March / April

Hi Everyone,

Another month has passed us by, and the excuse of a summer gone by. Perhaps we will have a lovely Autumn to make up for it, let's hope so.

New Tools in the Workshop
There are a couple of sets of alphabet and number punches in the cupboard nearest the cabinets. For all of you who want to include words on their pieces this is a great resource. There is also a set of a few shapes to add a few options.
Here are a couple of links to demonstrations that might be inspiring. The first is a tip for keeping your letters in a line. They use a weighted rawhide hammer. Our rawhide hammers are unsuitable, you need to use either the brass hammer, or one of the heavier flat hammers. We don't want to damage the faces of the planishing hammers either. Ask if you aren't sure which to use. It is much quieter for the rest of us if you use the anvil when hammering!

Click here for the tip
and here for a written article with photos. Rita Klingenberg's Jewellery Journal is quite a good resource .

Subs are Due
By now you will have received your reminder in the mail that your subscription fees are due at the start of April. Our AGM is coming up in July, and you need to have your subs up to date to be able to exercise your vote, and it is a good time to update your contact details and email addresses. Please contact Anita with your details, anitagann@yahoo.com if you haven't received the form  for your membership renewal.

Next Committee Meeting is on Monday 7th April, 7pm at our Tanner St studio. Please come along if you are interested, we would love to see you there.


Members' Workshops

This month's members' workshop is on Saturday 12th April, 10am, $20 for the day. There may be some material costs. Cora Baillie will be teaching us some wire work techniques, and you will be making a copper wire bracelet. There is a display in the guild cabinets with examples of the bracelet to have a look at.
Please contact Arthur or Tui on 382 1332 to book your place


 


On Saturday 17th May, Noeline will be taking a Coloured Metals workshop. She will be covering the use of coloured pencils on copper, flame colouring titanium, and ways of applying patinas. Adding colour to your metal opens up a whole new dimension to creating new designs for your jewellery.
Again you need to book with Arthur or Tui 382 1332.

Classes
Our classes have been going well. Full, and lots of lovely ideas. Gone are the days of Level One students all making variations on the fish design. They get to look at the fish and come up with their own designs, encompassing the same techniques, and often adding a few extra challenges of their own!
Take a look at these photos that Debi took.

Michele and Anita held a great workshop for us last month, thanks guys!

Enameling Workshop Report

Michele Boston

On Saturday the 15th of March, there was an enameling workshop at the Silversmiths Guild Workshop. The workshop was led by Anita Gann and Michele Boston with 6 attendees.

The day had a focus on cloisonné, but to get to setting our wires and filling the  cells we had to sift and fire the enamel base coats onto our pieces of copper. 

The clear flux  base coat (there is one for silver and one for copper) is sifted onto annealed, pickled and scrubbed metal, and allowed to dry before it is fired in the kiln. Once our metal was coated both sides with the clear powdered glass we were ready to go, shaping the cloisonné wire into patterns or pictures. The wires are then placed on the flux, with an application of agar, and once completely dry are placed in the kiln again. In the kiln the wires sink slightly into the glass, with the glass sealing the cells ready for colour. Once again everything is pickled and cleaned.

The guild has a collection of enamels which are a wonderful mishmash of colors and  types, and from these we could fill in the cells with wonderful colour. To fill the cells we wet the powdered enamels, so that they could be ladled into the cells, and smoothed with a little agitation. Before they went into he kiln the enamel has to totally dry out, otherwise there is a risk of the water boiling up through the glass and creating little holes.  Once the piece is cooled and then cleaned again, the cells can be topped up as necessary with more colour until they reach the top of the cells.

We had a wonderful day with everyone completing a project or two, and hopefully confident to use the kiln at the guild.

A couple of enamelling leads for those who would like to learn more:

Linda Darty is an enamelist whose enamel book, the art of enamelling  is extremely helpful and informative. This blog has some examples of her work http://secretlifeofjewelry.blogspot.co.nz/2011/10/enamel-flowers-by-linda-darty.html

And just to tempt you,  check out some of Barbara Lewis's videos on you tube. She torch fires her 

enamels, which makes the process quick and relatively easily done. 

