Olympic achievement

Here is one project I finished while watching the Olympics (lots of hand-turned S links):





and here's another view:





Disclaimer: I am not a metal smith nor do I play one on TV. My Mostly Metals book is about designing jewelry with silver and gold beads and findings. However, I had a blast making this project. Sometimes I think not knowing how to do something gives you more freedom. I've been kind of obsessed with creating some outdoor art and finally decided to go for a wind chime. I started with copper disks in different sizes from Metaliferous. I hammered them with my ball-peen hammer on both a rubber block to get the curve and a textured block to get, well, the texture. Then I played with color -- ammonia for the blue and a torch for the pinky reds. I made all my links, and connected everything. I used chain to suspend the strands for longevity and I'm happy that the whole piece (except some decorative beads) is made from metal.