New in Shop: Wolf Hunter Chain Maille Necklace

The Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team's 2010 monthly challenge is based on each month's name of the Full Moon. There are multiple names that the moon can go by according to different cultures and mythologies. For January, I chose to work with the Native American name: Wolf Moon.

I thought it would be easy to find lupine inspiration, if nothing else surely I could create something involving werewolves. A few weeks of no inspiration and mounting frustration, I approached my teammates with the question of what they do when they have a creative block. At the suggestion of one teammate I waded through a bag of supplies that I forgot I had. It was full of pendants, findings, gemstones, and a couple of Mahogany Obsidian arrowheads. In my wolf research, I read about Wolf's Bane which is an herb and one of the common names for Aconite. Several species of aconite are poisonous and have been used as arrow poisons to hunt ibex and bear as well as in warfare. It is also historically correct that Native Americans used Mahogany Obsidian for arrowheads. So my Wolf Moon chain maille piece is actually inspired by my herbal research (it's all connected).


I did a very simple wire wrap on an arrowhead and suspended it on a length of copper chain maille. This chain maille weave is most commonly known as Full Persian, but as with so many maille weaves goes by a few different names: one of them is Foxtail. I chose to work in copper because of how earthy a metal it is. It was turning out to be quite a substantial piece, so I didn't think just any clasp would do. I wanted to make something that could carry the bulk and toughness of the piece. I also wanted it to feel like the hunter made it himself to carry the prized arrowhead that caught the wolf that tormented his village. I wanted it to feel rustic.

The Wolf Hunter Chain Maille Necklace is available both in my Artfire Studio and Etsy Shop.

Upcycling Electrical Wire to Make Copper Chain Maille

I always get a mix of reactions from people when I share with them that about 90% of the copper I work with is actually upcycled electrical wire: confused, mystified, excited, etc. Basically, electricians usually have some wire leftover after a job and I've been able to get my hands on some of it from time to time. What that means, however, is that I have to strip the protective plastic coating in order to get to the gorgeous copper wire hiding underneath it. The wire usually ranges in gauge sizes between 15 and 18 and they are entwined in each other so even after you have the wire stripped, it still needs to be separated. Stripping wire is a project, but so worth it. If you are given the opportunity and want to give it a try, here are a few pointers. Be sure to read through all instructions and cautions before you attempt to strip wire yourself.



What you'll need:
-length of electrical wire
-utility knife
-eye protection
-a cutting board, cork board, mat or a bench or work table that can get scratched up if the utility knife slips



How to do it:
-Wearing your eye protection, place your electrical wire on your cutting surface and click open your utility knife. The knife doesn't have to be out very far (in fact, it shouldn't be), just a couple of clicks should do it.
-Start at one end of your wire and cut into it with your knife, making a slice about 2" long. Put down your knife and start to peel the plastic back. Right now, you're not trying to cut all the way through the plastic coating. You are simply taking off the very outermost sheer plastic shell. Continue to cut and peel until the outer layer is completely off.
-Repeat the process, this time cutting through the thick plastic that protects the copper. The trick is to cut deep enough to split the coating, but not so deep that you mar the copper wire underneath. Stop cutting about an inch away from the end of the wire, you should be able to pull this off fairly easily.
-Now, you can either untwist the different gauges or leave them entwined until you're ready to use them (that's what I usually do).



CAUTIONS:
Take great care not to cut anywhere near your fingers. I usually keep one hand holding down the wire on the opposite side of the direction the knife is cutting.

Take your time and go slow. Rushing leads to injury when you're working with a utility knife.

I know I said it before, but I'll say it again: wear eye protection.

Work with short cuts at a time. It's easier to manage and there's less chance of injuring yourself with smaller cuts.

If you take a break or walk away for any reason, close your knife!!

If you get tired, stop and come back to it later. After stripping wire for an hour you are bound to get tired and that's when mistakes happen.


*If you do strip some wire for yourself , I'd love to see what you make! Share links in the comments below.*

New in Shop: Gaia Bracelet

I've always admired the Jens Pind (pronounced yens pint) chain maille weave. I like the rope-like nature of it (both the looks and feel of it), but also that it's very intricate and delicate at the same time that it's strong. It's a captivating spiral weave and for some reason, despite how much I love it, it took me until this past weekend to sit down and try it for the first time. Needless to say, I was hooked. It works up fairly quickly and feels nice in the hand.

I've also had it in my head to make some multi-strand bracelets for a long time now, combining the intricacies of chain maille with the earthiness of gemstones. Working up a pure copper Jens Pind chain, the thought occured to me that this would be the perfect marriage. I'd like to introduce to you the Gaia Bracelet.


Gaia is a Greek Goddess also known as Earth Mother. She is the earth and all the power of the earth. Gaia was the original deity at Delphi, for she is the giver of dreams, mantic oracles and prophecies. She is a reminder that we must ground ourselves in the reality of nature and incorporate all sides of ourselves, be they pleasant or unpleasant, light or dark. All bodies eventually return to her, into the black, fertile earth, to be devoured and to receive her life to live again.

The Gaia Bracelet is available in both Athena's Armoury Artfire Studio and Etsy Shop.

Meet Gawain, My Male (or maille - *snort) Model

Mantle available in the shop soon.

Well, I couldn't call him Arthur or Lancelot -- that's waaaaaaay too obvious.

I rescued Gawain from the depths of the theatre where I work. He appeared to be abandoned and unloved for quite some time (evidenced by the somewhat unclean fabric and marks at the neck).

Today, Gawain is modeling the mantle I made forever ago and was waiting for the perfect model to try it on. The mantle was woven using historical methods of weaving in Euro 4-1 (bright aluminum with copper trim).

