Components...

I'm working on a pretty complicated piece at the moment, which has quite a shocking amount of component parts! There are quite a few sections of handmade chain involved, and I seem to have spent the last couple of weeks making hundreds of chain links and then deciding that they're not quite right. I am happy with the last lot, though!

 Another part of the piece requires tiny press forms (although their function will have to remain secret for the time being). I've been making them from 0.5 mm fine silver in an acrylic die, in a bench vice (I don't have a hydraulic press, unfortunately). Usually such small forms are difficult to make deep enough without splitting them, but the fine silver moves really well because it is so soft. The thin gauge of the sheet also helps. Once they've been formed, the 3-D form stops the fine silver from being too flexible, and I didn't anneal them after the final pressing so that they don't get distorted whilst I'm working on them.