daisyd681
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2011
Posts: 104
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Post by daisyd681 on Feb 4, 2014 17:02:56 GMT -5
And not too bad, if I do say so myself. Please excuse the awful camera work. My phone does not do macro very well.
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daisyd681
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2011
Posts: 104
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Post by daisyd681 on Feb 4, 2014 18:29:32 GMT -5
Also, what do you all use to clean up your solder lumps? I went to town with a diamond bur then a couple of rubber wheels with diamond grit. Then I realized that while I was trying to get into that joint I had flattened out the tops of my curls. :/ I'm not planning on selling this piece since the silver plating on the bezel came off the second I put it in the pickle pot, and I don't think brass is really good for sellable jewelry, but I'd like for that not to happen next time. I'm not sure what I should be using to clean up my finished jewelry. I'm putting together an order now from Rio. Is there any other site I should be looking for supplies on? TIA
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Post by radio on Feb 4, 2014 18:46:37 GMT -5
If you have fluxed the piece well enough and heating it to proper temp, you shouldn't have solder lumps with silver solder as it should flow and smooth right out on its own for the most part. Also sounds like you might be using way more solder than the joins require. I like floating, dangly pieces that have some movement to them. :-) I don't see a bail?
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daisyd681
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2011
Posts: 104
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Post by daisyd681 on Feb 4, 2014 19:09:27 GMT -5
No bail yet. I'm waiting on shears. For some reason they didn't occur to me when I made my initial order. It's entirely possible I'm using too much solder. Is it also possible that I'm not keeping the heat on long enough? I've been pulling the torch off as soon as the solder goes liquid. It's also possible that I'm seeing solder coated bumps on the wire ends I suppose. I think I'll cut them down so that they don't go so far up the side next time. That would probably make the whole process go more smoothly. Every time I tried to pkoe a solder chip back into place, they would all move.
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aimeesrockworks
spending too much on rocks
I really do look like my avatar... it kinda freaks me out.
Member since December 2010
Posts: 458
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Post by aimeesrockworks on Feb 4, 2014 19:14:16 GMT -5
Very cute... how big is it?
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Post by rockjunquie on Feb 4, 2014 19:17:32 GMT -5
That looks like a really challenging project for your first one. Great job! I like how delicate it is. I look forward to some pictures after you get the bail on. What stone is it?
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Post by radio on Feb 4, 2014 20:20:57 GMT -5
No bail yet. I'm waiting on shears. For some reason they didn't occur to me when I made my initial order. It's entirely possible I'm using too much solder. Is it also possible that I'm not keeping the heat on long enough? I've been pulling the torch off as soon as the solder goes liquid. It's also possible that I'm seeing solder coated bumps on the wire ends I suppose. I think I'll cut them down so that they don't go so far up the side next time. That would probably make the whole process go more smoothly. Every time I tried to pkoe a solder chip back into place, they would all move. Remember, solder follows heat so you can guide/direct it to or away from areas after some practice. Sounds like the heat source is too small or you are pulling it away too soon. You can also use two or three hardness levels of solder at various stages and using ez flow last so the piece doesn't come unsoldered or have the pieces move around on you. a good charcoal or kiln firebrick will allow you to use straight pins to hold the piece stable. Also consider buying a Titanium solder pick so you don't have to fuss with trying to place the pallions with tweezers. If pieces still move around on you, use those pins to hold the piece in place while you are poking and prodding at it:-)
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Post by 1dave on Feb 4, 2014 20:43:49 GMT -5
In soldering, the important temperature is the FLOW temperature, not the melt temperature. It is usually 40-80 degrees hotter than the melt temp.
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daisyd681
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2011
Posts: 104
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Post by daisyd681 on Feb 4, 2014 22:01:38 GMT -5
It's about 2 1/2" tall with a labradorite stone. I have a magnesium block on a solderite pad on a marble tile for my surface. I used a combination of the pick and tweezers for placing the pieces and solder. I'm going to go back over it when I go to put the bail on and see if I can't get the solder to smooth out, now that I've ground some out. I think it's safe to say that I'm officially hooked now. My share of the tax return is quickly being devoured. lol Is Rio Grande the best place for this stuff?
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Post by nowyo on Feb 5, 2014 2:42:58 GMT -5
A lot more ambitious than me for a first try. Keep on going.
