An exquisite copper sake set

Jonathon Zalakos is no stranger to metalwork. The Canberra-based contemporary jeweller has amassed millions of views on YouTube (21 million on his Cuban chain video alone!), because of his extraordinary craftsmanship.

But despite his evident skill and experience, hydroforming was a new process for Jonathon.

Can you believe this exquisite copper sake set is the first object he has produced using this process?

The inspiration

Jonathon created the sake set as a submission for the Robert Foster F!NK National Metal Prize, which started in 2022. Run by CRAFT ACT: Craft and Design Centre, the competition is open to Australian-based metal working artists who create hollow-ware, flatware, lighting, small scale sculpture and objects.

Keen to explore new processes and techniques, Jonathon decided to try his hand at hydroforming.

“Hydroforming is a process that is very new to me, and this sake set is the first time I’ve made a product with it,” he explains.

“The method I used is the simplest to understand, and that’s shell hydroforming.

It is basically where you create a completely contained vessel, either welded or sealed, and you just inflate it like a balloon.”

Sourcing materials

Jon hydroformed copper sheet to make the set, which includes a jug and two beakers.

“There’s a couple of designers who have integrated hydroforming into their design wear, but most often you will see that done with steel, and you will see that buckle and fold and wrinkle,” he explains.

“But copper stretches, very much like a balloon, so that you can get those beautiful round forms.”

Jon selected 0.7 and 0.9 copper sheet, as he explains: “Copper has stretch and is easily softened, which made it a great choice.

Unlike hydroformed steel, I could anneal and re-form the copper until complex compound curves appeared on the object.”

As a jeweller, Jonathon usually buys his materials from jewellery supply stores.

But when it comes to large-scale projects, he prefers Edcon Steel.

“I’ve used Edcon Steel for a few projects and it really has the best offering,” he says.

“A lot of online stores and suppliers are pretty much behind in terms of online stores.”

“But Edcon Steel has all the information I need, with all the products listed, so it really is the easiest process.”

“And the delivery to Canberra is so simple.”

The project

In talking us through the project, Jonathon explained that it was a process that involved a lot of trial and error:

“I started off very simply, with a rectangular prism that I was inflating.

I must have done 12 iterations on a prototype to end up with that.”

And while the end result is stunning, it is quite different to Jonathon’s original intention.

“My original plan was to do a full tea service, including a teapot and sugar pourer and everything like that,” he says.

“But I soon realised that I was biting off more than I could chew.

So the sake set was much simpler, with just the one complex piece (the sake jug), which was a more sensible approach to a new technique.”

Jonathon also explained the technique:

“I was using a hydrostatic plumbing tester, which is like a hand pump that you use for testing PVC pipe connections.

I was jumping on a lever that’s pumping water into the copper vessel just by hand. And the pressure of the water going through, which goes up to around 90-110psi, stretches the copper.

It’s kind of an iterative process to get the copper completely round. So you stretch it as much as it will go, then you take the water out, heat it up to anneal and soften it, and then just repeat until you get full compound curves.”

Here at Edcon Steel, we are extremely impressed with Jonathon’s skill and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

To check out more of Jonathon’s incredible work, visit his Instagram @jzalakos.