Ok, not to toot my own horn, but I think these are the best cufflinks in the world. They are a surprise for my boyfriend for our anniversary! I cannot wait to give them to him!
These are fine silver, including the jump rings which I formed and cut by hand. The skull and crossbones started as a drawing, which I carved into a mold, and then finished the design with some Precious Metal Clay.
Yay!! I'm so excited!
Questions/Comments, welcome and appreciated! Tutorial:First, this probably doesn't need to be said, but please don't use my specific designs or drawings in your work. I make and sell my jewelry to help earn a living and take a lot of pride in my drawings & work. That said,
please please feel free to carve your own beautiful designs using these techniques!
You'll need PMC, a linoleum carver, rubber stamp (or other carvable) material, a kiln, needle files, liver of sulpher (a patina that gives the silver a dark finish), pumice powder
1. This is the rubber stamp material with my <3 lino carver <3 (this is one of my most favorite techniques!!!)
2. This is PMC. I used PMC
+ in this particular project b/c it shrinks less. PMC standard is still a great product though!
3. This is how your designs will look when you carve them. (Don't forget that lettering/numbers will need to carved as a mirror image)
4. Hold the lino carver at a 45 degree angle to get nice shallow cuts. You can always cut deeper, but can't add material once you've cut it away!
5. Push your PMC into the mold you've carved (**note, I'm using sculpey in the picture, so I did not have to waste my precious PMC!**)
6. Fire your PMC+ in a kiln for 30 minutes at 1470 degrees.
7. Use little baby needle tools to refine your design now that it is fired.
8. Heat up your liver of sulphur solution, dip your item to darken it. Use pumice powder to make the high areas shine and keep the relief areas dark.
The end!
