If I'm working at my bench I have no problem in achieving Eleanor Roosevelt's dictate! Let me tell you, soldering in scary! At a basic level their is the safety issue, so it is actually wise to be 'scared' because with this comes respect and control. Hair pulled back, all loose flammable clothing tucked away etc.
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| Brooch for Andrea, Cari-jane Hakes, 2011 |
After the precise texturing of silver, the cutting and filing and sanding of each individual leaf AND the careful measuring and adjusting to make sure the bezel makes a perfect snug fit with the stone comes the soldering.
The thing that really scares me is the possibility of hours and hours of hard work melting before my eyes.
I use hard solder for all the initial joints. This means that the silver is glowing with an internal heat. It is just on the verge of collapse as the solder begins to flow and fuse all the disparate parts together.
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| Back view of Andrea's brooch, Cari-Jane Hakes, 2011 |
Post script: The pink ribbon isn't part of the design - it just means I can pull the stone out after a fitting.
It's very hard to cram my excitement into a little message - portraying a well contained full body bounce/shake/flutter/skip in words??? I probably look like I am having a fit!!
ReplyDeleteSelfish excitement aside (it's looking so so beautiful), I'm amazed at how you can work in such fine detail at such a small scale, especially when you add the boiling metal factor. Coming from my clumsy motor skills perspective I am in complete awe!
Oh Andrea, aren't you the lucky gal?! Gorgeous as per usual and always Mrs H. Love, Mrs L x
ReplyDeleteI read out your comments to my husband - I do believe I may have won the 'best client feedback' competition for the day!
ReplyDelete:)
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