The Justified Sinner's Blog (375)

Stonesetting and Engraving

My current crazy obsession with the Cold Genius nears an end. Everything is stoneset and I've spent the last 2 hours engraving the inner lid. There is about another 2 hours to go, but I need a break!



Stones:



Cold Genius (WIP) 67

 

Blue topaz, aquamarine, green quartz, clear quartz and enamel chips.

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Added by The Justified Sinner on January 21, 2011 at 5:07pm — No Comments

More coldness...

The Cold Genius piece is starting to take a form now and I can see the end in sight. Which is just as well, really, as he has to be posted off late next week! I set and finished the brooch element today: 

 

Cold Genius (WIP) 62

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Added by The Justified Sinner on January 19, 2011 at 1:59pm — 2 Comments

Update on Saws

UPDATE: Comments from Lee Marshall, designer of the Knew Concept Saw 

(Same comments as posted on "Thinking out Loud" but also put here for completeness.)



I emailed Lee with some of the comments I've received on here, on Flickr and on my Blogs and he sent me back a very detailed and thoughtful reply which I quote here with permission.

 

Spares are available of course. It simply has not come up as yet, so I haven't crossed that bridge. I will send…

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Added by The Justified Sinner on January 16, 2011 at 11:58am — No Comments

Beneath The Skin

 

I've been invited to make a piece for a show entitled "Beneath the Skin" in Sheffield later this year. Here is where it begins:

 

Beneath The Skin 11

A handmade tattoo machine!

Added by The Justified Sinner on January 15, 2011 at 3:51pm — No Comments

An Idea of the finished piece...

I managed to get a fair amount done today. Nothing too complex, hence the blog post here rather than as a point of technical discussion! The main box is finished and I fitted the inner "scrim" lid which hides the narrative of the contents:

 

Cold Genius (WIP) 53

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Added by The Justified Sinner on January 12, 2011 at 2:14pm — No Comments

The Theatre

I have now almost finished the box which is the pendant element of "Cold Genius". As the inspiration for the piece was an aria from an opera, it was my intention to make it in the form of a theatre, which is what I think I've achieved...

 

Cold Genius (WIP) 42

 

Obviously, the steel rod in the top is a temporary solution. The…

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Added by The Justified Sinner on January 7, 2011 at 2:10pm — No Comments

Festivities Over

At last the festive season is behind me and I managed to get back to the bench today. 

I was given a new saw for Christmas, one of the "Knew Concepts" saws which is completely rigid. Although it is a bit fiddly to get blades into, it is an amazing tool: from the second I started to cut with it, I knew that I would not be going back to my old, springy iron frame. Because the frame is rigid the blade rarely catches in the way that we are used to with traditional…

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Added by The Justified Sinner on January 6, 2011 at 2:00pm — 14 Comments

Bi-metallics be damned!

I've been trying to apply a decorative border to the "theatre" in which the Cold Genius will be a player. The border is a rolled strip of silver with a pattern on it and I've been trying to solder it to the edge of the lid.

 

Cold Genius 28

 

Of course, I've gone about this totally the wrong way, and have cut the lid before…

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Added by The Justified Sinner on December 18, 2010 at 2:20pm — 3 Comments

The Curse of the Cold Genius!

Having decided to make a piece of work based on the idea of the spirit of winter being called upon to render the landscape frozen, I have been prevented from getting to my workshops by an unseasonable and enormous fall of snow!

Finally got back in on Friday and started making the main box which is the first pendant part of the piece. This will house the removable brooch and possible a second removable pendant. It looks like a bit of a mess at the moment, as it is made from…

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Added by The Justified Sinner on December 12, 2010 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Pesky weather!

It's been snowing here. Nothing which would really cause even a comment in the US, Canada, Russia, any of the Scandinavian countries: about 30cm of snow and minimum temperature of around -15 degrees C. Of course, Scotland has ground to a halt. I can't even get into my workshops because the roads are blocked, public transport is all cancelled and while I could walk, the staff who open the building couldn't, it seems.


SO I am quietly going mad, using Rhino to work out…
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Added by The Justified Sinner on December 7, 2010 at 3:00pm — No Comments

More from the Cold Genius

It is somewhat appropriate that it has now stated snowing in earnest and there are drifts all around my house: Lisa has sent me a photograph of the figure of the Cold Genius which she has made for me in porcelain.


sunlight 003



He's about 5cm across from tip…
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Added by The Justified Sinner on November 28, 2010 at 2:23pm — No Comments

Nightmare Event!

One of my students asked me to set a very large - 6ct - ruby for her as she was nervous about doing it. She had made the setting and it fitted very nicely, so I had no fear about doing it. Just as I was gently levelling the stone in the setting...…




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Added by The Justified Sinner on November 23, 2010 at 3:22pm — 7 Comments

Stonesetting day

As I am having to wait for the central element of "Cold Genius" to be finished and delivered, I've been in the odd position of making the settings for the piece before it is even constructed! I know what stones I want to use and where I want to use them, but can do nothing until the exact sizes of the "Cold Genius" himself are known.


Here are some of the stones and their settings:…


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Added by The Justified Sinner on November 17, 2010 at 2:15pm — 1 Comment

Chains...

I've now finished the basic structure of the commissioned bracelet and all that needs to be done is to polish it and set the stones:




Bracelet Commission 11


I've also been working on the chain for my "Cold Genius" piece, which incorporates the snowflakes:…


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Added by The Justified Sinner on November 13, 2010 at 6:28am — 1 Comment

More chisel...

The chisel bracelet is well underway today:…


Bracelet Commission 6





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Added by The Justified Sinner on November 10, 2010 at 3:04pm — No Comments

Chisel and commerce

Working on commissions today. A bracelet made from an old chisel:




Bracelet Comission 5


To be set with citrine and labradorite. An odd combination, perhaps, but as requested by my client:…



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Added by The Justified Sinner on November 9, 2010 at 2:56pm — 1 Comment

Snow and Clay

I finished the snowflakes I started cutting yesterday (the students were fiercely busy and marvellously fired-up today, so I didn't get much bench-time of my own):


Cold Genius (WIP) 7


I'm working with Lisa Stevens again for this piece and she has the figure of the "Cold Genius" well…
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Added by The Justified Sinner on November 4, 2010 at 3:47pm — 4 Comments

Cut, cut, cut...

I have spent the whole day piercing shapes from thick metal with 6/0 blades. Why on earth did I decide to make a chain of snowflakes with every snowflake different?


Cold Genius (WIP) 5

Added by The Justified Sinner on November 3, 2010 at 4:27pm — 4 Comments

finger!

I've finally knuckled down to work on the next raft of pieces to be exhibited, today concentrating on making the white hand of Cupid which will be reaching down to awake the Cold Genius from his slumbers!



The original hand is a Victorian bog-oak brooch which I bought from my friend Simon Cavannagh in his Edinburgh antique shop. It is too large and too dark for what I wanted:…



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Added by The Justified Sinner on November 2, 2010 at 3:32pm — 1 Comment

Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightening

As part of a new project on which I'm working - "Cold Genius" - I needed to draw a LOT of snowflakes in Rhino, which is possible using a 30:60:60 degree triangle and cutting out chunks, then duplicating and mirroring it and rotating copies around an axis. What a hassle! However, a quick online search brought me this brilliant Snowflake Generator from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories. Worth using for the name… Continue

Added by The Justified Sinner on October 23, 2010 at 3:10pm — 2 Comments

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