Copper-working courses offer a new meaning to the word “spooning”
Artist Carmen Segger displays the gleaming copper spoon she learned how to make through a course offered by young English silversmith Adam West. The skills Carmen picked up will allow er to create, should she chose to do so, other objects in silver. David F. Rooney photo
By David F. Rooney
English silversmith Adam West is enjoying a different kind of winter vacation teaching interested men and women how to create useful — and elegant — objects from copper and, by extension, silver and other metals.
The young man from Sheffield came here a few months ago and in mid-December began offering weekend courses in basic metal working using copper.
While copper is not a precious metal it is a nearly ideal metal to use when you’re first learning how to produce attractive objects or jewellery.
West will be offering other weekend-long courses on making bowls, bangles and jewellery beginning in March.
Scroll down the page to see some of Andy’s students in action:
Adam West displays some of the silver and gilded silver objects his students could make once they have mastered some of the skills he is teaching them through a series of courses this winter. His pupils are using copper, a relatively cheap metal, to make spoons, bowls and other objects. David F. Rooney photoThe interior of this lovely bowl bears and interesting design etched with acid. David F. Rooney photo
Adam gently hammers on out the rim of a bowl. David F. Rooney photoThis is a beautiful gilded cup designed specifically for the human hand. You can see the indentation for the thumb on the right side of the cup. David F. Rooney photoCopper can be used for many things, such as this acid-etched knife handle. David F. Rooney photo
A bar od silver, a partly-completed copper spoon and a stick of copper are treated with an acid solution to remove oxidation on their surfaces. David F. Rooney photo
Woodworker Ron Weaver scrubs the spoon he has been working on during West's weekend-long course on spoon making. David F. Rooney photoSilver, copper and gilded silver objects are surrounded by some of the tools used to create them. David F. Rooney photoWeaver carefully hammers the handle of his spoon. David F. Rooney photoRob Maraun uses an ultra-fine scrap of sandpaper to buff this spoon. David F. Rooney photoMaraun, a professional metal worker, enjoys working on something other than "the big iron" he is used to working on. David F. Rooney photoRon and Rob buff their spoons energetically. David F. Rooney photoRon and Rob's nearly completed copper spoons (center) are surrounded by others in various states of completion. David F. Rooney photo
