Try these projects to practice techniques and build your metal jewelry making skills. Each project incorporates techniques that have been taught in earlier chapters of the book. Feel free to introduce your own design ideas into your projects while you learn.
YOU WILL NEED
Skills
• sawing
• drilling
• piercing
• finishing
Tools
• saw frame of your choice
• 5/0 saw blades
• bench pin with holder
• flex shaft with hand piece and chuck key
•#60 (.0400") (1.01mm) drill bit
• beeswax or commercially available bur lubricant
• small center punch
• small hammer
• steel bench block or anvil
• pliers: round-nose, flat-nose, and chain-nose
• wire cutters
Materials
• 400-grit and 600-grit wet or dry sandpaper
• 22-gauge (.025") (.0643 mm) brass sheet
• 20-gauge (.032") (.813 mm) sterling silver round wire
• rubber cement
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
• Wear eye protection.
• Wear breathing protection, such as a particulate respirator.
• Know where your hands and fingers are at all times.
• Secure long hair, no loose clothing, and wear closed-toe shoes.
• Remove distractions and be mentally present.
1 Draw out an elongated diamond shape, as shown, and copy it to tracing paper. Then cut two pieces of the brass sheet large enough to accept your design. Notice the circular design on the top; this will be where your ear wire will attach.
2 Using rubber cement, adhere a traced drawing to both sheets of brass and, with a 5/0 saw blade and saw frame, pierce the center design; then cut the main shape from the sheet. Always cut the smaller shapes first; this will give you more metal to hold on to and better control for piercing.
3 File the edges, drill a hole in the center of the round design on the top of the earring, and finish the piece as desired. This piece has a 600-grit finish and the cut edges have been polished with small polishing wheels and the flex shaft.
4 Using a set of round-nose pliers, make a small hoop in the end of the sterling silver round wire.
5 Now wrap the wire around a round mandrel; a small dapping punch works well for this. Keep the small hoop that you made earlier facing you.
6 Using side cutters, clip off the ear wire.
7 Repeat steps 4–6 to make a complete set of ear wires.
8 File and sand the ends of the ear wires to a smooth, rounded surface. You can also use an inverted cone bur to do this. When dragged across your skin, the end should feel smooth.
9 Using two pliers, open the loop that you formed in the end of the ear wire large enough to slip the loop of the earring through and then close the loop to secure the two pieces together.
Skills
• sawing
• drilling
• piercing
• finishing
• patination
• riveting
Tools
• saw frame of your choice
• 5/0 saw blades
• beeswax or commercially available bur lubricant
• bench pin with holder
• flex shaft with hand piece and chuck key
• 11/4 mm (.0492") drill bit
• small center punch
• small hammer
• steel bench block or anvil
• pliers: round-nose, flat-nose, and chain-nose
• wire cutters
• tubing jig (optional)
• riveting hammer
• 400-grit and 600-grit wet or dry sandpaper
• centering gauge
• protractor
Materials
• 20-gauge (.032") (0.813 mm) copper sheet
• 20-gauge (.032") (0.813 mm) yellow brass sheet
• 16-gauge (.050") (1.29 mm) round yellow brass wire
• 3/32" (.0938") (2.38 mm) outside diameter brass tubing
• 10 mm (.39") round carnelian cabochon cut gem
• liver of sulfur, warmed and mixed properly
• rubber gloves
• rubber cement
• tape
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
• Wear eye protection.
• Wear breathing protection, such as a particulate respirator.
• Know where your hands and fingers are at all times.
• Secure long hair, no loose clothing, and wear closed-toe shoes.
• Remove distractions and be mentally present.
1 Draw out a turbine pattern in the middle of a 1 1/2" (38.1 mm) circle, copy to tracing paper, adhere it to a piece of the copper sheet with rubber cement, let dry, and then pierce and saw the piece out (see piercing and sawing sections, pages 20 and 28).
2 Cut out a 1 1/2" (3.8 cm) circular piece from the yellow brass sheet.
4 With a protractor, draw a circle to connect the lines—these are your drill points. Center punch all your marks (page 26).
5 Align the copper and brass circles and tape them tightly together.
6 Using a 1.25 mm (.0492") drill bit, drill all the holes through the copper and brass plates. Mark a registration mark on the two pieces; then using a three square file, notch the edge of each circle.
7 File and sand the piece and cut out the circle in the center to free the blades and bend them into the piece. These will provide the tension that keeps the stone in place.
