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handmade eyeglasses and jewellery
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4th July, 2011 |
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handmade eyeglasses and jewellery
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4th July, 2011 |
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generally speakingCustomised tuition allows you to negotiate one or more jewellery sessions to suit you. To make the things that interest you, to learn the processes that will be useful to you, and to learn at a timetable that suits your pace.
Bush Jewellery studio
teaching emphasisPractical and lateral is my theme. I offer to teach a fairly wide range of jewellery-making processes applying lateral-thinking to tool and equipment use. It's an approach to materials and processes that tends towards the lo-tech and soft-tech, with a good dose of precision on occasion, and always with a strong thread of humour and fun.My teaching is based on a variety of subject areas module subjects listed here, primarily oriented to materials and processes. It's a firm belief of mine that we can be more usefully creative once we have some understanding of the ways and things we manipulate. I break my own rules sometimes when I'm experimenting; but I believe I can when the creativity is based at least on some basic practical understanding. More information about jewellery module subjects, and tuition fees. A word about jewellery teaching worldwide: skills have been slowly dismantled or watered down from the curriculum. People refer to a de-skilling happening. There is a concern that the basic skills - techniques and processes, an understanding of materials - were being eroded in order to give preference to 'idea' and conceptual creativity. An inquisitiveness of and creativity in processes and materials seems not to be encouraged. The impetus has been coming from those who want jewellery to become a fine art and lose the trappings of a fine craft, and of course the trend is supported by the schools' budgeting administration. Jewellery has a fascination for people, and it's related to something tangible. I love teaching people, from children to professionals, using the simplest of tools, and watching them get real enjoyment from feeling some physical understanding of jewellery work and making new things.
Brian Adam Small class sizes mean you get a high proportion of tutor time, and careful supervision every time you need it. It also means the overall tuition time is shorter than weekly classes. The tuition could be for a single session or a series of days. Single sessions are generally tuition only, while a series timetable of sessions may include studio time as well.
Schedule your tuition for any time of the
year. Generally I have to say I prefer weekdays, but I can be
persuaded to operate weekends - even during holidays.
some studio views       
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individual tuitionTuition is student-centred in that you make a choice of the available modules, we discuss variations or initiate new ones, and I deliver instruction at your level and at your pace. I undertake to facilitate your learning according to your stated aims. I'm flexible enough to adapt my modules to your requirements, and to invent new ones when necessary. I'll regularly check with you to make sure we're keeping to your overall objective.
DVD. 
I'll document your progress on camera and present you with a DVD with
tuition handout text with the images. It'll be quite a valuable
reminder of your time here.
studio timeThis may be scheduled after individual teaching sessions and would be useful for you in order to practice newly learned processes, work on your own projects, or any other related studio work. Studio time is an optional extra to individual tuition. For safety reasons, the studio access during self-directed time is naturally dependant on your demonstrated skill level.
evaluationAfter each period of studio time or first thing next day I'll conduct a 15 minute evaluation to monitor your progress against the teaching modules and to check it against your overall aims.
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soft technology'soft-tech' in this context is about hand making processes that are small scale, relatively inexpensive, and localized.
steel
bees-wax
wood
fire
flowerpot 'kiln'
manual kiln
drill_as_lathe
roller printing
steel tools from auto parts
'Flybrows' frame no 250 1991
'Coconut Roughs' frame no 167 1986experimentationNew work can emerge through hands-on direct experimentation with materials and processes, especially with a wholesome respect for the materials and a keen observation of the effects of what you're doing.group tuitionWorkshops are periodically held at Bush Jewellery studio. Class sizes are usually limited to 6 and tuition is more general in teaching focus with less individual tutor-time per student. They are a way to study with the company of other students and to help reduce the cost of tuition.
Saturdays
advanced soldering
lo-tech casting
nights
jewellery for children
Craft holiday. If you're from a long way away, your
time in New Zealand will be a vacation as well.
