A Gathering of Reference Links for my Students

This post is going to be another one of limited interest to most. This past weekend I taught a vessel chasing workshop to a fabulous group of students. During the course of it we were talking about so many items and where to find them that it seemed like it would be a good idea to assemble a post which gathers much of that information together in one place for easy future reference. I expect this post will be useful for all future classes as well and will try to keep it up to date. If you are a metalsmith you might find some of this information useful even if you haven’t taken any of my workshops.

For full disclosure, there will be a lot of links to products in this post. Some of them, though certainly not all, are affiliate links where I get an advertising commission for qualified purchases that happen if you click through the link. This should not change the price you would pay at all.

Let me start with a couple easy links to other blog posts I’ve made with some of this information. For info about the torch I use for annealing vessels and doing my patina work there is the “What torch do you use for annealing?” post.

Chasing students might find this post useful where I offer a lot of details about the specific chasing tools I am using and what I’m doing while chasing a small section of a piece. Closely related is this other post where I go through all the tools in the 15 piece chasing tool set I make for the chasing workshops. If I have any extra sets currently available I should also have this listed toward the top of the post.

While I’m discussing chasing tools. In class we talked about the 4.5 inch angle grinder with a coarse grit flap wheel being an excellent tool for the rough shaping and quick removal of metal when making chasing tools. I also use this grinder with surface conditioning pads to refine the tools some, removing heavy scratches from the coarse wheels, before switching to files or sanding sticks to do the final careful shaping work. I also use these surface conditioning pads when I need to refurbish my raising stakes to remove dents from missed hammer blows. There are some velcro type pads, but I’ve found I much prefer the type you can securely screw in place that don’t go randomly flying across the room such as these surface conditioning pads.

With regards to the spun copper vessels I have made for the workshop many of you have asked who spins them for me. The company is called Almost Metal Spinning, run by Carol and Joe Fertitta. They’ve always treated me very well, doing a great job for reasonable prices. They’re based in Maryland. The very first time I used them they slipped up on when the deadline for having the vessels done was. Rather than just saying, “Oh well, sorry.” they went above and beyond, finding out what the minimum number was that I needed for the workshop I had scheduled, working late to get them made, and then physically driving them to the workshop location in Pennsylvania so I’d be sure to have them on time! That’s pretty awesome service in my book! So if you are looking to get your own vessel forms spun I’d recommend giving them a call to get a quote.

Just to be clear though I feel like I should note that you can’t call and order more of my spun forms from them. I recommend them if you wanted to have your own unique form made. If you do want more of the ones I have done you can contact me and see if I have any extra to sell. I generally order them in larger batches to get quantity pricing and thus often have extra I could sell as long as I still have time to order more for any workshops I have coming up. Right now the price for a spun 18 gauge copper vessel roughly 3.25″ x 2.75″ x 2.75″ is $35 each. There would be a shipping charge as well, plus sales tax if I’m shipping to a Michigan address. If you want some you can email me at huang@davidhuang.org and we’ll figure out the particulars.

Regarding the wax I use for vessel chasing in place of traditional pitches I had a post about it on my davidhuang.org website, but that all got lost as I had to start rebuilding the site from scratch. I’ll try to get something up about it again at some point. For now I’ll just say that specifically I like the #2AB56 Brown Art Bronze Wax made by JF McCaughin. I’ve been getting it from Arizona Sculpture Supply. Here is a link that will hopefully take you right to the page with it. I’ve also used the #2-AB150 which is slightly cheaper and seems to work just as well. Most any microcrystalline sculpting wax seems to work in my experience thus far. However, some of the varieties seem to pull away from the edge of the vessel as they cool, creating a small gap that would need to be remelted gently to fill. The two types I recommend don’t seem to pull away from the edge, rather their shrinkage as they cool usually happens as a sinking in the middle of the vessel which isn’t a problem.

When I was sanding my silver rims flat I was using a flat block with gel tape on one side to help hold the rim. This is a link to what that tape is.

