We didn’t have many participants in our June pirate/ocean challenge—everyone is very busy with summer. Karen S. is making tons (well, lots) of jam! But Dale shared his pirate chest and the treasures within! 

​If you are doing the Dessert Meets Ocean Challenge, remember that you only have to use one of the three pieces of sea glass that we sent you.

We aren’t meeting next Tuesday, the Fourth of July. Our Sawing Circle challenge for our next meeting on July 18th: share one or more pieces of art that you own that inspire, amaze or delight you. They can be metal--or not.

Have a safe 4th, everyone. See you on the 18 ! ~ Dusky
Download the full Recap PDF with photos.

When: Monthly on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays from 5:30pm-7pm Pacific Time.
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: FREE
Our Sawing Circle is like a book club but instead of reading, we work on cool stuff, help each other with problems, share ideas and provide accountability for ongoing work. If you've been looking for support for moving forward on your projects then this is the online gathering for you. Join us from your studio to work in the good conversation and company of like-minded friends. Totally free, no need to RSVP, simply make yourself a snack, settle at your bench and click the button to join in. For more details see our Sawing Circle page. 

After we all caught up and chatted, Anne started us out by showing us the deluxe mokume ingots she has been making for an upcoming class, let us know that her Telluride class has been delayed, and that  she may add an online class this fall. We also talked about using texture plates in a rolling mill, Dale mentioned Kevin Potter’s rolling mill videos and we discussed common pitfalls of using a shears and rolling mills. Annette reported that she had a blast in Anne’s recent mokume class at Cupertino Art Center and shared the special gift she got from a fellow student. Then it was time for our August Challenge show & tell. For all of the photos and details, download the August Recap PDF .  

The discussion topic for tonight's Sawing Circle was "What is your favorite tool, what do you use it for and where can we get it?" and boy did we have fun with that. For Annette it was her Genie, Charlotte said it's emery boards for sanding, Carmen lovingly praised her Micromark mini bandsaw, Ame mentioned (rather irrelevantly) her computer tablet and stylus, Kathe showed us her new favorite Grobet hand file and Anne shared her fancy digital calipers. Jan got a new rolling mill and we discussed rolling mill care and feeding a bit and then Dale gave us an update on his sick rolling mill. We also had a grand time seeing recent works by Annette and Jan and a spirited talk about step bezels. Read on for links and more photos.

From sharing new creations and tips & tricks to chit chatting about jewelry metal arts topics, our live Tuesday night Sawing Circle has continued to be an online creative oasis for metal arts geeks throughout April and May. June's hosts include Dale in Anchorage (AK), Carmen in Laguna Nigel (CA), Jan in San Jose (CA) and Garage Kathe, Ame and Anne here in sunny San Diego. We sometimes have interesting surprise guests too! So feel free to join us any Tuesday from 5-7pm Pacific Time. No RSVP or emails needed, simply click the link on our Home page and bring your questions or latest creations for show & tell.

Click images to view larger. Our Sawing Circles have been filled with great info this month. On any given night you might find a jewelry metal arts presentation, see a useful tool tip, hear a great story, learn a new technique or just enjoy the good company of metal arts geeks like yourself. No RSVP is needed and you're always welcome to join us Tuesdays from 5-7pm Pacific time. See who's hosting each week and find the link on our Sawing Circle page. 

From host Garage Kathe: We had about 18 people attend our March 9th Sawing Circle. One of the resources mentioned was Eva Sherman. She's a metal artist from Cleveland who teaches and has done some demos on the FB group “Friday Freebies for Metalsmiths” and anyone can join. We also discussed Metals week at  Idyllwild Arts in June - Ann R. and Karen R. spoke of the fun of live classes in past years. This year all metal classes are on Zoom - 2 or 3 day formats so you sign up for multiple classes, registration is open now.  Monica Cardone is teaching Bad Ass Bezels with the Hammer Hand Piece, but her class is full. You can get a discount on Hammer hand pieces from Pepe Tools with a code from Monica.

