Silversmithing dreaming

 One of the highlights of our visit here has been the chance to do another workshop with Lindsey Gallagher, a fine silversmith based in Thurso, ur main service town. We always enjoy wandering through her gallery space and have taken a number of pieces home with us, but the best fun by far is to it and learn with her in her workshop space alongside the shop.

I really, really wanted to learn how to solder. I had described what I wanted to try and do and so Lindsey set me up in the morning practising how to solder, by making lots of copper circles.

My work bench - I do love a well-organsied space with lots of fun tools.

Making my wobbly shapes into circles.

I then hammered some texture into the surface.

I made three circles of different sizes, learning as I went, and because they worked out so well, I decided that I might actually make a piece of jewellery from them even tho I hadn't planned to use my practice pieces.

It is tricky to solder through large spaces like this, but I managed to get all three circles attached.

I then made a jump ring to pass some cord through (when I get back, as I don't have any black cord here).

When I took it home, I kept looking at the really loose jump ring (I had made it too big) and the solder that remained even after filing as much of it away as I could, and felt I needed to finish it better.

I had some tan, some cream and some purple cotton cord, and decided on the cream. I wrapped the cord over the solder as if it was meant to be there.

And then I tried to squeeze the jump ring. Which almost worked, except for how it bent as the outer circle acted like a fulcrum point for bending!

But I solved that problem as well and am now very happy with how it ended up.

And because Lindsey is such good teacher, back to what I started out thinking I would like to make - some pebble-like earrings out of silver.

And here is what I managed to make (with help from Lindsey as we were running short of time...)

She showed me how to cut six circles in a quicker than usual manner. I then rolled them through the mill to squish them out of shape a bit.

I then hammered them to get more texture.

And ta- da here they are, all buffed and polished super shiny by Lindsey on her special wheel.

Lindsey also soldered the posts on the back for which I am extremely grateful.

I am thrilled with all I achieved, and have well and truly caught the soldering bug. I will wait till we get back to have another go I think, but I have so many ideas for what I could do!