See p3 for details ANNOUNCING METAL ARTS 2017 SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA January / February MATRIX JEWELRY WORKSHOP - Robert K. Liu February 18th, 2016 8am – 5pm interesting jewelry. This technique is well suited to Robert K. Liu he is co- make earrings, symmetrical or asymmetrical. Essen- editor of Ornament and tially, your imagination and skill are the limitations of has written extensively on the forms you can make. For a one-day workshop, it ancient, ethnographic and is necessary to have soldering and simple handtool contemporary jewelry and skills. personal adornment since 1974. Over the past four ddecades, he has lectured eextensively in the US, as willill learn l to use brass b wire i or bronze b StudentsSt d t wwell as the UK and PRC rod to fabricate matrix/matrices for use as pen- aand given workshops on dants, earrings or other jewelry components. jjewelry photography, Simple handtools or mandrels will be used to shape making bamboo jewelry or matrix jewelry and has the wire or rodforms, then solder them. Participants recently published The Photography of Personal will learn how to handform wire/rod foundations AAdornment. He is also the author of Collectible for use in earrings, or pendants. These matrices will Beads, and has written over 700 articles or other be covered/glued with high-tech model airplane publications, on personal adornment, technology material (polyesther fi lms), then heatshrunk with aand science. heatguns, to make lightweight, strong, colorful and Cost: $105 for MASSC Members - $125 for non members Materials Fee: $10 Location: Irvine This workshop will be fi lled via the MASSC lottery system with MASSC members receiving priority. NEWSLETTER To put your name in the lottery, send an email to [email protected] by January 15th, 2017 and put “MASSC February Workshop lottery” in the subject line. Everyone will be contacted on January 16th with the lottery results. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 2016 MASSC Holiday Party Diane Weimer The air was crisp and colorful leaves dot- ted the landscape. Chairs were arranged and the extended dining room table had been expanded to its greatest length. Everything Marne was very generousgenerous, allowing us to was ready in Marne’s space for the Ornament use her electric rolling mill, anneal the metal Activity. Tools had been collected and were when it became work hardened. stationed just outside the studio. We were After the work party where all won a prize ready. we all went back to the living room to con- duct the ornament exchange. HereHttffthH are an assortment of some of the ornaments.o I felt very fortunate to get MarneM Ryan’s ornament. It was a silver bellb ornament. So beautiful!! AND it actuallya rings. terialstterials we were given,given to create an ornament. ornament EachE group received 5ft of copper wire, 3” X 3”3 32ga copper foil, 6 copper disks, 12” of 4ga roundr copper wire annealed and so as we all followedf Marne to her studio, work began. As one o’clock approached some of the fi rst people arrived at Marne Ryan’s house in Ana- Ruthh Laug got Ruth h Shapiro’s Sh ’ ornament heim for the MASSC Holiday Party. We were initially. However, that doesn’t mean she got scheduled to eat lunch as everyone was to keep it. bringing a dish… savory or sweet. After lunch we would begin the activity which was working in three’s, and using the copper ma- 2 7 Creativity is like a muscle that gets stronger each time you challenge it. 1 0 This is a chance to show us your stuff and challenge your creativity. In the spirit of This year, as in years past, each person will be required to send the following to Diane a good challenge – we are mixing it up this year! Weimer @ [email protected] As in previous years, to participate, you must be a MASSC member and purchase - a statement (max. 300 words) a box. There will be four items in your box. Three are conventional materials jewel- - a headshot (300dpi) ers use. One is an unusual item. You MUST use a recognizable portion of each of the Turn in on or before April 21 by 5pm to be eligible four items in your box. You may add ANY ADDITIONAL MATERIALS. We will have one design requirement (which you will discover when you get your box). This year you will send you piece of wearable jewelry to Toni Federe, address in the box Turn in on or before April 21 by 5pm to be eligible for the cash prizes. Again this year, we will have prizes – but we are doing them a bit diff erently, too. The People’s Choice awards remain unchanged, and will be chosen by popular vote The box will cost $40. There will be a limit of 120 boxes sold. at the luncheon: This is a MASSC Member only competition. * First prize of $300 To join MASSC