Bead & Button Show and Rebranding!

Bead & Button Show
It's that time of the year again where I make my annual pilgrimage to Milwaukee to attend the Bead & Button Show!  My work peeps have absolutely no idea my excitement when I tell them about B&B but it's the event of the year for me!  This will be my third year attending and I have signed up for 12 workshops!  Yes I'm crazy but I don't have other opportunities to learn from the industry's best in person often so I have to make it worth every minute!

I'm starting off this year taking Linda Darty, yes THE Linda Darty of the enamel queen, Enameling Master Class!  What a way to kick off the event!  It is a 3 day in depth workshop and I am looking forwarding to learning various enameling techniques.  My jaw literally dropped when I learned Linda will be one of the Master Class teacher as I have admired her book The Art of Enameling for years and it's been my favorite bed side and studio reading.  I will be like a sponge and absorb as much as I can from the Master of Enameling!

I'm taking two classes from one of my favorite teacher, Richard Salley, this year.  I saw the Fire & Ice Pendant in last year's class and I had to wait an entire year to learn how!  Talk about keeping someone in suspense!  I'm also taking his Make the Impression class.  I love the primitive and rustic look it can achieve.  Right up my alley!  I hope to see his beautiful and kind assistant Martina Stein.  I just love her!

After moderate success with jeweler's saw, I decided it was time to learn from the master of sawing, Thomas Mann.  Francesca Watson was raving about his class so I decided I really need to master this technique.  I've also admired Thomas Mann's jewelry for years.  The way he uses cold connection is so ingenious.  Looking forward to learning two key techniques which I will use for years in future work!  Check out his beautiful work at his website Thomas Mann!

I took Joe Silvera's class two years ago and was blown away with the set up.  I walked into his class and there is a large monitor in the front and high quality tools on each table.  The monitor makes it so much easier to see the intricate techniques he is teaching when you have many in the class so everyone gets a great view.  I signed up for the Basket Prong class this year.  Being able to capture delicate stones without the standard bezel will add another option to set stones.  Looking forward to his gentle and thorough style workshop.  Visiting his jewelry school in Berkley is on my list!  

This year's hottest workshops is being offered by Robyn Cornelius!   Almost all of her 11 workshops are sold out and most sold out within the first 10 min when registration first opened!  My partner in crime this year, Heidi Kingman, are taking this class together which I'm sure going to make it extra special.  I can't wait to apply my new sawing skills from Thomas Mann and Robyn to pierce such intricate designs and get the amazing colors through liver of sulfur!

Another class that sold out within minutes was Lisa Barth's Cross Wire Pendant.  I kept bugging the B&B peeps and when they added additional seats, I got in!  Yay!  I have long admired Lisa's metal clay and wire weaving jewelry.   I just love the way she combines copper and turquoise in her work.  I started a small collection of turquoise as it is my favorite stone.  I can't wait to learn how to capture these beautiful stones and showcase them in a pendant!

When I saw Sherry Serafini's bead embroidery display 2 years ago at Bead & Button Show Exhibit, her work literally stopped me in my tracks.  Her work is beyond amazing and they are mesmerizing.  Bead Embroidery is so opposite of what I normally do which involves hammering, soldering, torching, and wire wrapping.  Working with intricate teeny tiny seed beads is a bit intimidating.  This is going to be the most quiet class I will take this year! It will be like a meditation session and I will look forward to learning from the Master of bead embroidery!

I learned metal etching from the fabulous duo Cristina Leonard and Gail Lannum last year who taught me how to use ferric chloride etchant to etch beautiful designs on metals.  This year I signed up for John Fetvedt's Electro-Etched Copper Earrings.  It will be great to have an alternative non-chemical etching method under my belt.  John is known for his beautiful chainmaille work. 

I met Eva Sherman online and have admired her gorgeous copper cuffs she posts on a weekly basis.  When I found out she was teaching at Bead & Button Show, I had to squeeze in one her classes.  I'm so excited to take her Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder Copper Ring class.  I wear so many copper jewelry but don't have a copper ring yet so it will be a great compliment to other copper jewelry.  So looking forward to meeting her in person!

My final class is Wire-Woven Filigree Ring with Kaska Firor.  I love the look for wire weaved jewelry and the ring caught my eyes!  I hope I have the patience in weaving intricate designs.  Looks so tedious!

REBRANDING!

I've decided to brand myself and change my jewelry design business to Kumi Fisher Designs!  I had sentimental attachment to Malie Kai as they were my children's middle names but a difficult name to remember, spell, or pronounce is not good for business.  I finally feel more confident branding myself as I go through this creative journey.  Finding your creative voice and brand wasn't an easy process and I'm still learning and growing.  Events like Bead & Button Show has really helped me find my creative voice.  Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new friends. 

I will have exciting news when I come back from Milwaukee.  

Mahalo for being part of my creative journey!
Kumi ♥

Torch Fire Enameling ~ My Post on Artisan Whimsy!

I recently joined an awesome Ning group called Artisan Whimsy.  The creators of the group are the administrators of Creative Bead Chat on Facebook.  I love love love Creative Bead Chat as it's a great place to share ideas, ask questions, and form friendships.  Artisan Whimsy is like Creative Bead Chat on steroids!  The site is so well organized and currently there are 20 groups in different techniques/genre of jewelry making blog posts on a weekly basis.  If you haven't visited the site yet, come join in on the fun we are having!

I joined the Enameling Group lead by Heather Marston and signed up to post about Torch Fire Enameling.  I focused on the sifting method which I learned from one of my favorite teacher, Richard Salley.

