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Move it, move it! Hinges Three Ways

If you’re ready to get a little movement into your work but have yet to start your hinge making journey, let fabrication maestro Jenn Wells guide you through your hinges love story! This demo-focused virtual workshop will cover three ways to create a hinge that will be incorporated directly into a jewelry piece, as well as a hinge you can attach later.

Jenn will also cover three distinct solder set-ups for creating the hinges and will cover tips and tricks on how to keep it stress free! Starting with a basic hinge the class will consider how the hinge will open and close, the range of motion it allows for, and what situations it best suits - the course will then apply and build off this information for the following two hinges. A handout will accompany the class, laying out the hinges to be covered as well as variations.

Fall in love with hinges while learning stellar fabrication techniques and how to bring the magic of kinetics to your jewelry designs!

Meet the instructor

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Jennifer Wells is a studio artist and educator originally from the U.S but currently living in Italy. She holds an MFA, in Metalsmithing & Jewelry Design and has completed artist-in- residencies at: Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN, Pocosin Arts in Columbia, NC and the Jentel Foundation near Banner, WY. She has worked for several U.S based Craft Schools, in a variety of roles.

As an educator, Jennifer has taught for and been a visiting Artist at Universities throughout the U.S and for study abroad programs based in Italy. She serves on the Board of Vita Institute and teaches short workshops on various enameling and metalsmithing techniques throughout Europe and the U.S. In recent years she has curated multiple international exhibitions focused on jewelry and enameling.

Her works are in the collections of the Enamel Arts Foundation, Racine Museum, All Russian Museum of Decorative Arts, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Yale University Art Gallery, Crocker Art Museum and Private Collections.

Materials & Tools

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.

Metal/raw materials (note students can get one or both sizes of tubing and the 14g wire will need to be drawn down to fit the larger tube):

  • 12" x sterling heavy wall tubing - 2.57mm / 2.03mm (Rio Grande)

  • 13" x sterling round wire - 18g / 14g (Rio Grande)

  • 6"x6" copper sheet - 20g dead soft (Rio Grande

  • 3-5 x copper slip cap (Lowes)

  • 1 x box of 0.9mm pencil lead (Amazon)

A soldering setup:

Hand tools:

Other/miscellaneous items:

  • particulate dust mask

  • eye protection

  • old tooth brush

  • green scrubby pad

  • ajax/bar keepers friend/pumice based cleaner

  • small spary bottle

 

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