8 Straighten and harden a 4" (10.2. cm) piece of the round yellow brass wire (see Annealing chapter, page 52). Insert it into one of the holes in the brass sheet and put the piece together temporarily. Now take the measurements for the tubing that will fit between the two plates and the length that you need to cut the brass wire for the rivet. Cut the tubing 1.5 mm shorter than your measurement (see Riveting page 42).
9 After the rivets have been cut and filed flat, grasp them tightly in the jaws of a flat-nose pliers and, supporting the pliers on a anvil or bench vice, begin to mushroom out one end of the rivet. Do not support the rivet with the vice or anvil; if you do, you will mushroom out both ends. Mushrooming one end of each rivet will make assembly much easier.
10 Using a bud bur or a larger drill bit, chamfer each hole on the back of the brass plate and the front of the copper plate; again see Riveting (page 42) for more information.
12 Polish the brass plate and patina the copper plate with liver of sulfur (Patina page 35). Then start assembling the piece, rivets through the back of the brass sheet, tubing over the rivets, stone set in the center, and finally copper piece on top. There will be tension and you will have to push the copper piece down and hold it down until you have mushroomed over the rivets enough that it holds together on its own. Set all of the rivets tight by working the front and the back alternately (see Riveting page 42).
Skills
• sawing
• piercing
• filing
• finishing
• hammer texturing
• dapping
Tools
• saw frame and 5/0 saw blade
• dapping punches
• dapping block
• brass hammer or weighted mallet
• embossing or ball-peen hammer
• flex shaft
• drill bits
• polishing cabinet and buffs or polishing wheels and mandrels for the flex shaft
• center punch
• #56 (.0465") (1.181 mm) drill bit
• needle files
• round burs
• length of 3/16" (4.8 mm) round wood dowel
• pliers: round-nose, flat-nose, and chain-nose
Materials
• 18-gauge (.040") (1.024 mm) round brass wire
• 22-gauge (.025") (.0643 mm) nickel sheet
• 22-gauge (.025") (.0643 mm) red brass sheet
• 22-gauge (.025") (.0643 mm) yellow brass sheet
• polishing and buffing compounds
• marker
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
• Wear eye protection.
• Wear breathing protection, such as a particulate respirator.
• Wear hearing protection.
• Know where your hands and fingers are at all times.
• Secure long hair, no loose clothing, and wear closed-toe shoes.
• Remove distractions and be mentally present.
1 Draw some asymmetrical shapes in different sizes and transfer them to tracing paper. This necklace is composed of nineteen pieces, not including the clasp, but there are only seven different shapes.
2 Using a saw and 5/0 saw blade, cut the shapes out of the nickel sheet, red brass sheet, and yellow brass sheet.
3 Using the largest depression of your dapping block and the dapping punch to match, dap each shape. Dap one shape and then dap the identical shape but in its mirror image.
4 Polish the rounded curvatures of the pieces but do not buff them. Clamp the dapping punch in a bench vice and with a ball-peen, texture each piece (a) and lay out the pieces in the desired order (b).
5 With a marker, mark each piece where you want to attach them; keep in mind that you will be drilling a 1 mm (.04") hole and finishing the edges of the metal, so do not mark them too close to the edge. Approximately 2 mm to 2.5 mm (.08" to .1") should be sufficient.
6 Center punch all of the marks. Since the metal is no longer flat, use the dapping punch as an anvil. Remember to tap lightly, so you do not pierce the metal and scar the surface of your dapping punch.
7 Using a #56 (.0465") (1.181 mm) drill bit, drill each piece. Use a small ball bur to deburr the edges of the hole on both sides; this can also be done with a larger drill bit (see Riveting, step 2, page 42).
8 Make jump rings to attach the pieces together using the round brass wire. Begin by clamping a dapping punch or metal rod that is approximately 3/16" (4.83 mm) in diameter into a bench vice and wrapping the wire tightly around it (a). Notice that the end of the wire is pinched between the punch and the vice face; this makes wrapping a tight coil (b) much easier.
9 Insert a wood dowel through the coil. It should be snug but the coil needs to move easily on the dowel; this will stabilize the coil during cutting, which makes the rings easier to cut.
10 Use a saw and 5/0 saw blade to cut the rings. You want to cut only the top of the rings, so hold the saw at an angle. A notch, filed into the end of the bench pin, will help to steady the coil.
11 Draw out a shape that will complement the other shapes in the necklace. Cut out one of the shapes with a long straight tail.
12 Texture the pieces using a ball-peen; texture the piece with the tail on one side of the head (a) and the opposite side of the tail (b).
13 File and finish the edges of both pieces and use a file to round over the end of the tail. With round-nose pliers, bend the tail over to make a hook (a-b) and, using the same drill bit that you used on the other pieces, drill a hole in the opposite end (c).