After I have a rim soldered on and patina applied I need to mask off the patina around the rim so I can polish the silver without damaging the patina. The challenge can be that some patinas, like the cupric nitrate one, can have a delicate finish most tapes will damage while pulling off. I had been using a nice drafting tape made by 3M however they discontinued it in the US at least. I imported my last roll from Japan. I’ve been searching and trying a lot of different painters tapes for a while now. Just recently, as in a couple of weeks ago as I post this, I tried the yellow, delicate surface Frogtape. It seemed to work even better than the 3M drafting tape in terms of not damaging the surface. The downside is that it’s a thinner tape such that I worry I’ll abrade through it when polishing the silver rim, so I did 2 layers of the tape to make it thicker. That seemed to work though it increases supply costs and time to apply. None the less I’m happy to finally have a solution figured out before I run out of my last roll of 3M drafting tape.

Moving on to abrasives. In class I talked about how I like the 3M sanding sponges for polishing my silver rims. I also often use these when making chasing tools, or even for refinishing my raising stakes or hammers if they get a bit of surface rust due to humidity issues in the studio. They come in multiple grades starting at coarse, and medium, both of which I don’t use, then going to fine, superfine, ultrafine, and microfine. Looking on Amazon I found this assortment pack that seems tailor made for anyone wanting to try what I use.

I also talked about the 3M micro finishing films which are so much better than regular sandpapers, both because the micron grading of the abrasive leaves a more consistent finish, and because the plastic backed sheets last so much longer that they are well worth the slight extra cost upfront. If you are a metalsmith and haven’t tried them I highly recommend getting a variety pack like this one I got years ago from Rio Grande and seeing what you think. These days I find I mostly use the 60 micron grade for initial smoothing of my silver rims, before moving on to the sanding sponges mentioned above.

For the final polishing of my silver rims I use the last three grades of the Micro Mesh sanding sheets. These are the 6000, 8000, and 12000 grits. I understand this grit rating system is not quite the same as traditional grits, regardless they leave a very fine finish. The 12000 grit is what my final polish is on the silver rims. These come in a pack of 9 different grades. They may seem rather expensive for such small sheets, but in my experience they LAST and last. I bought my first set many years ago, and have just recently retired them and started using my second set. They are also nice in that they have a flexible fabric type backing that conforms nicely to curves, rather like the sanding sponges do, but without breaking down like the sponges. I highly recommend giving these a try!

Also in the abrasives category I should list the Scotch-Brite radial bristle discs. If you are a metalsmith and don’t yet know about these you really should get an assortment kit such as this one in the 1 inch size or this one in the 3/4 inch size and try them out! For myself I find I mostly just use the 1 inch white 120 grit size with my flex shaft machine to strip patina off and prep my silver rims for polishing.

Finally, here’s a link to a kit at Rio Grande with the 3M PSA sanding discs with a mandrel that I use for the coarse stripping of solder mess. I find I basically just use the 60 micron discs, so that is what I get for the refill packs, but it’s quite nice to have the assortment initially so you can see what works best for your operations.

I almost forgot hammers. The small hammer I find I use the most when doing hammer chasing is the Fretz HMR-9. The other one I had in class was the NC Black C Hammer. The Fretz one seems to work best with long lines, while the NC Black one is good for shorter lines and tighter spaces. The big raising hammer I used for the initial rough hammer chasing work was this type. (update note, for the initial rough work I’m now using the Huang Raising Hammers you’ll find a bit farther on in this post.)

Updated to note my new absolute favorite hammers for hammer chasing work are my signature “Huang Embossing Hammers” developed with Saign Charlestein specifically for the sort of hammer chasing work I do. You can find a more detailed write up about them here. Here is another link straight to Saign’s website where you can order them. As a reminder, on Saign’s website you can use the discount code DH10 to get 10% off your entire tool order!

While I’m talking about premier hammers made by Saign I would be remiss to not also note the first of the signature hammers we did, the “Huang Raising Hammers“. Again, here is a link to a much more detailed description of them and why I find them superior. Here is the link directly to Saign’s website where you can order them. The DH10 discount code is good for 10% off these hammers as well.

