Open Straight Weaving – Instructions
General Directions
This design will be made with either
salt/fire patina (reds, etc.) with brass spiral – Remember, this patina is heat-sensitive. Too much heat will make the copper go black. To minimize the heat, don’t do any extra brazing
(Note – salt/fire patina can’t be fixed if it gets scratched – handle with care)
Rainbow/flame patina – the front is wire brushed before cutting. The coloration is done with a torch after the back is soldered on.
Cut the copper to size – 2 pieces are needed to make a weaving
Then, if salt/fire patina - first mark the squarer piece for the brass spiral, then braze on the spiral using a small circular motion (the size of a dime). The spiral should be about ½” wide. Use a #4 tip and keep the gas pressure down to avoid blowing holes in the copper. The brass must be applied hot enough to flow out, but not so hot that you lose the ‘stacked dimes’ look.
Mark the backs – Note the weaving will be assembled upside down
Mark a double line on the one back
Mark a wiggly single line on the other back
These lines are to ensure that the pattern is maintained while the weaving is being assembled. Without them, it is easy to weave the strips in the wrong order
There is absolutely no reason to mark centerlines with an open weaving
Mark the fronts every 1.5 inches – this will help ensure that the bandsaw cuts are straight
Set up the bandsaw
Using the ruler, set the guide so that the outside of the blade is at the 1.5” mark
Be sure to use a fresh blade. You can tell when a blade is getting dull – it will leave a rougher edge on the bottom and it will stop cutting straight, causing the strip to cut too thin or not straight
Line up the cutting fence accurately, front and back, and tightly secure the screw handle, as tight as possible
A piece of luaun must be used with the fence to keep the thin metal from slipping under the bottom of the fence
If you are cutting a piece with a brass spiral, this must be hand-cut down the center, then you must start cutting the strips from each side of the center going out
After the strips are cut, check the fronts.
If any are rough, these must be sanded smooth with the Roloc air sanding tool.
Note that all black lines must be cleaned off the fronts prior to weaving
If you don’t, the heat of brazing will burn the black line into the metal and you won’t be able to get the black line off with solvent afterwards
Weaving the strips
You will need a wood board with approximately the same dimensions as the weaving – mark the exact dimensions of the weaving on this board – make sure you can get the clamps on
Raise the board up on bricks – this will allow you to clamp the strips in place
Lay all the long strips in place, face down, watching the line pattern to make sure the design is correct
Weave in the short strips, watching the line pattern to make sure the design is correct
Use ¾” wood dowels to get a nice even regular spacing
Adjust the pattern as needed visually
Brazing the strips
Brazing is only done on the back with this design – never on the front!
Use Silvaloy 15 or similar
Make sure you have a sheet of copper under the brazing
Never braze on the wood – it will burn and ruin the patina
Never braze on steel – it absorbs too much heat and will cause burn marks on the front
Use a #2 tip to keep the flame size small
Turn up the pressure to get enough heat – it will have a roaring sound
Try using extra oxygen to keep the size of the flame to a minimum and the temperature as hot as possible
Make sure the brazing melts and runs – don’t just glob it on
But use only enough flame to melt the braze – don’t do any extra brazing, especially with the red patinas
If you have to remove clamps, use bricks on the strips to hold the strips in place
Also spot braze in diagonal line patterns going across the back, at every third intersection
25” x 35” Red Patina Open Straight Weaving
Final Size: 25” x 35”
A. Horizontal pieces
Cut copper 24” x 24.75” – cut from the 48” wide sheet to reduce wastage
Find the center of the rectangle and mark with a small ‘X’
Draw a spiral with the spiral drawing tool placed on the center ‘X”– use a magic marker – use solvent to remove unwanted lines
Braze over the magic marker lines – use a circular motion to create ‘fish scales’ effect
