My First Major Hand Fabrication, Platinum Wedding Bands! (Week 12 Redux!)

  So after all the official school projects were done (well mainly, work with me here folks) it was time to make a wedding band for my friend Tyler, who's wedding was coming up and I was also a part of. FYI: My official title on the wedding website is "Bridesman", sort of a joke but mainly because I knew the fiance Heather before I met Tyler. Anyhow, Tyler wanted to get a feel for the size based on what was at a jewelry store. Once the couple drove up from Georgia, he was in sniper school, we were all able to take a trip to the jewelry store to try on some bands.
  Once there we tried on the usual stuff and then I asked the saleswoman what they had for platinum bands. Upon feeling the overwhelming weight of the metal Tyler, although we had already decided on platinum long beforehand, he was hooked. The problem for the store was that they wanted $3,000 for what I would eventually make (I did it for less than half that). Of course this was just to get a more accurate ring size, and more importantly a width that Tyler would like. Much to my chagrin, he decided on a 7mm band. I almost shit a brick here as this would require a lot of bending and hammering to get into shape, not to mention polishing on my part. After leaving the store we went and had a bite to eat as we waited for Blaine to arrive at the school so we could set everything straight before fabrication. Blaine actually half tried to talk Tyler out of a 7mm width, but he gave me the "If that's what he wants look" which ended things on that front. One thing I did not expect was Heather also wanting a ring made.
   I didn't know if we had enough metal but Blaine assured me we did. This was sort of a blessing in disguise but I did want extra metal to make my own design for something else or just in case. I was actually planning on making Heather a platinum necklace with the leftover but a wedding band is something she will wear daily. To tell you the truth I was honored.

   The next week (and I realize I backtracked a little here) we were mainly doing the trellis ring so the bands would have to wait, just hopefully not too long. As the days neared the end of the week I was getting a little more than concerned. Finally, on the last day mind you, Blaine and I got up early and met at 7am at the school. The first step was to get all of the platinum and do a little 'testing' of you will. We did this by heating up each piece from the pile to see if any gold solder was on it. This was cool in itself because as the metal gets hot, the solder easily shows and changes color long before the platinum melts. This was taken off by grinding and filing. After the pile had been made as pure as possible the real fun began.
  Blaine and I both put on our dark glasses and fired up the torch again, this time with a jet engine sounding flame, a real hisser! As the metal got hot it melted, sort of, but not in the traditional way that silver or gold would, at least not with the heat supply we had going. Blaine more or less folded and washed the metal onto itself. Initially I was a few paces back and watched him work. The 3,700F flame was producing a ton of heat and once he noticed I was back a few steps he said jokingly "Noooo! Get in here!" as the loud flame hissed. I admit I was being timid. After all, the light was still half blinding and the metal was so hot that he could actually relight the torch if and when it went out temporarily, which it did, as he "licked" the metal with the flame. Every detail was told to me as to how to do this on my own. I don't need to write that part down, not because I don't want to, but because it will remain with me forever. In truth, a larger torch would have probably melted the metal so it was more fluid, but that is not what was needed for this job. It's funny; it wasn't actually done in a crucible to contain it, just a special high temperature ceramic board (which I have since purchased my own) and Blaine looked as if a kid playing with white hot play-doh as he precisely shaped the piece with a pair of tungsten tweezers.
   After the light show was over Blaine quenched the platinum in water, and after fifteen seconds under water it stopped glowing bright red; some of the water even boiled off. I had never seen anything quite like that either, almost seemed to defy science. The next phase was putting the blob of metal through the rolling mill to get it on its way to being a definable shape. For a piece this big/thick Blaine had to use a ton of force and the metal was actually quite hot after being passed through, due to friction, after a few times. The shape started to become a big rectangle wire, though still very thick before it was moved to the flat part of the mill. Once o the flat rollers it started to widen out to the proper width, which also took some time. I think we also annealed and cleaned some of the crud off of it before it was of proper dimensions.
  Next we annealed the metal again to soften it before Blaine formed it around the mandrel. I realized here that he would be doing much of the forming because, due to the massive weight, we would only get one shot at it. I was fine with that and soaked in every detail he showed me for each separate process. It may sound funny but the first thing he had me do, after it was all formed, was to file part of the top that the emery paper would not take off and I went a little too far. I did this with a standard file but much to deeply and all over in an attempt to even out the surface. He gave me the "WTF?!" look as I showed it to him for inspection but did inform me that to correct it more weight than should be needed to be taken off. That was embarrassing but a teachable moment all the same. With the right tool in hand this time I then took care of business and evened things out. As the polishing phase set in, and this was done after many of the other students left for good (it was the last day after all).

