Salt Water Etching Class

Had a wonderful turn out for the first of the Metal etching classes.  D Battery + Saltwater = Etching on the cheap. 

I used the technique outlined in D Battery + Saltwater Cheap, Acid-Free Etching by Ron Pascho published in the Art Jewelry November 2008 issue.  Basically you take a Single D Battery holder (I got them from Radio Shack for a dollar ea.)  D Batteries.  You can just attach these directly to the copper/brass pieces but I bought some stranded insulated copper wire and alligator clips to make extenders that could be cleaned or easily fixed if the copper ends got eaten through.    I mixed up a super saturated solution of salt water.  Pour out about 1 1/2 cups of water from a jug of distilled water into a pitcher for later.  Mix in 2 cups of pickling salt into that  gallon jug of distilled water. Put the lid on and shake the bejesus out of the jug let it rest for a few min and then shake again.  If all the salt dissolves add more and shake again, if it dissolves add more salt. Keep adding salt and shaking the jug until it stops absorbing the salt. 

Each of the pieces that is going to be etched mus first be cleaned.  I used comet and a green scrubby to get all the oil off the copper and brass.  You have to clean them until the water sheets off the metal. If it pulls away from the sides it still has oil on it, so keep scrubbing until you get a nice even sheet of water on the metal when you rinse it.  Dry it off with paper towels and then don’t touch the front of the piece if at all possible.  Leave the area around the hole bare, don’t cover it and don’t paint it.  Put a piece of ducktape over the majority of the back leaving the hole at the top exposed.  Paint the edges and your design on the front with a paint pen.  You could also use a sharpie marker but I find that it wears off about half way through the etching process. 

Fill the pickle jars with the salt water.  I cut bamboo skewers in half to lay over the top of the jars.  They help with securing the wires in the right areas of  the jars.  I put an ~ 2in piece of copper onto the exposed end of the cathode wire (black wire).   Attach the anode wire (red wire) to the piece you want to etch.  Place the pieces in the salt water, use the bamboo pieces to help hang them so that they are parallel with the side with the design facing the copper cathode. Put the D battery into the holder. 

You should see bubbles.  Lots and lots of bubbles.  If it is going well it will look kind of like an alkaseltzer going.  It will also start to turn really, really muddy orange.  Let it bubble for an hour checking and wiping it off every 15 min.  I wiped off both the anode and cathode pieces. 

Once the piece is etched you can peel off the duck tape backing and scrub off the paint with a brillo pad.

I let the water in the jars sit over night.  The precipitate all falls to the bottom.  I pour out the water on the top put the orange gunk into a pan filled with paper towels and let the water evaporate off of them.  I then collect the salt crystals and take them to the disposal day in Oak Ridge for recycling.

Here are links to pdf copies of the original article. 

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Just hit it with a hammer!

I took a metalsmith class the first week of November called Forging for Jewelers.  It was taught by Kay and Tom Patterson.  It was a good class. I learned a lot.  I also learned that I never really want to hammer out 4 and 6 gauge wire to make anything ever again.  I might do some much smaller gauge work but my hands a week later were still numb. I made some nifty stuff.  I also learned loads about hammers, heating and annealing metals, what is a good temp and what is too hot.  How to hammer it so it gets thick, think, square, round, diamond (hateses the diamond). In general we started with a 6 in, 4 gauge copper wire.  We then annealed the wire.  Hammered the end of the wire until it was square.  This process sounds easy… it’s not.  The wire tends to want to go diamond shape.  When it does you have to hammer/file it round again.   Re-annealing it is important.  Mostly we learned to feel when the metal was getting work hardened and how to draw out the metal while we hammered.  The shape we made was a flat eye shape, tapered at both ends and fat in the middle but it had a consistent thickness. We then annealed that and twisted it using the smallest crescent wrenches I’ve ever seen. They were so cute.  Once we twisted our tapers we then hammered over the twists.  I curved mine so that I could wear it as a bracelet.  8 hours of hammering = 1 bracelet = could not give me enough $$ to make more of these.  I couldn’t make a fist the next morning. My fingers were all swollen.  (Insert sad violin music).  But I went back the next day picked up the hammer and the more you work at it the better I got and the better my hand felt.  That plus some extra strength anti-inflamatories taken in the morning, at lunch, and before bed.  My back got hacked off at the standing all day.  But overall it was a good experience and I can see making some things on a much, much smaller scale.  Like earings or rings or flowers.  Something small.  I am also intrigued by the idea of incorporating it with some of my enamel work so we will see if it works it’s way in or not.  More tools for the toolbox and a much higher comfort with the torch annealing. All good.  http://picasaweb.google.com/heronskeep/ForgingForJewelers?feat=directlink

Please sir may I have some more?

