My "professional" life is frantic right now. Note to self: NEVER send out work to individuals whose skill sets are uncertain, regardless of how much there is to do or who recommends them...
On to the question for this week.
Jenn from Looking Glass Miniatures asked: How to make miniature wrought iron railing? I have one tutorial for railing but the link is at home and i found it hard to understand.
She included the link. Miniature metal railings how to
I had a quick look at it and while it appears relatively straightforward (aren't most things that often prove disasterous in the end??), I suspect it is not as easy as it looks.
I have no idea which metals work the best, what can be soldered to what.
...and how ...and where to get supplies.
I confess that when I was planning the Alice Project, I really wanted an ornate gate at the entrance to the tea party garden.
Something like this...
......or this...
However, I quickly put it aside as something I had not the talent nor the time for.
The question intrigues me, as I am still of a mind to try a gate....sometime...soon...maybe. I've not had a second to research it, though.
However, I am sure sure someone knows the answers so I am tossing this one to the masses and hoping an "expert" steps up to the plate.
Come on...I know you're out there!!
Tabitha
12 comments:
You can make the cheap plastic railings look like Iron and I've also seen someone, use black Quilling paper to give the effect of the ornate designs in the Wrought Iron.
I've never attempted anything like this....I'm wondering whether wire could be used for the pattern within the outside frame, but how one makes the initial framework I have no idea.
Metal work is not a area I know anything about, but I'd love to learn how to do it! I know the blog Debbie is referring too, but I can't remember how she made her frames! :o(
Many thanks for email Susan...will reply asap! :o)
Michelle xx
I've used the plastic ones myself but I think Jenn is seriously interested in the metal work. While I have done a teensy bit of soldering in the distant past (mostly related to stained glass work and electrical), I had a really hard time soldering some brass bits together not long ago.
Obviously there is a big piece I am missing in the "how to" part. I know someone in Blogland has some answers....
Maybe I will print out the tutorial link i sent and take it in somewhere for help? I have a sodering gun, if that's what it's called. I would really love to be able to make a real metal railing or railings for my Stone House. Maybe i will try a few different ideas and see what one is best.
Jenn
Wish i could help, not got a clue. Its really late here but tomorrow i'll search the net and see if i can find any answers. If i find anything i'll pop back.
Nikki xxx
I've looked and looked but can not find anything of use.
I did find this great site though with beautiful wrought iron miniatures.
On page one and two they have some fab gates and fencing, page two being the best.
I dont know if this person sells them though.
http://www.pliqueajour.com/gallery/Miniature-Wrought-Iron
Oh yes, Nikki...she sells them. I've seen this site before. My favorite, the double estate gates, are a mere $1400! They are made from silver wire and really qualify as jewelry, IMO. Now we see why Jenn would like to learn a DIY method.
The plique-a-jour method is similar to cloisenne but without the metal back, thus enabling the light to show through. It is beautiful.
This link sort describes the initial process with the wires. It is laid out on a pattern and glued, then soldered.
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/plique-a-jour-1.htm
I must check out the link you mention. If I were making them I would make a frame to fit the job, using slightly heavier wire, bend it into shape and solder together. Then use finer wire to make individual decorative shapes that link together. I have just used fine fencing wire for my first candelabras. Problems arose when I had to solder arms onto the central piece, they all kept melting and falling off! But for a gate this shouldn't happen, nothing is soldered onto one central piece. It just depends on the design you want, how ornate etc. Takes a bit of working out the design first and then put pieces together in sequence I guess.
Of course I have never made a gate or railing so just surmising.
Margaret, just checked out your candelabras. Very nice...I didn't realize you soldered them. When I was making the balance scales, I had a similar problem of one piece "re-melting" loose as I was soldering the one next to it. When I inquired at my local goldsmith (jeweler) he suggested designing it so all the point coulds be done at one time, thus eliminating the the re-heating of a part already done. It didn't work out for my design but it might for the center points of your candelabra.
The original tutorial the Jenn referred to does discuss making a jig for the basic structure and then adding the details once it is made. I've still to look at it carefully but it is truly something I'd like to dabble with and see what happens..
Ha!.....like I have so much free time for dabbling....
I just found this blog and happen to know about a website where there is a tutorial for making a fence, hope this helps.
http://bbminiatures.homestead.com/Howtodoitrailings.html
Thanks Elga! I believe that it the tutorial inthe link at the top of this blog, though.
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