Category: Iron & Metalwork
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Shadow Chaser Bells
My forged iron clapper bells all start out as flat equilateral triangles of 1/8″ steel plate. The triangle is hammered into a dome, then a smaller round dome is hammered in the top, and the points are flared out. About ten years ago I experimented with hammering small round domes on each of the points…
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Full Moon: Iron Uroboros
On today’s Full Moon, I finished this iron Uroboros bangle bracelet. It is forged from a cut nail, tapered, hammered into a flattened hexagonal cross-section, and twisted. The eyes are rivets that are domed on top and inset on the underside for a more comfortable fit. The tail fits neatly into a tiny round drilled hole that…
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Earrings for Me
I made these for myself – they are very plain and rather dull, but I like them for everyday wear with neutral colors. I carved the stone beads from a pebble that I found in the Empire Mountains, and wrapped them with black steel wire and antique African iron bicone beads. The stone is an…
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Website Changes
I’ll be updating the Mineralarts website in the next few weeks. We’ve set up our new computer and found that some of our software – including Netscape Composer, which I’ve used to make webpages since 2000 – is obsolete and won’t work with the new machine. We also have to get a new scanner. The…
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Hand Forged Pod Knife
A new knife. Inspired by antique Chinese fishermen’s knives, which have shorter and thicker blades than most Western pocket knives, making them more of a challenge to sharpen but less likely to break. I use mine for cutting string etc. I’ve made several of these but no two are alike – the shape of the…
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Picture Jasper Big Cat Claw
Finally finished this Picture Jasper Big Cat Claw necklace. The Oregon jasper pendant is 2 inches long and is about actual size for a large lion claw. It is carved in low relief in front with a flat back (the slice wasn’t thick enough to carve both sides in relief) and has a soft polish. The…
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Desert Rain Earrings
A few years ago at the Tucson gem show, I bought several Indian moonstone cabochons, translucent pale greenish-gray and very high-domed. I made one into a pendant with silver and red gold, and noticed that it changed color in humid weather, becoming greener and more opaque-looking. I assumed it was a trick of the light,…
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Black Steel Wire Spiral Jewelry
We are remodeling my blacksmithing work area to add perforated steel screens and a security door, and it won’t be finished for another week or so. The rest of my shop is usable, so I’ve been making black steel wire jewelry to help rebuild the strength in my hands, since I still have some lingering neuropathy after January’s…
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Picture Jasper Pendants
I just finished two Oregon picture jasper amulet pendants. Both are completely reversible and feature double-sided hand-polished discs (a soft polish, since this particular slab didn’t take a mirror shine). It’s rare to find picture jasper with attractive “scenes” in the same places on both sides of the slab, so cabochons are usually cut with a…
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Shaman’s Iron Ornament
This is forged from a cut nail and is about 1.5″ long. The wide end of the nail was split twice, drawn out and shaped, drilled, then ground and polished. It’s for a larger project and is intended to be sewn onto a piece of leather.
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