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Post by miket on Sept 19, 2019 16:34:27 GMT -5
Wrapped this Turritella Agate this afternoon. I'm still playing and learning techniques and styles- please provide input. Unless you're going to say Turditella. Then I don't want to hear it. And rockjunquie I see what you mean about smaller wire being neater. If I had smaller silver wire to do the bindings with, it would have pulled the whole wrap closer to the stone. However, I'm playing with the wire I have now until I need to order more! Thanks for looking.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Sept 19, 2019 19:30:01 GMT -5
I really like this one, Mike. It's much neater looking and I like the spiral at the base of the bezel. Adds a little pizzaz, but doesn't overwhelm the stone. Well done!
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Post by miket on Sept 19, 2019 19:41:01 GMT -5
I really like this one, Mike. It's much neater looking and I like the spiral at the base of the bezel. Adds a little pizzaz, but doesn't overwhelm the stone. Well done! Thanks Robin!
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Post by rockjunquie on Sept 19, 2019 19:43:17 GMT -5
I really like how you try to come up with something unique. This one is really cool and I like how you used the wire frame to frame up the shell. You're getting betterer and betterer.
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Post by miket on Sept 19, 2019 20:42:02 GMT -5
I really like how you try to come up with something unique. This one is really cool and I like how you used the wire frame to frame up the shell. You're getting betterer and betterer. Thank you, ma'am! 😁
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Sept 19, 2019 21:53:32 GMT -5
miket What size wire are you using?
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Post by fernwood on Sept 20, 2019 3:25:18 GMT -5
I really like this. Both the cab shape and the wrap.
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Post by miket on Sept 20, 2019 9:11:54 GMT -5
I really like this. Both the cab shape and the wrap. Thanks! I thought that it would be the best way to orient the cab with it's shape- I really like the one big fossil in the middle.
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Post by miket on Sept 20, 2019 9:15:03 GMT -5
miket What size wire are you using? The main square wire is 20 gauge, the wire I used at the top for binding (behind the square wire) is 22 gauge, and the silver wire is 22 gauge.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Sept 20, 2019 9:49:18 GMT -5
Ok, reasonable sizes. The reason I was asking is because I can't tell from the picture the size of the stone and the wire looks kind of thick to me for the stone. It may just be because the picture is cropped and the shiny copper stands out against the stone.
Usually when I wrap a piece I choose the wire size to match the cab size. You can use larger gauge wire with bigger cabs and it won't overpower the stone and use smaller gauge wire on smaller pieces for the same reason. You can also use smaller gauge wire with more base wires to cover the girdle of a larger stone if you have some design in mind that would use that many wires. I'll post of picture later of a wrap I did a long time ago where I did this.
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Post by miket on Sept 20, 2019 10:53:51 GMT -5
Ok, reasonable sizes. The reason I was asking is because I can't tell from the picture the size of the stone and the wire looks kind of thick to me for the stone. It may just be because the picture is cropped and the shiny copper stands out against the stone.
Usually when I wrap a piece I choose the wire size to match the cab size. You can use larger gauge wire with bigger cabs and it won't overpower the stone and use smaller gauge wire on smaller pieces for the same reason. You can also use smaller gauge wire with more base wires to cover the girdle of a larger stone if you have some design in mind that would use that many wires. I'll post of picture later of a wrap I did a long time ago where I did this. I think the square wire could definitely be smaller, as well as the silver wire. I'm trying to burn through what I have now before I order more wire, trying to practice as much as I can. I'm doing a small Crazy Lace cab now, about the size of a nickel. We'll see how that turns out. And I'd love to see the wrap. I've been trying to look up images and videos on wrapping to get some ideas- but so far I seem to be having better luck when I look at a stone and decide where I want to go with it. Maybe not, but that's my opinion anyway!
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Post by rockjunquie on Sept 20, 2019 11:00:58 GMT -5
but so far I seem to be having better luck when I look at a stone and decide where I want to go with it. Maybe not, but that's my opinion anyway! That IS the way to go- all the way. But, you need the basics under your belt, too. I think you might be getting ahead of yourself a little. Eager beaver. LOL!