14 Pierce the other piece to make an eye (a) and drill a hole in the opposite end as well (b). You have just made a hook and eye clasp.
15 Now that all of the pieces have been made, take the time to file and sand all of the edges. Give all the pieces a light buff and sand the backs to a uniform mat finish. Do not, however, polish the pieces; aggressive polishing can mute the hammered texture.
16 Using two pliers, grasp each side of a jump ring and open it by twisting the pliers in opposite directions, bypassing the ends (a). Repeat this procedure several times until you feel resistance to the twisting action (b-c). This will begin to harden the metal and will make the jump rings more durable. Work all of the jump rings in this manner before assembling the piece.
17 Assemble the necklace. Since all the jump rings have been hardened, simply close the jump rings by twisting them until the ends meet. The joint should be very tight and barely visible.
Skills
• sawing
• filing
• finishing
• riveting
• soldering
• annealing
• hammer texturing
• patination
• bezel setting
Tools
• torch and striker
• pickle pot with pickle mixed and warmed properly and a neutralizing soda bath
• fiber soldering pad
• tweezers and soldering pick
• flux brush
• flex shaft
•#67 (.032") (.813 mm) drill bit
• saw and 5/0 saw blade and 3/0 saw blade
• needle files
• pliers: round-nose, flat-nose, and chain-nose
• wire cutters
• 400–1,500 grit sandpapers
• brass brush
• enameled pot or glass container
• rubber gloves
• rolling mill
• goldsmith’s hammer
• riveting hammer
• burnisher
• bevel roller
Materials
• 18-gauge (.040") (1.024 mm) yellow brass sheet
• 22-gauge (.025") (.0643 mm) copper sheet
• 20-gauge (.032") (.813 mm) yellow brass round wire
• 20-gauge (.032") (.813 mm) round copper wire
• 28-gauge (.013") (.254 mm) fine silver bezel wire to fit your stone
• 24-gauge (.020") (.511 mm) sterling silver sheet
• 18-gauge (.040") (1.024 mm) sterling silver round wire
• 18-gauge (.040") (1.02 mm) sterling silver strip, 4 mm (.157") wide
• stone of your choice that will work with the design
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
• Ensure proper ventilation.
• Know where your hands and fingers are at all times.
• Make sure the area is clear of any flammables.
• Secure long hair and no loose clothing.
• Remove distractions and be mentally present.
• Wear breathing protection, such as a particulate respirator.
• Wear eye protection.
• Never light a torch with a cigarette lighter.
• Work on a nonflammable surface.
• Wear flame resistant clothing and closed-toe shoes.
• Wear hearing protection.
• Wear rubber gloves.
1 Roller emboss a leaf onto a piece of the copper sheet (page 74). If you patina the piece and then sand with 1,000-grit sandpaper, the image will be highlighted and easier to cut out.
2 Cut out the leaf form using a saw and 5/0 saw blade; file. Form into an undulating shape with your fingers.
3 Cut a 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" (3.8 x 3.8 cm) square piece of the yellow brass sheet. Anneal, quench, pickle, neutralize, rinse, and dry the piece before texturing it with a goldsmith’s hammer.
4 Solder two pieces of the round copper wire to the back of the leaf form using easy silver solder. Solder them to the flat areas of the undulating form that will sit on the brass plate; these will be the rivets to secure the leaf to the back plate.
5 Make a bezel cup for your stone (a) and drill two holes in the back (b); these are to rivet the cup to the back plate (see Stone Setting section, page 120).
6 Set the leaf form on the plate where you want to attach it and mark drill points for your rivets. Center punch and drill a hole using a #67 (.032") (.813 mm) drill bit.
7 Set the cup into place and mark the drill points. Center punch and drill the holes using a #67 (.032") (.813 mm) drill bit. Chamfer the holes on the back of the piece and inside of the bezel cup.
8 Make a pin stem and catch for the piece and solder it into place (see the Forged Spiral Pin project, page 184 for instructions on constructing a pin stem and catch).
9 Using liver of sulfur, patina the brass plate completely black and then sand the surface with 1,000-grit sandpaper to reveal the gold-colored metal below the oxidation (a). Patina the copper leaf compleatly black and sand with 1,000-grit sandpaper to highlight the pattern; then dip the leaf back in the liver of sulfur once or twice to bring some color up; stop when you are happy with the look (b).
10 Use a dapping punch, flat side up, that will fit inside the bezel cup as a tiny anvil to support the rivet; prepare the rivet like you did in the Captive Stone Pendant project (page 160).
