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Painting with Powdered Metals
Fusing Powdered Metals "Paint" to Steel!
Join us for this innovative two-day master class where you’ll explore a brand new, groundbreaking metal fusing technique—Painting Powdered Metals on Steel. Dive deep into this new approach and learn how to use powdered metals as paint to create colorful hues and shades on steel surfaces. Experiment with a spectrum of colors, textures, and patterns, pushing the boundaries of traditional metalsmithing. Whether you are a jeweler, bladesmith or blacksmith, these techniques will enhance your metalwork and bring your creative visions to life.
What You Will Learn:
Basics. Fundamentals of working with steel, including fusing gold and other metals to it.
Sourcing powdered metals. All about powdered metals…where to buy them, the metals, alloys and formulas (pure powders, flakes, metal clay, etc.) that are available in powder form. How to grind your own powders.
Characteristics of metal powders. How the various powdered metals react when fused.
Creating the "paint." How to mix powdered metals “paint” to create your own individual palette of colors and textures.
Applying powdered metals "paint." Explore a range of different techniques for painting the metals: adjacent/overlapping, delineated, and alloyed (in the mixture and on the surface)
Advanced fusion techniques. How to alloy powdered metals during the fusion process. Heat and flow control, order of operations and troubleshooting.
Designing. Exploration of design possibilities with powdered metals paint. Let’s take it further.
Textures. Rolled, hammered, burs, etc.
Patinas. Maximizing the contrast and appearance of powdered metals paint.
Sealing. Protecting the surface from rust and corrosion.
Meet the instructor
Bette Barnett has devoted her work since 2013 to exploring and experimenting with steel and gold. Bette began her jewelry career in 2010 and subsequently studied with the late Chris Nelson through his advanced workshops in fusing gold to steel. Since then Bette has perfected additional techniques and processes for steel, including Keum Boo on steel, fusing gold to iron wire, creating a variety of alloys for fusing to steel such as shibuichi and shakudo, etching steel and fusing gold to non-traditional steel forms, such as screens and wires. In recognition of her work to further steel and fused gold, the Santa Fe Symposium has selected Bette to create a research paper on steel jewelry and present it during the 2022 Symposium Conference. She has also published articles on steel and gold jewelry in Lapidary Journal: Jewelry Artist.
Bette honed her instructor skills during her former career as a corporate communication consultant by providing extensive training services for some of the largest companies in the world. She continually uses feedback from student surveys and hosting studios to refine her workshop offerings.
Bette teaches private lessons (both virtually and live) in her San Diego studio and offers group lessons throughout the U.S.
Materials & Tools
There is a $85 materials fee for this class that is payable to the instructor on the first day of class. The materials kit includes:
Individually for each student:
- One pieces of 20g mild cold rolled steel, 12” x 12” (scraps also available)
- Powdered metals
- Approximately 20 grams each of a wide variety of powdered metals including copper, white bronze, rose bronze, brilliant bronze and white brass flakes
- 10 grams of powdered silver
- Three small stainless steel spoons for mixing powdered metal “paints”
- 6 small plastic condiment cups with lids for mixing powdered metal paints (Amazon)
- Shofu silicone wheel (fine, flat edge)
Shared supplies:
- Wool daubers
- Gun bluing—Brownell’s Oxpho Blue
- Japanese Brown Patina (Sculpt Nouveau)
- Ballistol Oil
- Bowling Alley Wax
Due to the unique nature of this class, there is also a $15 fee to cover the use of Metalwerx studio equipment and consumables.
- Closed-toe shoes - required in the Metalwerx studio
- N95 or equivalent particulate mask (Amazon)
- Saw blades (2/0, 3/0, 4/0 I prefer Nanoblades for steel (Pepetools)
- Small spray bottle (to hydrate powdered metals paint)
- Silver solder-easy, medium, hard
- Any hand tools that you like to use (e.g., saw frame, files, abrasive flex shaft wheels, etc.)
Optional:
- Gold wire. At least one inch of 14g round gold wire (any karat). You will use this to grind gold powder for fusing (RioGrande)
- 24k gold powder—top quality Korean gold powder, 1 gram. (Allcraft $190 per gram-800 645 7124)
- Note: Instructor will have a limited quantity for sale during the class.