The Shop

The traditional coppersmith manufactured cookware and vessels such as kettles and coal scoops needed in his time. Now, the coppersmith is often an artesian interested in preserving the craft of old. I have practiced several techniques in forming copper by hand such as raising and planishing and found that it takes a great deal of time and energy to create quality work, a great deal. So, for practical reasons I have abandoned some of the old techniques, kept quite a few and have integrated some of the new.

One process in which I have become interested is that of photo etching. It has most commonly been used in making plates for the printing and printmaking trades. In the process of etching, the metal is coated with a thin layer called the ground. Since the 17th century, thin lines have been scratched into the ground and the exposed metal etched in acid. In the 1820's Joseph Nicephore Niepce developed the first photo sensitive etching resist. Modern technology now employs photo etching in the production of electronic circuit boards and many other products. Using similar methods with nontoxic materials, Quicksilver Copperworks is able to photo etch digital photographs and graphic images to a resolution of about 600 dots per inch.

In addition to photo etching, the shop has tools for shearing and bending sheet metal, soldering, welding, brazing, riveting, polishing and applying patinas.

Artwork In Metal

The Shop