11 Support the pendant and leaf shape on a piece of leather to avoid damaging the leaf. The copper rivet on the back of the piece is very soft and will mushroom over easily.
Skills
• sawing
• filing
• finishing
• soldering
• annealing
• forming
• patination
Tools
• torch and striker
• pickle pot with pickle mixed and warmed properly and a neutralizing soda bath
• fiber soldering pad
• tweezers and soldering pick
• flux brush
• flex shaft
• saw and 5/0, 3/0, and 1/0 saw blades
• needle files
• pliers: round-nose, flat-nose, and chain-nose
• wire cutters
• dapping punches
• planishing hammer
• brass hammer or weighted mallet
• block of basswood
• 600-grit sandpaper
• brass brush
• enameled pot or glass container
• rubber gloves
• bristle disk polishers: all grits
Materials
• 18-gauge (.040") (1.024 mm) yellow brass sheet
• 22-gauge (.025") (.0643 mm) nickel sheet
• 22-gauge (.025") (.0643 mm) copper sheet
• 12-gauge (.080") (2.052 mm) square red brass wire
• 18-gauge (.040") (1.024 mm) red brass sheet
• necklace or chain of your choice
• silver solders: hard, medium, and easy
• flux
• liver of sulfur, warmed and mixed properly
• marker
• lacquer or a conservator’s wax
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
• Ensure proper ventilation.
• Know where your hands and fingers are at all times.
• Make sure the area is clear of any flammables.
• Secure long hair and no loose clothing.
• Remove distractions and be mentally present.
• Wear breathing protection, such as a particulate respirator.
• Wear eye protection.
• Never light a torch with a cigarette lighter.
• Work on a nonflammable surface.
• Wear flame resistant clothing and closed-toe shoes.
• Wear hearing protection.
• Wear rubber gloves.
1 Using a saw and 5/0 saw blade, cut two shapes—one from the copper sheet and the other from the nickel sheet.
2 Using the technique explained in Dapping (Not Round Shapes) (page 96), form both pieces.
3 Using a saw and 5/0 saw blade or a disk cutter, cut two small circles for the eyes of the yin and yang, both the same size—one from the copper sheet and the other from the nickel sheet—and sweat solder the nickel disk to the copper shape and the copper disk to the nickel shape with hard solder (page 62).
4 Set one of the pieces onto a piece of the yellow brass sheet and trace around it with a marker. Flux the sheet and place pallions of medium solder just inside the line.
5 Set the first piece into place; it should be resting on the pallions of solder. Remember to flux the bottom edge of the piece before setting it down.
6 Solder the piece into place. Quench in clean water, place in a warm pickle for 5 minutes, neutralize in a baking soda bath, rinse clean, and dry.
7 Repeat steps 4–6 for the other piece.
When soldering a thicker gauge of metal to thinner gauge metal, the thicker gauge will take longer to reach temperature, so concentrate more of the heat on the thicker metal. You might find it helpful to solder on a soldering screen, where you can heat the metal from below as well as above.
This project solders a hollow shape to a flat shape. The chances of a complete seal between the two are very remote and when the piece is pickled, it can suck pickle into the cavity. This poses a problem for future soldering operations. If the moisture in the cavity is heated too quickly, steam pressure can develop and the metal can burst. There are two things you can do to prevent this; one is to slowly heat the metal to drive off the moisture, the other is to drill a small hole in the piece to allow the steam to escape safely.
8 Wrap a length of the square red brass wire around a mandrel to form a ring large enough to just encircle the yin and yang, and solder the ends together. This is the same process you used to form a bezel around a circular stone (page 120).
9 Solder the ring into place using easy solder; pickle, neutralize, rinse, and dry.
10 Using a saw and 1/0 saw blade, cut the excess brass sheet from around the piece and file the edges smooth.
11 Using round-nose pliers (a), make a hoop in the end of a 7 mm (.28") wide piece of 18-gauge (.040") (1.024 mm) red brass sheet (b) and solder the joint with hard solder (c).
12 Use a marker and draw a V-shape (a). Using a saw and 1/0 saw blade, cut the shape out (b). Leave the bail attached to the sheet until you have filed and finished the edges.
13 With a half-round file, make a groove in a soft charcoal block that will allow the bail to sit level with the yin and yang. Solder the bail into place using easy solder; pickle, neutralize, rinse, and dry the piece.
14 Prepare the piece for a patina by removing the firescale that the pickling failed to remove with an abrasive pad or an 80-grit bristle disk and a flex shaft. Polish and buff the outside ring and bail to a high polish.
