A wax build-up model of a Tree Of Life pendant cast in sterling silver. My book, “Jewelry Casting In The Small Shop: Learning And Teaching The Lost Wax Casting Process” shows a step-by-step of this project and others. The book is scheduled to launch in August.

I have written a book that will be available in about a month. Want to learn lost wax casting? Want to teach others how to do this process but don’t have the teaching resources? This book is for you. Jewelry Casting in the Small Shop: Learning and Teaching the Lost Wax Casting process.

A custom made 18kt yellow gold pendant for a $10 gold piece and a few process shots. This one was fun to make for a great friend.

Playing The Dead-Dawg Drag. Get that toy, Darla! Show him who’s boss! #girlpower

My dawg-dad gave me a bath, but I gave him one back when I shook a couple of times! Heh heh

Casting is one of the three main ways of making jewelry. I’ve done this all my life and I have never lost my fascination with the “magic” of this process. The other two main ways of making jewelry and metal art are by die striking and hand fabrication.

Did you know that platinum is more rare than gold, but current price is about 1/3 that of gold? It’s true. Pt is also about 3x’s more durable than gold. Throw back Thursday. This one was done a couple of years ago.

Argentium Sterling Byzantine pattern chain maille bracelet with a Celtic knot box clasp holding a 6mm round synthetic blue sapphire. Available. Contact me if interested.

In troubling times, people experiencing high stress or crippling anxiety deal with it in different ways. Some have a therapist, some have a deep breathing exercise & some even have a personal mantra.

I have a Mabel.

Tried my hand at open filigree, also called Russian filigree. I call it the Resistance Ring. This one done in Argentium Sterling and fine silver. Available for purchase. Can be sized to fit. Argentium is fine silver alloyed with germanium to produce a more tarnish resistant look (resistance look?)

Sawing/piercing metal - a foundational metal art skill. They are only 3 types of cuts:straight, curved, and corner. Practiced until confident, amazing things can be made.

To see metal art techniques that require more than 300 characters and/or a 1 min video join my Substack:
mikercampbell.substack.com

Some stuff just requires more space for show and tell

Soldering tip. Joining 2 very different sized pieces together: flow a very small amount of solder on each piece separately, put them together so they touch, focus the heat on the larger piece first, then bring the flame over the smaller piece as the solder reaches the melt point. Bob’s your uncle.

Here is the result from using the ingot mold. Different inserts will e rod ingots or rectangle ingots. Makers with a rolling mill can melt up scrap pieces into an ingot to re-use as sheet or rod/wire

The start of something new. I am a metalsmith and jewelry educator. I have accounts on Z-man’s IG, but I’m going to leave there beginning in March. Who here would like to see content on jewelry making and metalsmithing like lost wax casting, stone setting styles, soldering tips, etc? Let me know

Do you have a lot of cardboard to recycle? Can’t fit it into your bin? Get your own AireShredder today. Makes quick work of any box. Pieces smaller enough to make the best trash compactor envious!

Here is my other past time. This is Dickens and he is an Airedale. His full name is Charles YouLittle Dickens. He lives up to his name everyday, and we wouldn’t want him any other way.

A couple of assemblages of work done in the past in platinum, gold, silver.