Learn to drill stones! My new FREE class from Beaducation.

A few weeks back I posted some tips about drilling holes in stones and other objects to use in jewelry making. It is a good skill to know as it allows you to modify pieces that you might already have so you can incorporate them into your designs.

It can get confusing however. Which tool to use? What bit to use? How to start? Securing the bead? So many questions. Well, fret no more. my new video from Beaducation has the answers.

You learn how to use a variety of tools and make bails for the drilled pieces. Just like this:

Class Photo from Beaducation.

It was such fun hanging with my Beaducation peeps. Filming is always fun and Lisa and Aisha make it even better. Here we are getting ready.

 And here I am filming the preview. Lights, camera and action!

I use some diamond drill bits in the video. You can find them in my Etsy store here and here. Beaducation has a whole list of what you need on the website class page. (Link below.)

Ready? You can view the class right here,



or check it out along with all of my other FREE classes on Beaducation.com.
Drilling Stones & Found Objects
All my other Beaducation Classes

Have fun and let me know what you make. I can't wait to hear how you like it!

Easy Metal Jewelry

Hurray! It's official. The latest issue of Easy Metal Magazine just came out and I have four projects featured in it.

Editor Denise Peck was also nice enough to do an interview with me that appears in the issue as well. I talk about how I got started in the biz and what is currently inspiring me. Thanks so much for the feature. It was really awesome of you! It also features a reprint of my "Ode to Portable Torches" from Jewelry Making Daily.

There are a great bunch of projects in this special issue. It's available in the Interweave Store and hits newsstands and craft stores today! Don't miss it.

NEW! DVD Giveaway and Class in the Studio this weekend.

**We have a winner!** Check the comments on the post below. Chosen at random, commenter Teresa gets the DVD.

Middle of April? Okay. If you say so. Things are humming right along in Kate Richbourg-land. I have, like 5 million irons in the fire and each project is fun and challenging at times. I feel like a sprinter that's nearing the finish line. I. am. so. close. to. finishing. Sorry about the radio silence on the blog. Those fun and challenging projects are requiring every second of my writing time.

One big project that I worked on this year (and the end of last) was a DVD set for F&W, Interweave & Craft Daily. The IW gang and I tossed around a few ideas and the one that all of us were most excited about creating was a series on portable torches for the home metalsmith. You can check out the preview here (#solderlikealady).

You can download individual lessons from the DVD on the Interweave Store website, but even better is the just-released 6-lesson DVD. I just received my copies in the mail and I have one to give away to you!

If you'd like a chance to win, leave a comment about why you'd like to #solderlikealady and I'll choose a random winner on Sunday evening. The video covers all of the portable torches that I wrote about in this post for Jewelry Making Daily along with great projects to create.

And a quick note of you are local to the Bay Area and want to get creative this weekend, I have a couple of spots left in my Metal Movement class this weekend at my studio. Check out the details here. All tools and materials provided.

Stay tuned to the blog in the coming weeks as I have more exciting news AND giveaways to share with you. Have a great weekend everybody!

The Fine Art of Knotted Beads

I bought myself a little treat last week for my birthday. Two lovely strands of Blue Apatite Beads. All. For. Me! I thought the best way to string those beauties would be to knot them. I love to knot. It adds so much flair to a simple strand of beads.

I thought I would share what I did with you. Here is the story:

I used two 16" strands of apatite beads, size 2 nylon thread with needle attached, a clasp, a black skull bead,  4 small spacer beads and a rhinestone bead all from my local bead store, Baubles and Beads in Berkeley, CA.

Start by tying a knot at the end of the thread and slide on an endtip (photo 1). Pass the tail through the loop of the knot several times to make a bulky knot that will not slip off the strand. Then string your beads, one by one, and tie an overhand knot after each. Use a fine-tip tweezers if needed to slide the knot into place.

