Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Soldering 101

I have been a fan of soldered charms ever since the day I spied Sally Jean's magical ad for hers in the Home Companion magazine. I love to give them as gifts, to wear them, and to use them as embellishments around my home. Needless to say I was thrilled when her book on the topic of making your own charms was published.

Well, I've had the book for awhile now, but I have never been brave enough to jump in and try to create something of my own, on my own. Fortunately my dear friend Jamie, who makes all types of jewelry and who is no stranger to soldering, volunteered to guide me along on my molten metal adventure. The photo above shows the result of our Sunday afternoon of crafting.

Go ahead, click on the photo. It won't hurt my feelings. They are extremely rough looking up close. Oh, and from far away too, but I like them anyway. I think I fall into the category of folks who "overwork" the solder. LOL! Anyhoo, I'm glad I gave it a go, and I didn't even burn myself! The thing is, you need to practice and practice and practice some more to get better. Great, add one more craft that I enjoy, yet have no time for, to the list.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

melissa,

i am sooo with you...the soldering thing...another thing to love!! my skills aren't quite ready for a photo op (your charms are super you crazy girl!!) keep up the good work!!

meleen

Mom IsAmagpie said...

I actually LOVE the texture on yours! They are super fabulous,and proof perfection is overrated because those my love are beautiful!

Unknown said...

What a coincidence--I finally was brave enough to try out my soldering stuff last week, after having it all since Christmas! LOL I was afraid of lighting my hair on fire or burning a hole in my carpet, but thankfully neither happened.

I'm definitely in the camp of those who overwork their solder, though--I found it so difficult to just STOP MESSING WITH IT ALREADY! :) I did go buy a little set of files to get rid of the sharp edges and that helped. I think yours look great! I agree that we just need to practice, practice, practice. (but wouldn't it be more fun if we were as good as Sally Jean on our first try? LOL)

Pink Slippers said...

I think you did a great job. Mostly for the first time. Keep doing it.

Journal Swag said...

Isn't Sally Jean the greatest! She is a wonderful teacher and of course author extraordinaire! Yes, it is sooo much fun, and takes a million hours of practice. Your pieces are very pretty!

Sheila

Elizabeth said...

I've always wanted to make those too. I'm also scared to do the soldering!! At least you gave it a good first try. They don't look so bad!!