My first "Fine Metals" piece (art deco)

[noodlecake]

I'm not sure if copper and brass count as Fine Metals but it was our first fine metal project on my Contemporary Crafts degree. These are my first attempts at working with copper and brass and making use of a jeweller's saw. I had to leave my course after a month due to a family bereavement but I'm restarting my course in September all being well.

My first jeweller's saw improvised "doodles"


My first project




and the panels I made.



It ended up being a bit rushed and I super glued the 3 pieces together in the end which was a big no no but I still passed the unit as I incorporated quite a few techniques into it. Rushing meant I didn't get to polish it either so it is fairly scuffed. I did enjoy it though! I think I enjoy working with metal as much as I like to paint or draw. I didn't measure anything as I like to try and do as much by eye as I can but I think this project taught me that it's probably not a very good idea with metalwork.

roughly about 5cm x 6cm x 5cm

[sculpturedolls]

The combo of brass and copper looks good. I like how the negative space shows up well with the copper underneath. Are those copper nails that you used to hammer the two together? I know you said you glued them together also.

Glad you are enjoying this so much!

[noodlecake]

They are rivets. Just pieces of a copper rod slotted through some holes and hammered flat. I made a mess of one of them but it was my first attempt at riveting. I didn't have time to do any test rivets.

the little penny tray is soldered on too and I used some strange substance to change the copper from orange to brown but I don't know what the process is called because I missed the workshop on it. The brown works much better with the yellow brass than orange did.

[sculpturedolls]

Ah, copper rivets, of course! Well, practice makes perfect and you are doing good on your first metal fabrication sculpture so keep at it some more.

Maybe the substance used to turn the copper brown is the same used when doing a hot patina for bronze. Bronze is something like 90% copper. Liver of sulphur turns bronze blackish brown. Ferric turns bronze a warm brown.

[ArtsyLynda]

Ferric, applied lightly and with not so much heat (IIRC) also turns a pretty gold color. My mountain lion was patinaed with ferric, as are my chestnut (golden red) horses.

I like your projects! Really nice! I'm sorry about your bereavement. I had that happen when I was in the middle of a writing course at a local college and it was really hard to get the work done before I left for Virginia for the funeral. I had to do a rush job like you did, so my sympathies on that too. But your work looks great and it sounds like you enjoyed the experience! Keep up the good work!