Lareau - Getting Started Making Metal Jewelry

Some people find the idea of metalsmithing a little intimidating. Cutting and drilling require sharp tools, sometimes even power tools. Soldering requires high heat. Chemicals are sometimes involved. But think about it. You use chemicals to clean your drains. You use a sharp motorized tool to sew a seam. Heat? Think cooking.

The fact is that the basic skills of metalsmithing are no more challenging than any number of household chores that most of us do on a daily basis. And yet mastering these basic skillscutting, drilling, soldering, hammering, polishingwill open the door to a whole world of creative jewelry making. With these skills, if you can imagine it, you can make it.

This book is organized to help you learn your tools, develop your skills, and have a little fun along the way. Ive also included some laymans explanations of the science involved. Read those parts. Understanding the basic idea of soldering is as important as understanding that baking powder makes cakes rise. Understanding your materials and processes will give you the accuracy and control to turn your visions into reality and get professional results.

Each project introduces a new idea and builds on what youve done previously. You dont have to follow them in sequence, but youll find yourself doing less backtracking if you do. Id encourage you to make several versions of each piece as you go along, too. It will stimulate your creativity and hone your skills as you go. Most of all, though, relax, enjoy.

Metalsmithing is a fairly gear-intensive undertaking, but dont panic! Some of the common tools youll need are available at any good hardware store, and all of the jewelry-specific ones can be had relatively inexpensively from a good jewelers supply provider. Youll find a few supplier suggestions in the .

A few of the items youll need will be used in every project in this book; these constitute your basic workbench and should be in place whenever you start a project. These are marked in the following discussion with a **. Some of these are consumablesyou should have a decent supply so you wont run out at an awkward time. Some tools described in this chapter will be used for many projects, but not all. Ive marked these with a *. The miscellaneous category lists small items that you should always have at handmarkers, pencils, scissors, and so forth. The basic setupthose starred itemswill cost something like $100 to $200, as of the writing of this book, and they will be essential for all the fabulous works you will undoubtedly create as you go along and build your skills. You can add other tools as the need arisesletter punches, dapping block, and so forth. You might only use them occasionally, but they open some creative doors.

Finally, youll need materials. Sheet metals, wire, solder, flux. Youll find these described here as well, and each project will list the particular materials youll need to make it.

During the course of your jewelry-making endeavors, you will be doing lots of things that will potentially cause small shards of metal to go flying through the air. You really need to have a good pair of safety glasses