Pill Box with Decorated Lid – Rebecca de Quin

About the Tutor

Rebecca de Quin is an artist/designer silversmith and teacher with 30 years experience of practice in her own London-based workshop. She taught for 27 years part-time on the Jewellery and metal programme at the Royal College of Art, London. Her current workshop is in a small village in East Anglia near Sutton Hoo from where she makes her own work and teaches. Her pieces are functional vessels and tableware in silver, often combined with base metal elements to create sets or groupings of objects for use and sculptural display. She has work in a number of museums and collections in the UK, notably the V&A and the Goldsmiths’ Company. She is a founder member of Contemporary British Silversmiths.

Course Aims

During this silversmithing course you will learn techniques that result in making a round pill box with push-fit lid. The decorated top is formed using an hydraulic press.

The box is fabricated from 0.7mm or 0.9mm sheet, roll formed and soldered into a cylinder to the full height. Hand pierce to detach the lid section and solder a bezel to the lower portion. Add a pre-decorated lid that has been pressed (0.9mm) or hand domed (0.7mm).

How the course will be taught:

Step by step demos and instruction. Photos and videos are permitted for personal use.

Experience level required

Knowledge of basic metalworking skills is required. The course can be adapted to include guidance to more experienced students if they wish to continue the work beyond 2 days; for example, to make a set of boxes or to add a hinge.

Equipment

The tutor will bring punches and 2 sizes of female tools for press-forming the circular box lid for 35mm and 50mm diameters. A cutting mat, craft knife. There is double sided tape in the workshop.

Students should bring: measuring and marking tools, piercing saw and blades, nylon faced (preferred) or leather hammer and chasing hammer if available or alternative to use with punches, binding wire, flat hand files and any materials required to clean up solder seams, 100mm square steel flat plate. Craft knife and mat (if you have one) for cutting paper templates.

Materials

Rubber for hand punching and to use in a press will be provided for £5.

Students should bring silver (if chosen) for the pill box and gilding metal for tests and samples. The box can be made in silver or gilding metal, which could be silver plated. It is recommended to bring some 0.7mm and 0.9mm gilding metal for practicing both punched patterning and machine press forming.

Preparation

Students to decide on the size of the box they want to make and bring gilding metal and/or silver sheet.