some good pointers especially the last step to form that last curl for making it oval as like the bracelet former syn/anticlastic video you performed...can get the students to use 2 stations to work at and get the same relative outcome..jeez..thanks
love this tutorial!! at about 1.23 where you are putting the other 2 folds in ... how could I slow down this video to see how you actually get the other folds started ... and how you get the ridges so even! ;) I hope you have time to answer or give some direction. Thanks.
I believe I just folded the metal in half for the first fold and then I eyeballed it from there for the remaining folds. As far as getting the ridges even, I think that just comes from practice and getting used to how the metal moves.
barbbear35 you know, it is actually a steel block that I turned on it side and placed into the vise. It is about 1/2" thick, 6" long by 4" wide. I can get them if you are every interested.
+Lindsey G 18 gauge would be just fine. It will be much harder to do a cuff like the one in the video, just make certain you anneal it really well. You will probably have to anneal it a couple of times while opening it to get it really done. Good luck.
That was so cool. ..do you seal your cuffs with anything Miss Melissa? And what was that gadget used to bend the bracelet? It's nice having unlimited wifi now to watch all the vidoes ...:)
Metalmamas13 I don't seal mine, although I do like to spray a clear Krylon on the inside when I have made a copper cuff. I am one of those people that turn green if you look at it wrong. LOL. The gadget was a Deluxe Bracelet Bender from Kevin Potter at Potter USA. It is kind of a handy little tool. All of my bracelet mandrels are tapered, so it is nice to have the control to be able to manipulate it with my hands.
Susan DeBay I have the EZ torch and did not have a good experience with it. I know others have had great experiences with it however. As long as you take the proper precautions, you should be fine to have it in the house. I have a hand held MAPP gas torch that I use for annealing. In addition to my multiple butane torches, I also have an Acetylene/air torch that I use. My studio is in my home. I do regular hose and valve checks on the torch as well. If you decide to do a propane torch, I would consider using the smaller propane canisters, such as those for camping, rather than a large unit for the grill.
Melissa Muir @MelissaMuir, sooo, what was your bad experience with your EZ torch? I have one and am just not comfortable using it because sometimes it acts up unpredictably. ??? So I want to hear what happened with you, please? 👩🏼🎨🌵🔨
Carol Minnich It is a large 3M Radial disc. It is similar to the small ones that people use not their flexshaft. I use three of them stacked at a time. It gives a really nice brushed finish. They come in different grits as well.
Melissa Muir Hi again Melissa. Where do you get them? The ones I see seem to come 3 ply or 6 ply already. Are yours 3" or 6" diam? It looks like 3" but I can't tell.
Carol Minnich They are 3". You can actually get them through me. I have just ordered a couple of sets of each grit (I believe there are about 6 or 7 different wheels.) However, they are currently out of stock. In the meantime, I am sure you could check with the big jewelry suppliers. They may have them in stock.
Carol, They look to be about $16.50 plus shipping. You would also need the disc hub that holds them and that runs about $10 for a pack of two of them. My supplier tells me they should have them in in about 2 weeks. Melissa
Susan DeBay this film was made in my home studio. I have several torches in my studio. The torch you see in this video is a MAPP gas torch from the hardware store. I use this for annealing my larger pieces of metal. When soldering, I have an Acetylene/air torch (meaning I don't mix it with oxygen.) Then I have two butane torches I routinely use. The first is a blazer, but this is only for small pieces. The second is a Jumbo Max Butane Torch: www.kcjewelbox.com/Jumbo-Max-Butane-Torch-Esol31000.htm If you have more questions, just let me know.
Enjoyed the video, you are clearly skilled. Perhaps in the future you could provided either a narrative or better lighting. Much of interest simply slipped away.
Thank you for your feedback. This video was not meant to have any narrative. And when you are working with a torch, it changes the lighting dynamics of a camera. Sorry you lost interest. Thankfully most other people really enjoyed it still.
Thanks so much, Melissa! I've loved all of your videos, but the speeded up start to finish projects are especially helpful!
Oh....I'm so glad I asked, because I NEVER would have guessed that it was a large 3M radial bristle brush - Thanks for this and all your videos, Melissa. keep up the great work.
Thank you so much for sharing the way you make these beautiful cuffs!
