Craftsmanship EN Fretwork SPAIN
Craftsmanship EN Fretwork SPAIN
Craftsmanship EN Fretwork SPAIN
The Art of
Fretwork
Co-funded by the
ESPAŇA Erasmus+ Programme
of the European Union
This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot
be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Co-funded by the
Erasmus+ Programme
of the European Union
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TOOLS AND MATERIALS ........................................................................
CONTENTS
.................................... .5
CHARACTERISTICS ....................................................................................
............................................ 7
TECHNICS ................................................................................................
......................................... 10
DESIGN AND PREPARATION ............................................................
.................................... ...... 11
TRANSFERENCE ....................................................................................
........................ ................ 11
FRETWORK ................................................................................................
........................ ................ 12
CLEANING ................................................................................................
........................ ............... 13
GLOSSARY ................................................................................................
THE ART OF FRETWORK
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THE ART OF FRETWORK
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THE ART OF FRETWORK
CHARACTERISTICS
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THE ART OF FRETWORK
Why do we use feet to hold the enamel disc that adorns the silver piece?
In the video we can see how the artist uses little feet to hold the enamel disc, which
adorns the necklace, in place. These feet serve two main functions: a practical one and a
visual one.
The practical function is based on the ability that the piece has to ‘hold onto’ the disc with-
out having to use any other materials or glue. Without the introduction of other materials,
the piece is visually uniform, adding to its visual appeal. Because all artists have their own
visual preferences, it is important to recognize that the choice to finish the piece in this
way is individual and other artists may prefer to work in other ways.
In the case that an artist decides to use little feet as a way of uniting two pieces (in this
case, the silver base and the enamel disc), these feet must be incorporated into the initial
design of the piece, and it is important to cut out these details.
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THE ART OF FRETWORK
EL ARTE
DEL
CALADO
TECHNICS
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THE ART OF FRETWORK
The main steps for inserting the blade into the frame:
The teeth of the blade should face outwards and down. That is, holding the blade
1 in your hand, the teeth should face you. In addition, once the blade is placed into
the frame, the teeth should be orientated towards the handle (when holding the saw
upright, they should have the shape of half a Christmas tree).
2
The blade should be parallel to the back of the frame, but not quite reaching the
upper or lower parts of the frame. The saw should be slightly bigger than the blade.
The blade should be placed first in the upper part of the frame, making sure that the
3 teeth are facing outwards. Tighten this screw in the upper part of the saw frame,
securing the blade in the frame. The other end of the blade should graze the screw
on the other end of the frame.
To place the lower part of the blade into the saw, the upper part of the frame should
be placed on a table or your jeweller’s bench (or other fixed surface), and the han-
4 dle should be placed on your shoulder (or other place where you can put pressure
on it). This allows for the artist to put pressure on the saw handle, closing the gap
between the ends of the frame and allowing the blade to be introduced into the low-
er section of the saw.
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Insert the blade for one of the previously created holes, making sure that the part of
the sheet where the design is glued is facing upwards (away from the handle).
Placing the upper part of the saw frame on your fixed surface (table or bench), put
6 pressure on the saw’s handle until the lower part of the frame reaches the blade.
Once the blade is in position, tighten the screw, securing it in place.
7
Slowly remove the pressure from the saw handle. The blade should be taut, but not
too tight.
To test if the blade has been placed correctly, see if it will ping. If it doesn’t make a
8 clear sound, it will most likely need to be readjusted because a loose string will not
saw well.
If you are using an adjustable saw frame, you may use different sized saw blades
(including broken ones). If you are using a non-adjustable saw frame, you will only be
able to use unbroken blades.
It might take multiple tries before you understand how to place the blades in the saw in
a way that works best for you. 3 4 5
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THE ART OF FRETWORK
Sawing:
The process of sawing will take practice. It is important that you learn how to concentrate
on what you are doing, but in a calm, not nervous way. If you are stressed, it is more like-
ly to break saw blades, and every broken blade means that you will have place the blade
into the frame again, losing time and materials. At the same time, when you are just start-
ing out, it is important to understand that making mistakes will make you a better artisan
in the long run, and that breaking blades is normal in this process.
The sawing process should be done in a way that the sheet that you are sawing and the
blade are perpendicular. When the saw is inclined at other angles it puts a lot a pressure
on the blade and can cause it to break.
Another tip to reduce the pressure placed on blade is the way you hold the frame: don’t
grasp the handle too tightly. Like everything else, the way to use the saw frame will take
practice until you are able to find a way that works best for you.
