Studio Saturday with Erin Prais-Hintz, Tesori Trovati Jewelry

Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.

This weeks winner is Elaine Robitaille of Too Aquarius!  

Congratulations! You have won a  sweet little ring dish from Shannon of MissFickleMedia!

Send Shannon an e-mail with your address and she will get it right out to you.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This week we visit the studio of Erin Prais-Hintz of Tesori Trovati Jewelry.

 I don't know about you, but I am the sort of person who can't say no. 

Some months ago, I was talking with the director of my daughter's dance studio pitching her the idea that I could take my 'simple truths' pendant line and do a semi-custom order form for the dance studio that would be a fundraiser for them. I would take 2/3 and they would get 1/3. And the dancer's would have a semi-custom necklace commemorating the 10th anniversary of the studio.

Win. Win. Win.

But I agreed to do more. I am also working on a showstopping necklace for Ms Tori to wear during the performances next weekend. Something that shows up on that stage with all the bright lights shining when she takes her bow. I have a good idea and I did actually pre-order some materials. But I have yet to start it. I sure hope that I can pull this off (just as soon as I take that ham out of the oven for the Easter dinner that I am serving!). 

But wait! There's more! 

Ms. Tori approached me to say that she had an idea to treat the young ladies who have been dancing with her for 10 years. They were the foundation of her school starting and these families have been the backbone. Would I take on that challenge? 

Here is where the problem comes in. I cannot say no. I see that challenge as an opportunity and I just cannot walk away from it. And I love to help. So, of course, I said yes. Even though I had every single second of the month of April scheduled out and there would be no room to take that on between dance and baseball and softball. And oh, did I mention that I am hosting my husband's family tomorrow for Easter? Those eggs don't hard boil themselves you know!

So in the midst of creating the 25 special necklaces that were ordered (and I have a feeling there will be more orders after I deliver them next week) and the drop-dead gorgeous necklace (that is merely in my head!) for Ms. Tori, I agreed to take on 14 more necklaces.

Someday my Tiny Dancer will be honored with the ten-year prize. And if all goes well I may be doing this for a long time for her. (Plus all these projects are going to pay off the 4th quarter tuition and the 11 costume changes for Tiny Dancer for next week. Eleven! And you know those things aren't cheap!)

I had a rubber stamp of the studio's logo made so that I could use it for the other pendants. Could I use it for etching on metal? Why not! Now etching metal is something that is still quite new to me. You can read about my earlier exploits with etching here. When I started developing my 'simple truths' line, one of the materials I was experimenting with was etched or stamped metal. So my 'market research' last fall included creating dog-tag style necklaces with one word of each power phrase per tag. People love them. And they are quite novel where I live, but I knew that there were plenty of people out there in Etsyland who were far better than I would ever be at etching and stamping on metal. That is when I came up with the current look of the 'simple truths' pendants. But I digress (if you know me, you know I do that a lot! ;-).

{copper tags awaiting a spin in my new Lortone tumbler...first time out of the box!}

I have no problem saying I will do that thing that I do not the know the first thing about doing, and in my wicked overconfidence I don't seem to see that there would be room for error. But there always is.

My first experiments with the resist were not pretty. The paint pens were blotchy, the toner transfer flaked off and in one instance I left the metal in the etching solution for far too long and it wore the image down completely. Drats. And now I only had 4 more days to complete this until the deadline. Still I had to keep going. Because I promised.

{etched dancer logo on copper with hammered texture - pre-tumble}

I was able to get the dancer logo etched but the words were just a hassle and there was originally a skinny border around the outside edge (if you squint just so you can still see it). In my frustration I took a hammer to one... and I liked it. I hammered all around the etching, obliterating the sparse etched line, and creating texture which was repeated on the other elements.

Since the etching wasn't going my way, I opted to use my very favorite stamp set to personalize a tag with the dancer's name (which I will have to buy again at Bead & Button since you can barely make out the 'e' or the 's' anymore!).

 

A third tag captures the Dance Education Center's motto: never surrender your dreams. 

To finish them, I added a little eyelet to the hole for a nice finishing touch (and finally taught myself how to use a tube rivet - thanks to my friend mary jane dodd!), aged them with liver of sulphur, conquered my fear of my new (sitting in the box since November!) tumbler, buffed them all with steel wool, rubbed them all down with a layer of Renaissance wax, packaged them in pretty little pillow boxes with my signature chocolate satin ribbon. (Seriously... how many new things can I teach myself with one project? Does anyone else out there do that? It is just dumb luck that any of these things worked!)

I delivered them all on Wednesday. And now I have one more custom order for one of these charm neclaces... for Miss Tori herself!

In my etching experiments, I etched some tags with the motto that I did not use. They are raw copper, so they are like blank canvases that you can age with Liver of Sulphur, or color with paint, or maybe enamel, or play with patinas. There are no holes, but if you ask I will be happy to add them for you.

 

Next week I will have Heather select three winners of one of these etched copper tags for you to play with. All you have to do is answer this question:

What is your wildest dream?

Enjoy the day!

Erin Prais-Hintz writes about all things that inspire her at Treasures Found::Inspiration Is Everywhere. Her jewelry designs are one-of-a-kind made one-at-a-time. She collects quotes and dust and invites you to send her your favorite (quote - not dust!) to enjoytheday@tesoritrovati.com.

