Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Making Kitchenware





WELCOME EVERYONE! Thank you for visiting.

I have had a terrible time trying to photograph things today. Sorry about these bad photos, sometimes you just have to throw in the towel and move on.

I made this tiny strainer out of the smallest screen I could find. Actually someone told me where to get it. I bought it in a paraphernalia shop, yep it's for smoking dope in a pipe.

I dapped the screen first then I made a fold over bezel out of brass to encase the edges of the screen. I left it sort of grungy looking so it would look used.

There is a pattern to the holes in the bigger copper strainer but I wasn't able to capture that in the photo.

I am making lots of copper frying pans and sauce pans. I want to rhodium plate the inside of them when I am finished. I think it will look much better than tinning the inside of them.

On the left are wood cheese boxes I made ages ago.

30 comments:

  1. Gorgeous work Catherine! Your pics look fine, I still have trouble myself taking great pics too. I am not sure how people take such professional looking pictures and show the detail so well in miniatures. btw, so funny you found that screen in a dope shop! lol ^^

    Stefanie

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  2. It is 'THE MOST PERFECT' little stainer, such a delight!!!

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  3. Yet another triumph, Catherine!!
    Such a better use than sucking dope through it!!

    Glenda

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  4. Unbelievably amazing - very detailed and perfect! I think I'll pay a visit to the local "hemp" store - heehee.
    Cynthia

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  5. It looks great Catherine, the photos were good enough to see the item in clear focus.

    As a metal worker you have another great source for the fine mesh screen. Sifting screen for enamel powders. It comes in mesh sizes so fine you can barely see it or in coarser sizes similar to your pipe screen. Somewhere in my list of links I have one for a company that sells mesh screening of that type by the foot.

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  6. Rhodium plating? One of the things on my list of items to set up for doing metal working is a pen plater. Do you have any recommendations as to brand or stores?

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  7. Karin,

    I made a pen plater years ago. I have to get it out and look at it. I never really use it. I have a much bigger machine for that. I just used a twelve volt battery with the pen plater I think. Check Rio Grand and see what they have. They are really helpful on the phone too.

    Do remember this... After you solder something and put it in Sparex(pickle)even if you rince it very, very well. Before you plate something, boil it in baking soda!!! Acid and plating soution mixed create Hydrogen Cyanide.

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  8. Karin,

    I did a lot of enameling years ago. I was sort of interested in plique a jour for dollhouse uses. I got over it pretty quickly because the glass that is made today just isn't what it used to be. I didn't like the colors very much and I could never get the glass crystal clear. It always look grainy to me. Even though I washed them in distilled water dozens of times... It didn't help.
    Frank Whittemore was going to help me with that before he had his stroke. He had glass sources he though would be better.

    THANKS EVERYONE!

    I am having so much fun making these things. I am glad you like them. :-)

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  9. Catherine, your metal work is outstanding!!! Where do you sell your items? I couldn't find a link.

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  10. Kristy,

    I am not selling any of the miniatures I am making. What I am trying to do is make enough things to have a dollhouse.

    Thank you for asking and your kind words about my work.

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  11. Absolutly perfect !Your work is really incredible !Jeannette

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  12. Amazing is inadequate to describe your metal work, so here is the list of synonyms found in the thesaurus "awesome, fascinating, incredible, marvelous, prodigious, shocking, stunning, surprising, unbelievable, wonderful" - add them all together and they'll come somewhere to close to what I think of these items :)

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  13. Beautiful - as always :) Great job!

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  14. Wonderful things, you´ve made!
    Love, Susanne

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  15. Ooooh Norma,

    Thank you, that is indeed high praise! I'm not sure I can live up to all that.


    Thank you Ladies! I apprecaite all of your comments.

    Catherine X

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  16. OMG OMG OMG !!!! cannot say more than Norma has already said! fabolous work! Thank you for sharing Rosanna

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  17. It's not a matter of having to can you live up to it, it's already earned Catherine. For most of us the idea of working with metal is akin to magic, a world far far away...

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  18. Fantastic work!! I really love it.
    Karin

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  19. What can I say that wouldn't be redondant, your work is amazing, a joy to watch:)

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  20. Norma,

    I remember that feeling. A world far, far away.

    My grandmother was a collector of fine antique jewelry. She bought a piece that fascinated me when I was ten years old by a very, very famous jeweler.

    On Thanksgiving the whole family was at the dinner table when I was thirteen years old. She asked me one of those questions... Catherine... What are you going to do when you grow up. It flew out of my mouth instantly! I am going to make jewelry and things out of metal. Everyone laughed.

    My high school art department offered a jewelry making class. Nothing elaborate, just learning to use casting wax. We were not allowed to actually cast the wax ourselves, the instructor did that for us. That was it, I was hooked!!!

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  21. Catherine - there's an award for you over on my blog

    Glenda

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  22. Your story is very interesting, and I can imagine how your family would, at that time, think your statement such a flight of fancy. I am so pleased that you have been able to do what makes your heart sing - it gives pleasure to many more people than just yourself.

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  23. I can't believe your exquisite workmanship! These are fantastic! I love that little strainer and who knew you could get that small mesh in a dope shop?! Funny!

    Jody

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  24. You do so amazing and unbeliable stuff! The best thing it comes to my mind is: "I'd like to make things just one third as well as you do".
    Hugs from Argentina!!!

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  25. Thank you Ernesto,

    Your work is beautiful and very well made. I am sure I would never be able to master the pieces you have done.

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  26. Hello Catherine,
    Will you accept commission work? I can wait however long... Please? Really, really, really, LOVE your work!

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  27. Ninian,

    I just found your post. I am sorry to tell you that I am not accepting comissions at the moment for miniature work. Thank you for your interest. :-)

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  28. Somehow I missed out on this post.. silly me!!!
    The strainer is so beautiful, and that goes for all your items!!!!
    Thank you!!!
    Synnøve xxx

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