October was one really busy month.  Miki and I cooked and cooked and cooked and eventually fed 120 of our friends at Silver Hammer. We had lots of help from Amya, Aribella (Amanda), Demitri (Taylor), Ginger, Mao, Leon, Gia, Mad Dog, Sean, Solvieg, and Master William and a host of others who came by and cheered us on and ate lots and lots and lots of food.   The soft pretzels that we made Saturday morning were the hit of the feast (and of the kitchen crew, they got to sample them hot out of the oven… perks of toiling away in the kitchens).  This was Miki’s first time as head feastcrat and he did a terrific job.  I’ve ridden this rollercoaster before but it’s always fun, challenging and different every time.  Here is a copy of the Menu:

1^st Remove (or Course)
Bratwurst –Beef and pork are ground and mixed with eggs. Then seasoned with salt, pepper, marjoram, parsley, caraway, lemon zest, and powdered onion.
Soft Pretzels – Cooked this morning.
Mustard – Brown and Yellow mustard seeds are mixed with red wine vinegar, and ground with honey and thyme. (Try with the Bratwurst and Soft Pretzels.)
Apple Sauce – Apples cooked with ground almonds, ginger and cinnamon.
Cabbage – Cabbage cooked in vegetable stock. (“Cooked till tasty” was my favorite comment from the feast.)
Spinach tart – Spinach mixed with parsley and chervil. seasoned with ground fennel, ginger and salt. Eggs, cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese cooked are then mixed and added to the Spinach mixture and it is all baked in a crust.

2^nd Remove
Saracen Chicken – Chicken slow cooked in white wine, lemon and orange juice with almonds, raisins, dates, apples, and pears. Seasoned  with salt, nutmeg, black pepper, ginger, cloves, and bread crumbs.
Fried Zucchini with raisins – Zucchini is first par-boiled then sautéed in olive oil with raisins and pine nuts.
Mushrooms in hazelnut sauce – Mushrooms and onions are cooked with a pesto made of garlic, hazelnuts and parsley.
Manchet Bread – is a fine sifted flour bread.
Honey butter- Butter sweetened with honey.
Quinoa – (Keen-wa) – Known to the conquistadors as Food for the Indians. Quinoa has been cultivated for thousands of years in the Andes Mountains of South America.  It has a slightly nutty flavor similar to couscous. Try it with sauce from the chicken or sauce from the mushrooms.

3^rd Remove
Beef Brisket – Beef cooked in Red wine seasoned with ginger, salt, black pepper.
Roasted Root Vegetables – Carrots, turnips, parsnips and onions drizzled with olive oil and  seasoned with tarragon, and salt the roasted.
Dyett Bread – Wheat bread seasoned with sage and ground fennel.
Fresh Cheese – Yoghurt, fennel fronds, scallions
Salad with oil/vinegar – Mixed greens, drizzled with olive oil, salt, red wine vinegar.
Plum tart – Plums and sugar baked in a crust. So simple, yet so good.

The crowd favorites were the pretzels and the plum tart.  The opinion of the mustard was you either loved it or don’t like mustard.  The brisket went over really well and the Dyette Bread I thought was really nummy.  The biggest taste surprise was the mushroom with the hazelnut pesto it was really good. I just couldn’t envision what it would taste like until we made up the test dish.  We liked it so much we are tweaking it for dinner this week by cooking it with the addition of some boneless skinless chicken thighs and balsamic vinegar. Mmmm mushroom, onions, garlic, parsley and hazelnuts.  If you all want I can post up any of the recipes for these dishes just post a reply and let me know.

Liz’s Lasagna

Gia requested this one and so I deliver.

