SATURDAY CLASSES run from 10am until 6pm every Saturday for most of the year, and cater for everyone from total beginners to hobbyists to expert metalworkers. Beginners will be assigned a series of small projects by Brian, designed to teach the basic skills and techniques of metalworking, while more experienced students are free to work on their own projects under his guidance. There is an outline of a typical four week programme for a new student further down this page. Brian’s fully equipped workshop is in an old schoolhouse in the beautiful village of Ballinaclash, near Rathdrum in Co. Wicklow. It is about an hour’s drive from central Dublin. (google maps)
New students are required to book four Saturdays to begin with. Saturday classes cost €280 for four classes. A €55 deposit must be paid on booking, and the balance at the start of the first week. Students are required to bring their own lunch, tea and coffee are provided.
To book, or for any enquiries, please call 086 3432907, or email sworkshops264@gmail.com
A typical four week programme for beginners runs as follows:
SATURDAY CLASSES (for information about summer masterclasses please click here)
WEEK ONE. To make a pendant in copper and brass. (design supplied). This project is designed to tach students how to mark out a design on the metal and give them good control of the use of the jewelers saw and the jewelers file. Marking out, cutting out, filing, drilling holes, riveting, and making a jump ring are the techniques learned and each student has a finished pendant at the end of the class.
WEEK TWO. To make a hollow bead in copper and brass. This project introduces students to the making of hollow forms. For this the metal has to be annealed. This is the process where the metal is brought to a red heat and cooled. This softens the metal and has to be done very often during the forming of a piece to prevent what is called "work hardening". After annealing the metal needs to be cleaned in safety pickle to remove the oxides formed on it’s surface. Students will make two copper hemispheres and a brass disc, and after drilling holes in all three pieces they are riveted together with a tubular rivet, to form a bead. This can then be strung through the rivet to hang around the neck.
WEEK THREE. To make a silver ring. In this project students are introduced to using silver, silver soldering and setting a cabochon stone in a bezel setting. They will also be applying the techniques of cutting and filing already learned in week one.
(please note: prior to week three, students will be required to purchse the silver required for the projects in weeks three and four. Details will be given at the end of week two.)
WEEK FOUR. To make a silver Spoon. Using the techniques of marking out, cutting, filing and soldering already learned, with the addition of reticulation (the controlled partial melting of silver) and polishing, students will make a coffee spoon in sterling silver.
Click Here to see a selection of past students work
Click Here for information about summer masterclasses
To see information about upcoming summer masterclasses, please click the button below: