Guerilla Gold: More Flash Less Cash | Instructor Bette Barnett
2 day workshop | In Person or Virtual Tickets
Schedule: 10 am - 5 pm, Monday 10/20, Tuesday 10/21
 
Prerequisite: Basic metalsmithing skills including experience with a jeweler's torch (acetylene/air or dual gas)
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Budget-wise hacks for Gold and Steel
 
Forget tradition—this is gold on your terms. With the cost of gold at an all-time high, it’s time to ditch conventional approaches and instead opt for smart, cost-effective ways to get maximum metals impact with minimum investment. In this two-day workshop, you’ll learn how to incorporate gold into your work without putting yourself in the poorhouse. In fact, you’ll be able to add stunning gold accents to your work for as little as $20.
 
We’ll start by exploring alternative forms of gold—placer gold flour, gold powder, gold foil flakes—that offer more mileage than traditional forms such as wire, sheet and casting grain. We’ll alloy various karats and colors of gold so you can use less of the precious stuff while preserving its beautiful glow. We’ll also explore gold fusion approaches tailored specifically for gold and steel using a variety of bonding and heat control strategies. You’ll experiment with layering, fusing, and burnishing to achieve rich textures, unexpected effects and bold contrasts between raw blackened steel and the glow of gold. We will also explore fusing bronze powder that mimics the look of gold.
 
Design is an essential element of eye appeal. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to use design techniques that harness the power of gold to elevate your work. You’ll leave with a toolkit of golden tricks—and a few eye-catching samples to prove it. If you’re ready to rethink adding high- karat pizzazz to your creations, this workshop is the golden ticket.