This is the first cuttlefish casting we've done using the new Borel Crucible Furnace. Lovely bit of kit and it's just been through its bedding in temperature run.
This cast was a roughly shaped mould as we just wanted to see it in action. The crucible cooled very quickly and as we were very close to the melting point we didn't have a lot of time to pour it before it set. It took two attempts as the first one came out like as a block in the shape of the crucible bottom!
We ran the first one at 960'C and the second at 985'C and had enough time to pour. The smell of it is horrendous. Not one to do without an extraction fan.
You can see how the cuttlefish leaves its characteristic ridges in it (these are the fainter ridges not the bold raised bits). The mould was smooth on one side (top pic) and then we scored some grooves on the opposite side.
We are going to have a lot of fun with this!
The first editions of our Faux Bone range are completed and its proved to be a very interesting material. The ability to revert the shape back to flat is great especially for bracelets and cuffs. If the fit is not perfect, you just heat it up again and adjust.
3 Apr '10 - Faux Bone
Our order of Faux Bone arrived a couple days ago and we've started cutting it out. Using a jewellery saw is not ideal as the blades tend to snap when it binds with the material.
29 Mar '10 - Borel Furnace arrives
Jo's new Borel Furnace arrived and what a beautiful piece of kit it is!
It gets up to 1100 °C so is perfect for commission work that requires melting down a customer's existing rings to make new ones. A lot of customers are quite keen on using the gold or silver from their existing jewellery to have a custom piece made and the new furnace will allow us to do just that. It's also great for casting items in house. We are very excited about this new capability.
26 Mar '10 - Oops
Jo was handling some glass yesterday and it slipped out of her hands. Rather than let it fall, like every one will tell you, her instincts took over and she caught it. By that stage it was out of its protective cover and the result was a rather clean cut on her right hand. She was very lucky and it was a sharp reminder (sorry) to constantly think of safety.
Her commissions willl suffer this week but perhaps it's a good a time as any to catch up on admin!
24 Feb '10 - Go go go!
Doing less shows this year means we'll have a bit more time for commissioned work, which is already coming in steadily. We love doing commissions and have had some really unique and interesting ones recently. If you were having a jewellery piece made, what would you choose?
17 Feb '10 - Out on display
Jo has just returned from an inspiring display workshop which has generated loads of new ideas. In the next few weeks visitors to the studio will be able to see some of these ideas being implemented.
13 Feb '10 - Site tweaks
As you can see, we have started to finalise the look and feel of the site. It's taken a while as we've both been very busy but we think it looks a lot better.
Let us know what you think, and if there's anything we've missed - just shout!
I am still running my jewellery making workshops at the studio, so for a day of indulgence and creativity, feel free to get in touch!