   Blaine once again took over mainly because the ring would get very hot when using the buffing compounds. I learned this first hand both when he dropped it in my hand and later on my own when doing the same. I needed a cup of water next to me to dip it into periodically to reduce the friction burns on my hands. Polishing did take nearly forever as platinum is dense and hard to get right, initially. After much buffing, hand washing and switching wheels and polishing compounds, not to mention plenty of profanity on my part from light friction burns, the ring looked phenomenal. Blaine did say not to use another compound on it, some super special stuff that would make it like neon, but I did anyways. It didn't need it and in no way could hurt the finish, but I wanted to do it anyways for an extra 'neon' look. After this was done, and trust me I was getting tired, it was onto band number two.
  Blaine did do the initial fusion but I cut what was left of the strip from Tyler's band and it would be just about perfect for the width that Heather wanted. Other than that part of it, this was all me. It was my chance to take everything I had learned in the previous few hours. Here I did not fail. I did all the forming and bending around the mandrel and checked in with Blaine after most steps to make sure I didn't forget anything. I got myself fusing this ring on camera and can upload it if I can also have an additional item with the main post picture. After all the forming was done, I decided to call it a day as I was near exhaustion and still had to pack up all the tools that I had bought and put my workbench and all my tools back in order. Afterwards I thanked Blaine and Jill, his wife and acting receptionist, for everything and drove back to hotel. After a brief nap Dad and I packed up the car and started to drive the 17 hours back to Massachusetts. I was not thrilled about leaving that night but more on that in a later post.
  Back in my own workshop and a week later, as I gave myself some time off to let all my hand/arm muscles get back to normal, I began to finish Heather's ring. The feeling was a little different but that was only because the change in setting, but I used all the same tools. I filed and used some new tools to shape it from flat to half round (Tyler's was flat as he wanted it to be but Heather opted for half round, which gave me another obstacle to learn/overcome) made a comfort fit inside just as Blaine had shown me on Tyler's band, although I had to be finer with my movements on the flexible shaft machine due to the difference in size. But I had learned these fine motor skills while away for twelve weeks. I think I debunked the myth, or just worked it out, that people with any sort of autism do not have the ability to do this type of work. Let me tell you that I am very proud of what I accomplished and how I was able to, with plenty of the right instruction, pull this feat off. After making sure the bands fit, I met with Tyler & Heather the week before final delivery of the bands, I polished hers and refinished his. They both came out, as you can no doubt see, incredible, even as far as a complete hand fabrication goes.
  The day of delivery came last weekend, at the bridal shower, and was the last gift opened, mainly because Tyler went hiking earlier that day and wanted to be the first to see the final product, but also because the bands were to be used more than any other gift the couple would receive that day. Everyone looked upon them with envy and once they felt the incredible weight of Tyler's band with even more envy. People were sort of shocked when  Heather had to say, multiple times, "Yes, he MADE them." We got a couple pictures of them with the rings on and I put them on Facebook for all to see.

  The whole thing went well, and not just the rings. Those three months in Nashville changed my life and in more ways that one. I'll never forget all the fun we had, the frustrations that we put to rest (after a lot of practice of course) and being able to do things that we never thought possible as far as making jewelry goes. I lived in a hotel in a state I'd only been to while in an airport and also where I did not know anyone previously, for three months 1200 miles away from the comforts of home. It was a wild ride and I loved every minute of it, truly a life experience that will never be equaled in my mind.

Questions or comments (Come on, at least on this one, folks) 

Week 12 (Platinum Week!)

