More playing with hydraulic forming

Got up early - before the grandkids - did a few chores and made my way to the studio - its overcast but - sort of just right outside - not too hot - not too cold

I wanted to try some form folding - so I started with a simple T fold that  I was thinking of

I got carried away 

\

I tried some microfolding

full folds

partial 

still more techniques with this to go but then went back to T-folds 

hopefully to make a puffy heart

really like the t-fold - I'll post how its made - its very easy 

and its only 8am - more to follow

A little play time

I had to do yard work today - the dump, pick up stuff, cut the lawn, clean the pool and rake the big circle driveway of all the debris from the winter - a huge task
and its 88 degrees here - basically hot as hades
fans are on in the studio but getting in and doing something  has taken me almost all day

I had an idea last night -  the dies I have are negative space dies so I was thinking what if I had a pattern to push into the metal - like some of my resin pieces - which I have lots of - and resin/epoxy is quite hard  - I made these resin pieces  by making silicone molds from objects I liked

I grabbed one of my faces  just to check it out
using a 95 durometer puck and 26g copper that I annealed

 I like the sort of ruffle - - the line across the face was because I double pressed  to make it deeper - this  makes me want to try microfolding  and form folding and see how that works out 

and then I tried  one of the disks to see how it would work out

I think I have found something I want to try to make other dies out of even negative ones
as the resin means I can manipulate shapes a lot easier to some unique and interesting designs

So maybe I can microfold and do some pressing on Sunday

Die Forming - trying it out

I was on the bored side last night - cleaned up the counters  and just was  BLAH feeling

I got out my Die forming stuff -  which at the moment I can really only try the round dies  as I'm waiting on some poly euro and to make some dies to fit my 3" holder

I have the bonny doon round non conforming die set   and gave it a try  using my floor press

I used 26g without annealing - did some rolling mill pattern on it first which probably hardened it - and I should have heat annealed it to soften again

the round is restrictive to size - the edges not bad on first sample - I just did not press hard enough - second sample better- but then I went a bit too far and tore it a bit - of course next try will be heat annealed and maybe put some lube on it too 

the second try -were with Potter USA metal round dies - no box to hold in the poly puck 

but it turned out ok -  I did a rather bad job on texturing the metal but I did heat anneal before forming 

I got it almost to right pressure - I was impressed on how easy it was -  I have to think now about putting a pressure gauge on the bottle jack so I can determine better than just how many pumps 

All in all a cool test - and took me way to long to play with - I have to thank RoseMary's Clay for giving me the incentive to give it a try 

Tore a bit at the center of heart -at the point- hard to see 

Cut around - but would have looked pretty good riveted to something 

I did this with the floor 12 ton  press I got from Princess auto 

 Mine is blue but its identical (cross bar height is adjustable)

You get two  solid steel pieces that sit on the cross bar you can sit your dies on to press down  against - 

the center press  vertical bar under the bottle jack rests on the solid brass or steel plates that press down onto the dies

I am contemplating having a base welded to the cross bar that I can put pegs in to hold the dies/box in place -  Princess sells this for 120.00   (I think I got it on sale for some ridiculous price of 65.00 at the time- with die forming in mind  ) 

yes a cool compact small press would be great but  the cost plus shipping verses a floor model I can move around out of the way  for under 100.00 - sort of made my decision 

bought this in 2008  - first  real use 7 years later - !!!!

Winner of the April - Give-A-Way - judyklarson

Unfortunately -  there is no email address to contact the winner judyklarson on her blog  or anything  I cant track down even through face book

If your out there can you please email me  with your address so I can send you your prize from the give-a- way   - at  dread@deborahread.com and put   give-a-way winner in the subject

If I dont hear from you  I will repick on May 15  a new winner

Spring Cleaning

Still cleaning work benches and organizing  so I can jump in this weekend and start making some things - its about time ! Cant complain about the weather being too cold  (although we seem to have gone from being around 32 degrees freezing to  80 degrees sweating weather )

still looks a bit messy but the last of it will be organized and put away tonight 

its my jewellery assembly area - although any area works that is open 

This is sort of my metal working area - where I stamp and prep for etching - roll wire- I had odds and ends out as I was cleaning but normally its a clean table top 

My soldering station and electro forming station- 

Last Sunday late afternoon I even chose to pull the cover off the pool, hook up the pump  and get ready to open pool  except I had lowered the water level too low - so until last night had to put some water in the pool (I had to get a filter system as someone left the old one out and it burst in the cold weather )  but not much to do once open  just keep adding some chlorine and by weekend vacuum the pool -
I love it when I open and its crystal clear - only last year because my cover had some holes in the pool was not as crystal clear.   I've had the pool for 10 years and in 10 years I have been the only person to close and reopen the pool by myself every year.  This year with the new cover the cover had no water on top and was dry so easier taking it off but still a chore

Lovely weekend - cleanup and organize

The weekend was really nice - got up to the studio early and started organizing and cleaning more work spaces  that have sort of overflowed with items just dropped onto the work surfaces - getting messing so started cleaning an sorting- and putting some  of those drawer boxes in place to have some of my more frequently used parts right at hand 

I have to take a pic tonight to show how nice its getting- I have sooooooo many  boxes of beads, findings, charms  you name it  and went through them to review what I have 

My grandaughter came over and she wanted to make her mothers day gift of which we pulled out the euro style bracelet and made that , along with a card and some sand art 

she loves doing the sand art - of course I cant show just yet its for mothers day 

as I played around I worked on a proto of bead ends for my lentils as I have threaded bead sticks (not sure what to call them )  they are rods with balls or squares at the ends - one end is threaded so I can put a bead on it 

so I ran some 26g - could have been 30g?  through my big shot  and then punched discs and then put center holes and then bent them to shape around the lentil and  the bail hole is very tiny so I soldered a jump ring 

Pretty please with the results  and I like the combo silver and copper - so now to make more and get them all finished up 

Pulling out the hydraulic dies and boxes

Thank you Rosemary's Clay  (if any of you have not visited her blog please check it out - full of wonderful stuff) I pulled out my hydraulic dies and boxes  (actually had a 3x3 box made a while ago and after seeing  Rosemary's in use  ordered 2 of the  3x3 urethane , intensifier sheet, liquid bur life  and they are on the way
 I have the bonny doon  small round one that fits the non conforming dies which I only have one and I have 4 of the Potter round dies  and some of the urethane round pieces for that set  - lots of strips of brass textures to use in the rolling mill -  so getting prepared

I need to get some 1/4" plexi to make my own patterns  still and I want to modify my big press to fit all this