A student in my Dive Into Studio 2 Class put down the gauntlet in the form of a spinner bangle. In this class we explore all the larger, interesting tools that this studio has to offer in the form of projects driven to use those tools. We start using the Rolling Mill with pattern plates to create textures for a spinner ring. Making the ring involves using steel dapping punches for creating the flanges on the ring. So my student asked... “Can one make a spinner bangle?”
I have never made one but I assumed the basic physics would be the same. Finding the equivalent of a dapping punch a little larger than the diameter of the bangle was the trick.
Enter the mushroom stake.
Yea, its that big stake used for bowl raising.
Didn’t work by hammering but totally worked in the hydraulic press.
So now I’m having some fun with it with some random spinners. Twisting some wire for the first one.
Once I had my spinners made I tumbled all the parts. Then I oxidized the main band and sanded it to bring out some texture (I had stamped it before soldering it). Then assembled the spinners.
I truly did not know if the final flange in the press was going to press evenly or just squash the first flange more.
But it worked.
I did a little extra embellishment with a Fretz hammer and stake to give some texture to the flanges, but otherwise...
a successful experiment.
Thanks to Peg for asking the question!