Armour for Your Heart

Valentine's Day is right around the corner (10 days, to be exact!) and there are some fun, unique items in Athena's Armoury that you won't find anywhere else!

Chain Maille Heart Keepsake

This adorable little puffed heart piece of chain maille was made using the hana gusari weave. Perfect for both men and women: the heart is cuddly with red felt on the inside, but also hardcore because it was made from a weave originally used for armour. It's a great little keepsake to tell someone how you feel or even a reminder to have a strong heart.

Armour for Your Heart

This choker necklace is perfect for those who want to protect their heart. The classic Euro 4-1 chain maille weave (used for centuries for making armour) was used here to create a heart out of stainless steel rings. The heart is attached to the leather cording with a copper bail echoing the shape of the heart. The clasp is also hand forged from copper wire.

You can see other Valentine's Day items in my VDay for Women Warriors shop section.

In other news, I personally am not looking forward to Valentine's Day because I'm having a tooth extracted. =(

Bags, Bags Everywhere

I'm excited to announce the addition of more styles of Dice Bags in my Etsy shop: Athena's Armoury. During December, I was in a Dice Bag making frenzy: both standard as well as some custom orders.

My standard Dice Bag was quite the craze as a Christmas present to many a geeky significant other (I say that with lots of love since I have one of my own: self-proclaimed no less!).

One of the custom orders I did was for the same size as my standard bag, but with copper cinch rings instead.

When someone saw me working on a Dice Bag at work, I got a custom order for a Crown Royal size Dice Bag.

All of these styles are now available at Athena's Armoury!

Please note that the two standard size style bags both ship within three business days of payment, however, the Uber Dice Bag (Crown Royal size) will be made when I receive your payment and will ship out in approximately two weeks. If time is a concern, contact me first.

I've Been MIA: Here's What I've Been Up To

I've been horrible about updating lately!! The last few weeks have been insane. I'm not sure how it happened, but I was still rushing to wrap and ship Christmas presents even though I started shopping in October.

I finally finished up my custom orders. I had one order for two Dice Bags, one of my standard and the second with copper cinch rings:

I was spotted working on a Dice Bag while at work and got a custom order on the spot for a Crown Royal size bag:

I don't have any in shop at the moment, but if you want a Dice Bag just drop me a Convo through my Etsy shop and I will get back to you with an estimate of how soon one can be ready (usually 3-4 days).

I got to go to the Atomic Holiday Bazaar in Sarasota recently and walked away with all kinds of awesome booty. You can see some it in my flickr Customer Appreciation Set. Also, I finally upgraded to a Pro flickr account! Ooooh, the organization possibilities!

I recently hit 150 Hearts! THANK YOU!


The folks over at Real Simple gave Etsy an awesome shoutout in their December issue:


Need a last minute handmade gift? Check out Etsy's fantastic new feature called Shop Local. It will show you all of the Etsy shops in your neighborhood.

The Fantasy Artists of Etsy (FAE) Street Team's December Newsletter is out! You can sign up to receive our once monthly newsletter here.

You have just 11 more days to check out the FAE Christmas Exhibition. There are many wonderful items here from our members.

We've got another wonderful feature over at our FAE website called the Magic Door. Every single day, it is updated to take you to a different member shop. It's a little happy surprise to go through that door!

Will Copper Turn My Skin Green?

Personally, I love copper. I love it when it's bright and shiny and even after it starts to oxidize and get darker. There's a bit more weight to it than bright aluminum or even sterling silver and has such a beautiful warm glow. I love mixing it with other metals for a two tone look. Also, I'm not an expert, but there is a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest it might help people reduce the pain of arthritis.

I do get a lot of questions and comments from people about whether or not copper will make their skin turn green. Copper oxidizes by darkening and then turning green, just as sterling does so by tarnishing and iron does so by rusting. It's a natural process and the environment determines how quickly it happens. It happens faster in high humidity, but the speed of oxidation is also affected by the body chemistry of different people. Some people wear copper every day and it never turns green, some people wear it and it turns in one day. Some people can turn sterling dark in one day, too. We're all different in that way. I guess I'm lucky, because it actually takes quite some time for copper to even begin to show signs of oxidation for me and it also doesn't turn me green, so I get to enjoy wearing this lovely metal!

If you check out my last post, you'll find a quick, easy way to clean your copper if it does start to oxidize. Enjoy!

Etsy Bloggers Street Team Theme: Orange

I've been racking my brain trying to think of a fantastic project I can do using orange jump rings or O-rings, but not having any in stock at the moment put a serious damper on that! But then, I realized that I already have some orange already in both of my shops! I've got some orange pendants in my original Etsy shop, Beach Bum Creations.

But, even more exciting than supplies is something that I've made. Although, not really orange, copper's as close as I've got! You can find this Mobiused Rosette Bracelet in Athena's Armoury, my new shop for chain maille.

That's probably one of my all time favorite bracelets. I made one for myself and always get compliments on it. It was made using 18 gauge copper rings with, I believe, 1/4" inner diameter. It's a variation on the classic Euro 4-1 chain maille weave (most commonly seen in armour).

Cleaning Copper
I've had mine for quite some time now and it's starting to get a little dull, but that's easily fixed. Just mix together some lemon juice and salt, add bracelet, then slosh around a little bit. However, you must make sure you rinse it off!! The salt will make the bracelet crusty if you let it sit and the acid in the lemon juice will eat away at the metal. If you want to make extra certain it's clean of the lemon juice solution and perhaps keep the shine a bit longer, you can make a paste with baking powder and water and rub it on the copper. This will neutralize the acid. Then, of course, rinse again and dry. Beautiful, shiny copper once again!