49er
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since February 2008
Posts: 753
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Post by 49er on Mar 25, 2009 23:30:26 GMT -5
Would say your on the right direction. Don't stop now.
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Mar 26, 2009 1:45:32 GMT -5
They both Look good
I was goin to say the 2nd was my favorite then you took the 2nd batch of photos and the firs picture is stunning,
Yep Tom Helped me in SS (silversmithing) he is quite a guy , I now run a SS course here in my home town mainly by his chiving on and guidance.
Jack Yorkshire UK
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Post by Tony W on Mar 26, 2009 1:50:04 GMT -5
So many inner smithys yearning to be free Ya'll just need to go for it! It is pretty much a hoot all the time. You'll mess up a lot, but the great thing is you can melt down the silver and make..silver! The one big piece of advice I'd give is treat the torch as though you had hold of a rattle snake. Don't be reaching around the flame and forgetting what is going on while you look for the solder to run. I hit my hand early on and I won't be doing that again!! And then there was the incident where I put the propane torch down on the hot wood stove because my brain was on vacation thinking about the pretty rock that was going in the setting I was quenching Be careful out there! Make a proper workspace for soldering so you don't set the drapes on fire, or launch a propane rocket through the roof, lol. T
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kentuckyrocker
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 217
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Post by kentuckyrocker on Mar 26, 2009 8:08:41 GMT -5
Inner smithies trying to break free- yep. Would anyone be so kind as to give specifics on what you need to get started? size silver sheet- what kind of solder- torch- pots- I would be so grateful.
Those are really nice and as much as I love plain, I have to say my favorite is the first. That compliments the opal so well. Really nice.
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Mar 27, 2009 3:12:55 GMT -5
Hi Kentuckyrocker,
1 - A Torch (I Use a Propane /butain gas torch using refills with a special tip) others use Oxy /Act torch with sutable tip or other torches 2 - Flux -- easy flow or just the old fashioned Borax 3 - solder 3 types Hard medium or soft I do as much as possible with hard solder this is cut into small pin head pieces and applied with a pricker or paint brush. 4 - Pickle to drop hot pieces into (sulfuric acid) 5 - Water dish to wash pickle of piece. 6 - Twezers to hold silver should be brass 7- Paint brush to paint flux all over silver piece 8 - Tin snips 9 - Saw 10 - Assortment of files 11 - Asorted Pliers
Then there's sand papers Wet /dry polishing and buffing sticks, and Buffs and --
And so the list goes on ---
The best advice I can give you is to get a copy of this book (published in USA) I get for my students called
[glow=red,2,300]JEWELRY MAKERS HANDBOOK [/glow]---- cost of $5 -95, ---- Author Ivan L Gesisinger-- ISBN 0-935182-61-6 published by Gembooks
GEM GUIDES BOOK CO., 315 Cloverleafe Dr, Suite F, Baldwin Park, CA 91706 .USA
This little book is fantastic and cheap ,
But it shows how to get your tools & set out your workshop, to solder , a set of exercises to do a few simple things to make (including stone setting & Chain making) - finish off - and polish, decorative techniques and even a bit on Design,
For a beginner this book is a must (I say) it is one of the best books Ive come across in many years. and been a tremendus help to me and my students.
Hope this is of some help
Jack Yorkshire UK
PS for UK readers
This book is available at Manchester Minerals.
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Post by Tony W on Mar 27, 2009 13:24:03 GMT -5
Well, Jack about covered it. I'd only add wash everything well with a tooth brush and soap, and I use alcohol in a jar to dip my solder and work piece in at the last to get all chance of oils off the stuff. And I have several fire bricks to work on, and a charcoal block, and a tripod with screen. I recommend two pair tweezers and two picks for the soldering work and a pair of copper tweezers for going in and out of the pickle. I use Ph Down from HOme Depot. It is a pool treatment and cheaper than pickle, but the same stuff. I have been using 26 gage sheet and 28 gage bezel wire..some an 1/8th tall and some 3/16ths. I will be going next time with a heavier gage in the sheet, and also in the bezel wire. Probably 26 gage with the bezel wire. Maybe 22 or 24 with the sheet. I use both paste and liquid flux and like elements of both. I was having trouble cleaning off the fire scale and other dirts and grimes until I got bobbing compound to clean the finished work piece with and it cleans great on a buff. Then I go into the vibe tumbler with stainless shot and burnishing compound to finish the clean and put down a nice shine. That is Phil's recipe and it works great. He said only use mineral water with the shot and burnishing compound. Tom kept telling me to melt the solder and pick it up with the pick for some placements and when I finally tried it he was so right, and I learned a lot about melting temps from it too. YOU can't always expect great results by laying a chip of solder down and melting it..... sometimes you have to move it around and place it with the pick. Just don't be afraid to jump in with both feet and mess some stuff up...otherwise you won't learn as fast, or as well. T
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steelandstone
has rocks in the head
Member since September 2008
Posts: 500
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Post by steelandstone on Mar 27, 2009 18:26:25 GMT -5
Jack and Tony got just about all you need to start. It is always a little fustrating in the begining but becomes ever so addictive.
Tony, You don't need to use only mineral water in the burnsihing solution just Distilled or Bottled drinking water will work. I have run into problems using tap water.
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