General metalsmithing

Working with cheap wire

BobR — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:51:01 GMT

I'm just starting out playing around with wire and until I get some experience I'm not using silver wire.

Today I was playing around with some BeadSmith 20 ga silver wire, which has a silver colored coating on copper.

First, what is the actual metal used for the silver coating? Whatever it is, its so thin, it wears off very easy at bends even when using nylon covered pliers.

If I spend the effort to make something with wire like this, how does it actually hold up in use. I'm concerned that copper is too soft and will easily pull out of shape. I'm makling a necklace with around 16 spiral loops each one about .75" that will be connected with jump rings.

any substitute for a graver

Aspin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:15:25 GMT

I noticed that the price of gravers are quite high and they seem to wear fast. Any substitue tool for a graver that might not be so expensive. Maybe something at Home Depot or someplace like that?

Looking for Instructions for ...

Rick_B — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:27:37 GMT

I'm a new to much of this - teaching myself by reading a lot - and am looking for detailed instructions for the following; 1. how to make a bezel for a flat stone that leaves both the front and back exposed (e.g., no back plate included)? It seems to me it would be quite tricky applying pressure to round over the bezel wire on the the front side without pushing the stone through the back side. Is that only possible by using a "step bezel"? 2. How does one actually make use of a step bezel? 3. Also need to secure attachment points on the side of a bezel (something like a half of a jump ring?) in order to link multiple 'bezeled' stones together with jump rings as in a bracelet. My concern is using a torch to solder these attachment points after the bezel and stone (or wood, or gems, etc.) is assembled.

I've seen bezeled stone bracelets with linked segments like this in recent journal galleries and would like to learn how to do it. (My wife is waiting, so the pressure is on.) Any source of instruction for doing these things would be greatly appreciated.

Need help understanding metals and resins

babbe — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:31:49 GMT

Hello,

I am new to this forum. I don't know much about jewelry making. I hope on this forum that i can get some answers for my jewelry research. Apart from stones used in high end fashion jewelry making, what metal & resin materials are used to construct high end victorian style fashion jewelry such as Sorrelli, Michal Negrin and Orly zeelon jewelry?

Pet safety: butane torch soldering fumes

Keith R — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:28:59 GMT

Does anyone here have any pets? I have small birds and a rabbit. I live in a small apartment, which is the reason I haven't bought a kiln or torch items. I do not use teflon cookware because it can release PTFE's into the air which kill birds. I have been teetering on the idea of buying a small butane torch for small finding work, but I have a fear the fumes, even if well ventilated could harm or kill my pets.

I would only be using the torch to make small items like copper head pins anyway. I've noticed the copper head pins I see online have that shiny foil like finish but if the torch is too dangerous I'll just buy the head pins and findings. If the foil like luster is all I can get out of just a torch alone then I'll probably drop the whole idea since the risks may not be worth it. Thanks for any information.

What's your favorite hammer and why?

dressagewoman — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:56:06 GMT

I find myself now gazing at hammers in catalogs and online supply houses with a certain gleam. I only own one really decent hammer that has one flat polished face and one very slightly domed face, and one so-so hammer that has a large flat face and a ball peen. I'm trying to decide what to get next... so what's YOUR choice?

I mostly work with wire, so we're talking shaping and texturing on a relatively small scale... so far, anyway. I do have a little bit of sheet metal, but I'm not really utilizing it a lot yet. My saw skills are a four letter word still.

Collar Necklace

Ranyen — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:44:31 GMT

Hi everyone. I have just moved into started making my own jewellry from Lapidary. I started to work with Silver (as that is what I wear) with some beadwork. I am getting married in a few years and was thinking about my bridal jewellry.

I was considering a thin Collar necklace that circles 3/4 of the neck with the gap sitting on the back of the neck in White Gold for myself and 2 in 9ct Gold for my 2 bridemaids using Wire. The pendant I will use a stone that contrasts the colour of my bridesmaid dresses that I can cut & shape myself.

I know that memory wire is usually used for these types of necklaces but I wasn't sure if I could use Gold for these types as I didn't know if it is flexible enough to pull slightly open to get it on the neck but hard enough to keep the shape.

As mentioned, I have just started and not too sure of the proper name of it. If this doesn't pan out, I still have a few years to find something else to think of! Also, I have found the PDF of the Swirling Leaf Necklace. I was thinking that if I can't to what I originally thought, I might be able to modify that one.

Thanks for your help.

Looking for a way to harden copper

Julian*** — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:08:02 GMT

I am looking for a way to harden copper outside of work hardening. I have made an omega out of copper wire and I don't want to hammer it. I have tried tumble polishing it but it is still very soft. Is there a way to flame harden copper or bake it like Argentium?

will 14g sheet of gold melt if torch applied directly to it?

Aspin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:02:42 GMT

I am trying to solder a sheet of gold onto sterling silver but am afraid of applying the torch directly to the gold sheet. So what I am thinking of doing is using very easy solder and applying the heat underneath the silver while not touching the gold with the torch and hopefully the very easy solder will melt maybe that will do it. Any ideas or suggestions?

Steps to a perfectly sized ring?

metalms — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:20:52 GMT

I've only recently started making rings with sterling wire, and so far have kept them all for myself.

I have a few orders for rings now, and would like to know the best advice for getting the size perfect for my customers.

Any help would be soooo greatly appreciated!