Here is my mini tutorial I posted :)

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Aloha from Kauai!  I am super excited to share this blog with you!  I am by no means an expert in this field but will humbly share my experience about torch fire enameling.  I love working with metals and being able to add colors to metals was icing on the cake!  I took Richard Salley’s Torch Fire Enameling class at Bead & Button Show in 2011 and fell in love with torch fire enameling!  I will be sharing the sifting method of torch fire enameling as I am still a newbie to the immersion method taught by none other than one of my favorite teacher, Barbara Lewis.

One of the beauties about torch fire enameling is it requires minimal tools.  Here is what you need to get started:

Enamel – Very important that you only use Lead-Free enamel for torch fire enameling.  With Richard’s recommendation I purchased Thompson’s Complete Med Temp/Med Expansion 80 Mesh Enamels (169 colors!) which will give you 17g of each color.  It’s a great way to determine which colors you like and experiment the different color combinations.   This sampler pack will last you a long time for jewelry making.  Another excellent one stop source is Barbara Lewis' Painting with Fire website!  Barbara carries pretty much everything you will need for Torch Fire Enameling and her site is much easier to navigate and find what you need :)

Tripod – I recommend getting the 9 inch height so you have room for the torch head to go underneath.  You will not be using the mesh that typically comes with the tripod.  It’s a huge heat sink.  I use the mesh to cool fired pieces.

Trivet – there are various sizes but you need get a trivet that will sit on top of the tripod.  I use Thompson’s TPT-3 (2-3/4” d).  I have several trivets in different sizes so that I can torch another piece while the other one is still cooling.
Sifter – different sizes available to provide different coverage and effect.
 
Cheap Pliers – I use cheap pliers to remove the trivet off the tripod.  Don’t use your good pliers!  Get flat nose (not chain nose) so that you have a stable grip.  You don’t want the hot trivet to be tipping over.
 
MAPP Gas Torch with self igniting torch head – I got mine from Home Depot.  It’s the yellow canister.  MAPP gas is hotter than propane which will melt the glass faster.  I like the torch head where I can turn the flame on an off by just pushing the button. (personal choice)   MAPP vs. Propane?  That will be another post J  Don’t be afraid to use the torch!  I have to admit I was scared of it at first but now I have 6 torches of different sizes with different fuels for various projects (officially a pyro!)

Holding Agent/Enamel Adhesive – You can use enamel holding agent like Klyr-Fire (dilute with water 50/50) or use a cheap liquid hair spray (I was told the cheaper the hairspray the higher the alcohol content which works great, i.e. White Rain)  One thing to remember is to let the piece dry after you sift your enamel before firing.  If you put too much holding agent and there is wet enamel, it will pop during firing and leave holes.

Safety Glasses – Always protect your eyes!  Torch fire enameling is quick so I don’t use didymium glasses but you may want to get one if you plan on torching for long hours to protect your eyes.

Mask – I use the 3M 8212 N95 for soldering/welding.  This may be overkill but I try to take every safety precautions.  You are working with ground glass and whenever you are sifting or transferring enamel from one container to another, you should be wearing a mask to protect your lungs.  Also it’s super important to wipe down the area with wet paper towel so that you are not sending enamel dust in the air.  I keep my mask on until I’ve finished cleaning the work area.

Let’s get started!
Step 1:  Clean your metal – Use mild detergent (like Dawn) and rinse off well.  Scrub if necessary.  The water should not repel from a clean surface.  Dirty piece will cause enamel to pop or crack later.

Step 2:  Lightly spray enamel adhesive on metal (back side first)
 
Step 3:  Sift the backside with counter enamel.  I place the little trivet (this is not the same trivet I use for firing) on top of old glossy magazine pages to collect enamels and pour it back to the container.  Try to get an even coating.  You can use a darker color enamel or mixture of all the left over.  Heat the piece from the bottom and melt the enamel until you reach the orange peel texture look.  Don’t over heat the counter enamel side as you will be applying the flame directly later when you are enameling the front side of the piece.
Let it cool (don’t quench in water as the shock will crack the glass)

Step 4:  Repeat Step 2 on the front side of the piece.  I typically start with opaque enamel as my base coat.  Unlike the counter enamel, heat the piece until it looks glossy/shiny.
That is when the glass is fully fused.  If you want just one coat of color and you have good even coverage then stop here.  In this picture I wanted only the bottom half enameled.

Step 5: This is where the fun begins!  Layering different opaque and/or transparent colors.  Color combinations are endless!  Keep in mind transparent enamel requires a little longer to fuse than opaque colors.  Wait for the surface to give you the even glossy look.  It’s almost like watching solder flow.

Tips: 

• If you are planning on layering multiple colors in the front, be sure to apply several layers of counter enamel.  Otherwise, the front side will have more enamel than the back and the piece will curl.
• If you have holes, be sure to keep it unclogged with enamel.  I use a toothpick.
• When re-torching a piece, heat it nice and slow.  Give it enough distance and once the enamel starts to change color bring the torch closer.  You are working with glass and you don’t want to temperature shock the piece.
• Don’t over heat the piece.  You will have enamel pull away from the edges.
• Don’t put the torch too close to the piece.  I have a tendency to bring the torch tip closer and closer to the piece and have to keep reminding myself there is a “sweet” spot where the flame is hotter.
• Keep your edges clean when you sift the enamel on.  Otherwise, the piece will get stuck on the trivet.
• If you don’t like how the color turned out, layer with another.  Some of my favorite pieces started out super ugly!
• Layering opaque over transparent enamel will cover over and mask the transparent underneath. 
• Keep your work area clean
• Torch in a well ventilated place even if you are wearing a mask!

Earrings are done!  Pretty happy how they turned out :)

It’s so great to be part of this wonderful community.  I’m looking forward to learning from you all!  Mahalo for reading and happy torching everyone!

Kumi Fisher (aka Malie Kai on Facebook)
www.maliekaidesigns.com