Salt & flame to a red patina – try to minimize orange – keep some of the beautiful salmon area around the brass spiral – must have some black too in a variegated pattern
Soak off the white flux – place wet towels on them over night or longer
Hammer flat
Mark the front on the centerline with a magic market, then mark the quarterlines
B. Vertical pieces
Cut 18” x 36” from the 36” sheet to reduce wastage
Salt & flame to get a red patina – try to minimize orange – want some black in a variegated pattern
Hammer flat
Mark the front on the centerline with a magic marker, then mark the quarterlines
C. Weaving
Hand cut these two large pieces down the centerlines
Using the bandsaw and starting from the centers, cut all pieces into 1-15/32” strips – watch the front markings – if the cuts are getting unsquare, carefully trim to square again, then proceed with more cuts
You should end up with 16 strips that are 24.75”” long and 11 strips that are 36” long
Remove the rough metal on the bottom of the strips with the sander
Line up the long strips parallel with the table and with ¾” wood dowel spacers
Weave the horizontal strips through the vertical strips, maintaining the ¾” distance with the ¾” wood dowels
D. Finish work
Outside dimensions must be square – adjust the hole sizes so that the outside strips are equidistant from the outside of the weaving – gently tap strips to square up the design
Braze up the outside edges of every strip, then braze the 4 inside corners where the poles will attach
Braze up every other intersection on a diagonal
Patch any burn-through holes as necessary
Trim outside fringe to ½” all the way around
E. Pole backing & final wash
Solder on pole backing – 4 inside corners
Clean the metal with a wire brush and use minimal flux
Orient the ‘tees’ so that the piece will stand vertically
Wash both front and back with Dawn detergent and/or 409 – after rinsing, check flux areas for greasiness – if greasy, rewash
29” x 47” Red Patina Open Straight Weaving
Final Size: 29.5” x 47.5”
A. Horizontal pieces
Cut copper 29.5” x 33” – cut from the 36” wide sheet to reduce wastage
Find the center of the rectangle and mark with a small ‘X’
Draw a spiral with the spiral drawing tool placed on the center ‘X”– use a magic marker – use solvent to remove unwanted lines
Braze over the magic marker lines – use a circular motion to create ‘fish scales’ effect
Salt & flame to a red patina – try to minimize orange – keep some of the beautiful salmon area around the brass spiral – must have some black too in a variegated pattern
Soak off the white flux – place wet towels on them over night or longer
Hammer flat
Mark the front on the centerline with a magic market, then mark the quarterlines
B. Vertical pieces
Cut 21” x 48” from the 48” sheet to reduce wastage
Salt & flame to get a red patina – try to minimize orange – want some black in a variegated pattern
Hammer flat
Mark the fronton the centerline with a magic marker, then mark the quarterlines
C. Weaving
Hand cut these two large pieces down the centerlines
Using the bandsaw and starting from the centers, cut all pieces into 1-15/32” strips – watch the front markings – if the cuts are getting unsquare, carefully trim to square again, then proceed with more cuts
You should end up with 21 strips that are 29.5” long and 13 strips that are 48” long
Remove the rough metal on the bottom of the strips with the sander
Line up the long strips parallel with the table and with ¾” wood dowel spacers
Weave the horizontal strips through the vertical strips, maintaining the ¾” distance with the ¾” wood dowels
D. Finish work
Outside dimensions must be square – adjust the hole sizes so that the outside strips are equidistant from the outside of the weaving – gently tap strips to square up the design
Braze up the outside edges of every strip, then braze the 4 inside corners where the poles will attach
Braze up every other intersection on a diagonal
Patch any burn-through holes as necessary
Trim outside fringe to ½” all the way around
E. Pole backing & final wash
Solder on pole backing – 4 inside corners plus mid-points
Clean the metal with a wire brush and use minimal flux
Orient the ‘tees’ so that the piece will stand vertically
Wash both front and back with Dawn detergent and/or 409 – after rinsing, check flux areas for greasiness – if greasy, rewash
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