Hi Melissa love your videos I just started to take metalsmith classes in Miami Florida. You make things look so easy. I do appreciate you sharing your knowledge in all you videos. Thank you.
Totally awesome!!!! I’m ready to try this! Thanks sooo sooo much as always! You sooo ROCK! 👩🏼🎨🌵🔨
That is so beautiful and sooo much work! Wow!!!
while it might seem like an obvious use, i am happy to see your use of a bench block in a vise to create a narrow and relatively tall striking surface.
i found this video via your post on the "Fold forming" facebook page. thank you!
Thanks Steve Anderson. A lot of times I forget that I can use things like my bench block in a vise to help me out. And then other times I go throughout the studio looking for any odd shaped item that can be used to get into a tight area. LOL.
Top class ,, im a chainsaw carver moving to copper and have watched lots of great tube on folding. Yours is brilliant.
LOVE your videos! Especially appreciate your sparing us the sound of the hammering, and speeding up the repetitious parts. The only downside is I get a terrible case of tool envy every time I watch you!
LOL. Thanks so much Agnes. Not everyone likes them done this way, So I appreciate the positive feedback on it.
YOU ARE AWESOME THANK YOU FOR SHARING!!!
Beautiful!!!🧡
Thanks for speeding it up!!
OMG! You have a lot of cool toys!!!..Sweet!
Loved this! Thank you!
Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed it.
you are Awesome. great work.
thanks for sharing.
Hi Melissa, Absolutely love your copper cuffs and excellent tutorials, can’t wait to get hammering. Is there a final surface finish that I can use to help prevent the copper making my skin dirty please?
There are a number of products out there you can use. Renaissance wax is one that a lot of people use. There is also protectaclear and even a clear krylon. All of them will need to be reapplied from time to time due to normal wear. But it is what I have to use to keep my skin from turning blue and green.
Great piece and super helpful video, +Melissa Muir! It's obviously a somewhat time-consuming process, but it actually looks a lot easier to do than the final form would make one think.
It really is quite time-consuming. But I will tell you, when you get done making one of these, you feel so great as you have just beaten all of your frustrations away. LOL.
Melissa Muir LOL, I can imagine!
I just wish I had somewhere I could do hammery things; I live in an apartment at the moment so I have to stick to much quieter techniques until I can maybe find some studio space somewhere. Or a house.
@@MelissaMuir yo lo hago en la llama de la cocina, con un martillo, un alicate común de mi marido, arriba de un 🪵 tronco ,lo lijo con un pliego a mano y hago cosas hermosas, con cobre 0. 3 😮 para practicar 😂
Beautiful Design!
The thumb nut...wheeee! Away it went! Hahaha! Now on to the piece, very well done Melissa, very nice.
LOL jim bettridge You want to know what is really sad? It did it like THREE times! Thanks!
Well Sweety, still a very good job on that bracelet!
jim bettridge Thank you. :)
Had hard time really seeing what you were doing but great cuff. I have always had hard time figuring out how to work harden after soldering or annealing cuff. Any suggestions
Eslie Taylor going back over the piece with a bulging or rawhide mallet will help tremendously.
Super pretty, Melissa, thank you! What gauge did you use?
Melissa, Great demonstration. I will try soon to make one. From previous comments, I read you used 24 gauge . What is the dimensions of the copper blank, 6 x 2?
Your videos have been very inspirational to me. Thank you.
Maritza Suarez Thank you so much for the feedback. Yes, I believe I started with a 6" x 2" blank.
Thank you Melissa for sharing it is very helpful. I was wondering what gauge sheet you used on this one?
***** I believe I used 24 gauge. It seems rather thin, however the folds and hammering give the piece quite a bit of strength.
Melissa Muir Thank you :)
Hi Melissa,
Thanks so much for your demo.
I have done some fold forming but have always been told to use a nylon hammer to hammer the fold line so as not to mar the metal. What kind of hammer are you using? I feel like you are embracing any marring as part of the art piece.
Love the bench block in the vice-never even thought of that.
Canadian Mommy Thank you. Yes, in this piece I have embraced the texture that comes from the hammers. This is a much more organic bracelet than my usual polished pieces. I used a square faced riveting hammer (available in my web store if you are interested... www.kcjewelbox.com), a raw hide mallet and Fretz texturing hammer.
