TECHNIQUES (How it's Made | Brian Wallace

TECHNIQUES (How It's Made)

hand made jewelry, forged hammered brian wallace xcurrent93

Hand Made with

Hammer and Anvil

My 15th-16th century stake anvil

My late 18th-early 19th century stake anvil

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TOOLS

One of the reasons my jewelry is so beautiful and stands out is the way it is created. I use antique and self-made tools. The tools mainly consist of different shapes and different size hammers that I use on my anvils. I don't use the large English pattern anvil (like the Acme one you see in cartoons). I used that type when I was blacksmith forging iron. I now use a smaller anvil that is in the shape of a T. That can be called a Stump Anvil or Stake Anvil. That is because it has a spike or stake that can be driven into a wood stump. I have a few of these that are of different sizes that I can choose from depending on what I'm doing at the time. They are also of different ages of when they were made, with none being less than 100 years old . It is difficult to know the age for certain but you can narrow it down by a few factors, a few of these factors are how it was made and rust pitting. My earliest Stake Anvil was made in England during 15/16th Century (pictured above). That means it is roughly 500 years old. I bought it from a man in Pennsylvania. With location in mind, my guess is that it was brought over by a pilgrim who was a goldsmith. This is not far fetched because it is of a smaller size and it can easily be transported. Back then Iron was VERY valuable (at one point worth more than gold). It is possible that this Anvil could have been used in England for few hundred years and then brought over to the new world during the 16/1700's. The other stake anvils I use range in ages from 18th through 19th Centuries. The hammers I use are of different shapes and sizes.

16TH Century decorated Stake Anvil

-FORGING

-SURFACE TEXTURE

-SOLDERING

I "forge" the Silver. That means I hammer on it which compresses and also stretches it. In which way the material moves depends on:
-How hard I strike it on the anvil
-The position and location on the anvil
-The shape of the face
-The weight of the hammer
By controlling the metal and where it goes will transform the Sterling stock into my desired shape. Think of playdoe, when you rolled it into a noodle or snake shape and then squeeze it in the middle between your thumb and finger. What happens? It changes shape, it also gets thinner and grows longer. Silver acts the same way but you need more force than your fingers. I forge (hammer) the bar and spread the material into let's say a leaf shape or any desired form. It usually takes more than one piece to complete a piece of jewelry. So I may need to bend the silver into a scroll using the hammer and anvil. To start the scroll I hang the end of the silver over the edge of the anvil and hit it with only air beneath which bends it. With bending you are striking with nothing beneath it so it bends from the force and it doesn't compress the metal. I don't just bend the metal into jewelry like you may commonly see (wire wrap). Since I'm working with and manipulating mass, I have to think backwards to figure out how to get the shape of the final piece out of the silver stock I started with. I also have to think about how all the pieces fit together, like a puzzle.

-~Texture~-
The hammer finish is from the making if it. Some people apply a 'hammered' texture to a cast piece to achieve the 'hand made' look. My surface finish comes from forging the shape by a hammer. I also may use sand paper and files to bring it to a high polish or other desired effects.

-~Soldering~-
Solder is like a glue for precious metals.
I do solder, it does have its place in certain situations. I don't use it as a primary method of joinery. The main reason I solder is for security, if something needs some solder to make sure the piece is worry free for generations, I will use it. The main things I do solder on a regular basis are jump rings and bails. A bail is what the chain goes through and the jump ring, is a ring that typically attaches the bail to the pendant.

TYPE'S OF JOINERY

The methods I employ of joinery have been used for thousands of years . It's what I used and learned as a Master Blacksmith . My old Blacksmith master would say "even Jesus's nails were Forged"

The different types of joining techniques are as follows-

~COLLARS~-

(band like strip wrapped around to hold them in place).

~RIVETS~-

think of a peg with a bulged 1/2 round end, stuck through at least 2 holes on two pieces and then the other side is hammered to create a 1/2 round bulge like the first side, to lock the pieces into place.( I make all my rivets)

-~MORTIS & TENON~-
A bar that is forged or filed to have a peg extended off the flat end(think taking a round dowel and stick it end to end with the flat vertical end of another round or square bar) this peg is put through another piece that has a hole drilled through it and sits flush against the vertical edge of the main bar. The end of the tenon (peg) extends out a little. This is hammered so it swells and locks everything into place. Similar to a rivet .

-~WRAPPING~-
I taper the Sterling down and wrap it around to have it be held in place.

~File Work~-

Filework is not a form of joinery, it can be a process done to make a tenon or dove tail joint. I use it is a technique for decoration. It is a final layer after the Initial forging is done. It is known as whiteSmithing. File work was popular for tools and everyday items in the 18th century and before.

I take files of different shapes and I carve the metal into the desired look that I'm going for. it takes years of practice to get to a high skill level. It requires patience as the file can only remove material in one direction. it is said that the most difficult task to achieve is a perfectly flat surface. I have been told that in the old days the student would be required to file a perfect cube. this is because it has 4 flat sides and 32 90 degree angles. The human eye is very detailed oriented, even if you don't think you are. Your brain will pick up when the angles are off. Because of this and the difficulty of precision filling. It is one of the more difficult skills to master .

Some of my filework

Finely filed, pierced and Gold Gilded Cock Table from 1740-1750 Pocket watch

1740-1750 Verge Fusee Pocket watch made by Charles Cabrier - London

Conclusion

I have not seen jewelry that employs these methods and is equal as of yet. They may appear to be similar, although they are not.
I feel by using these methods which have been in use for thousands of years is more beautiful and elegant then a solder joint or any cast jewelry. The bold joinery is a part of the design. This type of joinery was not being used after the welder was invented and being used. This was in the mid to late 1920s. Luckily there was a surge of interest in the late 1970's. They acquired the knowledge of this lost art from the very few Blacksmiths that were still living. Because by then almost all the old time Blacksmiths were long retired or had past on. If it was not for this information sharing, Blacksmithing would have became a dead trade it was very very close.