Nickel-Plated Copper Embellishments
The Purple Gate - Importer of Fine Hand-woven Pine Needle Baskets
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The nickel embellishments that we use are made entirely by hand using a very labor intensive, and time consuming, process know as "spinning." Below you can view the many steps taken to create a single ring.
2. Once the circle has been cut, the copper is placed against a solid wooden disk called a "chuck."
This chuck serves as the pattern from which the operator forms the ring.
1. The copper that is used comes in crude sheets, which need to be pounded flat, circular marked, and hand-cut.
4. After the ring has been formed, it is buffed to smooth out the edges, and polished to obtain a brilliant shine. It is then cleaned in four different "baths" to ensure that all dirt, grease, and grime is removed.
3. The copper circle and chuck are pressed together and held tightly on the "spinning" machine. As the machine spins them at a high speed, the operator uses a long metal "spinning tool" to hand-shape and cut
each ring individually.
6. The ring is finally dipped, by hand, several times into a "nickel bath." At intervals, the ring is turned and dipped again and again, to ensure complete coverage.
5. The ring is then placed in a "magnetic bath" for several minutes, which prepares the metal for absorption of the nickel.
7. Once the nickel has adhered completely, the ring is again washed and dried, and stored for packaging to the United States.
From start to finish, a single ring can take as much as 30 minutes to create. Because of the material used, and the constant handling required to achieve the finished product, it is impossible to have any one piece be perfect, and slight "imperfections" are to be expected. This is indicative of the nature of any "hand-made" product, and signifies
that the piece you own is indeed a one-of-a-kind work of art.