Experiments in Etching, Part One

"Everyone has a 'risk muscle.' You keep it in shape by trying new things. If you don't it atrophies. Make a point of using it at least once a day."
~Roger Von Oech, author of A Whack on the Side of the Head 

I love to try new things. Trying new things almost always leads to new tools. And I love new tools {who's with me on that one?}

In 2009 I decided that I needed to take a class called 'Itching to Etch' at the Bead & Button show. I loved the look of etched metal, and I thought it would be easy enough. Boy, was I wrong!

The chemical we learned with was ferric chloride. I felt like I had to be so ginger with the stuff, and then I had to neutralize it just so in order for it to be dumped after using the solution once. I liked some of the resists that we used but others didn't work for me at all.The class was only a few hours, and I felt rushed. I remember coming away from that class discouraged because it seemed so toxic and cumbersome to etch metal. But I loved the look so much I just couldn't let it go.

After I took that class I heard that there was a new way to etch created by the talented Sherri Haab. You may know her from one of her 25 craft titles, books like The Art of Metal Clay and my new favorite, Jewelry Inspirations. I checked out the booth in hopes of finding something better to discovered her newly released E3 Etching system. But at nearly $200 for the starter kit, I didn't think I could justify it especially since I wasn't sure that etching was for me.

But something about those metal pieces kept up their siren song and I just knew there had to be a better way.

Fast forward to spring 2010 and the plans for this year's Bead & Button. Sherri was teaching a full day class on the E3 and there was an opening. I snatched it up. I am so glad I did! {Definitely recommend Sherri as an instructor... I had two full day, back-to-back classes with her!}

Sherri Haab is warm and funny and genuinely cares for every student in her class. She shares her knowledge willingly. She is innovative and ingenious. The E3 Etching system is her baby.

The biggest difference between more traditional chemical etching and the E3 is the little electrical current box. This patented invention is the brainchild of her talented electrical engineer husband who knew there was a better way to etch and found a way to make it safe, simple and effective. Voila! The E3 Etch was born!

The chemical that is used is a blue crystal that is mixed with distilled water. It looks like blue Koolaid. But don't drink it! Copper sulfate is not nearly as toxic as the ferric chloride, but it will turn your fingernails blue if you dip your hands into it. {I know that because I can't possibly be bothered with gloves}. The beauty of this chemical is that it is readily available...it is the same formulation as Root Kill that is used to pour down pipes to ensure that no roots are growing in them. Once you mix up a batch, all you need to do is keep straining it through a coffee filter to remove any debris. You can keep adding distilled water to it and it will work just fine. That, my friends, is brilliant!

The kit that I bought in the class {I told you I am a sucker for new tools!} comes with the blue crystals, a stainless steel pan and the E3 power controller to ensure an even and controlled etch. There are two wires with clips on the end and the power controller has a high and low switch {an on-off switch would be nice too}. And it took me 4 months until October to get the time and the gumption to actually use it {not bad...usually my record is 12 months to using a tool or bead that I buy!}

Here is the setup...

• Use a resist to apply a design to the metal {More on that in another post.}
• Mix the crystals with water. 
• Pour in the stainless steel pan. 
• Plug the unit in and attach the black clip to the pan. 
• {Here is the trickiest part..}Take the coated aluminum wire (provided) and bend into a zig-zag on one end. 
• Tape that to the back of the piece. {Okay, maybe this is the trickiest part.}
• Suspend the piece in the blue water using either the foam pieces to raise it or my favorite method, chopsticks. 
• Attach the red clip to the end of the wire.
• Set it on high or low depending on the quickness of the etch and the depth desired.
• Set the timer for ~20 minutes to one hour depending on the thickness of your metal.

Now walk away.

That's right. Go do something else. Clean your bathrooms. Organize your spices. Or maybe even get some beading projects done or read a few blogs.

As it is etching you will hear a little buzzing noise, as if there is ringing in your ears. You won't get electrocuted by touching the wires {I tried it, at most you get just a minor zap like rubbing your feet on the carpet and shocking someone}. There are only a few volts running through that controller.

When the desired depth of the etching is reached. Take out the piece and rinse it thoroughly in water.{Don't forget the gloves! Or your fingers will have this perpetually grubby look to them.} It is environmentally friendly with nothing to dispose of. Scrub off the resist using steel wool and clean with an alcohol pad. Now you are ready to stamp, colorize and patina your metal.

It really is that simple.

I will continue in another post about the different resists that I used and what plan I have in mind for these pieces. Stay tuned!

Are you like me, in that you take a class, create something cool and then go home neglect to use that knowledge for some time {I like to think of it like slow cooking the idea...}?
Have you tried chemical etching? What do you think of that?
How much would you pay for a tool that does exactly what you need to do in a way that is reliable, safe and long-lasting?
How are you using your 'risk muscle'?
Do tell!


Note: Erin Prais-Hintz is getting no compensation from endorsing the E3 Etching System other than the satisfaction that she can share her knowledge with the rest of you!

Erin Prais-Hintz writes about all things that inspire her at Treasures Found::Inspiration Is Everywhere. Her jewelry designs are one-of-a-kind made one-at-a-time. She collects quotes and dust and invites you to send her your favorite (quote - not dust!) to enjoytheday@tesoritrovati.com. Check out her brand spankin' new website at Tesori Trovati.