Patina and Polish

HandFast makes components in four solid metals. They are tarnish resistant sterling silver, pink silver (shibuichi), silicon bronze and white bronze. We may add more as time goes on. Since they are solid metal. Designers can alter them. I have seen CS203 modified by a designer to a satin finish and CS143 with no patina and buffed to a high polish. That is why we make them of solid metal, so you can control what the final product looks like.

Each of these metals or alloys have specific qualities. The first is Silver.

CS143 polish with patina

CS203 high polish no patina

 

Tarnish resistant sterling silver is the most precious. It is 92.5 silver combined with germanium and copper. Prices have made silver beyond the pocket book of some of us. Silver can be the whitest of metals, but with the addition of patina, silver can show texture and depth. 

Silicon Bronze or Jeweler's Bronze is a very durable metal. It has the golden color associated with gold when it is in a high polish, but it has a richer more rosy color when it has patina.

KF171B high polish no patina

KF1B polish and patina

 

 

 

 

Lizzie and leaves

This spring has brought changes to my life. For many years I traveled the roads with my Airstream and Yukon. I saw much of the western United States that way and felt wonderful carrying my home with me. The Yukon grew older and I stopped using my Airstream travel trailer as much. Part of me wanted to hand onto them just in case. The other part wanted to release them.

Last year I sold the Airstream to a great guy who took it to Taos NM and Texas. In December I let the Yukon go to a man in Phoenix. He spent a lot of time and money bringing it up to its full power and beauty. One week after it was ready, the Yukon saved his daughter's life when she was T boned at a busy intersection in Phoenix.

My little Toyota was put into service as the all purpose vehicle. The last show I went to the trunk of the Toyota was bungeed shut.When I went to Tucson the vehicle was filled to the top and my little dog Pooh sat on my lap for the ride to Phoenix. There was no more room.

In February I went looking for a new vehicle, and I found her. She came home with me last week. I used AAA. They have a free service for their members which will assist in the selection and purchase of the appropriate vehicle. The buyer looked through the dealers for my car. He shopped my trade in. When we picked everything he asked me if I had financing, I did and he took the terms and found me better financing. The last part was when he had the new vehicle trucked up to Prescott for me and I traded in my Toyota.

I love my new car - she is a beautiful deep violet blue. She is named Lizzy after Elizabeth Taylor's violet eyes.

As for the leaves, well I made some new clips to add to the Gingko Clip that a lot of people have purchased. When I was a girl we had clips to put on our shoes, belts and hats to dress them up. I know that I have necklaces that have beautiful beads on them and sometimes I want to change them up. The clips I have created are of leaves mostly and one flower. As time goes on I will create more. Some of them are different sizes of pieces that I have already created so they can be integrated into a theme. I put them up on www.handfast.biz yesterday. I have photos of all the metals they come in. I hope you like them.

Flower Clip in Silver

 

Oak Leaf in Pink Silver

 

Maple Leaf in Bronze