Just read a book on anticlastis raising.Wow! Have some
questions.Anyone with personal experience? Can Heikki Seppa be
reached by e-mail?
Bela Beke
Foggy Mountain Forge
P.O.Box 9,Kinglake 3763
Victoria,Australia
Ph.+61 0357 861 482
@Bill_Beke
What book?..and did it have any on making your own
stakes? I have a few designs I haven’t been able to make real
yet because I lack the knowledge in just this area. Thanks for
your help. Ron
Hi, Bela: Was it Heikki Seppa"s book that you read? My
teacher, Audrea Kreye, has studied with Heikki, and has been
teaching anticlastic raising for years. I personally have not
taken a shine to it, but I know Audrea will be glad to answer any
questions you have if I ask her. (She does not do e-mail). You
can reach me by e-mail if you wish at: @frangro.
Frances
Ron,the BOOK is called -Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths-by Heikki
Seppa.I brought the book from Amazon.com.There are some
drawings,but no actual instruction on how to make the stakes.I
was hoping for some new developments,the book was published in
'78.I be happy to share any new offline.Regards,Bela.
The book by Heikki Seppa,available through Kent State University
Press is titled Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths I have the
book and have skimmed it. I have taken a class with Betty Helen
Longhi called shell forming in metal, which is anticlastic and
synclastic raising.I think is is an instant gradifacation
technique.I just completed a class with John Cogswel, called
fold-=forming,which is similar in some techniques. Both are
challenging and rewarding. Want to try combining both into one
piece of jewelery/art?.
Bela: Call Allcraft in NYC. The sell a large variety of stakes.
Also, they are brining Hekki Seppa to the 92nd Street Y this
winter for a couple of classes.
1-800-645-7124
I hope this helps!
DeDe
I have a copy of “https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0873382129/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0873382129&linkCode=as2&tag=intergemsocie-20&linkId=3deb2efa6f0eb331258d20704357422d” by Heikki Seppa
and published by the Kent State University Press. Its ISBN is
0-87338-212-9 and Library of Congress Card Catalog number is
78-1091 if that helps any.
Thanks Bela C.L. Brain has some instructions that I got from
Orchid ( where else? 
) on how to form stakes but they
lacked detail and to buy a sinosidual ( sp? ) stake could cost
your 1st born !.. If I find out any more info about the
process I will mail you Thanks again Ron
Illustration of anticlastic stake with instructions for making
it are in a workshop by Judy Staby Hoch in the Jewelry Journal
section of the March, 1996 issue of Lapidary Journal.
Saved it, but haven’t made mine.
Pam Chott
@Pam_Chott
www.silverhawk.com/ex99/chott
Hi Bela, There was a detailed how to article by Michael Good in
the now extinct Swiss magazine “AURUM” in the 80’s. One of your
friends may have it and can copy it for you. I can but have to
dig for it. That is was the first issue to feature an American
Artist (Michael Good) on the cover and it sold out quickly
because everyone wanted the article. You should check the SNAG
Audio Visual Library. Contact Alan Mette at 217-333-1725 (no
email sorry). They rent video tapes and slide sets. There is a
video by Michael Good titled “Anticlastic Raising” available and
a slide set by Betty Helen Longhi called “The Spiculum” By the way
the SNAG Audio Visual Library is a very good resource for
and slide sets of artists. You do not have to be a
member of SNAG to rent the sets. A complete listing is printed in
the back section of the SNAG membership directory book.
Metal gathering in Newport, RI July 31, 1999
If anyone is interested I did a search on my favorite source for
new and used books http://www.powells.com and found 5 copies of
“Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths” by Heikki Seppa. They are trade
paper, new in standard condition and cost $13.50 each. I have
bought books from Powells in Portland OR. since the 70s, and they
are great people to deal with.
Joan Tatum
Hello, If I remember correctly Metals Technic edited by Tim
McCreight has a chart showing how to make stakes, including the
Delron ones. A year ago I learned how to do anticlastic
raising. It’s a lot of fun, but it took me about two weeks of
hard work to get my hands strong enough to make the shapes well.
