FMP One Step Closer 23rd April

One Step Closer   23rd April

I wanted to make sure I have almost all of the locket finished by the beginning of next week so that I can spend more time on the second 'disorganisation' piece.

With most of the design, techniques and process sorted out yesterday, I could spend today doing all the hard work to make the locket. All the copper is marked out and the centre is cut, I could start by making small changes to bring it together and start making it look like a locket.

After putting the glass behind the copper yesterday and discussing how it look with the group, I got some good feed back. The glass is one of the main features. I (and the group) thought that it would be better to cut a little more of the front copper out so that you could see it more. I think this not only is a good idea, but really draws the eye to the piece. It will also mean that when light hits the back of the locket in the exhibition, it would have more of an effect. Even if the person was wearing the locket and there was no light behind it, the glass would still have a different appearance, making it lighter than if there was copper behind and surrounding it.

After my talk, I changed my design a little. I drew up a new design with a bigger middle shape that I could cut out, and changed and added a couple more sections. Using the material gives me a chance to see how it reacts. This is one of the most important parts for me as it helps me change and improve my piece. It also lets me learn how far I can take the material with the tools I have at hand.

Most of my day was hand sawing my copper piece, making sure that every line I made was straight and even on both sides. This was a difficult task to do with a hand saw that I wasn't used to. I started to get quicker over the day and I could then move onto cutting out the shape itself from the edge of the copper. I placed masking tape over the top of the copper, carefully marking and measuring out the cut lines I needed to make with the hand saw. It was then up to me to saw out the shapes I need.

This was a hard task, not only to get the lines straight, but to make sure that the copper was securely fixed to the jeweller's bench. Once I had finished cutting one line, I then had to unclamp the copper and change the position so that I could then change the angle of the blade to cut out all of the copper from the centre. When I was cutting the sides, I still had to change the position of the copper while cutting because the shape of the metal got in the way of the blade, so I had to keep cutting half way, repositioning the copper and cutting the other half.

With the copper cut, I could then check on the mould I made yesterday. I was hoping that I could have the plaster mould ready to go in the kiln by the weekend so the glass would be ready on Monday. Removing the boards, I then could see if it was dry. After turning the plaster over and cleaning most of the clay off from around the sides, I then tried to remove one of the wooden templates from the cast. Removing the wood was easier than the last time. I made sure to put a thicker layer of slip on the wooden template.

By the time I removed and cleaned one of the wooden templates from the plaster mould, it was time to call it a day. With tomorrow Friday, I will come in and work on my own. I'm hoping that I could get my glass in the kiln for Monday and make my hinge.