About

For BARN members and guests, successful completion of this hour-long session will grant access to the Jewelry & Fine Metals Studio for working independently on projects of your choosing during monitored open studio hours only. Monitored open studio times are free to members and $20 for guests.

If you need a refresher rather than an assessment, check out our skills classes. They're designed for all experience levels to become more comfortable and confident in any jewelry studio and ready for project classes.

What to expect

• Bring a sample of your recently made jewelry to help showcase your skills (photos aren't accepted). You'll showcase this work at the start of your assessment.
• You'll be shown where things are located in the studio so you can set up for your demo(s).
• You'll be asked to explain the steps you're taking, and demonstrate proper use of the tools/equipment and complete a sample to showcase your understanding of safety and use.
• Be prepared to set up and tear down your work space for all the skills you demo.
• If you meet the skills and safety requirements, you'll get a skills card that indicates that you can use that equipment during open studio. 
• If it's decided that a refresher class is needed, you'll need to complete that class before getting a skills card. Once you have the skills card, your fob will be activated.
  
  

Skills

Be sure you have stated which of the following skills you'd like to be assessed on:

• Soldering: Demonstrate sweat,  joint, post
• Flex Shaft: Demonstrate drilling, sanding, or polishing
• Rolling Mill: Demonstrate rolling a found texture
• Disk Cutter, Dapping: Demonstrate cutting some metal and dap
• Buffing Wheels: Demonstrate polishing
• Shears: Demonstrate cutting metal
• Drill Press: Demonstrate drilling
• Hand Tools such as disk and shape cutters, dapping blocks and punches (discussion)
• Chemical handling (discussion)

Specialty

The special skills listed below, and their associated equipment, require a separate assessment. These skills can't be combined with the items listed above due to time constraints.

• Enameling: Demonstrate preparing metal, enameling, kiln, finishing
• Lapidary: Demonstrate cut, cab, dop, finish (bring your own towels for cleaning up)
• Casting, Investing, Wax Carving (this requires two or three sessions with additional fees): Demonstrate carve, sprue, weigh, invest, cast
• Hydraulic Press: Demonstrate set up and use
• Chasing and Repoussé, Hammers and Stakes: Demonstrate set up and use
• Grinders: Demonstrate grinding
• GRS tools: Demonstrate set up and use

Details

Please be sure to bring samples of your recent work. Photographs will not be accepted in place of physical examples.