Well, I'm new to this, been working with brass and copper because it's cheap and accessable. Plus if I make mistakes with it I can forgive my self a little easier. I am selt taught and have learned a lot from Tim McCreight's The Complete Metal Smith. I make pendant/keychain size peace symbols and I do a lot of sculpture pieces for the yard and garden. I'm constantly learning (last year I thought I'd created a "technique" but it turns out that people had been doing it for thousands of years, oh well, was still proud of "discovering" it on my own. I would like to work with precious metals someday but I am hesitant now due to costs of material and the fact that I am not 100% confident w/my skills and ability. I've come to enjoy metal. Wood has always been my material of choice, but after a divorce and "events" I had no shop and too few tools. In talking w/a friend she said that she would like to find a gold peace sign, and although I couldn't do gold, I thought that brass was the next best thing ( forgive me purists if this is a transgression- I'm still learning protocol). Hence form that came my trek down this path. I consider myself lucky for as I say in my artists brochure " I might be the only man you meet that makes peace every day of his life." Peace.; -