To begin sawing, place the piece on the jeweller’s bench and move the saw up and down,
within a small range of motion, until the blade ‘catches’ onto the metal. Once you are able
to saw, you can use the entire extension of the blade to saw. However, the frame should
be moved up and down slowly, without pushing the saw forward. With your non-dominant
hand, you should move the piece according to the design instead of moving the frame.
Focus on avoiding twisting the blade (which would cause it to break).
Instead of starting with complicated or interior cuts, it is a good idea to practice starting
with different types of cuts and shapes that are less complicated until you are confident
to try the more difficult ones. Straight lines and slightly curved are considered to be the
easiest. Harder cuts would be tightly curved lines and directional changes. Interior cuts
may not be as difficult as the initially appear, but practice is necessary to be able to make
them correctly. 6
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THE ART OF FRETWORK
The first step to the process of creating a fretwork necklace is the sketching
of the idea that you want to create and deciding which materials to use.
Design the piece that you want to make. In the video, we can see that the artist is
1 inspired by abstract forms, leaving a space in the middle for the insertion of a small
enamel disc. 1
2
Choose your materials. The selection of the materials is very important because it
will have later implications in the final piece such as: its strength, its shininess, etc.
Prepare these materials. In the video we can see that the artist chooses a 0.6mm
3 sheet of silver, based on its utility and shininess. He prepares the silver by flat-
tening it to the thickness he desires, he then heats it so that it returns to a natural
state, and, while still hot, cleans the surface of the metal. 2 3
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THE ART OF FRETWORK
EL ARTE
DEL
CALADO
TRANSFERENCE
Transferring the design to the metal is a very important step because it will
allow for the piece to be cut properly.
1 Transfer the drawing or design to the chosen material, in this case a sheet of silver. 1
Prepare the silver for cutting. In the video we see that this includes putting holes
2 into the sheet. The artist uses a jeweller’s drill in short spurts to make these holes
that will make it easier to saw the piece later. 2
FRETWORK
The third step in the fretwork process is cutting the shape out, using a jew-
eller’s saw.
Choosing your blade size is the first step in this process. Your blade should fit the
1task you intend to take on and the metal that you will be sawing. When placing the
blade into the saw it is important to remember that the blade should be facing out-
wards and down.
The blade will be placed first in the upper part, and then in the lower part, of the
2 saw frame, with the teeth facing downwards. It is important to adjust the tension
(not loose, but not too tight either) in the blade to get good results.
3
This frame and blade will be used to make the cuts shown in the design, using the
holes made earlier as guides for interior cuts.
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THE ART OF FRETWORK
EL ARTE DEL
CALADO
CLEANING
Once the piece has been cut out, it is necessary to prepare it to add the
enamel disc (in this case) and finalize the pendant.
Remove the paper design from the silver. The artist in the video uses water to re-
1 move the paper. 1
3
In the case seen in the video, the next step is to place the enamel disc into the de-
sign. This disc will be held in place by little feet drawn into the original design. 4 5
4
The last step in our case is making it usable as a pendant. The artist creates a bail
for the piece where a cord or chain will be added to the upper part of the pendant. 6 7
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THE ART OF FRETWORK
GLOSSARY
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THE ART OF FRETWORK
wedge of wood that is permanently attached to his table, but another option is to attach a
wedge with a vice for a short period of time. However you plan on organizing your space,
it is very important that it is a stable working area because you will be putting pressure on
the bench during the sawing process.
File:
this tool is used to smooth different materials (for example: metal, plastic, or wood). When
choosing a file, you should consider three important factors:
Various types of files can be used in one project, so you might want to have more than
one. However, you should try and choose files that are the most fitting to the final product
that you wish to achieve.
Sandpaper:
this piece of paper has different adhesive materials stuck to it and is used to smooth the
surfaces of other materials, removing small fragments from the surfaces which could
come from cutting the material, applying substances, etc. The different roughness of the
paper is measured in grits and there are many different types of sandpaper, from very
rough to very fine.
To choose sandpaper that best fits your project you should keep in mind the following
characteristics:
If you are trying to change a very rough surface to a very smooth one you might have to
use different several different types of sandpaper with different grits.
Jeweller’s mandrel:
these sticks come in different sizes and can be used to shape other pieces. A jeweller will
probably need different types and sizes of mandrels for his work in order to make different
things.
Mandrels are used in many different types of projects (such as: shaping rings and brace-
lets, etc.), therefore, there are as many types of mandrels as tasks to fulfil. However, they
are not necessarily instruments which have been specifically created for this task, but can
also be different objects that have the shape desired in the final product.
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