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Categories: Experiences and daily life; Projects and equipment

Word count/read time: 412 words; 2 minutes

Find them for sale here.

In the laboratory, test tubes are always cleaned and dried fully. Though it has never happened to me, the thought of one exploding as it's heated because a tiny piece of material was stuck to the glass is disturbing. Likewise, a charge in the jewelry crucible could do the same. Usually not with fine silver, but don't get in the habit.

This particular button fell out, so I loaded some shot, then the button, then some more shot. It shouldn't have been too much but the button acted as a logjam when the shot above it started to fuse together. The stuff at the bottom melted but the air pocket, courtesy of that damn button, prevented everything from dropping down and melting together.

I could see the liquid silver through the crucible. Because the top was solid, only an ounce dribbled through before sealing. The tabletop furnace wasn't powerful enough for this task so it was time to throw in the towel. The crucible was definitely gonna be junk with that half-melted charge.

Alas, it was a happy ending after all; the 3/4 length plug fell out when it cooled. I promptly sawed it in half. Power tools were going to be all but impossible to recover the costly metal flake cutoffs. Silver is soft but a nearly 2" solid round bar is not easy pickings for a hacksaw!

 
Art can be random, in this case truly unpredictable, but it needs a vision to survive.
 
The Cliff is reminiscent of a quartz crystal topped off with a shot of, well, quasi-melted shot. Its 14 sides and bottom were hammer forged, shaped, filed, sanded, and polished by hand. Lots of reflective angles with a flash on top dazzle the eyes where the nooks and crannies have started to color. A natural spire is strong enough to support its own weight and spin it (great fidget tool).

There is no hint about the Cave from the backside. It is the fascinating metal geode with sycee lines and frozen waves coating the inside, a hint of slag visible. When laid on its side it passes as a rotted tree trunk section. As if it wasn't cool enough, cut lines on the bottom give it some character and authenticity.

Fraternal twin paperweights. Positively unique in every metric. Art can be random, in this case truly unpredictable, but it needs a vision to survive. At the very least, it's almost a kilo and a half of silver. They are for sale as a set...until the crucible wants revenge.


Posted by M: March 23, 2021


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