Hi Guys I'm a raw novice. I'm just about to repair some other jewellery with the application of conical caps - so far so good. Can you confirm that the angle of the cone will remain constant if I use the item to be repaired as a former? I realise it will shrink somewhat, but if the angle is constant, I can cope with that. Thanks

 Have you considered that you may have been supplied Sterling rather than Argentium?  Enquire of your supplier as to why it should have tarnished so easily.  They may have other customers who have complained/commented.

I have a large supply of corks.  (Don't ask!) Is it possible to grind them down and mix with a liquid of some kind and make my own cork clay?  Yes, I know that it is relatively cheap, but every penny helps, and as I have loads of corks, I'd really like to recycle them into something useful.

Is there a quick and easy way to tell whether the wire I have is fine or sterling silver?  I am sure I have both sitting in my small stock, but I think I have neglected to label properly.  It's important now that I have a registered hallmark that I get the purity correct throughout any piece I submit for hallmarking.

Plenty of classes here in England. 

I got a set of bending springs from Micro Mark  http://www.micromark.com - they're used for bending tubing for models - a miniature version of a plumbers spring that's used for bending plumbing pipes.

Sounds nice, but still can't see it - the link just comes up 'can't be found'

I'm also interested in bronze and copper clay.  Any idea whether, like PMC and Art Clay, it will be restricted to sale in certain areas?  US suppliers are not allowed to supply clays to the UK - I believe it is a kind of price fixing by the manufacturers who manage to charge huge amounts more for it in the UK.  I always thought ...

1300 F is 704 C  -  I didn't think precise temperature control was necessary - after all, torch firing isn't an exact science.

I'm keen to start using PMC but haven't yet as I don't have a kiln, and they are pretty expensive here in the UK. There is a cheapie I can buy locally, but it doesn't have a temperature indicator, just a 0 - 10 dial.  I'm told it max out at 750°C - would this be useful as a starting point?