15 Patina the piece with liver of sulfur until the copper becomes black (page 35). Then use bristle disks and polishing wheels to remove the patina from the areas you do not want patinated.
Seal the piece with lacquer or a conservator’s wax and the piece is done.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
• Ensure proper ventilation.
• Know where your hands and fingers are at all times.
• Make sure the area is clear of any flammables.
• Secure long hair and no loose clothing.
• Remove distractions and be mentally present.
• Wear breathing protection, such as a particulate respirator.
• Wear eye protection.
• Never light a torch with a cigarette lighter.
• Work on a nonflammable surface.
• Wear flame resistant clothing and closed-toe shoes.
• Wear hearing protection.
Skills
• sawing
• filing
• finishing
• annealing
• synclastic forming
Tools
• torch and striker
• pickle pot with pickle mixed and warmed properly and a neutralizing soda bath
• fiber soldering pad
• saw and 3/0 saw blade
• needle files and/or hand file
• 400–1,500-grit sandpapers
• polishing cabinet
• mallet
• bracelet mandrel
• block of basswood
• ball-peen hammer
• dapping punches
Materials
• 18-gauge (.040") (1.02 mm) red brass sheet
1 Cut a 6" (15.2 cm) length of the red brass sheet 1" (2.5 cm) wide and round off the ends with a file.
2 Anneal the piece of brass, quench, pickle, neutralize, rinse, and completely dry it.
3 Using a depression in the end grain of a block of basswood and a ball-peen, begin forming the strip (see Synclastic Forming, page 116).
4 The piece will naturally curl into a bracelet shape when formed correctly but the shape must now be bouged. Bouging is the process of refining the shape. Sinking the metal into the end grain does not produce a completely smooth surface. Bumps and ripples are created during the forming process and these need to be removed before proceeding. Select a dapping punch that matches the inside curvature of the bracelet and clamp it into a bench vice. With the mallet, begin smoothing out the imperfections.
5 Once the piece has been bouged, imperfections will likely remain in the surface and you will need to planish them out. If you want a hammered finish, one course of planishing with the domed face of the planishing hammer should be all you need. If you want a smooth surface, use the flat face of the planishing hammer.
6 File the edges and sand them smooth, lightly polish, and buff the cuff and sand the inside to a uniform finish.
Skills
• sawing
• filing
• finishing
• soldering
• anticlastic forming
Tools
• torch and striker
• pickle pot with pickle mixed and warmed properly and a neutralizing soda bath
• fiber soldering pad
• flux brush
• saw and 5/0 saw blade
• needle files and/or hand file
• 400–1,500-grit sandpapers
• polishing cabinet
• metal or plastic anticlastic stake
• metal or plastic cross-peen hammer
• bracelet mandrel
Materials
• 24-gauge (.020") (0.511 mm) red or yellow brass sheet
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
• Ensure proper ventilation.
• Know where your hands and fingers are at all times.
• Make sure the area is clear of any flammables.
• Secure long hair and no loose clothing.
• Remove distractions and be mentally present.
• Wear breathing protection, such as a particulate respirator.
• Wear eye protection.
• Never light a torch with a cigarette lighter.
• Work on a nonflammable surface.
• Wear flame resistant clothing and closed-toe shoes.
• Wear hearing protection.
1 Draw an elongated ellipse shape that is 6" (15.2 cm) long and 3/4" (1.9 cm) at its widest. Trace it on tracing paper, attach it to the brass sheet, and cut the shape out using a saw and 5/0 saw blade or metal shears. If you are comfortable drawing, feel free to skip the tracing part. File and sand the edges smooth.
2 Anneal the piece of brass, quench, pickle, neutralize, rinse, and dry. Then polish one or both sides, depending on your desired outcome; on this project the outside is polished and the inside is sanded to a 600-grit finish. Once you have finished the surfaces, wrap the strip around a bracelet mandrel to shape it (a); a bracelet mandrel is a bezel mandrel on steroids and has an oval shape. In the Anticlastic Forming chapter (page 113), we soldered the ring together before we started forming, which keeps the ends aligned. In this project the ends are left unsoldered (b).
3 Select the sinusoidal stake you want to use and begin forming the piece as on page 113. A steel stake and a plastic hammer were used in that demo; in this project a plastic stake and a metal hammer will be used (a). This combination produces soft hammer marks, which gives the metal an almost fluid appearance. Work one edge; then flip the bracelet and work the other (b).
4 Flip the bracelet again and move closer to the center and work one side, then the other. With wide strips, work the metal slowly and evenly toward the center.