Oh my gosh, we had so much fun at tonight's Sawing Circle. We had 16 attendees on hand talking tricky soldering jobs, patinas, gold alloying and other metalsmithing particulars at our first March Sawing Circle. Isla joined us from London, Julia joined from Michigan, Ann was on deck from Alabama with the rest Zooming in from the U.S. west coast. As always there were some really valuable links shared.

Over twenty metalsmiths gathered on Tuesday evening and we had a great time seeing new works, oogling a gigantic ruby, meeting new people and catching up with old friends (a few who were seeing each other for the first time in 20 years!). In between we talked more about brooch pins, learned lapidary terms, heard about a tool making project, checked out some new home studios and compared notes on current online class offerings - all while working away on our own projects. Read on for more photos and resource links.

Resource links:

• Anne's current mokume gane classes.
• Brand new book recommended by Jose Quiet Elegance by famed metal arts instructor Eleanor Moty .
• Interesting site for info on gems shared by Patty Rare Gem Collection.
• Some nifty free videos by instructor Leslie Villareal (including a handy one on setting up an oxygen concentrator).
  

Next Sawing Circle is Tuesday, February 9th, 5-7pm
Thursdays were just too packed with cool metal arts stuff so we've moved our Sawing Circle to Tuesdays starting this month. Our Sawing Circle is like a book club but instead of reading, we work on cool stuff, help each other with problems, share ideas and provide accountability for ongoing work. If you've been looking for support for moving forward on your projects during quarantine then this is the online gathering for you. Join us from your studio to work in the good conversation and company of like-minded friends. Totally free, no need to RSVP, simply make yourself a nice snack, settle down at your bench and click the link to join in via Zoom. We're also looking for volunteers to fill in one night a month to help take our Sawing Circle weekly. Interested? Fill out our Volunteer Form.

Thursday, January 14th 5-7pm PST
​Meet & Greet starts at 4:45pm
This week, guest instructor Anne Wolf shares a guide (from the forum on Ganoksin.com) for making a scoring tool. Scoring tools are useful for all sorts of things, from box making to adding texture to sheet. We'll discuss how to go about making the tool. Anne will also show how to create texture using a scorer she made while taking an online class from Ford Hallam.
Our monthly Sawing Circle is like a book club but instead of reading, we work on cool stuff, help each other with problems, share ideas and provide accountability for ongoing work. If you've been looking for some support for moving forward on your projects during quarantine then this is the place. Join us from your studio to work in the good conversation and company of like-minded friends. Totally free, no need to RSVP, simply make yourself a nice snack, settle down at your bench and click the link to join in via Zoom.

A friendly group of about 10 of us chit-chatted away while working in our home studios at the November Sawing Circle on the 19th ... actual sawing transpired even! Along with filing, hammering and all sorts of comparing notes and discussing tools, torches, tanks and the finer points of patinas. Our shared project was fold-formed copper leaves and there were some fantastic pieces completed (Go Kathy and Karen!). Anne filmed (and I edited) a a great video tutorial about the project so it was fun to see it put into use. Anne also gave us all a sneak peek of a new mokume pattern she's working on from an ancient Japanese tsuba - the pattern is sakura leaves on water. Wow! We also heard about new projects from Jan (cool essential oil pendants), Earl (mokume billet fusing), and Carol (amazing piercing work). See, these are the cool things that make Sawing Circle fun! For photos and a link to the video click read on.

Thursday, December 10th 5-6pm PDT
Meet & Greet starts at 4:45pm
Work on anything you like or take a stab at this month's shared project - Wire Holiday Ornaments! Anne will be showing off some simple ways to make cool ornaments - great last minute gifts! Whether you work on your own thing or watch the demo, we hope you'll join us from your studio to work in the good conversation and company of like-minded friends. Totally free, no need to RSVP, simply enter by clicking the link. Meet & greet starts at 4:45pm, demo begins right after 5pm. Holiday decor and attire encouraged!