And How! Celebrating Art and Soul in Contemporary Metalwork

TOOLS
Metal artists use any number of tools – hand tools, power tools, manufactured, customized, or handmade – to get the job done. Commonly found on the bench or in the workshop are saws, shears and scissors, files, pliers, hammers, mallets, tweezers, tongs, vices, anvils, stumps, torches, abrasive and polishing devices, and measuring tools. Depending on the technique used in creating the work, the more specialized and unusual the tool.

CASTING
Casting is a process by which a molten and liquid metal is poured into a shaped hollow space or mold. The mold can be made from cuttlefish bone, charcoal, ceramic, or plaster. In the lost-wax process, the form of the object to be cast is first carved out of wax and then ‘invested’ in plaster within a metal flask. By placing the investment mold in a kiln and allowing the wax to burn out, the mold is readied for the molten metal which is poured into the mold through the sprue passage. Once the metal has solidified, the plaster investment is broken away and the cast object is cut from the sprue. Out of the mold, the metal object is ready for further fabrication: soldering, stone setting, and adding the final surface finish by oxidizing, texturizing, or polishing (e.g., burnishing). Artists in this exhibit who employed casting are Lin Cook (Bronze Tray and Bowl), Brooke Stone (Bronze Timber Wolf and Silver Nesting Kestrel), Jane Guerber (Incised Vine & Flowing Vision ring sets), Deborah Taube and Anna Tucker (Pearl Necklace and Earrings), and Ruth von Büren (Song in Space).

FORGING & PLANISHING
Forging involves the force of a hammer to change the thickness and shape of metal. By applying force from different directions, the metal is stretched or compressed. Forging requires the use of a sturdy support, a stake or an anvil, under the metal. While shaping the metal and to avoid breakage because of work-hardening brittleness, the metal must be reheated or annealed to make the metal malleable again. The final stage in forging is planishing – removing forging marks – with a special planishing hammer to make the metal surface as smooth as possible.

RAISING
In this process a hollow form is made from a flat sheet of metal by bringing the sides up gradually in stages of hammering on anvils and stakes. Planishing creates the smooth finish on raised shapes by using special, slightly dome-faced hammers. Ruth von Büren’s Coffee Service and Anika Smulovitz’s Body in Motion demonstrate raising and forming metal. Ruth’s Plumeux and Bracelet exemplify anticlastic raising and the use of a sinusoidal stake.

DIE FORMING
This technique uses a hydraulic press – a machine that exerts force to press metal into specially created dies. A typical hydraulic press can exert up to 20 tons of pressure on an object making it an ideal tool for stretching metal without adding heat. Anna Clark’s I Want to See What the Bee Sees and Mossy Rock were created with the help of a hydraulic press.

SOLDERING
Soldering is a joining technique that requires heat, most often produced by a flame, and solder, a metal alloy that is typically alloyed to a lower melting point than the metal being joined. The flame comes from a torch that mixes a gas (typically propane or acetylene) with air or oxygen. The gas and oxygen tanks are fitted with regulators that set and maintain pressure and flow – and the heat level. The torch handle is fitted with various tips that shape the size of the flame – a fine tip for soldering wire versus a large tip for melting or cutting metal. Solder is available as a wire, sheet, and paste and it is ‘graded’ (e.g., easy, medium, hard) by its flow point. The metal to be soldered is prepared by cleaning and the application of flux, a substance that blocks oxidation when heat is applied during soldering. Pickle, an acidic compound, removes flux and oxidation after the metal parts are joined.

New metals have recently been introduced that lessen the problem of ‘fire scale’ due to heat-induced oxidation. The newest tarnish-resistant silver alloy is Argentium™. Soldering is one of the most basic techniques employed by metalsmiths. Perhaps the most unusual application of the technique can be seen in Rebecca A. Scheer’s Transitive Implements.

CHAINMAKING
Chainmaking is an ancient technique that still inspires and intrigues metal artists who have patience to spare. Making a chain is not difficult; it just requires time and concentration. Chains start with wire. Pulling the wire through a draw plate decreases its diameter (changes its gauge) but adds length. The wire is wrapped around a mandrel or rod and then cut into rings. The cut rings are then soldered together or closed manually to create intricate patterns with loops and twists. Julia Lowther’s Persian Wave and Ribbon Wave necklaces include varying gauges of wire and loop dimensions. She used a Jump Ringer tool to cut the loops.

ANODIZING
Anodizing is an electrochemical process that deposits an oxide on refractory metals, like aluminum, niobium, and titanium. It is a controlled process in which a direct current flows from the anode to the cathode through a conducting solution or electrolyte. Good results can be obtained using a solution of 10 percent ammonium sulfate but other solutions also work well. The voltage used determines the thickness of the oxide deposit and hence the color produced. Different refractory metals take on color differently at the same voltage so combining metals may lead to stunning and unexpected effects. Mandy Allen (Untitled Earrings) and Holly Yashi (Chimes in Harmony Necklace and The Romance Bracelet) used this process to create the colorful effects on aluminum and niobium in their pieces.