5 Once you have worked both sides until only a small bulge of metal remains in the center, work the center down.
6 To get a uniform shape along the entire length of the bracelet, refine the tapered ends in progressively smaller valleys of the stake (a-b).
7 Give the surface a light buff but do not polish; the piece was polished before it was formed—and polishing it at this point would all but eliminate the hammer texture.
Skills
• sawing
• filing
• finishing
• soldering
• forging
• tube setting
Tools
• torch and striker
• pickle pot with pickle mixed and warmed properly and a neutralizing soda bath
• fiber soldering pad
• flux brush
• saw and 5/0 saw blade and 8 saw blade
• needle files and/or hand file
• 400–1,500-grit sandpapers
• polishing cabinet
• mallet
• cross-peen hammer
• goldsmith’s hammer
• planishing hammer
• ring-nose pliers
• burnisher
• bezel rockers
• bezel mandrel
• horn anvil
• stone-setting burs
Materials
• 6-gauge (.162") (4.12 mm) square sterling silver wire
• 18-gauge (.040") (1.02 mm) round sterling silver wire
• 18-gauge (.040") (1.02 mm) sterling silver strip, 4 mm (.157") wide
• 5.5 mm (.216") OD sterling silver heavy wall tubing
• 5 mm (.197") round faceted gem of choice
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
• Ensure proper ventilation.
• Know where your hands and fingers are at all times.
• Make sure the area is clear of any flammables.
• Secure long hair and no loose clothing.
• Remove distractions and be mentally present.
• Wear breathing protection, such as a particulate respirator.
• Wear eye protection.
• Never light a torch with a cigarette lighter.
• Work on a nonflammable surface.
• Wear flame resistant clothing and closed-toe shoes.
• Wear hearing protection.
1 Using a #8 saw blade, cut a 3" (7.6 cm) long piece of 6-gauge (.163") (4.12mm) square sterling silver wire.
2 Anneal, quench, pickle, neutralize, rinse, and dry the piece thoroughly. Then begin to forge a taper (see Forging, page 107).
3 Anneal, quench, pickle, neutralize, rinse, and dry the piece thoroughly. Then begin to curve the tapered piece (see Forging, page 106).
4 Now that the piece is moving in the correct direction, use the horn of the anvil to continue shaping the spiral. You can use a planishing hammer or a mallet to continue the curve (a-c). Anneal the piece several times in this process, when it is truly needed. If the metal is resisting the tool, then it is time to anneal but do not stop in midcourse; finish the course and then anneal. Be careful to avoid overworking the metal as well; if you do, a crack will start to develop and ruin your forging.
5 When the spiral becomes too small to continue forming on the anvil horn, use a bezel mandrel cinched in a vise and continue forming the piece. Remember to anneal.
6 As the spiral tightens, the distance closes and you will have to use a smaller hammer. Use whatever hammer will work; a goldsmith’s hammer often works well. The cross-peen is used here (a-b), but be careful not to strike the metal with so much force that you change the dimensions of the metal—use just enough force that you are forming it (c).
7 Anneal the piece and then true up the spiral with a final course of forging; this will also give a more uniform surface texture.
8 Cut a length of the sterling silver heavy wall tubing to fit the round faceted gem that you chose (see Tube Setting, page 144).
9 Solder the tube in the center of the spiral using hard silver solder; quench, pickle, neutralize, rinse, and dry.
10 Now it is time to make a pin and catch. Place a length of the round sterling silver wire where you want to place the pin, and mark the length with a marker.
11 Cut the wire 10 mm (.39") longer than the mark, and with a pair of ring-nose pliers, make a coil in the end of the pin stem. The tail should be about 5 mm (.2") long.
12 Mark where you want to attach the pin stem and drill a hole, using a #60 (.040") (1.02 mm) drill bit, approximately 2 mm (.08") deep. Then file and finish the back of the piece.
13 Insert the end of the pin in the hole and mark where you want to place the pin catch; it should be slightly below the pin when the pin is level.
14 Take a length of the sterling silver strip and file; then finish the end until it is rounded and smooth.
15 With ring-nose pliers, form a hook in the end of the strip; the gap should be just wide enough to allow the pin stem to pass through.
16 Solder the catch into place using medium silver solder. Put the pin stem into place, adjust the length, and file and sand a gentle sloping point. The point should not protrude past the edge of the catch.
17 Solder the pin stem into place using easy solder. The pin stem is hardened and if you were to simply put the pin in place and solder it, it would lose its temper. You need to melt a pallion of solder into the hole and while it is still melted, insert the pin and immediately remove the heat and quench the piece. If done correctly, the pin should still be tempered, but if it has lost a little spring, gently tap it for a while with a hammer on an anvil or steel bench block to start to bring back the temper. You can also use a brass brush wheel on a flex shaft to clean and harden the pin at the same time. If the pin has lost all of its temper, remove it and replace it with a new one.