Sauce:
1 package of  mild italian sausage – ground
1 bottle Woodchuck Hard Cider
1 jar reduced sugar Ragu basil spaghetti sauce
1/2 jar water

Start browning the sausage in a pan.  When it is mostly browned add the Cider.  Cook till the cider is reduced by half.  Add the spaghetti sauce.  Fill the Ragu jar up about 1/2 way with water and add it to the sauce.  Simmer for about 15 min.

Cheese Mix
4 Cups mozzarella Cheese (reserve 1/2 a cup)
4 Cups Colby/Cheddar cheese mix (reserve 1/2 a cup)
1 large container of Cottage Cheese (you can use reduced fat and another brand than Mayfields… but come on do it like you mean it folks. You can also use ricotta cheese, but I’ve found I don’t like it as much.)
4 large eggs

Mix the cheese, cottage cheese and eggs together in a large bowl (remember to keep out the 1C of cheese without the egg and cottage cheese.)

Noodles
Box of  Lasagna noodles – uncooked

Assembly
I get a large disposable lasagna pan (look for a deep one) and remember these are recyclable.  
1. Cover the bottom with a layer of sauce.
2. Next put down a layer of uncooked noodles to cover the sauce.  (the pan I use I can put three noodles side by side and if I break the end off a noodle, one across the end.)
3. Over the noodles spread a layer of the cheese mixture.
4. Put another layer of noodles to cover the cheese.
Repeat twice ending with a cheese layer.  So total you should have three layers of sauce. Three layers of cheese mixture, and 5 layers of noodles.  Cover with aluminium foil and bake at 350 for 60 min.
At 50 min take off the aluminum foil and sprinkle on the cup of cheese you had reserved resume cooking uncovered for the last 10 min.  Take out of the oven and let set for at least 10 min.  The extra liquid from the sauce and the steam will cook the noodles.   Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think. – Liz

Current Projects #1 Etching Metal

 Friday -
I am currently gearing up for Silver Hammer (an SCA Event ) at the end of October.  I am getting inducted into the Order of the Pelican, (this is an award given for outstanding service and dedication to the SCA.)  In preparation for this I decided to make myself a circlet with nifty designs on it.  I’ve taken a metal etching class … and I thought cool this would be a great chance to try out a new project. 

Preparation - I drew up a design I liked.  I then scanned it and darkend the colors to true black and white.  Then I cleaned up the edges.  I then printed it out onto Circutboard paper using a laser printer. (Make sure that the printing is on the dull powdery side not the shiny side). I bought the brass plate at Jerry’s Art O’Rama.  Betty got the Silver from the Rio Grand Catalog. 

Saturday -
Step 1 Clean the Brass – I cleaned the brass with a soap/baking soda mix to get it really, really clean so that water was sheeting.

Step 2 Design transfer – I then took the circutboard paper with the design on it and cut it to fit the brass plate.  I taped the paper (dull side to brass, shinny side up) to the clean side of the brass plate using scotch tape. I then took my craft iron (it’s important to NOT use your good iron for craft projects or you will end up going to iron your favorite white shirt and discover that a bit of tape or goo has gotten in your iron and is now all over your favorite shirt.)  I used an oven thermometer to measure the iron temp and the dry silk setting got it to ~220 which was a little cool but it worked.  Once the iron was at temp I wedged the iron in a shallow drawer so that it had the hot surface up and flat.  I the put the brass plate flat on the hot surface.  (I would highly recommend getting a vice to hold your iron, I didn’t have one so I didn’t use one, but it would make this step soooo much safer.)  I used paper towels to hold the hot brass like a pot holder.  I used another couple of paper towels to rub the blue paper.  This can take up to 5 min.  It’s kind of like watching a photo develop because the black design becomes much clearer as the paper heats. The ink “melts” and is transferred to the brass.   When I thought that the design had transferred I pulled up a corner and checked.  (It’s easier to check a small corner than to pull of the entire sheet only to discover it’s not quite done yet and try to realign everything.)  It had in fact finished transferring to the brass so I took it off the iron and put it on a rack to cool. 

Step 3 – prepping Plate for Etching.
Once the plate had cooled I peeled off the blue circutboard paper.  The black ink stayed in place on the brass.  I then took nail polish and went around the edges of the plate.  I took a paint pen and filled any spots in the design that looked thin.  I took duck tape and covered the back of the brass plate.  I took some foam blocks and hot glued them to the back of the plate. (To act as a handle and float for the plate during the etching.)

