Class

Sandcasting Workshop

£58.00
3 hours
Silver & Steel

Skill level

Suitable for all

Materials

Pay on the day

Upcoming dates

Sat 19.09.26
2:00 PM

Join us for a fun filled session learning how to sand cast. Cast waxes and items into solid silver using delft clay, large blowtorches and a lot of heat, mess and cups of tea.

This process is brilliant for total beginners as an experience, or established makers who want to troubleshoot the process or add something new to their craft.

Silver not included but you can pay for it on weight if you want to take items home as jewellery. Bring along small shells, acorns, small found objects or your wax carvings.

the camera looks down on a large blowtorch melting silver in a crucible for sandcasting. The delft clay mould is next to it and there are the silversmiths feet in the frame

You'll make...

Rings, charms, pendants - whatever you like.

Bring with you...

Small shells, acorns, small found objects or your wax carvings. Please wear clothes that you don't mind getting dusty and closed toe shoes.

Options & extras

Silver
Gold
Gold plating
Chain
Options & extras are not included in your ticket, but will be available to add during your workshop. Metals are priced by weight.

What's included

Making a mould

Pack delft clay into our aluminium frames and learn about creating air holes for silver to flow

Melting scrap using a large blowtorch

Use crucibles, gas and fire to melt down scrap and practice your pouring skills

Casting waxes & items into solid silver
De-sprue and cleaning up castings

Learn about porosity, using a saw and different finishing materials

Make into jewellery

Add jump rings, chain, bales, gemstones, whatever you like!

Tea & refreshments

Good to know

Small classes

Our class size is limited to 6-8 people so you always have plenty of contact with the tutor

Sustainable materials

At Silver & Steel all of the silver and gold we use in our jewellery workshops is recycled either in house from workshop scrap or from our supplier who sells recycled precious metals

Under 18s welcome

When accompanied by an adult with their own ticket - just let us know beforehand as we have extra paperwork

LGBTQ+ and inclusive

Everyone is welcome at Silver & Steel, we're committed to welcoming and platforming jewellery designers from all backgrounds and experiences

Catch up at open sessions

No need to fret about falling behind, you can refresh your skills or catch up a missed course class at one of our regular Thursday drop-in sessions

Hosted by

Jeweller wearing a Silver & Steel branded apron sits at a jewellery bench in a professional jewellery studio room with other benches in the background. There are tools behind her.
Bethany May Silver
Bethany May
Founder of Silver & Steel, Beth is passionate about building for creativity, learning, and community for jewellers and crafters. Her teaching style is informal, warm and engaging and she loves introducing people to the craft. Bethany has a background teaching integrative curriculums and art abroad where she discovered a love of working creatively with others. In lockdown 2020 she was invited to teach some jewellery making workshops for a charity in Brighton and the genesis of Silver & Steel was born. She developed a simple and accessible format and started taking it to pop up venues around Bristol when people were allowed to gather again, but she realised that Bristol lacked a suitable space for teachers to be hosted. She's taught all ages, skill levels and backgrounds and loves seeing people who have never used tools before being empowered to create something precious.

The venue

Silver & Steel

A one of a kind jewellery studio in Bedminster, Bristol. We use recycled silver and gold in all of our workshops and host jewellery specific events and development courses.

74 East Street
Bedminster
Bristol BS3 4EY

Venue accessibility

A member of staff will need to open the door for you as you arrive, so please do let us know to expect you. There is a gentle ramp from the doorway into the venue tested by a self-propelled wheelchair user who had no issues navigating it solo.

The floor is smooth and we leave plenty of room to navigate the space. Our workshop table heights have been chosen with chair users in mind and a floor plan available on request.

We do not have an official disabled toilet but it is very roomy. There is a small bump to roll over on the way into the back of the venue, it should be easy enough to roll over in a  chair, as it is in a doorway, but we are happy to help you if needed.

We can offer you a more accessible clamp tool set-up to help you if you have arthritis /  weaker hand strength

We are happy to lower our music for you if you need, but in general we keep it at an ambient level for comfort.

Jewellery making and silversmithing is a physical craft and we would like to support you as much as possible in getting the outcome you are hoping for.

If you require extra assistance with using tools please let us know in advance and we are happy to prepare and research alternatives if needed.

We offer discounts on workshops where we can based on mutual aid and self-declaration. These are available via our YUUP booking system.

Getting to the venue

The closest car parks is Little Paradise, about a 3 minute walk. Alternatively, Hereford Street, Sheene Road and Diamond Street car parks are all within a short walking distance.

There is very limited on street parking, with pay & display and residents parking areas on surrounding streets.

There are many publicly available bike racks on East Street, including a couple of posts right outside the shop. We recommend thoroughly locking your bicycle.

Bus routes 24, 43, 74, 75, 76, 512, P1, X91, SB7 and the M1 Metrobus all stop nearby at East Street, Dalby Avenue, or Dean Lane.

We are about 6 minutes on foot from Bedminster Train Station (BMT) with regular services into the city and towards Weston-super-Mare, and a 25-minute walk from Bristol's main train station, Bristol Temple Meads (BRI).