Too much fun with metal

I'm having lots of fun playing with copper, forming rings and clasps and headpins.

It's so nice to be able to make most of the components in my jewellery.

Here are some 15mm jumprings with blobs of easy solder waiting for a bit of a heat with my butane torch. The first one I tried didn't work, but a bit of internet checking told me the problem - they needed extra cleaning with a green scrubbie, then it worked a treat.

Then they got into a pickle with a warm salt and vinegar solution to clean them up a bit.

Pretty shiny, just needed a bit more elbow grease, but as I intended to antique them in liver of sulphur, I didn't go mad.

I was quietly pleased to use them in the next bracelet I made.

A winning combination

I was lucky enough to win some lovely etched lampwork rainbow spacer beads in  Lindsey's (Punky Puppy) giveaway  recently and this is what I did with them - I paired them with my handmade copper links and a lentil bead which I made ages ago, and which is decorated with a rainbow twistie which I won from Jolene Wolfe. Told you I was lucky!!

This is what the bracelet looked like this morning when I attempted to age and darken the copper with chemicals.

Nothing happened to the clasp. Then I realised I'd made it with coated wire which will not darken with any amount of soaking...so I knuckled down and commenced to make another one.  If you want to get this effect, you need to check the description of the wire before purchase - look for "bare copper wire". The aging solution (liver of sulphur) is mighty smelly, but I prefer the look of the end result - I think it sets the beads off beautifully.

Once I'd mixed the LOS, I quickly made some more clasps and dunked them and some other bits into the mixture (waste-not-want-not!)








Now I'll be ready to make some more eclectic bracelets - watch this space...







PS I'm wearing the bracelet as I type - it's certainly brightened my day!