Step 4 – I took a big disposable plastic tub (like gladware)  and poured in Ferric chloride.  (This was the left overs from my previous etching class.)  I had probably an inch in the tub.  I then put in the brass plate with the float and it floated with the plate submerged.  I then let it sit outside for 5 hours.  I went out and rinsed the plate with clean water every 30 minutes to get the crud out of the nooks and crannies.   Normally this only take 3 hours but I was using ferric chloride that had already etched 2 smaller plates and I was trying to remove a lot of brass.

Step 5 – Neutralization
I took the plate inside and covered it and the float with baking soda.  Baking soda neutralizes the Ferric chloride. I then took the left overs in the pan and poured them back into their original container. I marked it as having been used and noted that it probably was good for ~ 2 more plates.   I then washed out the container with a baking soda solution.  (I marked it Crafts Only with a sharpe so that no one would put food in it by accident.)

Step 6 – Clean up
Once the ferric chloride had been neutralized I used more baking soda and dish soap to clean the plate.  I removed the nail polish and ducktape. 

I think that the plate came out really well. I’m looking forward to roll pressing it with the sliver.

Review – Lentils

Before you go BLECK I hate Lentils you should try this recipe, it came out really good.   I would serve this to my family and friends as a good Lentil introduction.  I left out the saffron.

Cooked Dish of Lentils
al-Andalusi p. C-5 (no. 377)

(Medieval Bits)
Wash lentils and put them to cook in a pot with sweet water, oil, pepper, coriander and cut onion. When they are cooked throw in salt, a little saffron and vinegar; break three eggs, leave for a while on the flame and later retire the pot. Other times cook without onion. If you wish cook it with Egyptian beans pricked into which have been given a boil. Or better with dissolved yeast over a gentle fire. When the lentils begin to thicken add good butter or sweet oil, bit by bit, alike until it gets absorbed, until they are sufficiently cooked and have enough oil. Then retire it from the flame and sprinkle with pepper.

(Modern Bits)
1 1/2 c dried lentils = 10 oz
2 1/4 c water
1 1/2 T oil
3/8 t pepper
1 1/2 t coriander
2 medium onions = 1/2 lb
3/4 t salt
12 threads saffron
2 T vinegar
4 T butter (or oil)
more pepper

Slice onions. Put lentils, water, oil, pepper, coriander and onion in a pot, bring to a boil, and turn down to a bare simmer. Cook covered 50 minutes, stirring periodically. Add butter in lumps and cook while stirring for about 5 minutes. Add salt, saffron (crushed into 1 t water) and vinegar, and bring back to a boil. sprinkle with a little more pepper and serve. Makes 5 1/4 c.

Review of Gingerbrede Recipe

I made this Medieval recipe for Black Gryphon last year.  It comes out sticky and wonderful.  I made a simple brown bread to make the breadcrumbs for the recipe.  I used Long pepper instead of regular pepper.  You can order it online.   It added a floral note to the ginger bread that I really liked.  The whole wheat brown bread added a deeper flavor than using white bread french bread.  Saunders is also known as red sandalwood, make sure it is food grade.  I kneaded the spices into the mix and then rolled it into little balls.  They are extremely sticky until you roll them into the sugar mix. They were great finger food.  I also thought it would be neat to gold leaf some of them instead of rolling them in sugar.  It would make an interesting contrast for a desert for high table or for the holidays.

 English  - Gingerbrede (Good)
Curye on Inglysch p. 154 (Goud Kokery no. 18)
To make gingerbrede. Take goode honey & clarifie it on + e fere, & take fayre paynemayn or wastel brede & grate it, & caste it into + e boylenge hony, & stere it well togyder faste with a sklyse + at it bren not to + e vessell. & + anne take it doun and put + erin ginger, longe pepper & saundres, & tempere it vp with + in handes; & than put hem to a flatt boyste & strawe + eron suger, & pick + erin clowes rounde aboute by + e egge and in + e mydes, yf it plece you, &c.
1 c honey
1 c breadcrumbs
1 t ginger, ground
1/4 t pepper 
1/4 t saunders, ground
1 T sugar
30-40 whole cloves (~ 1 t)
(or 5 t sugar, pinch powdered cloves)
Bring honey to a boil, simmer two or three minute, stir in breadcrumbs with a spatula until uniformly mixed. Remove from heat, stir in ginger, pepper, and saunders. When it is cool enough to handle, knead it to get spices thoroughly mixed. Put it in a box (I used a square corning-ware container with a lid), squish it flat and thin, sprinkle with sugar and put cloves ornamentally around the edge. Leave it to let the clove flavor sink in; do not eat the cloves. An alternative way of doing it is to roll into small balls, roll in sugar mixed with a pinch of cloves, then flatten them a little to avoid confusion with hais. This is suitable if you are making them today and eating them tomorrow.

Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

I made this for a friend of mine for his Birthday last year. (Yo Bryan!)  It was such a great success that my good friend Gia requested one for a surprise for her Mother’s Birthday.   It seems like a lot of steps but it is very nummy. It really needs to have ice cream or be served with milk or coffee it is extremely rich.  Oh and  I also used the Caramel sauce recipe from the Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe rather than the one that is listed with this recipe it is a better Caramel sauce. – Liz

Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting
A Daring Baker’s Recipe from Shuna Fish Lydon’sEgg Beater, published on Bay Area Bites

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup caramel syrup*
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter/grease one round 9×2 cake pan (I used an 8×3 round).
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. (only had a hand mixer so I used that.)
3. Add the sugar and salt and cream together until light and fluffy.
4. Slowly pour the room temperature caramel syrup into the bowl.
5. Scrape down the bowl and increase the speed on the mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Scrape down bowl again and beat the mixture until light and uniform.
6. Sift flour and baking powder together in a small bowl.
7. Turn the mixer to its lowest speed and add one third of the flour mixture.
8. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time.
9. Add another third of the flour mixture, then the other half of the milk and finish with the flour (this is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making; it is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter).
10. Use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure the batter is uniform.
11. Place the cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set your first timer for 30 minutes, rotate the pan, and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it. Cake will keep for three days unrefrigerated.

(I used the Caramel sauce recipe from the Flourless Chocolate Cake  recipe rather than the one that is listed with this recipe. I thought it had a better flavor.)

Caramel Syrup
2 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 Cup water
1 Cup water for “stopping” the caramelization process

1. In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand.
2. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush.
3. Turn on heat to highest flame.
4. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.
5. When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is VERY dangerous, so have long sleeves on (SERIOUSLY!) and prepared to step back. (I started by pouring a few drops of water in at a time until the temperature reduced enough for me to pour the rest of the water in)
6. Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. (Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it)
**For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

Caramelized Butter Frosting
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
16 oz. powdered sugar
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup, room temperature
kosher or sea salt to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, maybe a pinch more)

1. Cook the butter until browned slightly.
2. Pour it through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl and set it aside to cool.
3. Pour the cooled brown butter into a mixer bowl.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner’s sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more (I used the full 16 oz), add a bit of the cream/milk and caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner’s sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste. Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.
**To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with a spoon/fork until smoothed.

Mushroom Cheese Pies

This is a medieval recipe that I got from Mistress Maysun.  I found that I liked the pie better without the spiced topping.   You will probably want to make two of these.  I also found that it was much easier to shred the brie once it’s frozen. 

Mushroom Cheese Pie
1 lb Mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1/4 lb Brie – shredded
1/2 lb Mozzarella cheese – shredded
1/8 lb Parmesan cheese – grated
1 pie crust

Topping (Optional)
1/4 tsp allspice (ground)
1/8 tsp cloves (ground)
1 oz sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil mushrooms and drain. Place drained mushrooms in pie shell. Sprinkle grated brie on top of mushrooms. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top of brie. Sprinkle grated parmesan on top of mozzarella. Mix together the cinnamon, cloves, and sugar. Sprinkle the above spice mixture on to pie. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes.  (Until the center is set/melted)

Simple Roast Chicken

1 package of Bone in/skin on chicken pieces (Breasts and legs are usually what I get)
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Pepper
1 Tbs Thyme – fresh
1 Tbs Rosemary – fresh and chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
Preheat oven to 350.
Rinse and dry the chicken pieces.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary. 
Put them in a baking dish skin side up and drizzle with olive oil. 
Bake for ~30 min per pound of chicken.   Use a meat thermometer to make sure that the chicken is done.