Intermediate - Casting with Silver - One Day Course
In this one day class, we explore simple casting that can be done with minimal equipment in a home or small jewellery studio to add to your jewellery making skills repertoire.
We will experiment with Drop casting, and Sand casting during this day, as well as looking at casting clean up and finishing.
- Water, or drop casting is a fun and experimental way to create unpredictable, irregular abstract forms from molten silver.
- Sand casting (also known as Delft Clay) is a way to cast more specific forms using a master / model to create a mould within packed sand to pour your molten metal into.
I usually recommend that students have some basic silver jewellery making skills before registering for this course, such as one of my Beginners Silver Jewellery Days or similar. This course is ideal for those who are already making jewellery at home / in a small workshop and looking to try out casting with a view to doing more in their own workspace later.
Small group size - just 2 students per group to ensure each student gets plenty of practice with melting and pouring their silver.
Develop your jewellery making skills in this experimental one day course. Water / drop casting creates abstract forms that can then be developed, joined and adapted to create unique, organic designs, depending on the individual forms that your pours have created for you....
We will also work with sand casting for creating more specific, planned forms such as rings or charms using master models from my large collection of blanks and found objects - shells, rings, charms and more.
**WE WILL NOT BE MAKING YOUR OWN CUSTOM MODELS IN THIS CLASS **
If you'd like to create a specific design, or make your own custom model to cast from - this can be done in one of my wax carving classes, or you can bring items you have made or found at home such as shells, buttons, charms, or small ornaments / toys.
This course runs from 10am to 5pm and allows students to spend time experimenting with informal casting techniques, and then to transform their favourite pieces into finished jewellery if desired.
We will work through one or two projects and participants will learn; -
- Melting silver using a hand held torch and crucible
- Melting silver in an electric furnace
- Drop casting into water
- Drop casting into other substances
- Sand (Delft Clay) casting process using a pre-made model
- What to do with the cast metal to get it ready to wear
- We will also briefly discuss other casting options
Great for anyone who has already tried silver jewellery making, and would like to experiment with a different way of working and creating forms.
Class held in person, in my studio in Camden, London NW1 - near Camden Town tube station.
**Workshop is downstairs and therefore not suitable if stairs are a problem for you - sorry!**
Can also be arranged as private 1-1 tuition at a day / time to suit you, or if you have a group of friends that would like to come together!
Maximum class size of just 2 students so that there will be plenty of individual support and advice throughout the day and plenty of chances to pour.
Course cost includes a generous amount of silver to work with. During the day, students will select their favourite piece/s to continue working to clean up and turn into wearable finished piece/s. Less successful castings go back in the pot to be re-melted. If you choose to keep more casts than are included in the course allowance, then any additional silver can be purchased at cost on the day.