-------

I am about to decamp to Nelson, and the delights of my daughter producing twins in a few months time, so, sadly, this is my last newsletter. I am delighted to be able to hand over to Cora, who will do a splendid job, and bring some new ideas to the newsletter as she gets to grips with the computer side of producing it. I have enjoyed being a part of your silversmithing life, and look forward to seeing you from time to time as I go backwards and forwards between Christchurch and Nelson for the next little while. Perhaps I may see some of you when you pass through Nelson too. If you want to stay in touch, my email remains the same, and I would love to hear from you.

Summary of SSG Committee meeting March 3, 2014

7 p.m. The Studio

Pressent:  Noeline, Arthur, Diederic, Sol, Karen, Jo, Leslie Marsh, Anita

Apologies:  John Weeber

New Members:  Two prospective members came to meet the committee and present examples of their work for consideration.  Both were approved for membership and will be notified by Solvejg.  Orientation plan for new members needs to be finalised and then a time set (probably Club Night or Wednesday Studio Time) to show them the studio and explain the equipment and our systems.   They need to fill out membership forms and pay after they have been notified of approval.

Minutes:  Accepted as read before the meeting.

Matters Arising: 

Eftpos:  Diederic is working on getting it set up for daily use. Diederic asked again that people be told to use their surnames and a description of the purchase (membership, silver, etc.) on e-banking transactions.

Future workshops:

Enameling March 15

Wire wrapping April 12.  Sol to contact Cora to confirm date.  Also would like Cora to put examples in display cabinet.

Colours and patinas May 17, Noeline. (Arthur to get titanium).  Look for an old paper of Eddie’s on colouring copper.

Teaspoon class, Nicola, mid year.

Metal clay class, Susan Brown, Sol to contact.

AGM confirmed for July.

Correspondence:

Bethany Rogers confirmed that she will enroll for an eight week course.

Carolyn Fletcher is fund-raising for Selwyn House School at the end of April.  Asks that members contribute pieces to sell.  She can use our cabinets.  Noeline will organise.

Treasurer’s Report:

Diederic reported that our finances are healthy.

Classes Report:

Jo is doing fine with help from Jax on Wednesdays.  Yvonne and Anita are alternating with Sol Thursdays.  Sol and Debi are working well on Tuesdays.

Karen will resume working with Sol on Thursdays.  Sol will be in Europe for six weeks starting April 1.  Karen will alternate with Yvonne and Anita until she returns.

Karen will no longer hold Studio Time on alternate Saturdays.  There was very little interest by members in attending.  We will ask Crystal if she wants to take on every Saturday and if she doesn’t we will just eliminate it.  Anita’s method of sending out an email with little notice when she plans to open up for Studio Times has been working out well.   While Solvejg is away Anita will hold Weds Studio Time for the first half of April and Arthur will do it until Sol returns.

Exhibition:

Deb Smithson’s pieces from the show are still here.  Deb said we can put them into the display cabinet until she picks them up.

Noeline sent out Arts in Oxford info to the committee.  We do want to apply for a show sometime in 2015.  Noeline will start the process.

Agreement by committee that the next exhibition should be after Term 4 finishes and before Christmas.  Arthur will contact movers for an estimate on storage costs for desks, etc.  Also, maybe other tenants might be able to store them for us. 

Noeline suggested that we encourage small groups of members to hold shows individually throughout the year in venues such as Art Central on Peterborough St.

General:

Diederic would like to submit a conflict resolution (or dispute resolution) proposal for the constitution to be voted on at the AGM.

Discussion about what kind of light excluding hood to install over the soldering station.  Maybe use Nicola Roakek’s “hearth” as a model.  Or possibly install a switch to dim the lights in that area.  Still needs thinking about.

The 12 year old girl who wants to learn metal working will be referred to Monique Connell at her Rose Cottage Gallery in Akaroa (Takamatua).  She is too young for our classes.

Next meeting April 7, 2014 7 p.m.

Meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.