Blue Buddha Boutique -- Newsletter - Sept - Oct - Nov

Classes: Descriptions - Calendar - Teaching Locations & Registration - Private Lessons - Newsletter

Sept - Oct - Nov - Dec
2007

A Brief Overview of Anodizing
Weave Diagram

Fall/Winter Classes
Newest Supplies

Happy Autumn, fellow weavers. This year is absolutely flying by, and bringing lots of change. In July, an inventory manager joined the staff full-time to help handle orders and do quality control on the 2.5 million (yes, million!) jump rings we keep in stock. This frees up some of my time to create more kits, classes and of course jewelry. The holiday season will be here before we know it, and we'll be ready to handle all your questions and orders. I'm excited to return to teaching this month, and I hope to see some of you in class or at holiday shows!
—Rebeca

A Brief Overview of Anodizing

Today's maillers can make creations in literally a rainbow of colors. While exciting, sometimes the choices—colors and metals—can be overwhelming. There are several metals that can be colored and used in chainmaille, but they are very different.

Let's take a much closer look at three commonly anodized metals: aluminum, niobium and titanium. These are by no means the only colored metals you can use in chainmaille but they are the only ones that are anodized. (Enameled copper and enameled silver copper have a plastic coating applied directly to the wire, and of course rubber rings are, well, rubber! Perhaps a later issue will go into more details about those materials.)

Anodizing is an electrolytic process. It gets its name because the metal forms the anode portion of an electrical circuit. (High school physics, anyone?) In the cases of Niobum and Titanium, different colors are achieved based on the amount of electricity, so you'll sometimes see these colors refered to as voltage numbers rather than colors. For aluminum, the electricity in effect makes the metal porous, preparing it to receive dye. The actual color is achieved through a long process of dyeing and sealing. And, by the way, anodizing large batches of aluminum can be icky stuff. I've walked through an anodizing factory, and there are chemicals everywhere.

Compare the photos below of Aluminum, Niobium and Titanium. Following the images are more details on the properties of the metals, and the anodizing processes.

If you haven't already read Working with Different Metals in our FAQ, you might want to skim that article first for some general pros and cons of the metals listed below, as well as other commonly used maille metals.

Aluminum
anodized aluminum jump rings

Niobium
anodized niobium

Titanium
anodized titanium

Metal	Element # on Periodic Table	Properties	Price	Finish & Colors	Color Reliability/ Consistency	Wear & Tear
ALUM	Al 13	very lightweight, strong	inexpensive	Most common colors: six colors of the rainbow, plus black, brown, pink and purple. As many other colors are available as there are dyes (but getting an anodizer to make custom colors is generally cost-prohibitive for the hobbyist). Finishes can vary from batch to batch; most are matte, and the highest-quality rings have a glossy finish.	Though there may be some color variation within a batch, it is usually passable for jewelry purposes. It is MUCH tougher to get consistent colors on smaller pieces, such as 20g rings. With each batch, there are several "albino" rings which didn't take the dye at all. From batch to batch, there can be great color variation, as with most items that are dyed. When you're working with aluminum, take care not to open the rings too wide, or you may find the color flakes off of some particular batches. Generally, this would occur on the side of the ring directly opposite the kerf (the gap). See also TIP directly below chart.	Some anodized aluminum lasts longer than others. Pieces exposed to a lot of friction (ie, bracelets) and sunlight tend to lose their color more quickly. I've known people who've worn an aluminum bracelet for a few months and the color was very obviously fading and chiping. On the other hand, one student said that her mother swims in the ocean just about every day with an anodized aluminum bracelet, with no obvious signs of color loss even after several months. So, it's hard to predict.
NIOB	Nb 41	mid-weight, hypo-allergenic	very expensive	Brillant and sparkly colors. Most common colors are pastel colors of the rainbow (pink instead of red, soft yellow instead of yellow), etc. Browns and greys are also available, along with an incredible variety of "cool" colors from sea-green to teal.	Color variation is usually OK within a batch, (though some colors like purple are difficult). There is generally a lot of color variation from batch to batch. You'd think it would be a science rather than an art, but in fact, Monday's 73 Volts can be different from Tuesday's!	Niobium generally holds up well, especially for pieces such as earrings, that have minimal friction and contact with skin. Profuse sweating may affect the color sooner, as can certain skin types. (I don't know of any studies that explicitely point to a certain pH or skin chemical that facilitiates color loss in niobium; this is just based on my own observations). Never use a polishing cloth with niobium, as it can strip the color.
TITA	Ti 22	lightweight, very strong, hypo-allergenic	expensive	Smokey, earthy colors with a matte finish.	Great variation from batch to batch and even within a batch is to be expected. Note the first two titanium photos above for an extreme example of differences within a batch. As with niobium, there is generally a lot of color variation from batch to batch. Titanium is very strong, but also brittle. This means you'll only want to bend the rings back and forth a couple of times. Wiggling too much can cause the ring to be work-hardened to the point of becoming brittle, and then your jump ring might break.	Once again, mixed results for wear and tear. I know of someone who's had a titanium key chain for years, and the color has faded slightly, but is still very obvious. On the other hand, someone on a chainmaille forum recounted how his titanium bracelet faded after only two weeks of wear! He did have problems with other metals, too, so it could have been more a result of his chemical makeup than the titanium....but who knows. Once again, I know of no official research.

