Customer Reviews

Metalworking 101 for Beaders: Create Custom Findings, Pendants & Projects (Lark Jewelry Books)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am extremely pleased with this purchase! This is exactly the kind of information I needed to take my beading to another level. The projects are wonderful, directions are detailed and the photos are beautiful. The only thing I wish it had was a section on how to make bezels, but as the title indicates this is a book for folks who are just beginning to do metalwork (yes, you learn to use a torch). Are you a beader who would love to learn how to solder a jump ring, create your own clasp or attach pieces of metal to create a centerpiece or pendant? Then this is the book for you.I highly recommend!
June

This is one of those awesome books that I bought even before the publisher sent it to me for review!
The book starts off with an excellent chapter on tools explaining what you'll need and why you'll need them! It even includes a section on texturing metal that gives some fun and useful ideas.
The next chapter includes some basic metalworking techniques with excellent pictures and graphics to give examples on the discussed techniques.
One of the great things about this book is that the author includes little sidebars that give you tips and ideas from her own experiences that are extremely helpful! In my experience the best advice comes from artists who have come up with techniques devised from years of experience!
The Projects in this book are fantastic. I've said this before, but occasionally projects or items in some craft books are overly simple or super cheesy....you won't find this here! There are some gorgeous earrings, bracelets and necklaces to make!
Great instructions, awesome pictures and over 30 gorgeous projects make this book worth every cent!

I recommend this book for any beader and would-be metalworker....you can do it!

I am very happy with this book. I've had preordered for several weeks. When it arrived, I was so pleased. It's comprehensive yet not overwhelming. The pictures are clear and the text is crisp. The projects cover a full range of earrings, bracelets, necklace focals, clasps, end caps, and more. I can't think of a reason I couldn't make a fully "made it myself" piece of jewelry now.

I have many tools and materials - including solder and torch - but just didn't know how to put it all together. My book arrived yesterday, and I plan on taking full advantage of the four-day Thanksgiving weekend to try out some things, starting, I think, with a clasp for a special necklace.

Altogether an excellent book!
Kate

Good overview of materials needed to begin metalwork. Great photos of project pieces. Fair instructions in the making of the items. Directions were a bit too truncated for a rank beginner to aspire to make any of the projects.

The sections on how to create headpins, clasps and beadcaps- the reason why I purchased the book were too short, but it is a visually appealing book.

Before I actually knew HOW to make any sort of jewelry, I was anxious to LEARN to make jewelry.
I signed up for a local class which was held nearby. It was a two day class, and I was very excited.
I didn't realize when I went that it was a metalworking class. I thought I would be stringing beads.
In actuality I was learning everything which Candie Cooper teaches in this wonderful book, but without any preliminary knowledge or understanding of what I was doing at all.
I was handed the tools and was taught the techniques without explanation.
I am very sorry I had that experience.
I really could have used it in a far more positive manner, slightly later in my design career.

If you grasp what metalworking is, and wish to learn metalworking, on the other hand, you will be delighted to find this great book, Metalworking 101 for Beaders, in which the author, Candie Cooper, illuminates all of the questions I had at the time about the tools, the techniques, such as sawing and annealing (which I was doing, but really poorly), and the materials required. There are even some super design templates for you to use to replicate some of the projects!

I have now progressed in my desire to become a jewelry designer, and I think that the level of Ms. Cooper's creativity is very exciting. I believe the reader will find, as I did, that her encouraging manner is extremely infectious, and that her designs are truly original and charming!

I love the way she shows how to switch things out to give the reader more options on some of the projects as well. You will want to try out this type of jewelry making after one look through the book.

The way in which she teaches is very accessible and clear. Having heard my tale of woe, you can trust me on that!

The first part of the book is an extremely thorough explanation of what will be required as far as tools, techniques, examples of finishes, and so on. Great photos make this section extremely easy to "get". In my experience, bak when, I had never seen some of the tools or heard many of the terms which you will become familiar with. It is not threatening however, because when you use Metalworking 101 for Beaders, Ms. Cooper takes you step by step until you are ready to try out some of the projects.

As far as the projects go, if you like "one of a kind" jewelry with an upscale look, and a unique, exotic, or flirty fascination, this book is for you!

Some of the projects are charming, such as the "fanciful feathered friends"; sweet birds with really cool spiral tails which will hold the beads of your choice on.

Some are elegant, such as the pomegranate and sterling colored "square bead cuff", which, if I had it, I would never take off. It is perfectly beautiful! A true incentive to trying one of the author's projects as far as I can see!

Another project in Metalworking 101 for Beaders which I am especially attracted to is the "paisley interchangeable bracelet", which has a giant handmade metal paisley focal, upon which the wearer can choose any number of holes to clasp chains laden with exotic charms.

This is just totally unique and gorgeous.

I have to mention the chic "domed earrings and ring" as well. What a wonderful, versatile project!

If you have an interest in metalworking but don't know where to start, this is really the place.


With thirty great projects, advice and tips, and little sketches by the author to further help the reader understand the process of creativity and design, there is no way a person can get lost using this book.

Metalworking 101 for Beaders, by the wonderful, accomplished Candie Cooper, is a terrific find for your jewelry library!

This book contains a generous supply of beautiful jewelry projects that are nicely photographed. It also contains an abbreviated description of necessary metalworking tools (no details on brands, models, or suppliers...), and a smattering of techniques necessary to complete the projects. This book is creatively inspiring and a fun read, but it falls down a bit in trying to include so much that there is actually insufficient detail. Since there is obviously a space limitation in each Lark book, I think this one erred a bit in the overall balance. While I suspect I can do much of what is sparingly outlined, I felt the technique description would have benefited from more detailed and WELL PHOTOGRAPHED explanations and tool descriptions. After all, if you propose to teach beginners how to do something as technical as soldering, pictures please! But, I must say this book has really inspired me to take some classes in metalworking and it was a worthwhile purchase.

I found that this book covered the subject excellently and reinforced many ideas previously held as well as covering some that I was unsure of. As books on this subject go I found this to be one of the best. I would definitely recomment this book.

My only criticism being that it did not have a suppliers list, but on emailing the author was advised where she had purchased the product I wanted.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
This is what I have been waiting for! It is easy to read and understand with wonderfully creative ideas and hints. Candie starts the book with 'filling your toolbox' and explains the why and how of it all. Then moves on to the different techniques used in metalworking i.e. cutting, shaping, stamping, finishes etc, etc. Then takes us through the creating stage; starting with the easiest and working your way through to the more detailed. The icing on the cake, for me, is the jewellery itself. Candie's work is beautiful and earthy and I love it all!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to move on from beading to being even more creative with making your own metalwork findings and more :)

Wonderful book! I highly recommend this book. I've already made earrings with the techniques. The directions were easy to understand and my finished project turned out great!

I've been on a spree for buying jewelry making books as I'm taking a cast metal class. One thing that hung me up was that many books show techniques without explaining them, or mention tools that they never show (much less show how to use). I've found some really great books so far, but this is the best for technique.

Reason one is that she goes through the whole tool kit you need, explaining why each is necessary and what you can substitute if you need to. AND, she'll even show how one tool can serve various purposes.

Then she goes through projects that are detailed enough for me (I'm no pro), although the soldering instructions were a little brief. In terms of soldering, there's so many kinds of solder and types of heat source that I wished she'd have been more into that. BUT, I found another book for that.

Some of her projects are unlike any I've seen anywhere, unusual but doable. For example, she has a copper frame (rectangle with center cut out) and then she wires the inside with crisscrossing thin copper strands and torquoise. A knock out. Really, really gorgeous.

I'm pleased and hope you find this review helpful!