Haponesang Sunog or losely translated as the Sunburned Japanese Girl is a cute, generous, informative site.
This website has great information.
I was sucked into it when I was browsing Manila jewelry craft sites and one click led to another. It talks bout how to make circle blanks and rectangular blanks or where to buy them if you don’t want to make. It talks about metal stamp suppliers and her preparation for the metal stamping workshops that she was offering.
What I found interesting were a few pointers:
- The mention of a bracelet bending bar. A bracelet mandrel is used in metal forming which I’ve actually never used but which my teacher mentioned a long time ago.
- The advice to use a 16 oz or 1 pound hammer as lighter hammers wouldn’t impress on the metal as well.
- The recommendation to use 18, 20 or 24 gauge for aluminum and thicker for brass.
- The list of metal blank suppliers is also pretty, if you aren’t into making your own.
- The use of a paper cutter for rectangular blanks. I wouldn’t have thought it could take metal, so I’m surprised that such a low cost and easy hack works.
Some of this information is new to me while some of it are things that I practice myself. I’d add CKK Tools and Supplies as another really good supplier for jewelery makers because they have some serious stuff – roller mills, fantastic files, and drills. They’re expensive but they are the only carriers of jewelry supplies that I know. There may be others in Bulacan but I’ve never been so I can’t say.
In addition, the information is organized well and the writing is clear, which makes it a joy to read. I even stopped by her Etsy store, which I have not done for other sites.
In any case, it’s good to see another good resource for craft jewelry makers in Manila, and it’s nice to see information being shared.
Soap, Suds and Stuff 