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Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on May 7, 2015 8:35:26 GMT -5
I am making a pendant with my nieces name on it, which I will put on using the flexshaft & the hammer hand piece. I am also soldering a bezel on there to set a small opal, her birthstone. Question is.......should I go ahead & do the soldering now & then clean the silver up & do the name or should I go ahead & do the name, then do the soldering. My concern is that if I do the name first, then solder will I be able to get everything cleaned up okay after soldering. Your thoughts & expertise is greatly appreciated here!!!!! Started with this idea However, I changed my mind & went with this instead. Bezel is now soldered on & clean up is not finished yet. I have to decide on how in the heck this will be a pendant. Have to have some way to hang it & I just might have to do some more soldering on it. After that I will clean it up real good & make it nice & shiny before I write the name on it. I practiced on some copper last night using different burrs & stuff, as well as the hammer handpiece with the pave point. Still need to practice some more before I finally decide which way to go.
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Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on May 7, 2015 16:50:33 GMT -5
Sure could use some help on this one, please.
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Don
Cave Dweller
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on May 7, 2015 16:53:08 GMT -5
Generally, engrave the piece after it is polished. Don't engrave before soldering, as it may fill with solder. if you want a faint engraving, buff the engraving lightly with tripoli afterwards to make it less pronounced. I engrave most of my finished pieces DLC GEMS and .925 after I finish polishing them. I use an engraving pen.
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Post by radio on May 7, 2015 17:32:35 GMT -5
It all depends on how close the engraving is to the bezel being soldered and how neat you are with your soldering technique. Generally speaking, solder will not flow over a flat piece of silver unless you use an overabundance of it. This is why it is best to use only small snippets rather than dabbing at it with a stick of wire solder. If using the Foredom hammer attachment, it might be difficult to engrave the piece after the bezel is affixed good luck and take pictures
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Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on May 8, 2015 9:49:31 GMT -5
Added a couple of pictures. Thinking about riveting the bails on.
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Post by orrum on May 8, 2015 10:11:27 GMT -5
Donnie take a saw and cut some V shapes into the edges. V shapes should not be perfect but should lean this way and that, dont make them big or deep. Then bend the in between parts of the plate up in random forms, twisting them think maple or oak leaf. Then solder bail on and pickle. Then flux and heat flux enough to get it to wrinkle a little. Then sprinkle silver dust saved from sawing on plate and heat until flux does that liquid changing thing, fairly hot. Toss into pickle. After 20 minutes or so in pickle put in vibe with mixed steel shot for 20 minutes to clean it up. Take out and scribe or however you do it the info on the plate. The silver dust lends a very attractive finish to me. This is basically my style. I leave my backing plate sticking out far enough past the bezel and do this. I have a plain bezel with no rope etc around the bezel. Sometimes I take a diamond point in the foredom and scratch up the bezel outside in random swirls with the very tip.
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Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on May 8, 2015 10:41:15 GMT -5
Thanks orrum, that sounds pretty but my head is having trouble wrapping around all that. Would you by any chance have a picture?
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Post by orrum on May 8, 2015 12:28:04 GMT -5
Not one with the silver dust but I have a small pendant left with the etching and leaf edges. I can't post pics on here but I can text them. The pendant is a very simple one. Nothing fancy but you should get the idea. If you PM me your cell number I can text you a pic. Let me know.
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spiritstone
Cave Dweller
Member since August 2014
Posts: 2,061
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Post by spiritstone on May 8, 2015 18:44:31 GMT -5
The hardest part I found was trying to cleanup after the stone was in then the weld. Pulled out toothpics at times to get into the nooks and crannies. Keeping an eye on your post for solutions.
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