MARRIAGE OF METALS & MOKUME GANE
This technique is not a surface treatment but rather an assemblage of different colored metals through inlay or stacking. Shakudo (a silver and gold alloy), brass, copper, nickel, and silver are excellent metals for use in this process. Solder is used to join the layers or inlay. By punching the inlay or stack to raise the surface and then grinding away the raised areas, the colors from the lower or adjacent layers are exposed, producing a variety of intricate and unusual patterns and color combinations. As the name mokume gane (translation: wood grain) suggests, this technique has its origin in Japan. Toshi Kawai’s Mokume Mane (translation: bean) exemplifies this technique.

LAPIDARY & STONE SETTING
Lapidary (‘concerned with stones’) refers to the person who practices the craft of working, forming, and finishing stone, minerals, gemstones, and other durable materials such as amber, shell, pearls, coral (see Kris Patzlaff’s Adornment for Amphitrite), horn, glass and more into functional, decorative and wearable items. These finished objects are often set into metal to protect them from damage and to secure them from loss. Setting techniques are numerous and varied and range from traditional (flush-set, bezels, and prongs) to innovative (tension setting). Brooke Stone is a lapidary. She cuts and shapes the stones used in her work. An example of a dop stick with attached cabochon is included in the exhibit. Exquisite examples of stone setting can be found in the work by Jane L. Guerber, Holly Yashi, Javi Olivares, W. L. Parrish, and Dennis Werst.

PRECIOUS METAL CLAY (PMC)
Composed of particles of metal (silver or gold), water, and an organic binder, precious metal clay can be sculpted or shaped like regular clay. Metal clay is malleable yet firm enough to be stamped with textures, bent, and joined. Some clays can be set by heat from a torch while others, the slow-fire clays, require a kiln. Hannah Goldrich’s Recuerdos de Oaxaca brooch was made with silver PMC.

INDUSTRIAL POWDER COATING
Powder coating is a method of applying a decorative and protective finish to a wide range of materials. A mixture of finely ground particles of pigment and resin are sprayed onto the metal. The charged powder particles adhere to the electrically grounded surfaces until heated and fused into a smooth coating in a curing oven. The result is a uniform, durable, high-quality, and attractive finish. Brendalyn Avender’s Stag ’07 and Teal Cuff illustrate this process.

ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS
Contemporary metalwork is frequently combined with materials other than metal. This can be seen in the work of Emiko Oye (recycled plastic, glass and acetate), Kathleen Faulkner (eyeglass lenses), Angela Gleason (cast resin), Lynda Watson (sea shells) Catherine Grisez (music mechanisms), and Kate Speranza (wood).

WIRE TECHNIQUES & COLD CONNECTIONS
Wire can be twisted, braided, knitted, crocheted, wrapped, or woven. Wire is also used to make rivets (Ryan Tuss’s Deuce), for joining elements (Kathleen Frazer’s Pearl Bracelets), and for constructing three-dimensional forms (Theresa Lovering-Brown’s Chili Peppers). Connections between elements can be made without soldering (i.e., cold connections) allowing for the inclusion of objects that would otherwise be damaged or destroyed by heat (for example, pearls and chili peppers!).

CHASING & REPOUSSÉ
In chasing, steel hand tools, often handmade, are used with a hammer to make imprints on a metal sheet. Unlike engraving where metal is removed by carving and gouging the surface of the sheet, chasing simply relocates the metal creating impressions that often look engraved. Repoussé is an ancient technique of stretching metal often used in conjunction with chasing. It produces a raised decorative surface on a metal sheet, held in place in pitch (a thick, sticky substance obtained from coal or wood tar or petroleum) that secures the annealed metal while being worked with dapping or chasing punches. Yuyen Chang, W. L. Parrish, and Charles Kent Wiggins all employed this technique in making their objects.

RETICULATION
Reticulation uses heat in a controlled manner to melt the surface of metal creating unusual and unique patterns of molten movements. This technique is best suited for sterling, fine silver, and gold. Copper reticulation requires higher heat and is more difficult to accomplish. Lee Rumsey Haga’s “Haiku” Cuff shows reticulation and patination of the shibuichi alloy.

GRANULATION & FILIGREE
In these ancient techniques, small ball (granules) or pieces of wire are fused onto a sheet of metal to create intricately patterned designs. Fine silver and high-karat gold are the easiest metals to fuse, but sterling silver and other gold alloys also produce beautiful results. Fusion is produced by applying heat from a torch or by firing the granules or wires in a kiln. Filigree can be formed on top of a metal sheet or without a backing resulting in transparent design. Suzanne Linquist’s Untitled Pin exemplifies the features of granulation and surface filigree.

KEUM-BOO
In this traditional Korean technique, high-karat gold foil is bonded to another metal, most often fine or sterling silver. The bond occurs at a low temperature, 650° F (343.3° C) by combining pressure and heat as a thin-molecular weld. Nancy Piccioni’s two neckpieces illustrate this technique.

For prices and information regarding the purchase of the artworks offered for sale, please contact Dena Brown, Gallery at the Airport, 541-744-0909 or 22true@efn.org.

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A version of this essay was published in Jerry Williams's quARTerly (Winter 2007), distributed for free in over 130 galleries, arts organizations, and businesses in Oregon.