Wednesday, June 30, 2010

BOX CHAINMAILLE BRACELET

I recently did a two-day art show (Blues Fest) with the Artists of the Rustbelt at the B&O (a microbrewery) in Youngstown, OH.  It was great fun with great music and  I met a lot of interesting people.  Among them was author,
Sam Moffie (http://www.samsstories.com).  Sam was seated at the table next to me, graciously autographing his novels.  I purchased two of his books, "The Book of Eli" and "The Organ Grinder and the Monkey."  Sam autographed his books for me and we exchanged business cards.  Sam expressed some interest in a man's bracelet and asked me if I made men's jewelry.  I hadn't, but told him I'd give it a try and email him pics when it was done.  And so began my quest for a men's bracelet design.  I searched the Internet for a chainmaille design that I thought would be something he would like, and a good starting point for me.  I found several free designs at http://www.chainweavers.com/.  I printed off the ones of interest to me and decided to tackle a box weave.  After a few attempts, I finally "got it" and this is the end result.  It's done in copper, 18 gauge wire, and measures about 7-1/2 to 8" in length.  I added patina and put it in my tumbler for about 1 hour for hardening.  I went over it with some a Brillo to remove a bit of the patina.  In time, with wear, more of the natural copper hues will show through. 

The end result was that Sam "loved" the bracelet!  What a joy when someone loves what you have created.  And so, my thanks to Sam for the order and for the challenge of trying something new, and to Chainweavers for the free pattern!  I hope you like it, too.  I think I'll be making more of these!

2 comments:

  1. Hi Anita, I just joined your blog. Nice work! Chain maille is something I appreciate. It's such a challenge.

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  2. Hi, Claire! Welcome to my blog! You are right about chain maille - it is challenging - I don't know if I have the patience for something really intricate, but this was a great place to start. I so appreciate your comments. You can also follow me on Facebook! Stop back often. Blessings, Anita

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