Metal Forming #1, Part 1

In my metal forming class on Tuesday night this week, Darlys shows us the basics of forming and planishing.

These first four pictures show her shaping a 3 inch copper disc into a bowl shape. She used dapping sets and a mushroom stake to create the bowl-shaped curve. The metal is worked, and then annealed and worked again.

The next two pictures show Darlys using a mushroom stake set to begin to round the metal into the bowl shape.

This next picture shows something called planishing, which is the process of using a hammer to remove hammer marks.

These pictures show the progression – how planishing results in a much smoother surface.

These last pictures are some samples Darlys brought to class to give a sense of what is possible with these skills.

This is a brooch concept – a combination of hollow form and forged elements.

But if yiu really want to see the amazing potential of these techniques, you should check out Darlys’ website. Her work is beautiful, really distinctive, and inspiring!