All anodized metals can be tumbled, but you'll want to limit the tumbling time.

TIP: Before working with anodized aluminum rings, soak them in water, or tumble, for about 30 minutes. Any rings that are going to lose their color quickly will probably begin to turn during this initial soak. This way, you'll know to avoid using them in your pieces. If you are working with anodized titanium you may also wish to pre-tumble, as the color can be affected by tumbling.

More resources:
Chicago Anodizing—Click on processes & products, then click on "Click here to read about the anodizing process" to read about all 18 anodizing steps in detail. Yes, 18 steps!

Mr Titanium's Guide to Build a Low-Cost Anodizer—Several maille forums I frequent have referenced this site, so you too may already know about it. A valuable source of information if you intend to do your own andodizing.

Weave Variation - Celtic Cross

Golden Celtic Cross Chainmaille

We did a naming contest a while back for this weave a few months ago.
It's based off of Celtic Visions, and there to the left, you can see
one of the original CV units.

Prerequisite: Celtic Visions
Base Metal Ring Sizes: F18 (18g 5/32" / 4.0 mm) is the new size you'll add.
The Celtic Visions should use H18 (18g 3/16" / 4.8 mm) and N16 (16g 9/32" / 7.1 mm)
Silver Ring Sizes: F17 (17g 5/32" / 4.0 mm) is the new size.
The base strip of Celtic Visions uses O14 (14g 19/64" / 7.5 mm) with I16 (16g 13/64" / 5.2 mm)

1. Make a strip of Celtic Visions as as long as you want your piece to be. Yes, the colors are intentionally alternating. You'll see why when the weave gets put together.	2. Now add the smaller F18 rings (18g 5/32" 4.0 mm). Go down the piece, on both sides, and add F18s to the big single rings sandwiched in the middle of the weave. Only add to every other sandwiched ring! The rings added are shown in red above.	3. Now you'll need to add new F18 rings on each side of that single large ring. These rings go through 3 rings...the small ring you just added, plus the two rings on either side of that small ring.
4. Here's what it looks like with an actual ring. Close the ring.	5. This is a side view showing where the next ring goes, on the other side of the big single ring.	6. Repeat steps 3-4 on the bottom half of that unit. Continue this pattern for the entire piece. Note that the new rings may make your piece ever-so-slightly smaller, and certainly stiffer.
NOTE: Before you add the Step 6 rings, make sure that the rings you've just added are in the correct position. They should be nestled on either side of a large ring from the base pattern. If one has hopped over so they're both on the same side of the large ring, make sure to reposition it (which usually can be done without re-opening the ring) before adding the rings to the other side. When you add the rings to the other side, that should lock the weave in place, so no more hopping of rings should occur. Having said all that, however, the "locking in place" is an ideal. I know that with a lot of wiggling, it is possible for the rings to hop over anyway. (At least in the aluminum version....) So just be aware of that possibility when your piece is complete. If your closures are good, the piece is more likely to stay locked in place. Enjoy!

Autumn/Winter Classes
We've updated the class calendar for Septmber and October. Some November and December classes have also been posted. New classes and returning favorites include:

at Briolette

at Caravan

at LillStreet

at Ayla's

Contact the specific store or gallery for a schedule or to register for a class.

Newest Supplies

More sizes and colors are being added to Caravan and Briolette. If there's a size you want sooner rather than later, just let us know and we'll bump it to the top of the production list.
The Jewelry Brass is on schedule to debut in September or October. Stay tuned!
We'll add more findings before the holiday season, so check back for more earwires (including anodized niobium!) and toggles.

Recent additions to the Supplies section:

Dodecahedron Kit
(Japanese Ball)

Base metal and sterling kits to create your own 12-sided ball.

Sterling Silver Textured Toggle
A stunning way to finish a maille bracelet or necklace. Each toggle weighs approximately 3.5g.

japanese chainmaille celtic visions star pendant kit

Celtic Visions Star Pendant Kit
Learn the trick to weaving this piece from the inside out. Kits are available in anodized aluminum or sterling silver.

Jens Pind 5 starter
A starter piece for the incredibly complicated Jens Pind 5. It took Rebeca 6 hours to start this piece, and it's the only weave she still uses a starter for!

Feel free to contact me as always with questions or comments. 773.539.7739 rebeca@bluebuddhaboutique.com

Happy Weaving!

All content written by Rebeca Mojica, Blue Buddha Boutique artist & owner.