visit http://massconline.com * Second prize of $200 * Third prize of $100 Remember New in 2017, a Grand Prize of $500 will be awarded by a juror. Pieces will if it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you! be judged on the creative use of the materials and the innovative use of the design requirement. HALLENGE 2 Requirements: C • be a MASSC member • buy the box • you must use a recognizable portion of all FOUR items in the box • you may add ANY ADDITIONAL MATERIALS to the piece • you must include the ONE design requirement listed in the box JJeweewe llryry Timeline: January 20 – February 10, 2017 – Registration challenge Mid-February – Boxes will be mailed out April 21, 2017 – Deadline to turn in your piece, statement, & headshott 22017017 May 21, 2017 – Awards and Luncheon at Sycamore Center in Lakewood EWELRY EWELRY J 3 ELECTROFORMERRIFIC reviewed by Jeanie Pratt Rachel Shimpock got our Amps Up with an action Schreiber, Marta Mattsson, Mo Powers of Cheek Bone The (+) anode metal slowly dissolves in the bath and packed and entertaining electroforming workshop. Studios and June Schwarcz. becomes free metal that is attracted to the object to be Electroformeriffi c was held at Long Beach State Univer- Electroforming is not like painting copper onto an plated (-). Whoomp, there it is.” sity on August 13th. objecto but rather it is littleli particles of cop- Rachel explains the diff erence between electroforming Rachel started out telling us about perp grouping up next and electroplating as follows: Electroplating is a quick, her background. It included tales tot each other to form thin plate like gold plating or chrome on a car bumper. of her charmingly unconventional a matrix on an object’s Electroforming is a process that uses low voltage and parents, fi guring out how to make surface.s This forms nod- amperage to slowly form a uniform shell around an artwork while living in her car, and ulesu which is an appeal- object that can be manipulated after forming. Often the studying with Helen Shirk at San ingin characteristic of this original object is removed with fi re or steam to leave a Diego State for her MFA. She states technique.t In Rachel’s thick " shell" of the original object. that electroforming saved her life. NIFTYN LITTLE YELLOW Amperage is the amount of particles in the solution. She currently teaches jewelry and HANDOUT,H it states “In Voltage is the rate at which they move. Both of these WORKSHOP REVIEWWORKSHOP metals at Long Beach State Univer- a nutshell: When (DC) settings are important. If there are not enough par- sity. electricale current is in- ticles moving towards the object, there won’t be any There are a number of artists utiliz- troducedt it passes from plating. If there are too many particles in the solution ing electroforming in a variety of thet (+) anode (donor moving quickly towards the object, then the nodules ways. They include Stanley Lechtzin metal),m through the are formed. of the Tyler School of Art, Maria electrolytee solution to An amazing range of objects can be electroformed. Phillips, Wu Ching Chih, Constanze thet (-) cathode (object). Organic objects such as Rachel’s beloved food, need to 4 MARTA MATTSSON ELECTROFORMERRIFIC be dried and COMPLETELY sealed with shellac and soaked - MULTIMETER in polyurethane or they won’t electroform. She needs to - SPRAY BOTTLE OF DISTILLED WATER shellac her onion ring bracelets for 2 weeks. These objects - PRIMO REGULAR PEN-PLATING TIP are then painted with conductive paint and electroformed. *Rio Grande Item # 335160 After electroforming her food, she burns out the organic - COTTON PAD matter and enamels it. Rachel, A.K.A. the Original Kitchen- smith, has a scrumptious line of food jewelry. Check it out at http://www.rachelshimpock.com/ KITCHENSMITHKITCHENSMITH LUNCHLUNCH RACHEL’S AMAZINGLY ECONOMICAL ELECTROFORMING KIT: - WIDE MOUTHED MASON JAR - ANODE *Coil of 6-8-gauge copper wire from rolls at Home ELECTROFORMING KIT Depot. (Rachel was right that when I purchased the wire The CONTAINER for electroforming must be heat and theyt asked me what crafts I was making today) chemical resistant. Glass containers such as the wide mouth - DRIP IRRIGATION AGITATION mason jar work, as well as Plastic #5 – PP (Polypropylene) *Drip irrigation parts, valve and cheap fi sh pump containers. - ELECTROLYTE SOLUTION The ANODE copper wire was coiled around large mandrels *Midas Bright Copper Electroforming Solution: Rio and then torched to remove the tarnish-preventing coat- GrandeG Item #335074 ing. Clean it with a brass brush and soap and then pickle it. *Recipe provided to make your own MacGyver It Elec- The anode has a positive charge and it donates copper to trolytet Solution the solution.