Melissa Muir Why is that URL not working? I see this was about 4 years ago...has it changed? 😘
Oh my I need that cuff bender ! I have such a hard time shaping cuffs. Where to purchase ?
It is now offered through Joni Kisro at www.gethammeredstudio.com
Great video, thanks. What gage copper did you use?
Thank you. I believe this one was 24 gauge.
Perfect. What would you sell that for? Trying to get an idea where to price mine.
Good question. Really for all the work that went into this one I should price it around $125. But it might take a while to find the right audience for this piece as it is copper. Had it been done in silver, I wouldn't sell it for anything less than $250-275. But perhaps I am still a bit low.
Oh wow, I love!!! I hope one day soon we will get control on my Lupus so I can use my hands, I was visioning a large or several Turquoise stones. How do you finish it so it won't turn your skin green. When I get a ring that I know will just after a few wears have the copper peaking through, I take clear fingernail polish on it. It helps
Oh Mardee Hill I hope you are able to get it under control. I turn green with the slightest bit of moisture when I wear copper. I use nail polish on rings, but on bracelets, I use a clear Krylon spray and that helps. It still has to be reapplied from time to time, but like I said, it helps.
Thank you, we Lupies live every day as best as we can. to the fullest if we're given enough energy for the day. I am so glad you said to use the clear Krylon, is that satin or gloss. I have a copper bracelet that a friend brought me back from Africa. The men that work the mines are able to pick up rocks that have fallen off of the trucks and they go back home and do what it takes to bring the copper out and they make wire that the women make into the bracelets and then the money goes to the whole tribe for things they need. She asked for $10 and my friend said no, it’s worth more than that and gave her $30. The lady was so appreciative and hugged Audrey to death she said. The lady also said copper has healing properties but to stay for a moment, she came back with a woman that she thought could be at 100 years old. She said some stuff that was in their language and then the bracelet maker gave it back to Aud saying it has been blessed by the medicine doctor to have stronger powers. I thought the bracelet looked beautiful and thought it was even better when she told the story. It’s made like a knot that I used to make in macramae when I was a teen in the 70’s. I know copper is easier to form but would have never thought it could be “woven” like it is. So now I can wear it. Again thank you so much for answering.
I use both Satin and Gloss. It just depends on the piece. In the case of this bracelet, I would probably use the Satin. That is a great story. Enjoy that bracelet.
Great video. Thanks for sharing
Ken Gray thank you
Lovely work.
Would you please tell me what the gravel like material is that you heat the copper on?
Barry Black thank you. It is pumice. It is great because it retains the heat and helps keep the piece at temperature.
Thanks for the fast response Melissa. Where would you buy pumice in that form?
Barry
Barry Black you can get it from places like Rio Grande, Otto Frei, Contenti and other places that sell jewelry making supplies.
just picked up potters bracelet bender..picked up some good pointers especially the
last step to form that last curl for making it oval as like the bracelet former syn/anticlastic video you performed...can get the students to use 2 stations to work at and get the same relative outcome..jeez..thanks
mike ma Thanks for the feedback. I am glad I was able to help. :) The bracelet bender is a great tool.
+Melissa Muir, what is the advantage of the bracelet bender over traditional mandrels?
love this tutorial!! at about 1.23 where you are putting the other 2 folds in ... how could I slow down this video to see how you actually get the other folds started ... and how you get the ridges so even! ;) I hope you have time to answer or give some direction. Thanks.
I believe I just folded the metal in half for the first fold and then I eyeballed it from there for the remaining folds. As far as getting the ridges even, I think that just comes from practice and getting used to how the metal moves.
thank you so much!
Thank you Melissa.
What gauge copper did you use?
LINDA JONES I believe it was 24 gauge copper for this demo.
Melissa, can I ask what the silver forming plate is or where it came from? So cool. Thank you!
barbbear35 you know, it is actually a steel block that I turned on it side and placed into the vise. It is about 1/2" thick, 6" long by 4" wide. I can get them if you are every interested.
Great bracelets!
Thank you.
Would 18 gauge be too hard to work with for a fold formed cuff? That is all I have right now but am dying to try fold forming. Thanks
+Lindsey G 18 gauge would be just fine. It will be much harder to do a cuff like the one in the video, just make certain you anneal it really well. You will probably have to anneal it a couple of times while opening it to get it really done. Good luck.
