Hollow Branch Forms in Steel

A few entries back, I posted about some tree shelf brackets that I've been working on.  Here's how they turned out! 

I used a U shaped beam at the top.  The shelf should be routed to fit over the u shape, so that it looks like the tree is going right up into the shelf. 

The shelf brackets are large, about 30 inches high with a shelf support length of 12 inches.  Surprisingly enough, they are not very heavy.  I specifically designed them to be strong, but also to be lightweight.

Let me back up a little.  When the client first approached me about the project, I sure "sure!" jumping in headfirst like I usually do, without thinking about it enough.  I originally thought I would use branch textured bar stock.  Then I realized a few things.

1. I don't have a power hammer anymore, so it would be terribly difficult to for me to texture my own bar stock like I used to. 
   
2. Those would be heavy!  I'm trying to avoid heavy.
   
3. Propane is very expensive right now, so that means hot forging is very expensive for me.  I've been adapting my work to use much less propane.

So I started to re-think the process.  At first I thought I would use plain un-textured bar stock.  Still that would use lots of propane for forging and would be heavy.  Then I thought, well I'll just buy the bar stock.  That was a mistake.  That supposedly "branch textured" bar stock from King Metals is UGLY and doesn't look at all like a branch.  Finally I realized, I need to go back to the rough anticlastic technique that I've used in the past to make hollow twig/branch forms, in both large and small sizes.  I used to use it a lot for steel work, but I only have the pictures as slides, with no slide-scanner.  If you look back through my jewelry pages on flickr, you can see the technique on the twiggy copper bracelets and on many of my leaf stem pendant bails.

Basically, I cut asymmetrical long strips of metal.  Then I shape them over the step of my anvil into a tube shape.  To finish up, I close up the tube, letting the metal overlap and wrinkle at the edges.   I also hammer around the hollow tube form, to create more texture and form.  This creates a surprisingly strong and lightweight hollow form, that is very organic and convincing as a branch form.

I agonized over this for ages before I started!  I hadn't done it large scale in so long and I was worried that it might not work after all the effort I put into it.  But as you can see from the pictures above, it worked beautifully!

I was so pleased after I finished the brackets, that I even created a few small steel branch sculptures, and a candleholder, using the same technique.  Click on each photo for full details.

All in all, it's turned out to be a great example of how a challenging project can lead to exciting new directions, or exciting new takes on old directions.

Ahhhh

Now this is why I started making jewelry in the first place..... so I could make work like this mainly for myself at the time.  These days, even when I make jewelry to sell, I'm still envisioning it on myself.

Two sterling silver feather pendants- first handsawn, then hammered, then defined and refined with chasing tools over pitch.
 
For the finish, I tumbled the pendants for a few hours, oxidized them with liver of sulphur, and then burnished up the highlights with a 3M green polishing wheel.

This bracelet might be sold.  I have to wait to hear back from the client who suggested it.
 
I love how it turned out.  The oak leaf and acorn theme seems to be timeless.  I textured the metal first with hammers, then created the image with chasing and repousse, and finally formed it to the cuff shape with hammers again. 

The heat oxide is so beautiful on bronze.  Bronze gets a bit of copper plating on it after repeated heating.  There is so much copper in the alloy that the copper somehow comes to the surface during the annealing process.  So when I start to burnish back the surface, I go through a range of colors from black, brown, red and then finally the goldtones of the bronze.
I used a variety of 3M Scotchbrite brand buffs and wheels to get the right finish, burnished but still rugged, with lots of texture and color tones.

Working to Use Less Propane

I am working with some different thicknesses and metals for my leaves, in order to reduce my use of propane.  My forge runs on propane.  As you might imagine, the cost of propane goes up as the cost of oil goes up.   This could be a huge strain on a business that runs on propane- but I'm flexible.  There are so many ways to work with metal!

Copper and Bronze Ginkgo Leaves.  I use propane to anneal them, but they don't need constant heat.
 
Wax as a final surface treatment really brings out the heat colors on copper.

 
These are steel yes, but a thinner steel.  I pay special attention to the edges and surfaces, to maintain the feeling of strength that I give to all of my work.  Look at the difference in surfaces.  The one on the left has been burnished back much more and highlighted with brass goldtones.  The one on the right keeps its true forged steel black.

And of course a few more pendants, another copper oak leaf and a forged steel maple leaf.

back to the studio now.  It's a welding day- for cattail railings and branchy shelf brackets.

Copper Oak Leaf Jewelry

I've got some nice big copper oak leaves that I've been making into talisman-like pendants.  The leaves are my design, well nature's design, about 4 inches long from the top of the stem loop to the bottom of the leaf.  You may click on each picture for more details.
 
I have a local friend cut them with his computer aided plasma cutting system.  This is my first time to have non-ferrous (copper and bronze this time)  metals plasma cut and there are size limitations.  The surfaces are more rugged, as the plasma cutter sort of burns away the cut lines.  Of course I like the way that looks.   Smaller shapes and other metals will still need to be sawn by hand.

I had to have one of the oak leaf pendants for myself.  I like large bold pendants on long 24 inch endless chains that slip easily over my head with no clasps.

I am finally starting to own a nice selection of my own jewelry!

My Chasing and Repoussé Back from the Exhibit

and ready to list in my online shop... Each photo links to its listing in my shop, so click on the photo for a price and more details.