I have a small shoebox bin that I keep the wire wraps from experimental wraps in. I cut the stone out and keep the wraps to go back to to see what works and what doesn't. It is full of things that I either redid in silver or want to revisit in silver. I hope you don't toss the ones you don't like. Keep them- if nothing else, you can look back on them and see how far you have come. Trying new things is what keeps this fun, but it also creates some that could have been better. That's just the price you pay for being creative. I'm not making a comment about your work, I mean it in a general sense.
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Post by miket on Sept 20, 2019 11:17:35 GMT -5
but so far I seem to be having better luck when I look at a stone and decide where I want to go with it. Maybe not, but that's my opinion anyway! That IS the way to go- all the way. But, you need the basics under your belt, too. I think you might be getting ahead of yourself a little. Eager beaver. LOL!
I have a small shoebox bin that I keep the wire wraps from experimental wraps in. I cut the stone out and keep the wraps to go back to to see what works and what doesn't. It is full of things that I either redid in silver or want to revisit in silver. I hope you don't toss the ones you don't like. Keep them- if nothing else, you can look back on them and see how far you have come. Trying new things is what keeps this fun, but it also creates some that could have been better. That's just the price you pay for being creative. I'm not making a comment about your work, I mean it in a general sense. Good point, Tela. I still have a long way to go with the basics- especially my bails. I haven't tossed any that I don't like, but in each one I do see something that could have been done differently. And it's all new to me for sure. I've honestly never been the creative type- I appreciate everyone's help here in shoving me in the right direction!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Sept 20, 2019 13:35:42 GMT -5
Here's the wrap I was talking about. I obviously was out of my mind when I did this, but it's one of my favorites and I wear it all the time. Natural patina -- I haven't cleaned it since I made it.
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Post by rockjunquie on Sept 20, 2019 13:41:56 GMT -5
Here's the wrap I was talking about. I obviously was out of my mind when I did this, but it's one of my favorites and I wear it all the time. Natural patina -- I haven't cleaned it since I made it.
I like that a lot and the natural patina. How long did it take to get that patina?
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Post by miket on Sept 20, 2019 14:17:11 GMT -5
Here's the wrap I was talking about. I obviously was out of my mind when I did this, but it's one of my favorites and I wear it all the time. Natural patina -- I haven't cleaned it since I made it.
Actually, I really like what you did with that! But it is way beyond my skill set at this point. Here in a few I'll post the Crazy Lace one that I did- and something like that would really dress it up, it's a bit boring. Anyway, it is beautiful.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Sept 20, 2019 16:44:47 GMT -5
Here's the wrap I was talking about. I obviously was out of my mind when I did this, but it's one of my favorites and I wear it all the time. Natural patina -- I haven't cleaned it since I made it.
I like that a lot and the natural patina. How long did it take to get that patina? A little over ten years. I do keep it in a little heart shaped box that is lined with anti-tarnish fabric that my mom gave me, so it has a little tarnish protection.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Sept 20, 2019 16:58:10 GMT -5
Here's the wrap I was talking about. I obviously was out of my mind when I did this, but it's one of my favorites and I wear it all the time. Natural patina -- I haven't cleaned it since I made it.
Actually, I really like what you did with that! But it is way beyond my skill set at this point. Here in a few I'll post the Crazy Lace one that I did- and something like that would really dress it up, it's a bit boring. Anyway, it is beautiful. Not beyond you at all. I just used 20 ga. wire and coiled 28 ga. on all the base wires after I secured the stone. Hand wrapping each of the wires took a while. The coiled wire coiled around another wire at the bottom was added afterwards and is a separate piece. Because I knew I would be coiling, I used round wire on the whole thing except for the binding wires which were half-round.
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Sept 27, 2019 12:13:30 GMT -5
I like this rock and wrap a lot. I don't think it needs anything. You seem to do real well to match the character of the wire to match that of the rock. I would like to do something similar. Unfortunately my rocks don't have any character! That fossil in the middle is like a dream rock for me. I think I need to move to Northern Nebraska.
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Post by miket on Sept 27, 2019 12:37:54 GMT -5
I like this rock and wrap a lot. I don't think it needs anything. You seem to do real well to match the character of the wire to match that of the rock. I would like to do something similar. Unfortunately my rocks don't have any character! That fossil in the middle is like a dream rock for me. I think I need to move to Northern Nebraska. Thanks for the compliment. But I picked that one up at a rock show for fifty cents...it tld me that it wanted to be a cab. 😁
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