 

                                   The prongs can be moved back to form but I just left it like that after polishing
                                                 Platinum head, entirely hand made, on a 14k shank


Eleven weeks of waiting had lead up to this point. It was the beginning of platinum week! I was so excited I couldn't stand it. After a little talking about the metal Blaine did a demo of fusing a ring. I had never seen it up close/in person but the camera never lies. This was the coolest demo he did in the entire twelve weeks. The camera even had a special dark lens so it wouldn't burn out! Unlike normal soldering fusion is much different. The flame is an oxidizing one and this sounded like a jet engine with a very loud hiss. The light is blinding, from the platinum taking on so much heat, so dark shades are a must or a trip to the emergency room is inevitable. The metal melts at just over 3,200F and does not transfer heat very well. Blaine actually was able to fuse the metal while holding the piece of paper thin fusion stock in his bare hand! Any other metal would have burnt him severely. After Blaine did the demo each of us had the opportunity to do the same. He coached us through it one at a time and everyone did just fine.
   After some more lecturing Blaine told us that we were going to start on the trellis ring a couple days early. We went over how this ring was going to be made and the task looked both simple and daunting at the same time. One thing was for sure; I did not want to tank this puppy.
   The first task was to anneal the wire Blaine had pulled down to size and given us. This was easy enough and no glasses were needed. Next we had to bend three jump rings around the mandrel to make the first part of the setting. This was a little harder as the metal tended to spring back. After this the project began to take off. We had to put slits into the jump rings at the appropriate points for the prongs. Any miscalculation could prove disastrous. I took around four hours to get this done. My hands were shaking much of the time and I took it very slowly. Some people finished this easily but I kept having to expel the demon in my head and his doubting ways. It was not easy but I got over it.
   After that we had to make the prongs and the steps in bending them, which I can't give here, were nothing short of inventive, as was how we assembled them and soldered them on. the ring was really taking shape. This was done over a few days, of course. As with all projects we had to wait for a couple people while those ahead had to occupy their time. After the head was assembled we were given a 14k gold shank and asked to finish and file it so that the head could be put on. This went better than previous for me, as I had learned a lot in the previous weeks. Soldering the head to the shank was almost a joke because we used a small, light flame versus the intense heat we had been using the whole week. One student melted the shank a little, but other than that they all came out good. The great thing was that everyone in the class finished the ring, unlike the previous three stone sterling ring we made in week five.

  Looking at this ring and holding it in my hand was a great accomplishment. I felt like I could do anything now. Before I was to leave school, though, I had one more task that I had to do; create two platinum wedding bands for the upcoming wedding I was in. I needed to melt, bend, shape, fit and polish to the best of my ability. This rings were going to be worn, in public, not just something I could do and forget about. I mean the trellis ring was great but things were about to get real. These bands would be my first true test of what I had learned.  

Weeks 10 and 11 in Nashville

After the hand engraving course there wasn't a whole lot of new things that we did. Everything was pretty much review except for a couple new projects that we worked on. My progress as a jeweler was getting better, as was everyone else. Blaine was getting us ready for what would happen in week 12, platinum week, something that we were all waiting for; myself especially. I didn't know how long the project was going to take but I still needed to fit in the time to hand fabricate the groom's band for the wedding I would be attending in July.
Blaine asked me how much was needed and I told him that I would likely need $1,000 and maybe more depending on how much the band would weigh. The weight magically worked out to favorite number, 14 pennyweights worth of metal that would be arriving in scrap jewelry. If I ordered from a supply company it would have been already in wire form,  but I wanted to make it all by hand. I was assured by Blaine that this would be possible and Tyler, whom the ring was being made for was thrilled. I didn't exactly know how the ring was going to be made but I was ready to do everything needed to make it happen. The picture I put with this post is the actual metal that I was going to use, but more on that in the next installment. 

