metalsmithing by W.Schweizer: May 2010

Friday, May 28, 2010

necklace

nickel silver, Sterling silver, brass, epoxy, glass splinters, enamel powder, onyx 10mm

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

fused silver rings and bling cross with real gold

Thursday, May 20, 2010

new cross, jewelry on demand

nickel silver, embossed aluminum, embossed colored aluminum, epoxy resin, Swarovski crystals

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

As I have a new MAP gas torch now, I am able to do fusing easier. I only had a small hand torch up to now. With the MAP gas fusing only takes a few seconds, while it took several minutes with the small torch, if it worked at all. But if you heat a little bit too long, the silver flows away and covers the whole piece of jewelry, which didn`t happen with the hand torch.
But this effect I want to use in future to create surfaces that are plated with a thin layer of silver. For this you can use silver scrap, that accumulates by the time. Maybe I will do this with the inside of copper rings, so they won`t tarnish the skin anymore. On the other hand some people want the tarnishing effect of copper for health reasons (relief of arthritic pain).

silver, brass (fused), Swarovski crystals 3mm, lapislzuli 7mm, amber 4mm, synth. ruby 3mm

brass, copper, silver (fused), onyx

gilding metal, silver (fused), brass, amber, "cold enamel"-black enamel powder in epoxy resin

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

jewelry on demand - cross

nicel silver, Sterling silver, leaf gold, epoxy, Swarovsky crystals

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Videos with my music

Jewelry made of lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, which was mined already 6000 years ago, meteorite pieces from outside the earth, and metals, that will corrode to dust in the earth again, from which they were once gained by human invention and work. Metamorphoses. That`s the Cosmic Blues!

my video "the Cosmic Blues" on youtube:

my albums are available for download at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/WolfgangSchweizer

Janis Joplin Cozmic Blues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLN72sR9w0M

My video "metamorphoses" on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8UoGFCnGU8

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, from "the sorrows of young Werther": It is as if a curtain had been drawn from before my eyes, and, instead of prospects of eternal life, the abyss of an ever open grave yawned before me. Can we say of anything that it exists when all passes away, when time, with the speed of a storm, carries all things onward,—and our transitory existence, hurried along by the torrent, is either swallowed up by the waves or dashed against the rocks? There is not a moment but preys upon you,—and upon all around you, not a moment in which you do not yourself become a destroyer. The most innocent walk deprives of life thousands of poor insects: one step destroys the fabric of the industrious ant, and converts a little world into chaos. No: it is not the great and rare calamities of the world, the floods which sweep away whole villages, the earthquakes which swallow up our towns, that affect me. My heart is wasted by the thought of that destructive power which lies concealed in every part of universal nature. Nature has formed nothing that does not consume itself, and every object near it: so that, surrounded by earth and air, and all the active powers, I wander on my way with aching heart; and the universe is to me a fearful monster, for ever devouring its own offspring. Es hat sich vor meiner Seele wie ein Vorhang weggezogen, und der Schauplatz des unendlichen Lebens verwandelt sich vor mir in den Abgrund des ewig offenen Grabes. Kannst du sagen: Das ist! da alles vorübergeht? da alles mit der Wetterschnelle vorüberrollt, so selten die ganze Kraft seines Daseins ausdauert, ach, in den Strom fortgerissen, untergetaucht und an Felsen zerschmettert wird? Da ist kein Augenblick, der nicht dich verzehrte und die Deinigen um dich her, kein Augenblick, da du nicht ein Zerstörer bist, sein mußt; der harmloseste Spaziergang kostet tausend armen Würmchen das Leben, es zerrüttet ein Fußtritt die mühseligen Gebäude der Ameisen und stampft eine kleine Welt in ein schmähliches Grab. Ha! nicht die große, seltne Not der Welt, diese Fluten, die eure Dörfer wegspülen, diese Erdbeben, die eure Städte verschlingen, rühren mich; mir untergräbt das Herz die verzehrende Kraft, die in dem All der Natur verborgen liegt; die nichts gebildet hat, das nicht seinen Nachbar, nicht sich selbst zerstörte. Und so taumle ich beängstigt. Himmel und Erde und ihre webenden Kräfte um mich her: ich sehe nichts als ein ewig verschlingendes, ewig wiederkäuendes Ungeheuer.

metals I use

(from http://www.creationsbycarolladine.com/wireinfo.html and wikipedia)
Sterling silver is the most widely used of the precious metals. Silver is rarely used in its natural state. Like pure gold, its softness makes it an impractical choice for design purposes. Silver is most often alloyed with copper to provide hardness, strength, malleability and a superb ability to assume and retain a fine, high polish. Sterling is 92.5% silver and 7.3% copper.

