WiseArts

If you enjoy making soldered pendants from glass slides, or want to add another dimension to stained glass art, try adding shapes cut from copper sheet and copper mesh!

I made this pendant using recycled watch crystals, prints of antique photo postcards, tinned copper wire, copper sheet, and copper mesh. I used regular copper tape around the watch crystals (the images sandwiched inside), and fluxed and soldered normally. I added a jump ring for hanging too. Then I first added the copper mesh layer. Cut this stuff with metal cutters, don’t wreck your scissors. Flux only needs to be added to the mesh pieces right where they will join the ornament. Wherever flux is added, that’s where solder will flow. Too much flux makes a mess of it!

After I added the mesh pieces, then I did the same steps to add the cut copper pieces. Then I added squiggles of tinned copper wire that I shaped with jewelry pliers. Added on a string to hang it, and it was ready to go! If you take care not to add too much flux, the back will end up looking nice too!

The wire mesh comes in a flat package like this. I usually find it near the clay/sculpting supplies, but it might be near scrapbooking goods too. The copper sheet comes rolled in a tube, and it won’t be far away. It is usually used for metal embossing. The tinned copper wire was purchased from a stained-glass supply shop. You can find it online too.

It would be fun to use photos of your favorite kids and pets for this project. I love to use antique photo postcard images for these sort of projects too. I’ve been acquiring them inexpensively at antique shops and flea markets. If you don’t have any images handy, you can use this one for your project!

If you haven’t attempted soldering yet, you may want to check out this tutorial at StarLitStudio. Cindy goes through the steps and tools you need to complete a basic soldered pendant. You’ll also want to look at the Art-E-Zine Collage Pendants page. Lots of inspiration and instruction there too!

Remember the Crystletts I found at the flea market on June 2nd? I took them for a trial run this evening. Here’s how it went:

First, I made a mold out of aluminum foil. I think the mold material needs to be glass or metal since the oven needs to be 350-400 degrees for the Crystletts to melt. The back of the box talks about using copper or aluminum to make a shape that you place on a pan. I suppose the surface tension keeps the melted plastic from leaking out of the bottom. I was too chicken to try that this time, so I made a mold with a closed bottom.

I put a thin layer of the crystals in the bottom, added a piece of colored foil, and then another thin layer on top. Then it went into the oven on a baking sheet. This stuff isn’t like shrink plastic! It took a while to melt. Maybe a good 15 minutes… I didn’t think to time it. It didn’t give off any smell at all.

When it seemed smooth enough, I took it out. On the box it says that you can pull it out sooner if you want a rippled look. It has a lot of bubbles in it. I think they may be reduced by using lower temperature for a longer time period. This feels lighter and harder than a pendant made of resin.

On the box, it says you can hold the piece to a flame to smooth the edges. I figured that I could use my dremel tool to grind off some of the excess (outside!) and then “fire-polished” it over the gas cooktop. That worked out swell. I didn’t smell anything even then, but I turned on the exhaust fan to be a bit safer. Then I used a tiny drill bit to drill the hole.

It’s not perfect, but I’m happy with this first result. I think next time I will try making a proper mold out of heavier metal. I’d also like to try some different inclusions.

Haven’t posted for a while, and here’s why!
June 6th – 8th, I did the MS150! It’s a 150-mile bike tour ridden in two days. 75 miles on Saturday and again on Sunday. It was definitely one of the most challenging physical endeavors I’ve ever undertaken. I didn’t do much training for the event – the longest ride I attempted beforehand was 40 miles. I was incredibly sore at the end, but I surprised myself by making pretty good time on both days. I averaged about 15mph on Saturday and 17mph on Sunday. And to top it off, I was riding a mountain bike! I’m really hoping to get a new road bike for next year. I signed up to do it again in ’09!

In order to carry more stuff with me on the ride, I made this “box” that attaches to the top bar of my bike with velcro. The commercial version of this is called a “Bento Box” and it can be had very cheaply, but by the time I decided I wanted one, it was too near the date of the event to order and get it shipped in time. So I made my own! It is constructed from pieces of plastic canvas sandwiched between layers of heavy black canvas fabric. I added a vinyl top that attaches with Velcro for quick access. Once it’s all sewn together, it’s quite stiff and once attached to the bike, it can hold a slew of energy bars, a cell phone, tools… any small items you need on the road. Mine had a tendency to lean to the right a bit, so I think I need to adjust the way the Velcro is sewn on. Overall, it worked very well though!

After the MS150, my husband and I went on a trip to the Chicago area for the week! We visited family who live in the area, went to the science museum, ate tons of Chinese food and did a lot of shopping. One of my favorite shopping spots is Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights. There’s a great Japanese bookstore there that carries Japanese craft books. I bought a handful of crafty books and magazines that looked inspiring! I’ll definitely feature some of them here in the future.

Soooo, I’ve been busy, but I’m back in action now and should be posting regularly as before!