I've only worked with 22-32 for most projects. Do you think 32 or 34 would be too thin? Thanks!
+Annika “Skywalker” O'Brien that would be a bit thin for a cuff. I believe i used 24 gauge for this cuff.
That was so cool. ..do you seal your cuffs with anything Miss Melissa? And what was that gadget used to bend the bracelet? It's nice having unlimited wifi now to watch all the vidoes ...:)
Metalmamas13 I don't seal mine, although I do like to spray a clear Krylon on the inside when I have made a copper cuff. I am one of those people that turn green if you look at it wrong. LOL. The gadget was a Deluxe Bracelet Bender from Kevin Potter at Potter USA. It is kind of a handy little tool. All of my bracelet mandrels are tapered, so it is nice to have the control to be able to manipulate it with my hands.
Would you recommend the EZ torch inside the home. It uses propane.
Susan DeBay I have the EZ torch and did not have a good experience with it. I know others have had great experiences with it however. As long as you take the proper precautions, you should be fine to have it in the house. I have a hand held MAPP gas torch that I use for annealing. In addition to my multiple butane torches, I also have an Acetylene/air torch that I use. My studio is in my home. I do regular hose and valve checks on the torch as well. If you decide to do a propane torch, I would consider using the smaller propane canisters, such as those for camping, rather than a large unit for the grill.
Melissa Muir @MelissaMuir, sooo, what was your bad experience with your EZ torch? I have one and am just not comfortable using it because sometimes it acts up unpredictably. ??? So I want to hear what happened with you, please? 👩🏼🎨🌵🔨
Out of curiosity, what guage copper sheet do you start with?
This was 24 gauge
I wish I had found this a couple of years ago.
Have you ever tried using a rolling now to fold the cuff?
Lauren Youngs yes. It can also be effective for similar projects.
NICE!
meraviglioso
mela americana grazie
Melissa, What is that yellow buff that you use on your polishing arbor?? It looks quite narrow.
Carol Minnich It is a large 3M Radial disc. It is similar to the small ones that people use not their flexshaft. I use three of them stacked at a time. It gives a really nice brushed finish. They come in different grits as well.
Melissa Muir Hi again Melissa. Where do you get them? The ones I see seem to come 3 ply or 6 ply already. Are yours 3" or 6" diam? It looks like 3" but I can't tell.
Carol Minnich They are 3". You can actually get them through me. I have just ordered a couple of sets of each grit (I believe there are about 6 or 7 different wheels.) However, they are currently out of stock. In the meantime, I am sure you could check with the big jewelry suppliers. They may have them in stock.
Melissa Muir How much?
Carol,
They look to be about $16.50 plus shipping. You would also need the disc hub that holds them and that runs about $10 for a pack of two of them. My supplier tells me they should have them in in about 2 weeks.
Melissa
Cuanto mide la placa y el grosor?
I started with 22 gauge (0.6mm)
I have an in home studio and wondered what kind of torch can be used to do copper cuffs safely?
Susan DeBay this film was made in my home studio. I have several torches in my studio. The torch you see in this video is a MAPP gas torch from the hardware store. I use this for annealing my larger pieces of metal. When soldering, I have an Acetylene/air torch (meaning I don't mix it with oxygen.) Then I have two butane torches I routinely use. The first is a blazer, but this is only for small pieces. The second is a Jumbo Max Butane Torch: www.kcjewelbox.com/Jumbo-Max-Butane-Torch-Esol31000.htm If you have more questions, just let me know.
How clever! I just learned something new! Thanks Melissa. I actually have one of those that I can use. Appreciate your response! b
copper guage?
+Ek Keg I believe this was 24 gauge. It was certainly thinner, but that doesn't make it flimsy at all because of the forming and folding.
Nice synopsis
Enjoyed the video, you are clearly skilled. Perhaps in the future you could provided either a narrative or better lighting. Much of interest simply slipped away.
Thank you for your feedback. This video was not meant to have any narrative. And when you are working with a torch, it changes the lighting dynamics of a camera. Sorry you lost interest. Thankfully most other people really enjoyed it still.
It would have been better had there be narration. Visuals were good.
Some videos are just meant to show a process and this was one of them. Glad you at least like the visuals