Workshop Wednesday - copper etching continued

etched copper bracelet by Holly Raynor Hancock

Posting photos for "Wordless Wednesday" when I realized there was way to much text going on. So instead I'm sharing a few pictures from the Copper Etching & Cold Connections class I took earlier this month over at the brick & mortar shop for eBeads.com.

Another student, Jennifer, decided to make her version of the copper etched bracelet from the class promo-photo (shown above). She kindly let me take some pics along the way.

punching copper sheets into rounds

Unfortunately I missed a couple of steps as I was busy playing with my metal sheets. Jennifer next gave the copper disks a dome shape.

filler photo of worktable

I also forgot to take a photo of prepping the copper for the etching bath. Sorry about that - I was half asleep that morning.

Letting the chemicals do their thing

Bracelet components after etching & cleaning. Assembly begins...

After assembly, it was time to "antique" the piece with Liver of Sulfur.

The final bracelet after a soak in the "aging" solution. You can control how dark you want your piece to be. See Holly's bracelet on the top of this post for a darker finish.

If you're near Tampa, Florida and want to try out this fun technique be sure sign up for the Sept. 10th class. For details, call the number on the ebeads website or check out the class calendar next month (right now August is still up). If you do go, I'll see you there - I can't wait to play with these materials again! 

On the aside, what do you think of making Workshop Wednesday a regular feature? I can post tutorials, techniques & lots of fun links. If you have some workshop photos or tutorials that you'd like to share here, just drop me a note. 

Tampa Bay Beadwork Group

This was last night's project - tempting, eh? Holly, the owner of ebeads.com posted this colorful bracelet on the Tampa Bay Beadwork Meetup page to show everyone what we would be making. This fun group meets once a month to socialize & create a new piece of vibrant jewelry. If you are in the Tampa area in a few weeks and like beading, come check it out. You can find all the details & sign up at the meetup link above.

This was the group. A fun mix- newbies (like me) and lots of talented ladies who have been making gorgeous jewelry for years.

Some of the bracelets. We all followed the same pattern but picked our own colors. Mine is the blue & green, 3rd over from the right.

And here is my finished bracelet.

I can't wait to find out what August's project will be. If you want to play, check out the meetup link above. Or pop into Beads and visit Holly at her shop on 1543 S. Dale Mabry Hwy. in South Tampa. She also teaches classes at the store almost every day. Check the calendar on her website to find a project that appeals to you.