You can buy commercially available pin stems, catches, and hinges that will make this job easier. Then again, if you can make it, why buy it?
Skills
• sawing
• filing
• drilling
• finishing
• soldering
• reticulation
• bezel setting
Tools
• flex shaft
• torch and striker
• pickle pot with pickle mixed and warmed properly and a neutralizing soda bath
• fiber soldering pad
• tweezers and soldering pick
• flux brush
• saw and 5/0 saw blade
• needle files
• 400–1,500-grit sandpapers
• burnisher
• bezel roller
• polishing cabinet
• bezel-forming mandrel
Materials
• 20-gauge (.032") (.813 mm) sterling silver wire
• 26-gauge (.016") (.404 mm) 80/20 reticulation alloy sheet
• 24-gauge (.020") (.511 mm) sterling silver sheet
• 26-gauge (.016") (.404 mm) 14k gold-filled bezel wire, 3 mm (.12") wide
• 16-gauge (.050") (1.29 mm) square 14k gold-filled wire
• sterling silver wire to fit snuggly in your half-drilled pearl
• 3 mm (.12") cultured freshwater pearl, half drilled
• medium and easy silver solder
• gold-filled solder
• earring backs
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
• Ensure proper ventilation.
• Know where your hands and fingers are at all times.
• Make sure the area is clear of any flammables.
• Secure long hair and no loose clothing.
• Remove distractions and be mentally present.
• Wear breathing protection, such as a particulate respirator.
• Wear eye protection.
• Never light a torch with a cigarette lighter.
• Work on a nonflammable surface.
• Wear flame resistant clothing and closed-toe shoes.
• Wear rubber gloves.
1 Cut two 1" (2.5 cm) circles from the reticulation alloy sheet. Dome them with a doming block and punches, and prepare to reticulate (see Reticulation, page 80).
2 Reticulate the domes. Concentrating the heat in one place will cause the dome to collapse; pull the flame away when you are satisfied with the results. Remember this technique is fickle.
3 Make a bezel to fit the domes using the 14k gold-filled bezel wire and solder with gold-filled solder. Make a ring that fits around the bezel you just made using the square 14k gold-filled wire and solder with gold-filled solder.
4 Solder both the ring and the bezel to a piece of the sterling silver sheet using medium silver solder. (If you are working with solid gold, then you should use gold solders.) Saw each cup from the sheet using a 5/0 saw blade; file and sand the edges smooth. Using a small chisel, hammer, and steel bench block or anvil, texture the outside ring.
5 With a ball bur, make a small depression on the back of the earring where you want to place the earring post. This will give a place to melt a bit of solder; it will also increase the surface area, which translates to a stronger joint.
6 Make an ear post out of hardened sterling silver wire. Start by rounding off the end with a file and sandpaper, or a cup bur, and then using a pair of ring-nose pliers, pinch the wire 2 mm (.08") down from the end (a). You want to pinch hard enough to make a depression on either side of the wire; then turn the wire and pinch it again, continuing until you have made a groove all the way around the post; this groove will give the earring back something to lock into (b).
7 Cut the wire 12 mm (.47") long, file the end smooth, and solder into place using easy solder. You will need to melt the solder first; then put the wire into place and quickly quench the piece—do not heat the wire too much or you will anneal the post and it will be too soft to use.
9 Solder a piece of that wire onto the surface of the reticulated dome in the depression caused by the dome collapsing.
10 Because of the height of the outer ring, the bezel cup cannot be sanded down enough to provide a proper fitting bezel; plus, sanding the top of the bezel would also remove the gold plating. Instead, make a spacer to lift the dome a bit in the bezel cup. To do this, simply make a ring out of copper wire that fits inside of the bezel cup tightly, no need to even solder the ring—the gauge of wire needed will vary with each project.
After spacer
11 Patina the reticulated dome and brass brush or sand lightly with 1,000-grit sandpaper to highlight the texture.
12 Set the bezel around the reticulated dome just like you would when setting a stone. Trim the post so that it goes into the pearl all the way and allows the pearl to sit on the surface of the dome. Use a good epoxy designed for post setting pearls (ask your supplier what they recommend) to adhere the pearl to the piece. It is a good idea to use a coarse sandpaper like 320-grit to remove the oxide on the post; this will also rough the surface up and provide a tooth for the epoxy to grab ahold of.