Wedding RingsThe Wedding Ring Experience gives you the opportunity to make your own wedding bands by hand and to make them together. You might even like to make each other's ring, which would show special trust!Note that after this experience your rings will have been fully shaped and finished by you both, therefore the style of the rings you can make will be generally restricted to what you, as amateurs, can successfully make: simple wedding bands using hand technology. This is unique as a wedding ring experience because rather than playing a passive role, here you will take the tools and get physical using 'hand technology', and will make your own rings from scratch. There will be plenty of scope for you to apply your own touch and for each of you to make a truly unique ring.
make your own wedding rings from scratchThe gold.You'll start with NZ-sourced gold in the form of pure 24 karat granules, or 22k, 18k, 14k, 10k, or 9k gold already made into strips. If you want to recycle any suitable gold jewellery we can mix the gold alloys here to boost the gold we buy in. The time required. I estimate you'll need at least 4 hours to complete the Wedding Ring Experience. How long you will actually need to make your rings depends of many things, and each couple can be different. I've had couples do the Experience within the 4 hours, but if you do run over time I'll ask you to buy extra hour or two, or arrange to come back to continue another day. The ring-making methods The hand-tech techniques you will use are considered to be simple and effective: melting, forging, sand casting, rolling, and hammering textures and symbols. I will facilitate and be there to assist the whole time and will check things are going your way. You may even request that I do some things if they're too tricky for you. Two types of ring-making methods are offered, and depending on your ring design ideas I'll suggest you use one or the other. Each offers different possibilities. They are: Method 1. Fabrication from parts. You start making the rings from a flat bar which you forge and hammer into shape while flat (which offers more texturing possibilities), and then you round the flat bar up into a ring and braze the join. Further finishing will be required to clean up the join, and give the gold the surface finish you want. Method 2. Casting then forging. With this method you take some jewellers carving wax and cast it into an ingot (sand-casting) to make a one-piece ring. Then you forge the ingot/ring to shape and to size. Oftentimes people leave the hammer marks on the ring, so there's not a lot of surface finishing needed. The CD I'll take photos of along the way as you make the rings, and present you with the raw images on a CD or DVD. It's a nice reminder for you, and also a way to prove to any incredulous friends that yes you really did take a hammer to the gold! The cost. The Wedding Ring Experience with Brian Adam at Bush Jewellery Studio will cost a set feeper couple plus the cost of the gold. What will the gold cost? As a rough guide allow $900 to $1,800 depending on the weight, the design, the finger size, and the current global gold price. We'll know more when we meet to discuss your rings. What happens next? Your first step will be to come to the studio and look over what tools and equipment you'll be using. We'll discuss ring designs, and the technical parameters and limitations inherent in making gold rings when you are beginners, and also talk about the delightful spontaneous possibilities and the fun you'll have working together. I'll ask you about ring dimensions and we'll measure the finger sizes. This will help me estimate and organise to buy in the gold. When all is considered we'll make a date for the Experience, and I'll ask a deposit to secure the booking. The balance will be required two days prior to the day.
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module subjectsChoose what you do with help from some of my regular teaching modules:* the finger ring
ring making (1hr silver ring)
soldering (fluxes, heat control, binding)
setting stones, organic shapes
a gold ring ingot
forging the gold
cold joins
lo-tech casting (sand, cuttlefish)
investment casting (modeling wax)
investment casting (sling, steam)
casting
cast toy shapes
wax modelling
silver casting
gem setting
fold forming
cnc preparation (computer controlled milling)
practical alloying (gold, silver, copper)
eyeglass history - leather
wig glasses
Richardson design
'Aga Khan' sunglass frame no 277 1984
eyeglass frame-buildingA special interest of mine is eyeglass frame building for prescription spectacles or sunglasses by hand-technology common to the jewellery craft industry. This involves designing and making one functioning frame or parts of a frame in a variety of optional solutions. Optical industry trade findings may be used (German or Italian brands) or totally hand-build alternatives constructed. Frame or eyewire will be fitted with demonstration (plano) lenses in a manner that conforms to the lens-fitting requirements of the optical industry. Fitting prescription lenses will be discussed so that the optometrist who will provide the prescription lenses will not be unpleasantly surprised.
'Aviator Replica' frame no 409 2004
eyeglass designing
'Tonto' sunglass frame c. 1984 |
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Brian Adam
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www.adam.co.nz/workshops |
Auckland, New Zealand |
