First Post

This Blog is intended as a little window on my attempts to learn metalsmithing. Why the secrecy, well, I'm rather shy and would prefer to let this be about the work rather than me.

So, where to start? I have a very sedentary job, so recently, I decided to take up some out of work activities to stretch me in ways not achieved in the office. Metalsmithing was the first, I'll spare you the rest, but if I blog about those, I'll post links...

Ok, let's jump right in. I'm intrigued by boxes, the more complex the better, particular if they've got hidden features. For my first attempt, I started rather simply.

I call this Organobox because I thought that the copper strips which wind across the lid looked a bit organic.

This is the finished box;

The front of the box is cut from a flat plate. The shape of the holes is intended to look organic, I was trying to make it look like veins or tendrils. The photos below show the box just after the front sheet had been soldered onto the base.



The base was soldered onto the front face, after carefluly placing it to ensure the holes were not overlapping the edge.

The lid was formed by cutting, carefully around the side of the box separating the lid from the base. In this way the two parts are properly aligned after the hinge is added.

The picture on the right shows the three main elements of the box with the lid on the left, base on the right and the inlay layer which fits into the lid element to provide some depth and continue the organic theme.

The inlay layer was created by using repouse technique to create the veins and voids and provide a three dimensional depth to the box lid. As a final touch, a copper tendril was made from wire flattened with a hammer and soldered into place.