Stephanie, assuming you’d like to try chasing/repousse, try doing
some research on the process.
-
There’s a nice article on chasing and repousse on the Ganoksin
web-site: Goldsmithing: Repoussé and Chasing - Ganoksin Jewelry Making Community -
I found a compendium of miscellaneous on chasing and
repousse at: www.artmetal.com/brambush/forging/proj04/page03.htm
(this was a while back – am not sure it’s still there) -
If you have access to back issues of Lapidary Journal, the April
2004 issue, p. 46ff., has an article and project on repousse by
Valentin Yotkov (lovely color photos, and see p. 20ff. for a
discussion by Yotkov). -
Check a variety of jewelrymaking books out of the library and
read what little they usually have on this topic, to see what
suits you. -
Kathy Palochak gave me a reference to the following bit of
Don’t have a pitch bowl, but you need to give some form to a
piece? Place several pieces of felt in a pile. Nail the
corners of the felt pile to a board. Place your piece on the
felt, using push pins or brads to hold it in place. Use your
daps to form the metal.
I made a simple chasing tool out of brass rod (for chasing on brass).
In the process of hammering out the end to shape, it hardened the
metal enough so that it works on annealed brass. I use a chasing
hammer with it. For one particular leaf design, I hold the sheet
metal in place with brads nailed into some medium soft wood. This is
not high-tech or high-end, but it’s straightforward and fun!
Best wishes,
Judy Bjorkman