Fine Silver - Fine Silver is .999 pure silver. It is the softest of the silvers used in the creation of jewelry. Many wire jewelry artists use the fine silver 28 or 30 gauge wire for knitted chains. Much care must be taken when working with this wire as a single strand can break easily. Knitted chains of Fine Silver make beautiful addition to a beautiful Sterling Silver sculpted pendant.

Copper-Nearly everyone is familiar with copper. This metal is frequently used to alloy sliver or gold. This reddish-brown metal is also used as a base for enameling. Copper is also used in the creation of many items such as jewelry. Uncoated copper will patina, turn dark over the passage of time. This is caused by the air and elements on the metal. Many manufactures of copper items coat their pieces with a lacquer to retard the patina. Copper is often used by folks suffering arthritic pain. Uncoated copper must be used for this. I mostly use uncoated copper.
For me copper is the favorite material to work with. It makes the best sound when you hammer it, I like to file it, and there`s something special about it how it changes its appearance from dull (unpolished) to high shine when polished. For me, this effect is even more spectacular in copper than it is in silver. Unfortunately, rings and bangles made of copper can stain the skin. I still couldn`t figure out, why it is staining at one day, while it doesn`t do it the other day (explanations welcome!).
Brass - Brass is a alloy of 55% to 70% copper and balance being zink. Brass is a warm gold in color.
Red brass is an alloy with more copper than normal brass
Rich low brass has more copper also

Merlins Gold, Nu Gold - Merlins Gold is another brass metal that is 85% copper and 15% zink. Merlins gold has the rich glow very similar to 12K gold.

Gilding metal is a copper alloy, comprising 95% copper and 5% zinc. Technically, it is a brass.

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive, but sometimes with other elements such as phosphorus, manganese, aluminum, or silicon. It was particularly significant in antiquity, giving its name to the Bronze Age. Bronze derives from the Italian: bronzo and, in turn, is perhaps ultimately taken from the Persian word birinj("copper"), it is even believed that the word may have come from the nordic word Brongru(brown) .

Nickel Silver - The name of this metal is a misnomer since Nickel Sliver contains no silver. Nickel Silver, also called German Silver, is a silver-colored alloy of nickel, copper and zink.
wikipedia: In 1823 a competition was initiated to create an alloy that possessed the closest visual similarity to silver. The brothers Henniger in Berlin and Ernst August Geitner in Schneeberg independently achieved this goal. Alpacca became a widely known name in northern Europe for nickel silver after it was used as a trademark brand by the manufacturer Berndorf. A form of German silver was also invented in Birmingham, England in 1832.

stones and other materials

I prefer natural stones. The little imperfections of natural stones make a piece of jewelry more special. Synthetic stones are often too perfect and appear somehow "cold" because of this. However, synthetic spinels with their translucent deep blue color and the brilliant Swarovsky crystals are exceptions to this preference, as well as synthetic ruby because of its price.
Amazonite
Amber
Amethyst
Aventurine
Carnelian
Fluorite
Garnet
Hematite
Jasper
Lapis lazuli
Meteorites
Sikhote-Alin-Meteorite
Obsidian
Onyx
Peridot (Olivin)
Sardonyx
Sodalite
ruby (synthetic)
Spinel (synthetic)
Synthetic spinel
Swarovsky crystals
Turquoise
Shellac

my music

My albums for download at CDBaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/WolfgangSchweizer

Psychotronic Abstracts

2010

I call this kind of music Psychotronic. The song is about falling half asleep in the afternoon, mixing reality and dream parts in the brain. This is one song of the intended album "Psychotronic Abstracts".

MP3: $0.99

The Epic of Gilgamesh - Aspects of an Ancient Myth An Electronic Soundscape

...

2010

About the ancient Mesopotamian epic of Gilgamesh. I used the Akkadian version of Sin-leqe-unnini ( 1100 BC).

MP3: $9.99

atmospheres

2010

electronic compositions using sampled acoustic instruments and synthesizer effects

MP3: $6.99

The Blue Crystal - transitions

2010

electronic synthesizer songs describing a day journey from Dusk to the next night and an imaginary space journey

MP3: $9.99

Intermezzo - Single

2010

Eletronic variations of a theme originally played on piano.

MP3: $0.99

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metalsmithing by W.Schweizer

my webpages

Friday, May 28, 2010

necklace

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

fused silver rings and bling cross with real gold

Thursday, May 20, 2010

new cross, jewelry on demand

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

new fused rings

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

jewelry on demand - cross

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