Best of Luck, Pauline
Ron, I didn’t have the money to buy stakes so made several over
a period of 10 years of so. To start with for simple bowls all
that is needed is either a leather bag or a stump modified with
various sized holes burned in its surface, until the principle of
sinking is learned. For raising plain wooden stakes 2 inches
square and 1x2 are made, then just ground and polished whenever
their forms need changing. Just like a bench pin they will
gradually erode and die to be replaced when needed.
Hammers to start can just be those big cheap red wooden mallets
that areground then polished. LAter mallets can be turned on a
lathe in various styles. I made raising hammers by the simple
expedient of drilling handle holes in the right sized hot rolled
steel bar.
The first metal stake is just a 2 inch long piece of 2 inch
round bar welded onto a 1 inch round handle and then ground down
to a dome shape then polished. Since then i’ve added bekirons,
sinusoidal stakes and lots of bells and whistles; the first task
is to gain the confidence to make the first cusom tool then
modify it until it is right.
A sinusoidal stake is too difficult to make at first, but it is
a whole lot easier to make several of different sizes, each with
a single anaclastic saddle on top. I have made several saddle
stakes over time and use them instead of the sinusoidal stake I
sweated blood to make.
Two important points in this rambling dissertation. 1) For
handmade tools make the handles long so they can be clamped into
a bench vise as making those tapered square handles for the
standard holder will drive you nuts. 2) Hot rolled steel is hard
enough for the tinsmith/silversmith’s purpose. There ain’t no
such animal as tool steel so hard it can’t be damaged by misplace
hammer blows and the hot rolled is a whole lot easier to modify
and repolish.
All this of course in my purely amateur opinion.
Geo.
Interesting as usual following this thread. Anticlastic raising
is a fascinating technique developed primarily by Heikki Seppa
(who wrote the book) and then taken to new heights most notably
by Michael Good along with others: Sean Gilson, Jerry Scavezee,
etc.
Michael Good will teach a 5-day workshop on this technique
during our 2000 Masters Symposium in April-May of next year.
Alan Revere
Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts
760 Market Street . Suite 900
San Francisco . California . 94960 . USA
tel: 415 . 391 . 4179
fax: 415 . 391 . 7570
email: alan@revereacademy.com
web site: www. revereacademy.com
Dear Susan… IF you get the Michael Good article I would love
to have it also… I only have three magazines by Aurum. They
then went out of business…They had the most wonderful magazine
and great jewelery…calgang…
Hi, I read the message of Pam Chott about the instructions for
maiking stakes published by Lapidary Journal on March 96 issue.
Does anyone know or have this article? Could someone fax it to
me or send it by air mail? If someone could help me, please
contact me at @merieux Thank you for your help
and best regards, CAMILA
So Allen: Care to give us a little preview-teaser of what other
masters you have lined up for next Summer’s Masters Symposiums?
Cheers
Virginia Lyons
Alan, How can I get info on the Michael Good anticlastic raising
workshop? I took 2 workshops from Heikki Seppa in the 1970’s and
would love to get into it again. Thanks! Susan Crow.
@susan_crow
Virginia and others: Until it is all nailed down, tight and shut,
I will have to keep the lineup of our 2000 Masters Symposium
under wraps. I will say that I am talking with the very top
people in several niches: gem carving, enameling, granulation,
and some other interesting/exotic techniques. However, we are
always open to suggestions, so please let us know whom you would
like to learn from.
Alan Revere
If you give me your snail address I will put you on the mailing
list and send you the Winter/Spring 2000 brochure as soon as it
is available in October. It contains the details on our Masters
Symposium (April 17 to May 5) including the workshop taught by
Michael Good. Also, keep an eye on our website where the dates
and other will be posted. If you are really eager
and want to secure a place now for the 5 day workshop, send a
$250 fully refundable deposit. If you have other questions, let
me know
Alan Revere
Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts
760 Market Street . Suite 900
San Francisco . California . 94960 . USA
tel: 415 . 391 . 4179
fax: 415 . 391 . 7570
email: alan@revereacademy.com
web site: www. revereacademy.com