About

Class canceled: In response to updated guidance from the CDC and the Washington State Department of Health, BARN will continue to be closed through the end of April. 3/23 SK

In this 3 day workshop students learn how to fuse gold to steel to create dramatic mixed metals jewelry. The workshop covers a broad range of techniques for creating high-impact steel and gold jewelry.

Agenda:

• Working with mild, cold rolled steel including sourcing, cutting, soldering, forming, tex- turing, patinating and sealing. Materials and supplies required to work with steel.
• Cleaning and prepping steel for fusing and Keum Boo.
• Alloying various karats and colors of gold in preparation for fusing, a skill that can be broadly applied to other metals.
• Heat fusing gold to steel sheet and iron wire. Managing the fusing process. Trouble shooting.
• Keum Boo on steel. Using the torch to apply gold foil to steel.
• Texturing steel. Hammer and roller patterning steel to add interest to fused pieces.
• Patinating and sealing steel jewelry.
• Hands-on work. Students will be able to complete at least two finished pieces of steel/gold jewelry.

Details:

• • This is a beginning / intermediate level class. Previous jewelry making and soldering skills are recommended.
  • $45 materials fee is included in the tuition.
  • Tuition assistance is available.  Click here to apply.  
  • Please bring a bag lunch. BARN has a refrigerator to store your lunch, and a microwave for your use located on the lower level.
    
    
  • Students please purchase in advance and bring:
  • • 2 pwt (pennyweight) 24k gold casting grain.  Available from Rio Grande or other vendors.
    • Gemstones, if you are considering setting stones into your work.

Instructor: Bette Barnett has devoted her work to exploring and experimenting with steel and gold. Bette began her jewelry career in 2010 and subsequently studied with the late Chris Nelson through his advanced workshops in fusing gold to steel. Since then Bette has perfected additional techniques and processes for steel, including Keum Boo on steel, iron wire fused with gold, alternative alloys for fusing such as shibuichi and shakudo, etching steel and fusing gold to non-traditional mild steel forms, such as mesh and perforated sheet. In recognition of her work, the Santa Fe Symposium has selected Bette to create a research paper on steel jewelry and present it during the 2020 Symposium Conference. She has also published articles on steel and gold jewelry in Lapidary Journal: Jewelry Artist.

Bette honed her teaching skills during her former career as a corporate communication consultant by providing extensive training services to the employees some of the largest companies in the world. She continually uses feedback from student surveys and hosting studios to refine her workshop offerings.