If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Cast vs hand-made
Can anyone give me some advice on the differences between jewellery that is
cast and that which is hand made - obviously the hand made item is always more expensive but does it wear better, is it stronger, etc? Someone recently told me that that cast items sometimes have bubbles and such inside making the item wear more and weigh lighter - comments on this?? Is there a rule of thumb on what kind of premium should be paid for a hand made ring (for example) over a cast one given that there is a much higher labour content within the cost of the handmade item. thank you Andrew Lane www.aussiesapphire.com.au |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
"A & L Lane" wrote in message ... Can anyone give me some advice on the differences between jewellery that is cast and that which is hand made - obviously the hand made item is always more expensive but does it wear better, is it stronger, etc? Someone recently told me that that cast items sometimes have bubbles and such inside making the item wear more and weigh lighter - comments on this?? Is there a rule of thumb on what kind of premium should be paid for a hand made ring (for example) over a cast one given that there is a much higher labour content within the cost of the handmade item. thank you Andrew Lane www.aussiesapphire.com.au [Perhaps because I do more casting than fabricating, this question irritates me a bit. It reflects a prejudice I've come up against before. There's nothing about the casting process per se that disqualifies a product made that way from being called "hand made". One can carve a ring from wax with files and gravers, invest it and cast it without using any power equipment at all (although it can help). Once a piece is cast, it can be embellished by having material soldered or otherwise attached, be finished (by hand), and have (hand-cut) stones set in it (by hand). Conversely, jewelry can be fabricated with machine tools, and never be touched by human hands. If it is, this doesn't automatically make it any better, heavier, stronger, or even more expensive. While there are processes like forging and planishing that will compress the metal somewhat, and make it denser and hence wear longer than a cast piece, jewelry can certainly be made by hand without using these processes. It's true that modern sheet and wire goods are generally stronger and freer of imperfections than castings, but the metallurgical properties of hand-made sheet and hand-drawn wire won't necessarily be as good as those of a well-made casting. There can be a lot of skill and artistry in a cast jewelry piece, which is not necessarily a mass-produced item; casting is used for unique pieces and small editions as well as large runs. On the other hand, much "hand-made" jewelry is fabricated without a whole lot of skill or art involved; in the factory it's a mechanical matter of cutting, bending, and soldering large numbers of parts as quickly as possible, usually by underpaid workers in 3rd world countries. I don't think anybody's paying much of a premium, if any, for this sort of stuff. And I don't think that "bubbles", if any, inside finished castings really have much effect on weight. If a casting does turn out to be porous, that's the result of a casting mishap, and these pieces are generally scrapped - it's not usually possible to polish them cost-effectively. Casting and fabricating are both equally valid methods of constructing jewelry, but they're good for different things; the choice of which process to use should depend on the sort of results desired.] Andrew Werby www.unitedartworks.com |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
"A & L Lane" wrote in message ... Can anyone give me some advice on the differences between jewellery that is cast and that which is hand made - obviously the hand made item is always more expensive but does it wear better, is it stronger, etc? Someone recently told me that that cast items sometimes have bubbles and such inside making the item wear more and weigh lighter - comments on this?? Is there a rule of thumb on what kind of premium should be paid for a hand made ring (for example) over a cast one given that there is a much higher labour content within the cost of the handmade item. It depends on how long it takes. I charge customers £20 an hour plus materials. For a simple ring (because stone setting and engraving all that other clever stuff all take about the same time) Cast items have to be cast, the investment medium washed away, the sprue cut off, the ring cleaned up, tumbled and then polished. Hand made... Cut the appropriate length of stock bar. Form around mandrel File ends, solder, pickle, file off excess solder, polish. If you're making only one then the cast item takes longer with a lot more waste metal. Casting makes 'economies of scale' because it's the same labour cost to cast up a couple of hundred to the 'rough' state and you can do a lot of the cleaning up and basic polishing in large industrial tumbler type polishers. -- William Black I've seen things you people wouldn't believe Barbeques on fire by chalets past the headland I've watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off Newborough All this will pass like ice-cream on the beach Time for tea |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
vj found this in rec.crafts.jewelry, from William Black
: ]Casting makes 'economies of scale' because it's the same labour cost to cast ]up a couple of hundred to the 'rough' state and you can do a lot of the ]cleaning up and basic polishing in large industrial tumbler type polishers. trying to manufacture one of my pinecones would take a lot longer than casting one does. -- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books) http://www.booksnbytes.com (Jewelry) http://www.vickijean.com (Metalsmithing) http://www.snugglewench.com [it's a Callahan's thing] ----------- vj -- "Just who put 'day-people' in charge?" |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
vj found this in rec.crafts.jewelry, from "Andrew Werby"
: ]Casting and fabricating are both equally valid methods of ]constructing jewelry, but they're good for different things; the choice of ]which process to use should depend on the sort of results desired. thank you for saying that so well. -- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books) http://www.booksnbytes.com (Jewelry) http://www.vickijean.com (Metalsmithing) http://www.snugglewench.com [it's a Callahan's thing] ----------- vj -- "Just who put 'day-people' in charge?" |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
How to cast on? | Jenn Vanderslice | Yarn | 4 | April 13th 05 11:11 PM |
Proviaional Cast On..Colonial House hat | Jill Delgado | Yarn | 7 | May 25th 04 12:41 AM |
~OT~ - I need to possibly cast something | Tinkster | Beads | 3 | March 22nd 04 11:56 PM |
New Year's Cast On | JudyTurpin | Yarn | 2 | January 2nd 04 05:30 PM |
Cast Iron cookware question | Cathy Collins | Needlework | 7 | July 27th 03 10:45 PM |