Testing My Metal Page #3
These designs are mostly archaic in style. The time frames of these disigns are pretty ancient, any where from midieval to 5000 years back to Byzantine and Middle Eastern curltures and metals techniques.
A fibula is an ancient safty pin. Traditionally geometric designs were used, especially triangles.
Here are a variety of ancient styled fibulas forged out of copper.
Granulation as a technique is about 5000 years old. Fine silver is used to make the bead balls  and sterling silver is used for the base of the design.
Even today middle eastern metalsmiths set up thier clamshell kilns in the market to make granulation works.
The connections are called "bridges" and "pillars".
The tiny silver balls are placed on the sterling by adhering them with some sort of either hide glue or plant resin before it is fused.
When the resin dries the smith heats the peice up until there is flash point and the granules fuse to the base plate.
I have plans to augment it with gems and wire designs.
Each handle is abou 6 ounces of sterling silver.
This is a midieval needle box. This pendent box is frabricated from brass sheet. The swival handle allows for the chained lid to be removed.
These are butter knife handles cast in the design of a figure head from a Viking longship in and Oslo museum. Viking and Celtic designs were very similar, but having a dragon on the bow of this ship made it a Drakar...war ship.
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