NatSiddle
01-04-2010, 01:50 PM
Ive been going to a part-time Silversmithing and Jewellery Making Course at Hillsborough Collee in Sheffield and I bore my friends to death telling them how great it is.
I had visions of being sat in a classroom, while a tutor told us what we COULD do, if maybe we were super-rich and had a home workshop to stock. We would form orderly, bored queues at each machine, and each would make something identical and actually quite ghastly. The tutor would know how to service the machines but not a jot about jewellery.
I was proved completely wrong. The tutor, Sue, is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and very encouraging. We had a brief, ten0minute health and safety lecture then we were handed a strip of copper and told to make rings. We got over our initial shyness (I guess working with jewellery makes you very carefuly and delicate with yor hands-pulverising metal with a hammer does not come naturally!) and soon the workshop was humming! Within a few short weeks of only a three-hour lesson per week we have learned to anneal, to soler, texture with stamps and rolling mills, cut and drill, use triblets and mandrels etc. Some of us have moved onto Silver already, and there are some truly beautiful things being made.
The class runs from 630-9, although we all get there early, lol. Three actually run side-by-side, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so you can choose the best day to fit round work/school. It runs about four times a year too-I missed out on one by a few weeks, and it actually turned out ok because I saved more money for the next course, and was able to agree the evenings off with my boss.#We are suppoed to get a 15-20 minute break halfway through but so far no-ones stopped to take it!
We're encouraged to do our designwork and reearch outside of the lesson, as the lessontime is pure workshop. We have wax casting to look forward too, and the course isnt just imited to jewellery-it allows you to branch out in silversmithing making cutlery, dishes etc.
There is a fee to pay, but there is also a discount if you pay online before the course starts (basically applied to everyone in my class) and its worth every penny.
I cant get enough of this course-the Easter break is going to cause some serious withdrawal symptoms unless the easter bunny brings me a blowtorch and some pickling solution instead of eggs....
I had visions of being sat in a classroom, while a tutor told us what we COULD do, if maybe we were super-rich and had a home workshop to stock. We would form orderly, bored queues at each machine, and each would make something identical and actually quite ghastly. The tutor would know how to service the machines but not a jot about jewellery.
I was proved completely wrong. The tutor, Sue, is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and very encouraging. We had a brief, ten0minute health and safety lecture then we were handed a strip of copper and told to make rings. We got over our initial shyness (I guess working with jewellery makes you very carefuly and delicate with yor hands-pulverising metal with a hammer does not come naturally!) and soon the workshop was humming! Within a few short weeks of only a three-hour lesson per week we have learned to anneal, to soler, texture with stamps and rolling mills, cut and drill, use triblets and mandrels etc. Some of us have moved onto Silver already, and there are some truly beautiful things being made.
The class runs from 630-9, although we all get there early, lol. Three actually run side-by-side, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so you can choose the best day to fit round work/school. It runs about four times a year too-I missed out on one by a few weeks, and it actually turned out ok because I saved more money for the next course, and was able to agree the evenings off with my boss.#We are suppoed to get a 15-20 minute break halfway through but so far no-ones stopped to take it!
We're encouraged to do our designwork and reearch outside of the lesson, as the lessontime is pure workshop. We have wax casting to look forward too, and the course isnt just imited to jewellery-it allows you to branch out in silversmithing making cutlery, dishes etc.
There is a fee to pay, but there is also a discount if you pay online before the course starts (basically applied to everyone in my class) and its worth every penny.
I cant get enough of this course-the Easter break is going to cause some serious withdrawal symptoms unless the easter bunny brings me a blowtorch and some pickling solution instead of eggs....