[jbin]

Hello,

My name is Jim Binnion. I leared ofthis forum from a member (Hi Dan) that I met last week while attending a class in Japanese Zogan inlay techniques in San Francisco.

I am a metal artist working mostly in mokume gane for jewelry applications. I have been making mokume gane for about 25 years now. My web site is www.mokume-gane.com it mostly is about my wedding ring business which is the bread and butter part of my metal work. I am a fan of Japanese craft techniques with an obvious tilt to the metals.

I look forward to learning more from the site members.
Regards,
Jim

[magnus homestead]

Hello Jim,
Welcome to this forum. Your mokume-gane is very beautiful. I especially like your tea pot. I'm thinking the main body was sunk in two parts rather than raised? I do a little raising when I find the time.
Would love to see a tutorial of your making.
Cheers,
Magnus

[DFogg]

Hi Jim,

I have admired your work and books for years. Nice to see you here. Welcome.

Don Fogg

[Mike Ruslander]

Welcome. Awesome work!

[Jim Kelso]

Welcome Jim, from another longtime fan.

Jim

[jbin]

Thanks for the welcome Magnus,

I am very fond of that teapot it was my first large work in mokume, I wish I still had it but it was purchased by a collector. The teapot body was indeed formed from two shells but was not sunk. Due to its size and my lack of a suitable sized rolling mill and not having a power hammer at that time I had to hand forge the sheet for the project. This limited the size of the sheet (7" x7") mostly due to my lack of skill at hand forging large sheet and the daunting prospect of trying to hand forge the 4" cube of mokume laminate needed to make a sheet large enough to raise the body. I used both a jewelers 20 ton hydraulic press and hammers to form the shells. So it was technically raising as the metal did not thin as it would in sinking but the beginning form was pushed up with the press and a large hemispherical punch into a rubber block. Then the wrinkles that formed in the hydraulic pressing were hammered out and the form was then raised further by hand to develop a smaller radius on it.

[jbin]

Hi Don, Mike and Jim

Thanks for the welcome. Don and Jim I am a fan of both of your work.

I look forward to learning more and adding some into the mix as I can.

Jim