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Jingle All the Way: Handmade Sleigh Bells
Jingle all the way onto the musical side of metalsmithing with this festive micro-forming workshop! Starting with flat copper, brass, and/or silver sheet, we’ll explore surface design, fittings and form to craft one-of-a-kind bells that ring with personality. Standard patterns in a variety of sizes will be provided to get you started, along with ideas for customizing the positive and negative shapes to reflect your own creative vision. Whether you're decking the halls, gifting with flair, or adding a jingle to your keyring, these sculptural bells are sure to charm - no sleigh required!
For more information about virtual courses, visit our Virtual Course FAQ page.
Meet the instructor
Kristin Mitsu Shiga (she/they) is a maker, educator and small business owner with more than 30 years of experience currently living and working in rural Oregon.
Throughout her career, Kristin’s desire to balance her individual studio practice and working as part of a larger team allowed her to build an unusual skill set that includes everything from nonprofit arts administration and bookkeeping to armature-building for stop-motion animation studios. From a long line of educators, Kristin is passionate about teaching and has shared her knowledge with students at venues all over the US including Penland, Arrowmont and Haystack Mountain schools of craft, along with programs she established in New York, Oregon and Hawai’i.
Kristin believes that service is a crucial component of any career and has served in a variety of volunteer roles and on numerous nonprofit boards since 2001. She currently serves on the boards of the Hawai'i Artist Collaboration and Frogwood Artist Collaboration, and is in her second term as Secretary of the Board of Directors of the American Craft Council (ACC).
Kristin has shown her work internationally, and is included in several notable collections, including the Kamm Artful Teapot Collection and the Permanent Collection of the White House. You will find her work published in numerous books and magazines, including Art Jewelry Today, The Art of Enameling, Metalsmith’s 2017 Exhibition in Print, and several of Lark’s 500 Series books. Learn more about Kristin’s past work on Oregon Artbeat (segment originally aired in 2010).
Materials & Tools
The following supplies will be used for course demonstrations and objectives. A suggested item and/or vendor has been provided below for reference. Click the vendor name to be redirected to a page where you can view the item. The quantities needed for each item are listed first. If ordering, please be aware that some items may come in larger quantities than needed for this class. We recommend not opening an item's packaging until the day of the workshop. Student participation during or in-between class sessions is not required - observers are welcome.
The following supplies will be used for course demonstrations and objectives. Students are not required to have these supplies during the course - observers are welcome.
Raw Materials/Consumables:
- 1 x 3x3inches Sterling silver sheet, 20ga, dead-soft (RioGrande) - for larger bells
- 1 x 3x3inches Sterling silver sheet, 24ga, dead-soft (RioGrande) - for smaller bells
- 1 x 6x12 inches Copper sheet, 20ga, dead-soft (RioGrande) - for larger bells
- 1 x 6x12 inches Brass sheet. 24ga, dead-soft (RioGrande) - for smaller bells
- 4 x Assorted scrap silver, bronze, steel shot or other to serve as clappers in the bell
Additional Tools:
- 1 x Dapping set (RioGrande)
- 1 x Wood dapping punch Set (RioGrande)
- 1 x 1lb. Brass mallet (RioGrande)
- 1 x Del Rey™ deadblow mallet, 5.8 oz. (RioGrande)
Suggested but not mandatory (materials/tools):
- 1 x 8oz. Liver of sulfur (RioGrande)
- 1 pint x JAX® green patina aolution (RioGrande)
- 1 x Brass wire bristle brush (RioGrande)
Hand Tools:
- 1 x jewelers saw (RioGrande)
- 1 x pack saw blades - 2/0 (RioGrande)
- 1 x burlife / bee's wax (RioGrande)
- 1 x bench pin (RioGrande)
- 1 x half round hand file - #2 cut (RioGrande)
Basic Home Studio:
- 1 x rotary tool - flex shaft, micro motor, etc. (RioGrande)
- 1 x set of needle files - #2 cut (RioGrande)
- 1 x center punch (RioGrande)
- 1 x rawhide / plastic mallet (RioGrande)
- 1 x sheet of sand paper - 220 to 600 grits (Amazon)
- 1 x dividers - optional / nice to have (RioGrande)
- 1 x sanding sticks - optional / nice to have (RioGrande)
Basic Soldering/Torch Set-Up:
- 1 x fireproof area - steel sheet, tiles, etc. (Amazon or Home Depot)
- 1 x Solderite™ pad / pan with pumice (RioGrande or RioGrande)
- 1 x torch - Smith mini, Silversmith, or butane (RioGrande or RioGrande)
- 1 x #0 or #1 torch tip - if getting Silversmith (RioGrande)
- 1 x striker or lighter - Silversmith system has one (RioGrande)
- 1 x soldering tweezers (RioGrande)
- 1 x copper tongs - for pickle (RioGrande)
- 1 x pickle - sodium bisulfate or citric acid (RioGrande or Amazon)
- 1 x brass bristle brush (RioGrande)
- 1 x crock pot or lidded glass container (RioGrande or Amazon)
- 1 x tempered glass container or sink - for quenching and rinsing
Other/Miscellaneous Items:
- pencil, Sharpie, notebook
- rags/towels
- Any Argentium or Fine Silver scrap you may have