Bit Thin

Was it just me or did anyone else think that the latest issue was full of beginners projects?  They do a fantastic job BUT for the first time, I was disappointed that there wasn't much to sink my teeth into and hence I went off to Eni Oken's site and spent more money on a tutorial with a bit of clout.

Cas xxx

 Ditto! I am way past beginner and I probably will not renew my subscription. As much effort should be put into the wire mag as it is on the bead mags.

 I think I've let my subscription lapse because I haven't seen a new issue in a few months, but I do find the magazine to be a bit deficient in the intermediate techniques.  They do some projects using techniques I'm not familiar with (i.e. soldering) but I often don't feel I'm given enough information to actually attempt some of the more complicated techniques.  Maybe I'm relying on the magazine too much?

 I have to agree also, I have found the last couple issues really lacking in stuff I even want to do. It used to be I would get my issue and set out to try every project, with my own spin. I wonder as well if I am expecting too much from a mag. Maybe I need to find something else to challenge me.

 I get the impression that they just don't spend as much time or money on the Wire mag as on the bead ones, which is a shame.  Or maybe they just need some new inspiration and some of the wireworkers out here in Beading Dailyland should send in their projects and get them published.  I'd like to see more chain maille - some of the more difficult weaves - and some variations.  Everyone knows Byzantine - how bout Persian or Turkish?  I love the look of them, and I haven't found a great tutorial on them.

I have to agree with you as well. The cover piece, IMHO, was not an advanced piece of work at all. No offense to the author, but there was a lot of information left out of that article. Particularly the fact that fine silver is very soft and needs to be work hardened. The only reason I could see for the project being considered an advanced project was the types of fabrication tools used, e.g., a steel ring mandrel. And can someone please tell me why the bracelet loops were not sawed?

There were 2 projects that I really liked, Sharilyn Miller's hearts and Butterfly pendant by Carolyn Baum(you have to snag it from the web). I am a really big Sharilyn Miller fan. I guess you could consider the chain pattern from Lisa Niven as a "freebie". Tim McCreight has the same pattern in his book, The Complete Metalsmith.

For the record, I always spend too much money at Eni Oken's site. 

sue

 Hi folks, I hesitate to respond to this message, but a lot of my personal students agree with all of your comments and I thought I'd add my opinions. 

It takes quite a bit of time for an author to design and then to write and photograph a project/article for any step-by-step magazine.  It is discouraging to later see your work, with a few words and pictures changed, being offered for sale as a tutorial on a website as someone else claims it as their own and decides to profit from it.  I don't have much time to spend on the internet searching thu forums and tutorials but I have seen, and my students have relayed to me about, many such incidents happening lately.  As such, many artists are becoming hesitant to publish our more intricate work in magazines.  (Has anyone asked folks why they doesn't submit to the mags?) 

Personally, I have been working on finishing my intermediate wire jewelry designs book, under contract with Interweave Press, to be released in spring 2009.  As many of you know, my idea of intermediate is most of the world's definition of advanced, so I hope it is something you have been waiting for.  (I also have a new earring design in the upcoming Summer issue of SBSW, and I welcome your opinions.)

As I read thru all of the posts on this section dedicated to SBS Wire Jewelry magazine, I took a few minutes to google some of the requested tasks and found all kinds of free information and some free videos, on soldering jumprings, annealing wire, inexpensive drawplates, etc. 

My suggestion to the readers is to start submitting your designs!  We all 'doodle' with wire and often take a mistake and make it into something really cool, so take the plunge, it's really not difficult, (SBSW has wonderful editors and a great graphics artist to help you), and it can be so rewarding!  Get involved!  As I mentioned earlier, my personal students started voicing their opinions to me, as I have told them the same thing - I am pleased to say that four of them have had their designs published in SBS Wire! 

So, give it a shot ~ get your design published!

And remember that inspiration comes from everywhere and every thing~ Dale/Cgr  

 Cas:

I am afraid this is a growing viewpoint shared by many who subscribe.  Techniques other than working with wire are great-like soldering, etc.-but other mags are flooded with those techniques, not to mention videos on YouTube, etc,.  It seems that this magazine has backslid in its attempts to offer those of us already way past being beginners something meaty to sink our teeth into.

Like you, Eni Oken's site is way more satisfying to visit, plus there are several great wire artists offering tutorials on etsy.com to buy from.  So it comes to a decision of where am I going to spend my money...on a magazine that has turned "iffy" in its content or on something I can total relate to and try.  It's a decision that will probably go in favor of the tutorial and not the magazine.  So at this time, I am seriously considering not renewing my subscription.

Cougar responded aptly by saying that many teachers don't want to loose their patterns because for many of them it is their livehood, the income helps pay the bills, etc.  Or they have ideas they are working on for books, classes, etc.  We can't blame them and we should support them as much as we can.  They are the ones laying the framework on which we will come along and build, expressing our own creativity by using ther tried and true techniques.  God bless them for their generousity in doing so.

STSW needs to rethink it's overall appeal and listen to what we, the subscribers, are saying.

Mary

Not sure how I missed this thread, but this was when I was learning how to use the site.

It's been 2 - 3 years since I first subscribed to SBSW; I wasn't even a novice then, and I still enjoy reading it.  This type of mag is needed for those of us who know little, if anything, abolut wireworking.  Perhaps there should be another one for those who need/want more advanced material.  After all, there are SBS beading, Stringing, Beadwork, . . ..