Week 9 in Nashville

This post is overdue, but I have been very busy in my last couple weeks while here in Nashville, TN training as a goldsmith. After the first eight weeks of school, Blaine gave way to former student and master jeweler/gun engraver Jason Marchiafava. Blaine thinks very hightly of Jason, putting him in the top 5% of all jewelers, period. His work speaks for itself and seeing it takes your breathe away. He has done jewelry and gun engravings that take 500-1000 hours each to complete. All of us as students hope to get where Jason is, one day. As for the engraving class he was teaching it was more basic but still something that could be greatly profitable. We started by doing a series of different cuts into copper plates. Although time consuming this was necessary to develop muscle memory needed to execute various designs in metal. I started the week off ok and by the second day was getting better. The next day, though, I seemed to stay at the same skill level. The class was progressing and I seemed to be merely treading water. My patterns were basic, but didn't quite have the look that everyone else was achieving. That sort of wore on me.
The week itself was great, just my work was not up to where I'm about to invest a few hundred dollars for an engraving ball. I feel that I have to make money doing other things first, and then tkae spare time to go back and finish what I started. That seems to be a pattern in my life. The good news for me is that Jason was horrible his first ever engraving class. I have a lot of work ahead of me.
The whole experience was fun. I never truly gave up but I didn't try as hard as I could have by the end of the week. Engraving does interest me, not to mention the money you can make on the side by embellishing rings, but this is something that will take some time for my body to acclimate to. On the positive I have the basics down and once you build a foundation it isn't easy to tear the house down, especially with someone such as myself.
Every time I have failed while here training I have learned something. These skills are not built in, rather built on. If you do better each time than you're going to find yourself down a better path. I'm not one to continue down the road of generic pep talks so I'm just going to end this one here.

Until next time.

8 weeks in Nashville

So I have been in Nashville, TN for the last eight weeks  at the New Approach School for Jewelers and the whole thing has been a great experience. I got used to the long days after the first week and a half.
I usually get up at 7, eat a good breakfast and am on the road by quarter of 8. We get two breaks, 10am and 3pm and an hour lunch at noon. In between the hours of 8:30am and 5pm, however, is when the magic happens. I have learned to set so many types of stones, cz's for now, that it has made my head spin.
We made a three stone ring out of sterling silver during week five and that changed everything. All the detail and precision that had to be done for that ring to work out started to arrive for me, skill wise. I did manage to overcut one of the side stone seats so its a little crooked. Still, making that ring out of sheet stock and wire was one of the best things I have ever done. Blaine called it "old school craftsmanship" and it sure felt like it.
There are so many tips and tricks that Blaine has either come up with or adapted to the skills of a jeweler that it boggles the mind. We all just smile when he shows us a new one, and so does Blaine, his eyes light up and a toothy upper grin comes out. You can really tell he loves what he does.
Besides a graver stick here or the burn John had when the hot tweezer caught his hand, there have been no major injuries. Even Blaine said the burn was the worst he has ever had in a class. Trust me when I say they can be a lot worse.  No one has missed a day. Its all about being careful in everything you do.
More recently we have been doing some difficult advanced stone setting. Well at least it looks difficult, but then so does the Great Wall of China before you realize it was built brick by brick. These new skills take time, and so does the process to make something intricate anyways but with the right guidance you can make anything. We have Blaine to thank for that.
As for the social side of things I have been doing fine. I typically hang out with the guys and we play poker on Saturdays and sometimes go to breakfast at a nice play Sunday morning. My brain has not really gotten as tired as I thought it would be mainky because we are at our own benches working, even though they are side by side with no separation. If it was a continual interaction then I would probably need more of a break than lunch could give me. There are times when I do feel the mental tiring but they are less than before and can typically be held off until the ride home. I don't go home depressed because this is something I love doing. I finally something I love doing and will get paid for it. As the saying goes, I probably won't ever work a day in my life.
Last week my Mom and Aunt & Uncle came to visit and we had a great few days. We went out to eat every meal and talked about how things we going in all our lives. I thank my mom for coming down as I know how much she hates flying. Auntie and uncle drove four hours and that was appreciated as well. The only concession I made was sleeping on the pullout and not hanging with the guys Saturday night. Big whoop, we went to the Grande Ole Opry instead and had a great time.
After eight weeks the Jewelry Technician program ends and the final four weeks can be taken seperately, by anyone, but if continued after the current class they become part of the Graduate Bench Jeweler program. Next week is ornamental hand engraving with Jason Marchiafava touted by Blaine as being in the top 5% of jewelers in the world, period. If you look at his work then you can see why (go to j.fava.com). This should be a fun week as we take a break from the current MO. Blaine keeps saying that this week makes us unbeatable with a graver due to the progression of cuts and building of detailed skills. After all, the graver is used to augment seat for stone setting and detailing in all types of jewelry; pieces look cleaner and much more professional. As a matter of fact Blaine has showed us ads out of major jewelry magaiznes that show clear problems on pieces that any of us could easily clean up with a graver using current skills. If you had the ability to make something look better and really stand out, would you? That is the mentality you have to take, and then you need to take the time to do so.
Things are really nice down here and I like it. Only four more weeks until really hits and I have to go back home and find a job. A promising place in Providence, RI looks like it has a spot for me ( the guy always calls Blaine first and he hasn't done so for three years). That it a good sign overall. Blaine is also getting more calls from other people as well and business is picking up again. This is also due to the aging of many in the jewelry trade and people retiring and their children not having an interest in th family business. That means we are going to have be shorthanded in the trade and people are going to have to come out of nowhere to fill the void. Until they do it should be a fun time for myself and other like me. The next few years are going to be great, I can feel it.

