August, and here comes the Spring!

With the sun shining and the sap rising as we enter Spring I trust you are all feeling the pull of your workshops and a new enthusiasm for creating beautiful jewellery. If you can resist the call of the garden and other out-doorsy things! We have been busy in the Silversmiths Guild with the night classes underway, and a fantastic members' workshop last weekend. Take a look at the reports and photographs  about the members' weekend workshop from Karen and Pam, and a quick look at the night classes, that, so far, haven't either been cancelled, or disrupted by any untoward seismic events! Long may that last!!

The next Committee Meeting is at SIT on Monday 5th September at 6.30pm. Members are welcome to attend - and with the lengthening evenings it is a more attractive possibility than it has been. A great opportunity to meet up and see what we are up to.


Tool Making Workshop
Karen Atherton

I attended one of the best Guild workshops I've ever been to on August 20th at SIT.  John Ogilvie and Arthur Harrison taught ten members and two Level Two students how to make an array of jewellery-making tools.  We were busy all day long learning new techniques, using unfamiliar woodworking tools, swapping ideas, and just enjoying hanging out together and catching up on personal news.  It was really good to get together to do some creative work after the long dry earthquake recovery time.  It felt good to see us really back in business!

I made a jump-ring winding jig that I've been wanting for a long time.  Several of us worked on the same project so we could share the tools and advice and help each other with each step.  We could clarify how the design was supposed to work, coordinate time on the drill press and check the angles of how to bend the winding handles together rather than trying to figure everything out from a book.  

I also had time to make the jump-ring cutting jig that Noeline Walker mentioned in the last newsletter.  It works great!  Arthur and John had pre-cut a lot of tools that we could finish ourselves like bench pins and swage blocks.   With a little sawing, filing and sanding I came home with a nice hardwood forming block that is better than the one in the Regal catalogue.  Several people made beautiful mandrels out of old hardwood garden tool handles.  After a little sawing, planing and sanding, they ended up with handmade tools using the best materials, customised for their requirements and with no crazy shipping costs.  

We had to choose the projects we wanted the most and then devote the time to making them during the one-day workshop but I could have spent days making tools.  I liked a little wire clamp that John Weeber put together like a magician and a saw-blade holder with little tube inserts to separate your blades neatly with some hooks on the back to hang your saw frame. I didn't have time to make them but I will definitely sign up for the next tool-making workshop and put them on my list of must-do projects.  

John and Arthur spent days planning projects, assembling materials, lending their personal tools, hauling everything to the workshop and spending all day Saturday teaching and helping us.  Their generosity was outstanding -- an example of the very best spirit of sharing and teaching that we can provide through the Guild.  I know everyone who attended the workshop appreciated it very much.

Everybody busy at work

Silversmiths Guild  - Tool Making Workshop
Pam Knox

It was good to be amongst enthusiastic and motivated people who were keen to make their own tools so that they can work at home.  Arthur Harrison and John Ogilvie had spent considerable time gathering suitable hardwood, steel rods, firebricks, pumice and other materials that could be made into useful gadgets and tools at very little expense.  With a sheaf of notes and patterns dating back to Eddie Freeman’s days, and thanks to Noeline Walker for her contribution, these will be invaluable.

Arthur demonstrating drilling holes for the jumpring rig  

John and Arthur gave precise instructions and demonstration of ‘how to’ and the use of equipment. We went ahead and made what was necessary for our own use.  It was ‘grist to the mill’ as ring mandrels were fashioned from large wooden round dowels, sawing and constructing handy jigs for winding or cutting jump rings, drilling clamps and no doubt many other personal pieces to be used at home.  Lots of advice given by John and Arthur was gratefully received. The SIT is well set up with equipment, benches and the fact that we can use this area to run classes, workshops and store the Guild’s belongings is amazing.

John helping out on a technical issue

Arthur and John, and welcome to new member Kathy

Arthur with all the prepared blocks

John setting the drill piece

                                          

Pacemakers are easier to insert!

A big THANK YOU to John and Arthur who ran the workshop and had spent some considerable time preparing for this day. When I asked Arthur about the preparation he said that he and John had spent a whole day cutting and making dapper blocks and other blocks for us to use.  Hardwood is no mean wood to cut into and one can understand why railway sleepers, telegraph poles and bridges were made of them.

It is so encouraging to see people getting on with creativity despite all the earthquakes and damage we have experienced over the past year.  In the words of the Queen ‘ “annus horribilis,” but as one might say, watch the ‘Phoenix rise from the ashes’, and that is exactly what the Guild is doing.  Nothing is insurmountable with an enthusiastic and passionate committee as we have.

                                            

Here is a quick report on progress with the recently started classes:
Karen Atherton

Students Busy at Work

The Terms 3, Level One and Level Two week-night classes are fully booked and have been running for a month. Students and tutors seem to be thoroughly enjoying themselves and the students are turning out excellent work. We were hoping to run a Term 3 Saturday class, but very little interest has been shown for this time slot, which is a bit of a surprise. We have already had several inquiries relating to the Term 4 sessions, which is very good given how far away these are.


Our mentor, Arthur Harrison, has been extremely helpful with curriculum planning and guidance and has also been very generous with his time in the classroom.  He has been especially valuable in teaching us how to run the all the equipment. Thank you so much Arthur! 


The tutors are Solvejg Ruarus, Crystal Mathieson, Chloe Judd, Jo Crompton, and Karen Atherton. We have all put in significant effort to get the new curriculum implemented and to set up the workshop for classes.  We have been helping and training each other during this set-up phase.  Each class has at least two tutors at the moment but as we gain experience we will be able to run our own class singly.  Our storage is very tight, as you know.  Everything has to be stored neatly and then brought out and set up before each class.  We are getting pretty fast with the help of the students -- about ten minutes!


If you have a spare moment and would like to see our new classes and workshop in action please drop by between 7 and 9pm on Tuesday or Wednesday evening.

Tension Setting Ring - OOOh!

Double Layer Ring

SIT as a facility and resource continue to be excellent.  We are very lucky to have found such a compatible venue and we wish to extend our thanks to them.

*One Day Workshops
Finally, we have had some enquiries about doing a one day course to make a silver ring, which seems like a really good idea. We think a Saturday would be good, 10am to 4pm, taking the students through the whole process in one go. If anyone would be interested in attending a one day workshop, or know someone who would be, please contact Karen on 337 6632. We will be discussing this possibility at the committee meeting on the 5th September so  we would like to hear from you before that preferably. The cost would be approx $130 at this stage.




Happy jewellery making everyone
Jo