Book Comparisons - metal and wire

With the economy the way it is, people are more cautious about what they spend their money on. I have had several requests for book comparisons.

Altered Curiousities by Jane Ann Wynn. I like this book because it works with found objects. There is also resin and soldering in this book. Some of the techniques are advanced. There is some basic wire wrapping and cold joins. It is a must for people who do found object assemblages.

Making Metal Jewelry by Mark Lareau. What I like about this book is that it is serious about metal jewelry. There is a small section at the beginning about tools. There are a lot of advanced techniques for people who do a lot of metalwork and have the tools. You cannot be afraid to solder to use what's in this book.

Semiprecious Salvage by Stephanie Lee. I discovered this book by accident while roaming the local bookstore. There is some serious metal etching in this book. I am going to be doing that this summer since I can open up my garage door. This has a variety of techniques that uses found objects. It gets into some serious metal work with torches. You can adapt the techniques to what you do if you know enough about metal working and cold joining. This is another book that I like.

Metal Craft Discovery Workshop by Linda nd Opie O'Brien. This is a good book for metalworking beginners. You can get a lot of the supplies off the Net or from Volcano Arts. volcanoarts.biz There are a variety of techniques for assemblages. The techniques are not really difficult and a good starting point if you are not sure where to start or where you want to go yet.

Creating Wire and Beaded Jewelry by Linda Jones. I got this book so I could do more wire wrapping. I recommend this book if you want to know how to do more than an eyelet. There are a lot of good looking jewelry out there done with beads and wire wrapping.

Making Connections by Susan Lenart Kazmer. This book carries a hefty price of $48 since she self-published it. Is it worth the money? I am leaning towards no especially if you have taken any of her workshops. It is definitely cheaper than the cost of one of her workshops. It has a lot of eye candy but I have seen quite a bit of it on her website. She does devote a section to sawing. There is also a brief discussion of tools she uses. She does give instructions on how to do certain techniques for her jewelry. I found the instructions and diagrams kinda brief. You might not "get" how to do it unless you have done it before. If you absolutely love the jewelry she makes and want to know how she puts the layers together, then this book is for you. If you have advanced knowledge of cold and hot joining, then you don't really need this book. I do love what Richard Salley does though. There is a section on how to make your own rivets out of wire. I had already learned that awhile back, so I just skipped over that. The book also shows you how to do hinges. I do think that the book is more eye candy than technique. Some people may not share my feelings. Just my opinion anyway. She also has a checklist in the back of the book for getting a jewelry studio set up for under $1000. Okay, raise your hands if you have that laying around! I have never taken a workshop with her. They get filled up in minutes and it is too expensive for me. I will be using some of the techniques in her book.

Hope that helps you out. Email me if you have any questions or comments.