Foredom Flex Shaft Question

little happies — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:19:27 GMT

I'm looking to purchase a flex shaft for general jewelry making stone setting. Any opinions on whether I should purchase the LX Motor (speed up to 5000rpm) or the SR Motor (speed up to 18,000rpm)?

Thanks for your input.....

Denise

Finishing silver removing the stain

Aedteach — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:41:35 GMT

Can anyone tell me how to remove the shadowing or staining that is occurring on my students' sterling silver during fabrication?

disc cutter sets

alfeze — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:56:15 GMT

I'm not sure what the benefits are between the types of disc cutter sets are:

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/JEWELLERS-TOOLS__W0QQ_sidZ139117229?_nkw=disc+cutter+set&submit=Search

Is the concave and convex thing just really a combination of cutter and dapping? I already have a dapping set that I have used to shape items.

Thanks

Anne

Sundance catalog jewelry

loopy — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 15:19:20 GMT

...couldn't sleep - smelled smoke (again)

I spent some time this morning looking through the Sundance catalog jewelry sections...some of the work pictured is really poorly crafted e.g., visible bezel seams, tool marks, solder puddles. Has anyone ever seen /ordered any jewelry from Sundance, if so what is the quality level?

Attaching art clay to sterling silver

Newbie123 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:53:21 GMT

Hello all,

I'm new to metal clay and I was wondering if it was possible to attach an art clay piece to sterling silver. I have a plain sterling silver locket that I would like to add to and am not sure of what to do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

pickle solution

mtlctr — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:21:28 GMT

Hello everyone,

My question is, what kind of pickle are you using? Right now I use 10:1 water / sulfuric acid. I have a Little Dipper pot & the pickle is eating it up! I think about going to a heavy glass jar instead. Does pickle need to be warm to work? Seems to me acid works all the time not depending on the temp.

TIA,

mtlctr

difference in working with argentium and sterling?

Aspin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:10:58 GMT

For the first time I will be having something cast in argentium silver and will solder it to a piece of sterling silver. Should I expect it to be the same as working with sterling? I assume I will still have to anneal it?

Argentium turning black

Mame — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:53:40 GMT

I was a little overenthusiastic to wear a piece that I thought was finished but in reality needs a lot more work, but that's another problem altogether. I can see that I still need more filing and polishing, what I didn't expect was for the Argentium pendant to turn black on the back and on the chain (the chain was purchased). I thought Argentium was supposed to be tarnish resistant! I've only worn this one time and I've never had regular sterling tarnish that quickly. Any idea why this would happen? I'd post a picture, but am not sure how to upload one here.

Supply Sources for SS necklaces,etc

Stlmag — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:54:32 GMT

Hello-

New here. I am spending too much time scanning the interent for sterling silver necklaces and SS discs for hand stamping, stamps for jewelry stamping (different fonts) I seem to be chasing my tail and getting nowhere. I have ordered from a few companies (one necklace source has poor quality necklaces and another never bothered to notify me they were out of discs) but I would like to find one or two to use all the time. Any advice for me?

Thanks

Beginner Metalsmithing

Bchgrlnj — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:05:33 GMT

Is there anyone from the Southern New Jersey area that can tell me where I can find beginner Metalsmithing/Silversmithing classes.

Thanks.

Luanne

What can I do with a butane torch?

dressagewoman — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:21:27 GMT

I have one, you see... I've read that I could fuse fine silver with it. I gather I could anneal silver. Can I make ball-end pins? Can I work with sterling? Solder silver? I don't really want to invest in any more equipment at this point, and I probably have enough areas to develop skills in, but friends keep asking me to do minor repairs and such...

If sterling melts at a lower temp than fine silver, why is it said one can fuse fine silver but not sterling with a butane torch? Is it a firescale issue?

Casting fine silver

Twigle — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:01:32 GMT

Hope someone can help ...I'm trying sand casting silver for the first time, and have conditioned a crucible by coating it with with borax, but when I try to melt silver in it, the borax softens, and the silver sinks in to it. Is this normal, or can I prevent it somehow?

Also, I'm using canister of mixed butane and propane as my heat source. Will this get hot enough for melting fine silver? If not, what should I use instead?

Cheers - JO

stamping letters

littlegreen — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:39:13 GMT

Hi I am kind of a newbie - not to jewelry design, but to stamping letters. I googled letters and found some online, and found a little machine looks like I can use to press the stamps into the piece. Is this the way most people do it? What if I want funkier looking letters (not standard). Also, how do I get the letters to look black on the silver - is this oxidized? How do you oxidize just the letters and not the rest of the piece? Thanks in advance! lg

Bezel Problems

sasslynn — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:36:56 GMT

Ok, I am about to tear my hair out. I am a beginning metal smith, with no training and inadequate tools. That aside, I cannot get my bezel wire to stay connected long enough to solder it. I have watched that measuring video with Addie Kidd like 15 times now and my bezel wire, (exactly the same stuff btw, pure silver from Rio Grande) keeps pulling apart. Is it because the piece I'm working on is rather large? What am I doing wrong?

a question in filing

Aspin — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:13:17 GMT

I hope this is the right place to post this. My question is this: I have to file a curve shape and don't know how to do it. Think of a half moon shape of about 16g thick or so sterling silver. Like the dip in a saucer. What shape file do I use? Half round? And how do I file? By turning the file as I move it? Anyone have any answers?