The Chronicles of Amber (Tree Progression Thread)

[Roan]

ROFL! Thanks

[ejs]

Thank you very much for the descriptions and photos. I find it fascinating.

[nansaidh]

This is silver-colored wire, right? Not sterling/argentium? <gasp>

~n

[Roan]

Silver-colored, yes, definitely

Maybe at some point I'll do a sterling silver tree, but I'll need to sell a lot of trees to be able to afford the wire.

Eileen

[Roan]

Before I move on from my last post, here's another view of the last picture that will give you a better idea of how the tree will look:



Now we get to my FAVORITE part, forming the branches.

It's all about twisting the wires to create thick, medium and thin branches. Starting from the bottom:



The wires must always end up in pairs for the final branches. When I divide the wires for twisting, I always pull them two at a time. Sometimes you end up with an odd number and when that happens one is clipped and twisted into the rest. Sometimes I cut an entire branch in half anyhow, just because real trees aren't perfect.

. . .

[Roan]

In this picture you can see I've finished all the main branches on the left and have started the large twist for a big branch on the right:



The left one now has its main branches:



One reason I love this part so much is that I can see the shape of the tree forming and can visualize how it will look finished.

And here is the full tree with all its branches. If I stop here and shape it, I can turn it into a wind-swept tree:



. . .

[Roan]

Btw, I do ALL my tree wrapping in front of the TV watching a DVD. Last night I watched "21" and really enjoyed it.

Now comes one of the parts I find MOST boring -- forming the loops. It also hurts my fingers. This is where the TV helps a lot with the boredom.

The Loops:
Each pair of wires is twisted together and one is crossed over and looped. Sorta like twist-ties on a loaf of bread. This is done repeatedly until I have -- usually, but it depends on the size and type of tree I'm making -- 5-7 loops:



After I form the last loop, the wire is continually twisted for about an inch to form a "tail". Then the excess wire is cut off. The tail will form another loop during the second part of the loop process.

Progression with the loops -- did I mention I hate this part? BORING! OUCH!



Here we go -- one side completely done:



. . .

[Roan]

Okay, all the initial loops are done:



The next step in the tree is to "tighten" the branches and loops and form the end loops from the tails. This step requires using my flat-nosed and my beading pliers.

. . .

I totally forgot to photograph the amber when it came out of the 500 grit, but I have photos of it after the 1000 grit pre-polish:



Right now the amber is running in tripoli.

That's all for this evening,
Eileen

[Titania]

Thanks for posting these, Roan! I'm finding this whole process totally fascinating!

[Roan]

You're welcome, Titania

[nansaidh]

Sept 4, 2008 13:13:09 GMT -5 Roan said:

Silver-colored, yes, definitely

Maybe at some point I'll do a sterling silver tree, but I'll need to sell a lot of trees to be able to afford the wire.

Eileen

*whew* !!! 200 feet <choke> of argentium wire... ack!

[nansaidh]

I think I would definitely not care for the twisting loops thingie too. You are so patient!

~n

[Roan]

It dumbs down a lot if you are watching TV

That's 200 feet just for the branches, plus I use another 100-150 feet to wrap the trunk. So you're looking at 300-350 feet of wire. Around $200 worth for sterling silver, dead soft and about the same for 12 Kt gold filled, dead soft.

Hey, if someone wants to pay for the wire, I'll do it

[LCARS]

Thanks for the update!

This is going to be a very cool thread to follow.
We are all drooling in anticipation of your next report.

[Roan]

Thanks, Lcars

I'll try to get some more up tonight, but I have to get to bed early. We have a Lipizzaner evaluation in WV and need to leave in the early AM. Hopefully, we'll get back before Hanna gets serious.

Eileen

[catskillrocks]

Thank you for this incredible progression. Your trees are beautiful, looked like a lot of work went into them, and your reports show just how much hard work is involved. Thank You!

[sitnwrap]

Eileen, I really am enjoying this.

How tall is the tree? I was just wondering if "mini" trees can be done.

[Roan]

Thanks, guys.

I won't know how tall the tree will be until its done, really, but probably 8". I start with 12" wires and lose about 3-4 inches is the root. The rest depends on how I do the branches.

I've done a few "mini" trees with 28 gauge wire and can be a royal pain to do. It depends on the softness of the wire.

Hrm, here, I have a "mini" aventurine tree in my Gallery:



I think the tree on that is about 3" tall. The loops for a tree that small have to be very small and so must the gemstones.

Eileen

[Roan]

We didn't make it to the evaluation. Hanna spit all over us

Got the box of slabs from stonesthatrock yesterday. Inside are sodalite, different types of pet wood and a bunch of Az pet wood tumbling rough.

I really like the chatoyant wood slab, but I think I will go with the more colorful Arizona pet wood instead. The tumbling rough Mary Ann sent has a few pieces that look like "big" logs of pet wood and would make a great mountainside for the tree. I do have a couple of large 1-2" pieces of amber for accents. Have to see once I get it all set up and arranged.

So, I need the big pieces out of the tumbler and the done tree to figure out what the final design will be.

Pictures later. Going out to eat

[Roan]

Part . . . Whatever

Sorry I've taken so long to update. Been busy!

Next step is to take the flat-nosed pliers and the round-nosed beading pliers and finalize the branches. Each loop is twisted in a uniform fashion until a nice, small, round loop remains at the end. The "tail" is twisted tightly and then the beading pliers are used to form a new loop:



All the twists are tightened as well. Here's the final result:


Last thing to do to the tree before it is set into the base is to hammer all the loops. The loops are hammered flat in order to ensure a goodly amount of space for the glue and stones to adhere to.

I'll be starting on that this evening.

The amber is finished! . . .