[Jewelry making - Article 01601] - Re: [Orchid] Kraftwerks 2006

[karen]

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    Lately, I seem to be hitting the trade show circuit. First Clasp,
    then MJSA's Tradeshow for Jewelry Makers and this weekend,
    Kraftwerks. 

    I signed on about a year ago with Daniel Ballard and Kraftwerks,
    using the time frame to teach a flexshaft class in Santa Barbara,
    swing by Kraftwerks and teach there and then head out for my vacation
    in Thailand. Well, the workshop fell through, and the military
    decided that September is a great time to stage a coup, thereby
    canceling my trip, I was a bit reluctant to board a plane and head
    out for California again. 

    After the professionalism of Clasp, where every detail was
    considered for the attendees, my landing in Ontario, California was a
    bit rougher. My luggage arrived before I did due to overbooking and
    United Airlines had it sequestered in their office where I could only
    retrieve it after all the other luggage had been despensed. Ontario
    airport has little public transportation or taxis, however Jurgen
    Maerz was kind enough to fetch me from the airport in his very spiffy
    and tiny Mercedes sports car. He asked if I could hold my suitcase in
    my lap. My lap? I'm a woman after all, and you don't just bring what
    you need when you travel, but a selection of clothes, not to mention
    the 38 pounds of flex-shaft tools of which I pray that TSA doesn't
    root through too roughly, making my supplies look like yard sale
    shrapnel. I arrived at the hotel and collapsed after a long day. 

    I arrived this morning to his huge factory and lots of hands on
    demonstration areas. First up was Jurgen Maerz from the Platinum
    Guild. He had a platinum ring set up to solder (weld) and asked for
    volunteers to try it out for themselves. Solder platinum? My hand
    shot up faster than the space shuttle. Jurgen guided me to the sound
    look of a propane oxy torch. A hissy flame, of propane oxy, very
    cobra like, if you have ever heard me talk about the properties of
    torch control. Oh, this was fun and I successfully welded the ring
    shut. 

    Next was Paul Klecka who gave the most inspiring talk on the Soul of
    CAD. CAD has a soul? Hey, you are talking art here. With an excellent
    set of images comparing the similarities of mathematical fractal
    images and those of nature, he eloquently articulated how CAD was an
    extension of his hand, heart and mind. Beginning with with a block of
    wax, he demonstrated the tricks of CAD using the software as a
    carving tool. Never diverting from the soul of CAD he showed the
    group how he makes design decisions, showing some of the software's
    unique features and its limitations. For me, it was the first time I
    really understood how CAD worked, or most importantly, why I would
    use it. 

    Jeff Gram brought out four faceting machines. Volunteering for this
    one as well, I began working on faceting a piece of quartz. How often
    have we read Lapidary Journal, flicking through the Step by Step and
    passing by the faceted gem projects with the odd sequences of numbers
    and the outline of a stone. Ah, the numbers have been de-mystified!
    This cool machine showed me how to turn and grind my little cube of
    quartz into the beginning of a faceted stone. 

    TSI who makes small desktop size casters for the dentistry industry,
    brought their casting examples and their machine. We watched
    stainless steel and platinum being cast in this elegant design for
    casting. 

    The last talk was on a white 950 palladium alloy. I'm profess, I'm
    not a bench jeweler, but watching the enthusiasm of many bench
    jewelers and having the opportunity to use a laser welder, it's just
    cool. 

    Kraftwerks is a jewel. I am out of a conference hall and in the
    trenches putting my hands on materials and tools that I would never
    have access to in any trade show. I'm having FUN out here. There are
    generous minds all sharing, all talking about what they do and how
    they do it. This is a hands-on trade show. We are relaxed, drinking
    beer and spending time talking to all kinds of interesting people.
    Oh, and remember Karen Lechner who won the Tucson Orchid Raffle last
    February? She is here and soaking up lots of information. Sitting
    next to me is Nancy Monkman who writes the newsletter for SNAG. Yup,
    this is great and I will be back next year. 

    This conference is a well kept secret, but I think soon, the word
    will get out. This is a good one folks. I arrived tired and grumpy
    and am now having a blast. Kudos to Daniel Ballard for all his hard
    work. 

-k

Karen Christians
M E T A L W E R X
Jewelry/Metalarts School & Cooperative Studio
50 Guinan St.
Waltham, MA 02451
Ph. 781/891-3854 Fax 3857
http://www.metalwerx.com
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