WEEKEND MASTER CLASS: SILVER AND STEEL WORKSHOP WITH BETTE BARNETT

Creating Steel and Silver Jewelry-Fused, Reticulated, Cast and Keum Boo

INSTRUCTOR: BETTE BARNETT

Together, silver and steel create some intense chemistry! The shimmery glow of silver against the deep black of patinated steel elevates mixed metal steel jewelry to an ethereal level. Silver and steel have a beautiful relationship, but it’s a complicated one because, well, let’s just say they have their differences, but when the relationship works, it’s magic! This two-day workshop will cover a wide range of methods for combining silver and steel, including fusing silver powder to steel, creating reticulated and water cast silver features and adding them to your mixed metal steel jewelry and bonding silver foil using the Keum Boo technique.

What You Will Learn

• Work with steel. Learn the basics of working steel, including sourcing, sawing, soldering and more.
  
• Fuse silver to steel. Create a sprinkling of tiny spheres resembling stars spread across the metal.
  Reticulate silver. Use a jeweler torch to create fine topographic patterns in silver.
  
• Water cast silver. Create freeform cups and other shapes in silver.
  Solder silver elements to steel. Add reticulated, water cast and other silver elements to steel jewelry.
  
• Bond silver foil to steel (Eun Boo). Use the ancient Korean technique to attach fine silver foil to steel.
  Incorporate argentium. Explore creative ways to add argentium to your silver and steel jewelry.
  
• Patinate. Apply a heat patina to create a deep black patina on steel while leaving the silver bright.
  
• Seal your silver and steel jewelry using a high-grade wax.
• The workshop will be packed full of information, hands-on skill building and fun. In addition, a big focus of the workshop will be on the design aspect of silver and steel jewelry, learning to use silver elements as a guide for design.

Kit Fee: $90 payable to instructor during class

• Steel—one 6” x 12” sheet 20g
  
• Silver foil for Eun Boo—4”x4” sheet of fine silver foil
  
• Fine silver powder—10 grams
  
• Reticulation silver—1” x 1” sheet (22g)
  
• Argentium—1” x 1” sheet (20g)
  
• Metal wax for sealing
  
• Yellow ochr
• Paste flux
• Shofu wheels for flexshaft

Note: Additional metals will be available for purchase during class. Note that any changes in the price of silver will be reflected in changes to the cost of the kit.

Student-Provided Supplies

Please bring the following supplies to the workshop:

• Silver wire—fine silver, sterling silver or Argentium— 2” piece of 14-16 gauge (or thinner gauge longer piece), any hardness. From Rio Grande.
•  Fine silver casting grains, at least 1/2 ounce. From Rio Grande.