Hydraulic press

This technique will allow you to produce identical hollow shapes in no time. In an easy way, you can make multiples of a jewel. A hydraulic press is not expensive to purchase and can be perfectly self-made ​​with a simple car jack.

You create a mold by sawing and milling in acrylic. Your metal plate is shielded by a rubber layer and then pressed into your mold. Depending on the pressure you get a subtle or a sharp image of your model that you can endlessly re-create. Once you have the basics under your belt, you can endlessly experiment with shapes and textures and incorporate them into your jewelry design.

During the first part of the course we will concentrate on making molds and forms. In the second part, you will include the forms you made in your own jewerly designs.

Included:

• rubber
• acrylic
• use large workshop materials
• instruction leaflet
• drink and biscuit

To bring yourself:

• pencil
• paper
• a drill (if you have one)
• an apron
• sheet metal: brass, copper or silver

You need a minimum of 7 different sheets: max. size: 8 by 11 cm, min. size: 4 by 4cm, thickness: 0,7 mm

• saws for hard metal
• drills and burrs in various sizes (mostly round shapes)
• basic jewelry materials: soldering flux and dish, soldering pliers, silver solder (hard, medium, soft), saw, files, pliers , sandpaper (for metal)

Photos Nathalie Perneel