Finish by sliding on an endtip, cutting the needle away from the thread, unravel the threads so there are two ends and tie a square knot into the cup of the endtip (photo 2). Make a bulky knot so that it does not pull through. Seal the knots with clear nail polish and let dry so they won't unravel when the tails are cut away.

And that's it! You can find my tutorial on making an endless knotted strand at this link. And all about how to choose the right necklace lengths here.

You can see that the rhinestone and skull beads are near the clasp. I can wear those in front or scoot them around to the back. The necklace is long enough to wear as a double strand around the neck or wrapped five times around the wrist. It's also a great piece to wear long and layered with other pieces in my jewelry box. I love it!

How to Clean Metal Jewelry Tools.

My tools work hard. They get hammered on. They get used in class. They get packed in a box and shipped across country. Consequently they are not the prettiest tools on the block, but who needs pretty when they are so solid and sturdy?

Sometimes though there is a blemish that I can't ignore...RUST!!! Once in a while when I unpack my tools from a class or if I accidentally leave them next to a corrosive (like Silver Black or other corrosive solutions) or get them wet and forget to dry them off, I spy little sections of rust starting to form on my beloved tools. Rust is the enemy of steel and it has to be dealt with before it becomes an issue.

If I see just a small bit on the surface I'll just buff it away with a swipe of steel wool, but that is just a temporary solution. Rust has a tendency to creep and needs to be eradicated before real damage is done.

No worries! The tool doctor is in and let's meet the patient that I am restoring to health today and the review the supplies I'm using.

My dapping block. Check out the rust. Ick.

Here are my supplies from left to right: WD40, 0000 Steel Wool, 1000 grit sandpaper, Scotch 3M Metal Finishing Pad (Find them in the paint section of your hardware store near the steel wool) and Pro Polish Pads (the best thing for polishing metal EVER. Period. I stock them in my Etsy store.)

First, lay an old towel or rag on your work surface and make sure that you are in a well ventilated area. Spray the effected area with the WD40.

Then grab your steel wool and buff the WD40 into the surface of the tool. See how the rust starts to disappear. Don't wipe off the WD40 yet. Keep it on for the next step.

Next, follow up with the fine grit sandpaper. This helps to refine the surface of the metal. Make sure to use 1000 grit or finer as you don't want to mar the surface of the tool. After this step wipe away the WD40 from the tool.

Use the 3M pad and buff the surface again. This pad is a great tool to bring metal back to life. It resurfaces the tool and makes it look almost like new.

And finally, grab a Pro Polish pad and buff the surface one last time. Make sure that the tool is completely wiped clean with no moisture on the surface. If the Pro Polish pads get wet they leave a gummy residue behind. But used dry they will make the metal shine like new!

Look! The surface is shiny and clean and there is no trace of rust to be found! The WD40 helps the metal resist further rusting. While you're at it check out your pliers, too. I'll bet the tips of your chain nose and round nose pliers might need a little love, too. 

My Xuron tools were looking a little sad, but are now revived and ready to work on an upcoming wire wrap project. 

Taking a little time to tend to your tools will give you many years of use. Do you have any tips on how you care for your tools? Share them in the comments, I'd love to hear them.

New Leather Bracelet Tutorial

I promised this tutorial a while back and kept pushing it back on my blog topics list. I figured it was past time to share it, but I just couldn't (COULDN'T) write it up with all of the writing that I have been doing lately.

As I reviewed the pictures I realized that they speak for themselves, so you know what? I am just going to post this tutorial with a few prompts. Click on each picture to enlarge.

I really love how these bracelets turned out. They are a great companion to my wrapped bracelets tutorial. I had a lot of the materials in my stash. I picked up the leather cord at my local JoAnn Fabrics store. The wire I used for the beads was 24-gauge, but 20 to 26-gauge will work just fine.

If you have questions on specifics, post 'em in the comments and I'll get back to you.

Materials. I used 2mm leather for the base and 1mm for the wraps.
Use whatever you like. It doesn't make much of a difference.

