Corrugated Metal Pumpkin

Hi and welcome to further adventures in metalworking...

Today, I'm working with more of the galvanized metal.  I cut out a pumpkin shape, washed and dried it and hammered the edges.  Hammering the edges will smooth them, but you may want to file any burrs also.  I hammered the surface, too, for a little texture, but it doesn't end up showing much.

This pumpkin is about 3" wide.  The metal I'm using is 22 gauge in thickness.   I found that the galvanized flashing that my hubby had in his shop was a thicker gauge (20) and wouldn't go through easily the tube wringer.  If you're looking for an easy metal to use, I would try a thick aluminum pan or aluminum sheet. 

I put the pumpkin through my tube wringer a couple of times.  Initially, it is a little difficult to hold the tube wringer closed and turn the handle, but it gets easier as the metal softens and corrugates.  If you're not sure what I'm talking about as far as a tube wringer, here's a photo:

You can find them at jewelry suppliers, on Amazon and in art stores as they are used for squeezing tubes of paint.

Here's the pumpkin and a leaf that I put through the tube wringer and then painted with some Ranger patinas (Moss and Rust).

Corrugated and Painted

They needed a little antiquing, so I sanded them a bit with a sanding block.  Then, I had a little fun splatter painting them with some Ginger alcohol ink.

Sanded and Splattered

To attach the leaf to the pumpkin, I punched a hole in each and threaded some 20-gauge wire through.  I coiled the wire with round nose pliers and wrapped it around itself to hold.

Here's the finished pumpkin:

Corrugated Pumpkin

Now, what to do with it.  It would make a cute magnet or a pin.  Or you could tie it to a basket or add it to a ribbon for a napkin holder.  What would you do with it?

I finally decided to tie it onto a candle holder...well, pumpkin holder...

Now, I want more of these!  Off to get more metal...

Have fun creating!

Manipulating Metal

Hello creative people!

Everyone gets into a creative rut sometimes.  You lose your motivation and wonder what in the world you were thinking when you started a project, whether it's one particular project or your whole business.  You want to go somewhere, but you're not sure in which direction to go.  Everything seems like a dead-end.

Well, this morning I woke up bursting with new ideas on making jewelry, applying patinas, firing metal and using wire.  It's all the result of a class I took yesterday from Susan Lenart Kazmer (an amazing jewelry designer!) at Art Is You in Santa Rosa.  Susan has designed jewelry for major stores, has component lines in Michaels and is the developer of Ice Resin(R) - to name just a few of her accomplishments.

This class was on manipulating metal.  Working with copper sheet, we cut it into shapes, and filed and sanded them.  Then, we applied various patinas to them.  It was a noisy class - lots of hammering and filing.  We got to use a couple of different kinds of torches and fired the metal and wire.  My favorite item to use was a corrugator.  We used drills and added eyelets and rivets to our pieces.  Then, we hung them on leather cord.  That encapsulates the day and it may not sound like much, but it was an enthralling six hours.  I didn't even think my attention span was that long anymore!

I grouped some of my charms with greens and blue for a necklace at the end of the day.

Some of the charms on leather cord.

And, here are more of the charms I created in class with different kinds of patinas like flux, crackle medium, black patina and even oil pastels. 

I think the best classes leave you wanting more - more instruction, more of that particular instructor and their teaching style and more of wanting to create and try new ideas of your own beyond what that particular instructor teaches and creates.  It opens up new vistas and possibilities and makes you eager to learn more. 

And, I can't rate highly enough the opportunity to get out among those people who share your passion whether you quilt or sew or hammer metal.  The creative energy and knowledge, the experimental attitude and openness to new ideas is priceless.

Out of my rut!