NDK
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Post by NDK on Sept 28, 2016 12:12:56 GMT -5
I got my second soldering project done last night. This took me about 3 hrs. I had to make 3 bezels to get it right lol. 1st one was a tad too small, 2nd one melted a little at the joint. 3rd time's a charm. For the bezel I used .025 and .016, which worked much better. The ring shank is 12 ga ground wire removed from some 12/2 Romex I had on the shelf lol. I got a little heavy on the solder underneath, I was more worried about getting it joined than pretty. I figured I could just file it down after, not realizing how little room there is for files. Oh well, for attempt #2 I'm happy. It ran in SS shot in the tumbler overnight and when I removed it this morning my daughter popped it on her finger and left for school lol. I was able to get a few pix before it disappeared. Thanks for looking.
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on Sept 28, 2016 12:53:22 GMT -5
Great stuff, Nate. The bezel is tidy ... what's the stone?
The second one melted ... copper!? What were you cooking it with?
It looks like the bezel lip could do with a little help with pushing it over a touch more. Maybe the copper bezel is still a little thick; filing a little more towards the top would help. An expert I know recommends doing this to a 45 degree edge aiming to be so very even for a super-crisp finish.
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NDK
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Post by NDK on Sept 28, 2016 13:31:39 GMT -5
Oh sorry, the stone is sodalite.
Thanks for the tip on filing the bezel, didn't think of that.
The 2nd bezel wire got a little hot & 1 corner melted/rounded off a little. I could've filed it down but figured I'd be time ahead to make a new one. I'm using a propane/oxygen torch.
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Post by rockjunquie on Sept 28, 2016 21:22:05 GMT -5
I think it looks really good for your first ring and 2nd project. The only thing that stands out to me is the gap between the stone and bezel wire, but still not bad at all.
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on Sept 29, 2016 9:38:37 GMT -5
I think it looks really good for your first ring and 2nd project. The only thing that stands out to me is the gap between the stone and bezel wire, but still not bad at all. Which I don't think is helped by the thickness of the metal: 1) the thickness of the bezel appears to contribute to the apparent gap i.e the gap isn't that big, but there's a thickness of metal from where the eye appreciates the bezel is 2) the usual, digital photos showing all our sins to the world at 10x magnification; great, technology, thanks! You did good here, Nate, but perfection is the game we're in...
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NDK
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Post by NDK on Sept 29, 2016 13:06:50 GMT -5
Thank you Miss Rockjunquie and Mr. Metalsmith.
I agree, the bezel does need some work. I tried pushing it over a little more before calling it done and was afraid I'd damage it. I suppose a little patience goes a long way in this situation.
Perfection is definitely the goal. Gonna be a long row to hoe!
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icatz
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Post by icatz on Sept 30, 2016 5:39:39 GMT -5
I think you should be proud of this. I haven't been able to master the double shank in 4 years! I'm sure with normal human vision it looks really nice. Putting photos on this board is the equivalent of standing naked. Not a flaw is missed.
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Post by albionfireandice on Sept 30, 2016 7:54:02 GMT -5
I'm not sure what type of solder you're using, so bear with me - if you're using regular silver solder, it does work, but you can also purchase copper solder for jewellers, which gives a slightly closer colour approximation. If you're already using copper solder - ignore me.
It came as hard 1.5MM wire, from a lady in the UK - but I'm pretty sure the RioGrande jewellery supply company sold it stateside. It saves a bit of the cleanup on silver solder. It was quite hard to solder with my propane torch but you mentioned oxypropane so you should have no issues.
It's definitely great for a second attempt - I think it took me ten or twenty tries before my rings were even close to this good.
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Sept 30, 2016 8:52:56 GMT -5
Like was said before, enlarging it X 10 will make most anything look a little rough. Resize your photos down to 640 X 480 or even one more step down so the ring is closer to natural size and most of the roughness goes away. IMHO trying to finish something to 10X perfection is a waste of time and energy. 99.99% of the time things are viewed with no magnification.
Very pretty ring with a rustic look. Jim
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Post by rockjunquie on Sept 30, 2016 10:43:56 GMT -5
Perfection is definitely the goal. Gonna be a long row to hoe! Not so long for you, my friend. You're off to a good start right out of the gate. Like everyone has said, close ups are brutal and you are looking for critiques. I don't mean this in a bad way at all, but I have seen FAR worse being sold on etsy.
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NDK
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Post by NDK on Sept 30, 2016 18:54:02 GMT -5
Thanks for all the positive comments folks, it means a lot. I appreciate the critiques too, it'll help me grow in this part of the hobby.
I'm using fas-flo solder. Bought it a few yrs ago, so I forget what hardness or metal it's for lol.
For the double shank I soldered the 2 pieces of wire together then formed them around the mandrel. I then cut them and filed/sanded the angle to match up to the bezel. Then I pulled the wires apart and checked the joint again. A little sanding adjusted it and then I soldered it on. Although not perfect I'm surprised how it turned out, I think I got lucky lol.
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Post by 1dave on Oct 14, 2016 15:27:11 GMT -5
I think it looks really good for your first ring and 2nd project. The only thing that stands out to me is the gap between the stone and bezel wire, but still not bad at all. Which I don't think is helped by the thickness of the metal: 1) the thickness of the bezel appears to contribute to the apparent gap i.e the gap isn't that big, but there's a thickness of metal from where the eye appreciates the bezel is 2) the usual, digital photos showing all our sins to the world at 10x magnification; great, technology, thanks! You did good here, Nate, but perfection is the game we're in... Take it easy on yourself. Perfect is good enough!
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Oct 17, 2016 15:33:08 GMT -5
Hey,I like that-very nice work,the stone is beautiful too.....
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Don
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Post by Don on Oct 17, 2016 15:41:58 GMT -5
Looks good. Don't feel bad about melting the bezels. I've made hundreds of bezels and still melt plenty.
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NDK
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Post by NDK on Oct 18, 2016 11:32:45 GMT -5
Thanks guys. My daughter wore the ring one day and the shank tarnished. Need to coat it with clear nail polish or something to help prevent that.
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Don
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Post by Don on Oct 18, 2016 11:41:52 GMT -5
Thanks guys. My daughter wore the ring one day and the shank tarnished. Need to coat it with clear nail polish or something to help prevent that. copper tarnishes quickly. clear coatings on rings wear off quickly. polish and coat with wax or just leave raw and polish frequently.
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NDK
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Post by NDK on Oct 18, 2016 11:45:10 GMT -5
I knew copper would be a pain for a ring, just didn't think it would tarnish that quick. Thanks for the tip.
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Don
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Post by Don on Oct 18, 2016 15:11:16 GMT -5
I make and sell a lot of copper rings. I used to coat them, and have tried every coating product I could lay my hands on...they all failed miserably on a ring. Now I just leave them raw and tumble polish when needed. I let customers know that they'll have to polish them if they want to keep them bright.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2016 16:13:26 GMT -5
Looks good. Don't feel bad about melting the bezels. I've made hundreds of bezels and still melt plenty. One of the most honest encouragements ever given. Don. You are great!
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