Cut about 4" or so for the wraps. About 12" for the main bracelet.

Make the wraps tight!

To close thread the end through the loop and tighten.

and tighten...

...until the loop pops under the wrap. Pull on both ends to finish tightening.

Let the glue dry and snip off the ends of the cord.

I used a knitting needle that was slightly larger than the cord
as a mandrel for the wire beads.

Twist ends to close.

Snip ends and tuck in twist.

They slide around on the cord.

Make a bunch.

Make a sliding adjustable knot.

Wrap the cord around twice.

Poke the end of the cord from the left and through the loops to the right.

Tighten.

Repeat with the second end of the cord in reverse.

Tighten.

Add a bead to each end and tie a knot to secure.

That's it!

Make a bunch and enjoy!

Hola! FREE Micro Torch Basics Class.

¡Buenos dias! I am back from my trip from Mexico and I can't wait to share what I learned. So many traditional Mexican jewelry-making techniques, designs and materials... My head is bursting.

More on all of that great stuff later on the blog. (I gotta TON of pics to download.) Right now I want to share something EXCITING that happened while I was away.

Looky...

My new class on Craftsy.com.

It's FREE!!! That's right! No charge and you can watch it again and again and again. All you need to do is sign up and become a member of Craftsy.com. In my class you'll learn how to use a butane micro torch PLUS how to make a couple of my favorite ring projects. I walk you through each step on using the torch, setting up a safe workspace and other tips and tricks so you won't be afraid to turn on that torch and get started.

The class is broken down into five separate lessons so the class is easy to navigate and presents techniques in easy to follow portions.

I am so super-proud of this class and so happy that students are enjoying it. Are you new to Craftsy? You can learn all about their online classes here. You can check out my activity and projects on the site by following my profile.

Things don't stop there, though! I have a second class coming up in the next couple of weeks... stay tuned, I think you are going to like it. 

Now go forth and fire it up!

It's a Snap...

Last Saturday I had one of those learning moments in class. I kind of love the part of class when what you are teaching results in an epiphany. This time it was about snaps.

So here how it went...
The wonderful Bead Inspirations in Alameda, CA hosted my class and I had five eager cuff-makers. Everyone did such a great job. Here are a few pics of the class projects.

It was a fun day of designing and stitching. However, there was one small glitch. The snaps. It's one thing when you are creating by yourself to pound (and pound, and pound, and pound) snaps into leather, but it's quite another when you have five students all trying to pound unruly snaps and having varying degrees of success. I am happy to say that everyone did get those snaps in, but with a little more elbow grease than I thought.

The class went great but before teaching it again, the snap situation would need to be resolved. After class I went to the the fabric store to search for a solution and lo and behold, I found this in the notions aisle:

Find it at this link.

They are perfect for the leather cuffs. Here is how they work.

 There are four pieces to the snaps.

To add the top receiving end of the snap, push one of the pronged pieces through the leather and place it on the snap fastening tool. These are size 16 snaps, so place it in the size 16 slot so it fits snugly. Make sure that all of the prongs are completely pushed through the leather. The outside of the pronged piece sits on the outside of the leather with the snap sitting on the inside.

 Place the snap component on the prongs.

Close the setter and strike it with three or four blows with a plastic or rawhide mallet.

Repeat with the other side of the snap. This time the outside of the prong component goes on the inside of the leather. Push the prongs through the leather. The snap component sits on top. Close the setter and tap to secure the snap to the leather.

Here is the finished cuff with the snaps in place. They are nice and tight and easy to snap open and closed.

I also taught the students to make felted beads and how to turn them into acorn dangles. I need to attach this one to my cuff. Want to make felted beads of your own? I posted a tutorial over on Snapguide.

All-in-all a fun project and I am so glad that these snaps are perfect for the cuffs. Thanks again to my students. I had a great day stitching with you!