Everyone's favorite, the Green Man!

This is the most expensive of the chasings that I will be listing. It is also the most detailed, most time consuming and most... well.. enchanting.

Oak Leaf Reflection

This piece shows off the best of my skills, with a chasing at the top and the reflected forged bronze leaf hanging from the bottom. I've been making oak leaves for as long as I've been doing chasing and repoussé, oh about 13 years now. The oak leaf chasings are very representative of my work and style.

and The Eagle

one of my favorite subjects this time of year, when the bald eagles are migrating North through Wisconsin's part of the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Many of them will stay and nest along the river. There are a few mature eagles that stay all year round.

I'll be listing the bronze heart and steel bear next.

Jewelry, Cookies, and Crafts

Jewelry first

Two are already claimed.  The other two will go on Etsy soon.  I'm working on some other custom jewelry too that should be done in a few days.

Now to the cookies, kaleidoscope pinwheels from the Betty Crocker Cooky Book - basically butter cookies dyed with high fashion artificial colors and coated in sugary sprinkles.

and now the crafts.
After hours of tv, cookies, and computer games, my son announced that he must make a felt craft. I pulled out wool felt and two felt craft books to give him ideas.  He decided on the ipod case from Heartfelt.

front

back

He cut up the wool felt (recycled from outgrown pieces) and stitched them together.  I sewed on the button because the daredevil didn't want to poke his finger with a sharper needle.  He cut out the star, which we decided to glue onto the back.  He says I can use it until he gets his own personal mp3 player. 

Daughter decided to personalize her own clothing with some fabric markers (with my complete approval.)

 
She did a shirt for me too, but I think hers is better.

Kids do the best crafts when it's their own idea. 

New Art!

I finally made some jewelry just for me! I haven't worn earrings for a long time, because any metal makes my ears itch, from gold to niobium. I finally found some nylon ear wires on ebay which truly are hypoallergenic. I also seem to be having good luck with plain surgical stainless steel. So I'm wearing earrings again and loving it.
Did you know I worked at a bead store for about six months in my early 20s? I found one of the pair of earrings I made from that time, and reworked them.

I kept the black leaf beads, then added 3 vintage beads from a broken necklace that used to belong to my grandma. The yellow beads are an old plastic. The black and gold beads are a handmade glass bead, really beautiful. The best part- they are just for me. They are long, dramatic, beautiful and tickle my neck when I move.

---

I've been doing lots of stuff in the studio. I don't know how, as I never seem to have enough time in there. I finished up another in my copper collage series. This one is called Driftless Wetlands Landscape and is about 12 x 12 inches at its max dimensions.

This is the 6th piece in the Driftless landscape collage series. They started off as collages of pieces, from my bits and pieces hanging in shop limbo. As they formed together, I felt that they represented the textures, colors, forms and feelings of the landscape that I live in.
These collage pieces are odd. First the bits are a challenging puzzle. I often wonder if they're too unrelated. I have to put elements together, almost blindly, then suddenly, the piece is appears right. It's complete.
You might recognize just this detail, from previous blog entries.

I've got one more of these collages sitting on my welding table, pieces waiting to come together. I already love it and can't wait until it's done to show you.

Here's another wallpiece, inspired of course from the bronze railing that I worked so long on.

It's horizontal and very long, maybe 3-1/2 feet long. To me it evokes the feeling of the water lilies floating on the Mississippi backwaters, so graceful yet still tough, never staying long, but always coming back. It could hang on a few small nails, but I also made these hooks for it to hang on.

With these kinds of linear pieces, the standard picture wire won't work. Although I prefer nails myself, nearly invisible when placed properly, I like to think of some other graceful options for hanging the piece.

After I perform my motherly chauffeur and chaperone duties this morning, I hope to be back forging in the studio this afternoon. It's finally cooling off a bit here.

---

and back to my Pendant section on Etsy .
This pendant is still available. Don't miss it. It's the last one you'll see like this. I don't have any more of the tiny acorns and won't be making them any time soon.

Handforged Oak and ...
Knitsteel
$20.00

I added this steel oak leaf yesterday.

Wrought Iron Oak Le...
Knitsteel
$14.00

And what about some jewelry for the wall? You can tell that I come to Art Wallpieces with a jewelry background.



Oak Leaf Wall Pendant - Jewelry for your Wall$27.00

Grape Leaf Wallpiece - Jewelry for your Wall$30.00
>


Two Oak Leaves - Art for your tabletop or wall$25.00

Pendants

These pendants are all for sale in the pendant section of my Etsy Shop . They are all hot forged, except for the silver bird pendant.

Flying Bird Pendant...
Knitsteel
$25.00

Oak Leaf Pendant fo...
Knitsteel
$25.00

Handforged Bronze I...
Knitsteel
$15.00

Handforged Bronze I...
Knitsteel
$15.00

Handforged Oak and ...
Knitsteel
$20.00

coming soon to www.knitsteel.etsy.com

 I wasn't going to do smaller pieces for awhile, but I changed my mind.  These will be on Etsy soon.  One of the 3 bracelets is already sold, but the new owner still has to choose which one.

steel oak leaf bracelets with some added goldtones over the steel

This is on my husband's arm. On my arm it goes way up on my upper arm, right at or under short sleeve level.

more leaf pendants, 2 steel, 2 bronze