Watch and Learn Mandrel Use, Dapping, and Doming
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Tammy Jones is the
editor of Jewelry Making Daily. |
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My introduction to metalsmithing was a jewelry-maker's dream. I was lucky enough to have a one-on-one metalsmithing workshop with a master metalsmith and jewelry designer. In just two short days, she transformed me from occasional metalworker into a real metal jewelry maker, bending metal to make rings, dapping and doming earring pieces and flower petals to give them an appealing shape, and rounding rings on a mandrel.
In no time at all, my metalsmithing instructor had me sawing, hammering, and forming metal into pretty and interesting shapes--and before I knew it, I was making metal jewelry. Not everyone interested in metal jewelry making can be so lucky as to have private metalsmithing lessons with a real pro, but we're excited to offer you the next best thing: a free video tutorial with Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist's resident goldsmith, Helen Driggs.
Watch the free metalsmithing video tutorial to see Helen demonstrate working with some of the most necessary metal jewelry-making tools, such as hammers for work-hardening metal, pliers and mandrels for bending metal and forming metal rings, and dapping punches and dapping blocks used for doming metal into curved pendants and other metal jewelry-making designs.
By watching the free metalsmithing video tutorial, you'll get unique one-on-one metalwork instruction and guidance similar to what I received, such as how to use your hammers, mandrels, and other metal jewelry-making tools most effectively and efficiently, as well as what tools to use when bending and forming metal while making your own metal jewelry. Metalsmithing Techniques for Metal Jewelry Making will help you see and understand the principles of metalworking--and you can refer back to it any time you need a metalsmithing refresher.
As if you were working together in a one-on-one metalwork class, Helen demonstrates the dos and don'ts of making metal jewelry, including rings, bracelets, pendants, and more--just like a master goldsmith. Watch and learn:
- doming and dapping techniques that add dimension, depth, and strength to metal while turning a flat sheet of metal into the rounded forms that pick up and play with light.
- how to make your own jump rings in any size or gauge of wire needed for your chain maille (chain mail) and other metal jewelry-making projects.
- an "old school" goldsmith's ways of bending metal and making metal rings using nontraditional mandrels and without using specialized (and expensive) metal-forming tools.
- what work hardening is and how to use it to your advantage when making metal jewelry.
- how to combine all your goldsmithing skills into jewelry designs and master the art of metal jewelry making.
So whether you're an accomplished jewelry maker or have just begun making metal jewelry, you'll learn great metal jewelry-making tips and techniques in our
free Metalsmithing Techniques for Metal Jewelry Making video tutorial. Soon you'll be making goldsmith-quality metal jewelry in your own jewelry studio--and I can't wait to see! Share your experiences (or tips of your own) in the comments below, and post photos of your work in our gallery.