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Gold on a Budget
In this virtual course students will learn how to make a small amount of gold take up a whole lot of space. Techniques covered will include making a gold-sheathed sterling silver band, a gold-rimmed bezel for a stone, a gold-capped silver rod with a flush set stone in it, combining these elements into a ring, making bi-metal, and strategies for incorporating these techniques into personal designs.
Meet the instructor
When Alex Boyd was a young boy he stole an enchanted ring from a powerful bruja. That night his slumber was disturbed by a tapping at his window. When he slid the window open a huge raven rushed in, flew around the room and perched on his bookshelf. "I know what you have taken from me," the raven cawed. "I don't know what you’re talking about," Alex lied, hiding his bejeweled finger behind his back. "No matter. It is your problem now. The wearer of that ring is indentured to create more talismans of power, either for 1000 years or until he makes something so sublime, so perfect, so beautiful that the spell is broken and he is freed." "1000 years it is," Alex said as he thrust the raven out the window and slammed it shut behind her. He has been making jewelry ever since.
Visit www.alexboydstudio.com to view Alex's work.
Materials & Tools
A $200 supply kit will be shipped out to the shipping address listed on your Metalwerx account on June 27th. If you register on or after this date, a kit can still be mailed to you, but may not arrive by the workshop start date. Please call us if you reside outside of the US, as your shipping cost will differ, your package may need to be expedited, or an alternate solution may need to be reached.
Unless you already own most of these items, the kit is highly recommended as you cannot order the prepped quantities reflected below through other vendors. Kit includes the following items:
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1.5cm x 1.5cm x sterling silver sheet - 8g
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1.5cm x 1.5cm x sterling silver sheet - 18g
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3mm x 8cm x sterling silver - 14g
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3.1mm x 8cm x 22k gold - 28g
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2mm x 3mm x 22k gold - 24g
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1mm x 7mm x 18k yellow gold solder
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5mm x 4cm x hard silver solder
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1 x round black jade cabochon - 7mm
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1 x round cz - 2mm
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1 x hypodermic bottle
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1 x shipping
The following supplies will be used for course demonstrations and objectives. A suggested item and/or vendor has been provided below for reference. Click the vendor name (in red) to be redirected to a page where you can find the item. The quantities needed for each item are listed first. If ordering, please be aware that some items may come in larger quantities than needed for this class. We recommend not opening an item's packaging until the day of the workshop. Student participation during or in-between class sessions is strongly encouraged but not required - observers are welcome.
Hand tools:
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1 x round nose pliers (Rio Grande)
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1 x chain nose pliers (Rio Grande)
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1 x flat nose pliers (Rio Grande)
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1 x snips / flush cutters (Rio Grande)
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1 x jewelers saw (Rio Grande)
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1 x pack saw blades - 2/0 (Rio Grande)
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1 x burlife / bee's wax (Rio Grande)
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1 x bench pin (Rio Grande)
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1 x half round hand file - #2 cut (Rio Grande)
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1 x rotary tool - flex shaft, micro motor, etc. (Rio Grande)
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1 x set of needle files - #2 cut (Rio Grande)
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1 x half round forming pliers (Rio Grande)
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1 x scribe (Rio Grande)
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1 x ring clamp (Rio Grande)
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1 x rawhide / plastic mallet (Rio Grande)
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1 x steel block / steel surface (Rio Grande)
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1 x sheet of sand paper - 220 to 600 grits (Rio Grande)
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1 x dividers (Rio Grande)
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1 x sanding sticks (Rio Grande)
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1 x parallel pliers (Rio Grande)
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1 x planishing hammer (Rio Grande)
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1 x bezel mandrel - 1mm to 5mm (Rio Grande)
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1 x flat hand file - 2 cut (Rio Grande)
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1 x flat hand file - 4 cut - optional (Rio Grande)
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1 x flat and round forming pliers (Rio Grande)
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1 x barrette needle file - 4 cut (Rio Grande)
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1 x drill bit - 1mm (Rio Grande)
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1 x bud bur - 1.6mm (Rio Grande)
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1 x setting bur - 1.9mm (Rio Grande)
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1 x bezel roller (Rio Grande)
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1 x sandpaper cartridge roller - 240, 400, 800 grits (Rio Grande)
Torch setup:
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1 x fireproof area - steel sheet, tiles, etc. (Amazon or Home Depot)
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1 x Solderite™ pad / pan with pumice (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)
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1 x compressed charcoal block - hard (Rio Grande)
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1 x torch - Smith mini, Silversmith, or butane (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)
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1 x #0 or #1 torch tip - if getting Silversmith (Rio Grande)
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1 x striker or lighter - Silversmith system has one (Rio Grande)
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1 x soldering tweezers (Rio Grande)
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1 x soldering pick (Rio Grande)
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1 x 3rd arm (Rio Grande)
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1 x cross lock tweezers (Rio Grande)
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1 x copper tongs - for pickle (Rio Grande)
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1 x pickle - sodium bisulfate or citric acid (Rio Grande or Amazon)
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1 x crock pot or lidded glass container (Rio Grande or Amazon)
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1 x Prips, Batterns, My-T, or any non-alcohol flux (Otto Frei)
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1 x iron wire "bird's nest" - you make it (how-to at AlexBoyd.com)
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1 x tempered glass container or sink - for quenching and rinsing
Other/miscellaneous items:
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hard work surface
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fan and open window - or ventilation system
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safety glasses
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ear protection
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pencil and notebook - note taking
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rags/towels
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fat tipped permanent marker