Raising a Small Bowl - metalworking.wood.smallbowl PEP BB

I've been remiss in not applying for this BB since I think I first suggested it as something for the PEP program and it is what I do for a living!  A while back for my business website I did photo document a piece from start to finish with a lot of commentary on what I was doing.  If anyone would like to see the whole documentation you can find it here.


This is a finished photo of the bowl I raised.


Here is where I began scribing out the disk I will cut from copper.


I cut the initial disk out using a throatless shear.


Here is the initial annealing to soften the metal.  This process was repeated many times before I was done.


These are some of the tools I'm using for the basic forming as well as the piece after the first course of work.


This is after the 3rd course of hammering the sides up.


After the 9th and final course of basic raising it looked like this.  Much refinement is yet to happen.  I consider this just the rough stage.


In this photo I have now planished the surface, evening out the small bumps and lumps, creating a consistent hammered texture on the surface.


To do the decorative chasing work I filled the bowl with a microcrystalline wax which provides a balance of support and give, letting me later hammer areas back some but not so much it all collapses.


I've started the design work.


This show me quite a ways along in the detail chasing work along with one of the tools I was using.


When the chasing work is all done, carefully melting the wax out of the bowl by heating it ONLY from below so molten wax does not build up pressure.  Instead it has a safe escape route to drip out.


Soldering on a silver rim.


Applying a patina to color and darken the metal in a controlled manner.


Applying gold leaf.


One more image of the finish piece.

Edited to note my thanks for the apples and slice of pie, as well as maximum point certification!  :)