Rashan Jones, Nov. 5 & 6, 2016

Our next class will be with Rashan Jones on Sat. & Sun., Nov. 5 and 6, 2016, here is what Rashan says about his class:

"All that Jazz: Boro exploration."

"The beginner class was well received so I'm headed back to Graceful Customs Lampwork for another session.
We will spend 2 days covering implosion pendants, shot glasses and basic hand pipes. There will be some color application but mostly we will focus on fuming techniques for fine silver and some 24kt gold. I'll also be covering a review of Gilson Opal inclusions because they compliment the fumed pendants and they look great on hand pipes as well.
This is a perfect class for someone with experience in lamp working either soft or Boro, or an ambitious first timer."
Contact Grace for signup details!  Cost of class $475, includes lunch and glass used in class.
Bring your own tools.  Refrigerator and microwave available.  Water and drinks provided.  RV space available without charge.  Airport pickup available, from San Jose Airport.
See his work at: High Desert Flame Works

Making Murrini with CCGlass Art - Chistina Catherine

Christina Catherine of CCGlass Art will be here to teach a 2 day lampworking glass art class on July 23 and 24, 2016.  Christina has been making lampwork glass beads since 2008 and discovered her "passion" was making murrini.  She has 2 tutorials "Making Beautiful Murrini" and "Making Beautiful Encased Murrini Beads" and has had her tutorials  featured is e-magazines, Soda Lime Times  and ISGB publication. 
Description of class:
Day 1:
Making ocean-theme murrini, latticino, and other embeds for encasing
- complex concentric circle murrini
- watercolor murrini
- shell murrini
- encased stringers
- black coral strands
- seaweed latticino
Learn multiple techniques on Day 1 while making all the sea-themed elements that will go into the bead design we will construct and encase on day 2.
Day 2:
Putting it all together: Designing and assembling the pattern, applying all the elements, and successfully encasing multi-murrini beads
- learn my reliable, step-by-step method of placing murrini, and other embeds, that creates a color coordinated, harmonious, and visually full design every time
- finish the bead with encasing techniques that suspends the design while maintaining a dimensional look
Day 2 is all about mapping out the bead design, building and properly placing all the elements in the bead then encasing the murrini beneath a layer of clear glass while maintaining the dimensional look of all the embeds.  Christina's work can be seen on her website:  www.CCGlassArt.com and www.CCGlassArt.Etsy.com and Facebook
 Cost of class is $350, e-mail grace@gracefulcustoms.com to sign up for this new class

Electroforming/Anodizing/Plating made Easy!

ELECTROFORMING/ANODIZING/PLATING MADE EASY - 2 sessions: 
Sat, June 18 and Sat, June 25, 2016, Saturdays- Graceful Customs Studio, Gilroy, CA

(dates of class have changed from May)

Electroforming Class: 2 Days

Price: $ 275.00

Kit Price: $ 25.00

With the high cost of metals over the past years, alternative processes like Electroforming, Anodizing and Plating have become more popular over the years.

Electroforming is an exciting technique that does not require you to have a lot of metal working experience. This process will let you “grow” copper over almost any object. You will learn how to use this processes to create a shell of copper over objects like glass, wax carvings and organic materials (Leaves, Dried Flowers and Seed Pods).

Anodizing is fun way of adding color to metals like Niobium and Aluminum.

Plating is a method of adding a thin coating of metal over another metal. Most popular adding silver over a base metal.

What are these processes? How to prepare the metal or organic material? What can you do with the piece next? Rivets? Setting? Can you solder? How to clean or polish?   As time allows, Carmen will demonstrate these techniques!

Instructor:  Carmen Martinez, Email:  Grace@GracefulCustoms.com

Lost Wax Casting - 2 consecutive Saturdays, Mar 19 & 26, 2016

Casting has been done by Jewelers for thousands of years.  It is as important in the 21st century as it was years ago.  You ask yourself “Why should I learn lost wax casting?”   This is a great technique for making your own custom items for your jewelry pieces.   You can easily have someone cast your unique customs items for you, but the more you understand the process, the easier it will be for you to design your pieces.
You will learn a variety of casting methods:  Vacuum, centrifugal, cuttle bone, and sand casting.  You will learn how to sprue and invest the wax models, calculate metal requirement, understand the burnout cycle and cast your projects.  We will have an assortment of waxes for you to choose from.
You will learn the “sprue” technique and cast an organic item.  We will review what items are best for  casting.  You can bring your own items to cast, however, we will also have an assortment of organic pieces.
Sterling silver and bronze will be available for you to cast with. Price:  $ 275.00
Kit Price:  $25.00 (Metal not included)
e-mail Grace@Gracefulcustoms.com to sign up!  Overnight accommodations available to first person who requests.  $25.00 for one night.

Open House, "Meet the Artist" Rashan Jones

Come meet Rashan Jones, who will be teaching a 2 day Borosilicate skills for soft glass flame workers on Sat. Feb 20 and Sun. Feb. 21.  e-mail Grace@Gracefulcustoms for directions.

Rashan Jones to teach at Gracefulcustoms on Feb 20 & 21, 2016.

Rashan Jones will be here for a 2 day class, Sat & Sun, Feb 20 and 21.  He describes it as, "Crossover: Borosilicate skills for Soft glass flame workers. It is designed for soft glass workers looking to expand into a new COE. Boro is a very different, it moves slower, takes more heat, and the color palette works differently as well. This is crash course on how to take you existing skills and apply them to hard glass.-We’ll also spend some time learning some off mandrel boro techniques including blown hollow beads, inside out dot and line patterning, honeycombing and the use of lenses and horns to enhance your piece.
-Boro color is unique and so beautiful. We will cover WYSIWYG, striking, cadmiums, and metallic colors in depth. Each color family has a unique flame environment it prefers so we will also discuss flame chemistry and how to set neutral flames, when to reduce, and which colors prefer an oxidizing flame.
-And Boro also has few different tools, we will cover when to use them efficiently to achieve your desired results."  See his work at: http://jonesartglass.com/
Fee for 2 day class is $475, all materials included, e-mail Grace@Gracefulcustoms.com to enroll in this class, lunch also included.

Reticulation in Silver - Earring class Sept 19, 2015

Join us for a one day workshop working with silver and make a pair of earrings that involves:  reticulation, silver soldering, metal sawing, drilling, rivoting, sanding and polishing.  Carmen Martinez will share with us techniques that are applicable to other projects and metals.  Basic soldering skills needed, however, the majority of the time will be spent on the other techniques.  email me at Grace@GracefulCustoms.com;
Fee is $135 plus $25.00 material fee.  Overnight accommodations available.