Skills
• sawing
• filing
• drilling
• finishing
• soldering
• flush setting
Tools
• flex shaft
• torch and striker
• pickle pot with pickle mixed and warmed properly and a neutralizing soda bath
• fiber soldering pad
• tweezers and soldering pick
• flux brush
• saw and 5/0 saw blade and 3/0 saw blade
• needle files and hand file
• 400–1,500-grit sandpapers
• stone-setting burs
• bud burs
• small burnisher
• polishing cabinet
• ring-forming mandrel
• ring gauge
• mallet
Materials
• 12-gauge (.080") (2.05 mm) sterling silver strip, 5 mm (.2") wide
• 7 round gems of your choice, 3 mm (.12") in diameter
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
• Ensure proper ventilation.
• Know where your hands and fingers are at all times.
• Make sure the area is clear of any flammables.
• Secure long hair and no loose clothing.
• Remove distractions and be mentally present.
• Wear breathing protection, such as a particulate respirator.
• Wear eye protection.
• Never light a torch with a cigarette lighter.
• Work on a nonflammable surface.
• Wear flame resistant clothing and closed-toe shoes.
• Wear hearing protection.
• Wear rubber gloves.
1 Cut a 63.5 mm (2") length of the sterling silver strip; this will make a size 8 ring. To determine the length of strip needed for a certain ring size, use this simple formula: the length of the metal strip required is equal to the inside diameter of the desired ring size plus the thickness of the metal used, times pi (3.1416):
length (mm) = inside diameter (mm) + metal thickness (mm) x π
For example, to make a size 8 ring, as we will in this project:
length (mm) = 18.0 mm + 2.05 mm x π
length (mm) = 63.0 mm (rounded up)
For band widths larger than 4 mm, add 0.5 mm to the total length; so for this ring we come up with a total length of 63.5 mm.
A conversion table of ring sizes and their millimeter equivalents can be found in the appendix (page 218).
2 Unless you have bought dead soft sterling stock, you will have to anneal the metal strip before forming. Anneal, quench, pickle, neutralize, rinse, and dry (page 50).
3 Clamp a forming mandrel in the bench vice and begin to form the strip around it using a mallet. The metal is thick and will require more force to shape (a). When you achieve a C-shape and can visualize the finished ring and how the ends will match up, file a slight bevel on each end (b). Do not decrease the length; just angle the ends slightly so they will close up properly. This will take experience to get the hang of.
If you have aligned the two ends and the joint is still not tight enough, run a saw blade through it a few times; this will remove a small amount of material and tighten up the joint.
4 Once you have roughly rounded out the ring blank, begin closing the ends by tapping them with a hammer or mallet, alternating each one until the ends almost meet (a). The joint will not completely close, no matter what amount of force you put behind the hammer, so manipulate the ends with two pairs of pliers to close the joint. Bypassing the two ends (b) and then bringing them back together (c) will create tension in the band that will close the joint tight and help to keep it closed during soldering. Be patient and take your time.
5 Solder the ring together using hard solder. You can slightly open the joint and insert a pallion of solder between the two ends and the tension will hold the solder in place. Flux the ring, solder, quench, pickle, neutralize, rinse, and dry.
7 Using a file, round over the outside (a) and inside (b) edges. Needle files can be used but a hand file will work quicker if a considerable amount of material needs to be removed. A hand file is a needle file’s bigger brother and is available in different shapes and cuts.
8 Using finer cut needle files, clean up the edges, sand the ring, and polish.
9 Using a dapping punch cinched in a bench vice and the cross-peen of a goldsmith’s hammer, texture the ring.
Now it is time to lay out where to flush set the gemstones; this is the easiest way to do this without complex equations.
10 Wrap a piece of masking tape around the ring and cut it so the ends meet.
11 Remove the masking tape and adhere it to a ruler. This piece is 70 mm long; since we want to set seven stones, mark their placement 10 mm apart.
12 Reattach the tape to the ring and, using a divider set to the center of the ring, draw a line completely around it; now you have your drill points evenly spaced and in the center of the ring.
13 Using a dapping punch cinched in a bench vice as your anvil, center punch each of your marks.
14 Using a 1 mm drill bit, drill all of the center-punched marks. Remember to keep the bit straight up and down.
15 Using a 2 mm round bud bur, enlarge the holes; this will save wear and tear on the stone-setting burs.
16 Using a 3 mm stone-setting bur, cut the seat in the ring shank. Remember to keep the bur straight up and down (see Flush Setting, page 147).
17 Check your progress often by removing and replacing the stone until the table of the stone is flush with the metal’s surface.
18 Once the correct depth is reached, insert the stone and set it.