Until next time....

The bottom pics are of stones that I set into pre-cast rings and the top of the three stone ring that I made out of sterling silver. That ring was really hard to set the stones into as silver is not easy to cut accurate seats into an if you slip with a bur then it eats the sides of the prong. I will put some more in later posts.

First Two Weeks in Nashville

So I have been down in Nashville, TN the past two weeks, out of twelve, at the New Approach School for Jewelers. Everything has been better than expected so far. I was worried a little bit about how close Murfreesboro is in proximity to where I am and what that could mean in terms of the people here accepting me. I haven't had any cops pull me over or anything out of the ordinary as far a being racially profiled, mainly as a terrorist by the anyone down here. It is the bible belt but people are more wrapped up in their own lives and don't care about what I am up to. I feel comfortable each day.

School is going very well and I am learning more than I thought I could in these first two weeks. Some of the things we are making are getting more difficult but no one really seems behind. Even if we struggle, Blaine reminds us that he was in a lot worse shape when he started out in his career. When we move on a couple of us, me included, think that we didnt quite grasp the hand skills learned that day. But once we come back around again to that specific thing it has gotten easier somehow. I guess that is the hands and brain taking time to mull things over and then knowing what they have to do to compensate. My eye for detail, which has always been amazing, is even sharper because all of the things I need to see are much smaller than ever before. Some things, such as cutting bearings for stones and making sure of a proper fit, are still giving a couple of us trouble but when we look back at what was done earlier in the week we see how far we have come. This learning style is the best I have ever encountered. I am a visual learner and must see things done, and trust me the camera Blaine uses shows everything in great detail, and it helps a lot since I am naturally awkward when it comes to learning new hands on skills. I should be taking notes but luckily a woman named Sara allows me to use here notebook to review each weekend. This is important as forgetting a specific step can be troublesome to progress. This next week is still stone setting basics, although they would be advanced at any other school, and the use of gravers to clean up details, making them far superior to anything I have made in the past. I like using a graver, its like a little knife at the edge of a small ball that rest in your hand. We cut practice lines in some of the rings Friday and I really enjoyed the challenge. As far as my AS and working with small parts, my skill is improving. These types of things are supposed to be very difficult for someone like me to work on. I guess if I can learn to use my body to throw a baseball with pinpoint control, at the college level nonethelss, than I can pretty much learn anything. I will keep you guys updated but as far as some of the processess in actually making the jewelry, I cannot divulge them, but I can post some pictures of the final products. I think you will be surprised when I do. Until next time.

Heading down to Nashville

The day has finally arrived. My dad and I are going to hop into one of two cars (a long story I will relate later) and drive down to Nashville, TN so I can attend the New Approach School for Jewelers. By title it can sort of sound like a special needs school, no offense to anyone out there, but but I assure you it is just the opposite. It is actually one of the more elite schools in the country as far as teaching methods and prestige go. My instructor, Blaine Lewis is simply amazing. He set up the Tiffany & Co. (ever heard of them?!) factory in China and any ring that is valued over $100,000 the company sends to him for service. That speaks volumes. When I was down there for a week class this summer it blew me away.

I am a little nervous about being down there for three months by myself but then again this is something I must do. I love jewelry, that is a fact I cannot escape. I'm not really into designs and all that but silver, gold and platinum have always been something I have enjoyed in any form. I can sit and be amused by a piece of jewelry for some reason. Something about the metal shine, weight ratio (especially platinum) and overall beauty intrigues me. This is the right choice for me. This is my future. I will probably do a post on how school is going at the end of each week, along with regular posts.

Watch the video and feel free to check out the school for yourself via the link below. I will come back from school a changed man, that is for sure.

http://www.newapproachschool.com/