Friday, September 7, 2012

Lace-up Aluminum Cuff

Here is one of the metal projects I started in the studio on Monday:

 Handforged aluminum lace-up cuff with blue sari ribbon

It started with sheet aluminum, which I cut, sanded, hammered, and folded (after testing the dimensions on a paper template, of course!) I then placed grommets across the front, shaped the bracelet on a mandrel, and then laced it up with this gorgeous blue sari ribbon.

I had never worked with aluminum before, and it's so much more affordable than sterling! It's easy to work with, too - I never had to anneal this piece, which is amazing, considering all the folding and hammering it went through! But I tried to highlight the texture with liver of sulfur, and discovered that the aluminum won't take the LOS - it just sheeted up and beaded right off, like water on a duck's back!

The cuff is somewhat adjustable, as most are, and will fit from sizes 6 to 7. It's very lightweight (the ribbon might weight more than the metal!)

It's available on Etsy!

1 comment:

Christine Altmiller said...

very cool!!! i admire metal people...a lot!