This workshop was five days and six nights of awe inspiring classes for metalsmiths and jewelry artists at the beautiful and peaceful Wildacres Retreat in the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina. Modern Masters is a bi-annual workshop sponsored by the FSG state organization. Stay tuned for information about our next event.

Photos from recent Modern Masters Workshop
October 17 - 23, 2011

This is a fast and simple metal working technique for the small shop or single craftsman to produce multiples of a design without having to saw each piece one at a time. The tools used are a jeweler-s saw, a modified bench pin, and a drill.

The process can be compared to cutting cookies out of dough with a cookie cutter except for the fact that we will be using mild tool steel to punch softer metal sheet (silver, copper, gold, etc.). The effect is the same. We can produce exact multiples of the original design.

During the five day workshop we will go over the design of the die, layout, sawing and use of the hydraulic press. Each student will produce several steel blanking dies. I will have samples of work and will show slides related to the process.   I will demo a method of making a urethane die from a clay model. This opens up more possible uses of forming with the press.

This hands-on workshop will focus on hinges, catches and mechanisms that are creatively integrated into the participant-s work. Through technical demonstrations, discussions, visual images and an examination of various samples, special emphasis will be placed on problem-solving and creative applications useful to a variety of formats and approaches.

Engineering principles of mechanisms will be discussed, along with useful soldering and fabrication strategies, which can be applied to numerous procedures in the jeweler-s and metalsmith-s studios. During the hands-on segment of the workshop, at least two hinges(standard and integral) and up to three mechanisms (may include universal joint, key catch, and/or bayonette catch with stainless steel spring) will be produced by each student.

Additional mechanisms that will be examined including: Hinges: universal joint, cradle, offset ; Catches: tube, box, tension, threaded, and offset along with stainless steel springs, swivel devices and threading. Other mechanisms: swivels, gears, springs and pinstems.   The focus is on developing an understanding of the subject matter, with creative applications of topics covered and innovative solutions to given problems. Basic sawing, filing and soldering skills are necessary for this workshop.

Over the last 25 years, Merry-Lee has become known for her lyrical wirework and lush shading techniques.  Learn to combine Science with Art to create projects of your own while taking the mystery out of this intricate technique.  Merry-Lee will share her methods starting with construction of the fine silver base and ending with grinding and finishing using lapidary equipment.

Learn to: apply perfect basecoats, form fluid wirework and apply it to the base, achieve graceful shading, solve technical problems, grind to a perfect finish.

Many of the things we own are made of organic compounds bound together in long molecular strings that were engineered to look, feel, and perform in ways that traditional materials do not. These synthetic plastics have taken their place alongside wood, cotton, and steel, and have given form to categories of objects that didn't exist before their introduction. But their strangeness, ubiquity and relatively low cost has made them suspect in trades where finished quality and craftspersonship is valued. But their variety and versatility should not be overlooked.

This workshop concentrates on exploring firm and flexible materials to create high integrity contemporary jewelry. We will be casting, carving, and fabricating; exploiting the color, translucency, volume, and other customizable characteristics of plastic that would be unlikely to succeed in metal, glass, or clay. We will be designing our way out of problems of weight, surface, and scale; working to transcend the material's reputation and leverage the potential of this vast material category.

The workshop will concentrate on the use of translucent polyurethane resins as a material. A variety of formulations will be used, as well as a number of different types of additives that affect the look and quality of the cured material. Silicone rubber will also be used extensively, primarily as a mold material.