For chasing hammers I talked about Saign Charlestein’s beautiful hammers with the springy osage orange handles. Here is a link to the review I wrote about them. Here is a link directly to the chasing hammers on his website. If you were only going to get one I would go with the 4.5 ounce size. This is similar to my primary chasing hammer. I also use his 2 ounce size a lot when doing my texturing work. (Yes, the DH10 discount code is good for these too!)

For making your own chasing tools I mentioned the place where I most recently got my W1 tool steel drill rod. This was Toolsteel.com. It’s a bit annoying that they don’t list prices. You have to contact them to get a quote. I just went to place another order and this time got a good sales guy who, for the quantities I wanted, directed me to their California branch which does do things directly online with prices. Just click and order! If the total amount is over $100 then they do free shipping. This worked much easier than my first order with them. Here is the link directly to the W1 drill rod section of that site. In the past I have gotten decent prices for the steel rod on Amazon, but there has also been some serious large ranges in price for the same item. It’s probably worth the time to shop around. As I noted in class the sizes I like for chasing tools are 1/8″, 3/16″, 1/4″, and 5/16″. (You might find them listed as .125, .1875, .25, .3125)

I’m editing this post to add in some info about gold leaf. I’m often asked about where I get mine and should have included this to begin with. First let me say there are many different kinds of gold leaf. When you go to order some you need to very carefully check all the variables to make sure you are ordering what you want. I just got an order today as I write this and I realize I ordered the 3 1/8″ x 3 1/8″ size leaf instead of my normal 3 3/8″ x 3 3/8″. Doh! No wonder it was a bit cheaper. In this case I can still use it without any issues, the pack will just get used up faster since there is less leaf there. So this is one variable to watch for, the size of the leaf. Those are the two standard sizes, but there are other even smaller sizes and the images of the product can look the same since without a reference object in the photo for size a square sheet of gold leaf looks pretty much the same big or small.

You need to pay attention to how many sheets you are getting. It usually comes in what’s called a “book”, which is 25 sheets. I buy it by the “pack” which is 20 books, or 500 sheets total. I see some listings for smaller amounts like 5 or 10 sheets which might be good if you just want to try it out. Generally speaking the smaller the quantity the more you will be paying per sheet. Put differently the more you buy the less the per unit price will be.

You will probably also want to pay attention to what karat the leafing is. I use 23 karat gold, but it comes in a whole range and this will affect the exact color of the gold, though it can be subtle sometimes.

The next big thing to watch for is whether it is surface leaf or patent leaf. I’m now often seeing these expressed as loose or transfer. Surface/loose leaf is sheets of gold loose in a little booklet of tissue paper. When you pick up the sheet all you get is the very delicate gold. Patent/transfer leaf is where the sheets of gold are lightly adhered to individual sheets of tissue paper, which are then put into the little booklet of tissue paper. With this style you pick up the individual tissue paper/gold sheets apply it face down on your sizing and gently rub the back to transfer the gold. It’s easier to handle this sort of gold leaf. However, this really only works well if you are dealing with surfaces that are fairly flat to begin with. I’m leafing the interior of my vessels and the transfer leafing is just a nightmare to try and use since the tissue paper backing doesn’t conform to all the curves. Thus I use the surface/loose leaf.

Other variables can be how thick the leafing is. There is standard which is what I generally use. Then there is what is often called double gold leaf or even triple gold leaf. These are thicker, though they are still pretty delicate. The extra thickness can make it a bit easier to use. I believe a previous brand I used to use was this thicker type and I’m considering returning to it. Naturally, since there is more gold involved, this also costs more.

Ok, so those are things to watch for when you are ordering. Where do I order my gold leaf from? Right now there are 3 places I might recommend where the gold leaf seems significantly less expensive than other suppliers I’ve use in the past. The pack I just got today as I type this came from L.A. Gold Leaf U.S. What I didn’t notice before ordering was that they seem to only carry the smaller 3 1/8″ x 3 1/8″ size of leafing. Still the prices seem good and the shipping was quick. Similar in cost comparison as I see their listings today (10/31/2019) is Golden Leaf Products. They do carry some of the larger size gold leaf, though most of what they have is the smaller size. This is where my previous pack of gold leaf was from. It is pretty thin and delicate to work with, but does work fine. Finally, of all places, the listings on Amazon are pretty competitive. In particular if you are just looking to get a book or two rather than a full pack it appears the best deals can be found here when you factor in the shipping costs. However, you do have to much more carefully check all the various factors I listed above to make sure you are getting what you want.

