Making New Acquaintences at B&B

One of the fun things at Bead and Button is meeting new people and renewing old friendships.  Mostly I'm a pretty quiet person. You wouldn't know it from this blog - LOL.  This year my usual anonymity was off kilter by the use of cane - gosh I felt old - dang arthritis was kicking my butt.  So, with my slower pace and an inability to make the fast get away I spent quite a bit of time talking to lots of other artists. 

While limping about I stopped to admire Bob Burkett's stunning cast jewelry pieces and we struck up a conversation.  I recognized the wax that he was using must be a blend.  Yeah yeah, some people blend teas or coffees - caster's blend wax. I've been using a red injection wax for my carving and a what is called "perfect purple" for touch-ups.  Bob melts the two together for an incredibly flexible blend.

In our all too short conversation he showed me how he pours this blend into mold to create a very flexible wire.  If you've ever used wax wire you'll understand how significant this is.  Purchased wax wire comes in a blue.  It is brittle and sloppy to work with.  It doesn't easily hold its shape when it's warm and has a tendency to break or fall apart when you least expect it.

What a tip Bob gave me and how generous of him to share. I could have stayed and gabbed all afternoon about casting.

Bob will be teaching soon across the world and hopefully some where in the Midwest.  He is on Facebook and will keep everyone informed as to his teaching schedule.  I know as soon as he is close to where I live - I'll be there!

What's not to like about work that looks like this -

by Bob Burkett