A related question to where I get my gold leaf is where I get my gold leaf sizing. The sizing is the adhesive, or glue, that is used to adhere the gold to your project. Again this comes in various forms. There is water based and oil based sizing. I recommend avoiding the water based sizing. In my experience it drys WAY to quickly, not giving you enough working time. Even more importantly for me, it results in a duller finish. I want the most shine inside my vessels! So I only use oil based sizing. However, there is still quick set oil size and slow set oil size. I prefer slow set oil sizing. This gives me the longest working time. However, it also takes the longest to initially set up to the proper working tack. Generally the slow set oil size takes 10 to 12 hours to dry to the proper working tack, and then remains in a workable state for another 10 to 12 hours. I do my leafing work in batches of up to 30 vessels so this is what I want.

So what do I use? My preference for years now has been Rolco brand slow set oil size. Unfortunately it would seem that hurricane Sandy wiped them off the map in 2012 and they don’t seem to have ever recovered. After I finished up the can of sizing I had back then I tried the brand that was said to be “just the same”, Dux. Upon using it I was crying. Dux sucks! I highly do not recommend using it. In my desperation I went online and bought up all the small sized cans of Rolco I could find which I have been using for years now. Currently I have only one unopened can left. I’m going to have to decide what to do soon. That may involve buying a bunch of different brands to test and hopefully find something just as good. Recently in one of my patina workshops we did gold leafing on one of the test tiles as part of the class. For this we got a can of slow set oil size from L.A. Gold Leaf that seemed to work fine. Looking on Amazon I see a limited selection there, including the Dux brand I would avoid like the plague. Some of them might be good, but I haven’t tried them. I do see they have the L.A. Gold Leaf stuff there too.

I’m editing this again to add info about patina chemicals since I just did a patina workshop. The two places I talked about in class that I generally get my patina chemicals from are Colorado Scientific and Art Chemicals.com. As I recall Art Chemicals more often had smaller quantities of the chemicals for sale, however, in many cases you could get a larger quantity for about the same price or a little more at Colorado Scientific. So I don’t really know which one is best. It likely depends on what you need.

For the Sculpt Nouveau patinas we used here is a link to the section of their website with the Dye-Oxide patinas. Their site has many other patina products, but I haven’t really used them and so can’t speak to them.

The particular brand of gun bluing we used was Brownell Formula 44/40 Instant Gun Blue. You might find it locally which is where I first discovered it. Otherwise I generally find I get the best price, including the shipping costs, when I order it from Amazon along with other things I might need to get to the free shipping amount.

The brushes we used for the patinas were natural bristle brushes. What I like the best are the 1 inch chip brushes. Usually I get them in a 36 pack from Harbor Freight, who also has good prices on the nitrile gloves. If you don’t have a Harbor Freight locally and regularly order from Amazon then you might find the price with shipping charges to be a bit less on Amazon for the chip brushes and nitrile gloves.

I almost forgot, here is a link to the jars we were using for the patinas. They are a decent size for many of the mixes though some of the most used ones, such as cupric nitrate, you might want larger jars for in your own studio. What was nice about these was the plastic lids that won’t rust out over time due to the patina acids.

I think that should about cover it. If I’m missing something go ahead and leave a comment and I’ll see about adding it in. Hopefully this post can be a helpful reference for anyone wanting links to the things I talked about in my vessel chasing workshops.

Since this whole post is pretty much the Studio Snippet taking over again, and because I’m just getting back from a workshop and haven’t yet resumed studio work, I’m not going to do a separate Studio Snippet this time.

I’m happy to have a site where I can again allow comments. (I had to shut them off on my main website because the spam was simply uncontrollable!) So please I encourage you to share thoughts of your own. My general rule about comments though is just to play nice. Differing views are fine, but I’m not interested in engaging in or moderating verbal fights. If I feel things get out of hand, by whatever criteria I decide, I’ll just start blocking or deleting things.