Russ
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Post by radio on Feb 5, 2014 9:25:44 GMT -5
Is Rio Grande the best place for this stuff? Rio has one of the best selections of "things", but most metal smiths I know use one or more of the various Pro Jewelry supply places. I have dealt with several places over the years and have settled on Santa Fe Jewelry Supply and Monster Slayer as my suppliers. They don't carry all the "gadgets" that Rio does, but have just about anything the serious Smith needs and are a family owned business, so customer service is top notch! Will Rio ever call you up and address you by your first name? I liken most of the smithing gadgets to fishing lures. A big percentage are designed to catch fishermen instead of fish. translation: They don't do anything any better than other "lures" on the market, but flashy colors and mega advertising convinces a lot of fishermen that they just can't be without this incredible "lure". If a smith was constantly buying all the tools supply companies tell them they "need", there wouldn't be any room on the bench or any money in the bank account. Of course the latter is what they are trying to accomplish I'm pretty old school in my approach and still use files and sanding sticks religiously. Not saying I don't have burrs, wheels and such on my bench. I do, and they have their place and can save some time and effort. I wouldn't be without my Foredom, but I would still rather pick up a file than change the accessory in the Foredom chuck. Gosh! Didn't mean to write a novel here! I'm off my soap box now, carry on
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Post by connrock on Feb 5, 2014 10:03:08 GMT -5
I think your design is great but it's hard to actually see your work in a blurry photo. connrock
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daisyd681
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2011
Posts: 104
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Post by daisyd681 on Feb 5, 2014 17:18:38 GMT -5
Yeah, I'd rather have one simple tool that will do many things than an entire room full of "one hit wonder" type tools. Right now everything has to fit on a shelf in my laundry room. (This shelf unit started to keep cleaning supplies away from the kiddos. Now it's one shelf of cleaning, one shelf of fiber dye, one shelf of rock tumbling and cutting, and one shelf of smithing. lol) Most of what I've got in my cart at Rio is silver and solder, but I'm always looking for options. I'll check those two sites out. Thank you! Connrock, I'll take a pic with the digital camera when I get the bail on.
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daisyd681
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2011
Posts: 104
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Post by daisyd681 on Feb 6, 2014 18:06:49 GMT -5
So a number of years ago I wandered into this store in the shopping center across the street from my apartment at the time. It seemed like mostly native crafting things. Hoops, feathers, turquoise,... That kind of thing. I thought there might be an off chance they'd have the tumbling grit I'm in need of, so I popped in today. Holy crap! They have nearly all of the things I had in my cart at Rio. Then it dawned on me. The name on the sign sounded familiar. A year or two ago I was poking around a website called Thunderbird Supply and never ordered anything, but they had lots of stuff. They have a store in my town! I never knew. Have any of you dealt with them? The pricing seems about standard. I always prefer to look at the actual products in person, so this is pretty ideal. They don't carry all of the things in the store here, but were quick to hand me a catalogue and an order form. No charge for shipping if I'm willing to wait for it to come on the truck.
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Post by 1dave on Feb 6, 2014 18:33:09 GMT -5
You just buy it in person? No shipping? You see and handle what you are buying? What a sneaky way to get your business.
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daisyd681
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2011
Posts: 104
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Post by daisyd681 on Feb 6, 2014 19:08:42 GMT -5
I know right?
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Post by radio on Feb 6, 2014 19:57:49 GMT -5
So a number of years ago I wandered into this store in the shopping center across the street from my apartment at the time. It seemed like mostly native crafting things. Hoops, feathers, turquoise,... That kind of thing. I thought there might be an off chance they'd have the tumbling grit I'm in need of, so I popped in today. Holy crap! They have nearly all of the things I had in my cart at Rio. Then it dawned on me. The name on the sign sounded familiar. A year or two ago I was poking around a website called Thunderbird Supply and never ordered anything, but they had lots of stuff. They have a store in my town! I never knew. Have any of you dealt with them? The pricing seems about standard. I always prefer to look at the actual products in person, so this is pretty ideal. They don't carry all of the things in the store here, but were quick to hand me a catalogue and an order form. No charge for shipping if I'm willing to wait for it to come on the truck. Thunderbird supply are good folks. I have dealt with them on occasion and they do have a lot of hard to find Native American items. One thing I regularly buy from them are the hand forged steel stamps mostly with S.W designs. You can definitely tell they are hand made because more than a few I have bought have at one time been intake and exhaust valves for an internal combustion engine They tended to be out of stock fairly often on certain silver wire, bezel, etc so I moved to SFJS.
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Post by pghram on Feb 7, 2014 12:17:09 GMT -5
Looks good, I can't wait to see it when it's completed.
Rich
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daisyd681
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2011
Posts: 104
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Post by daisyd681 on Feb 7, 2014 16:38:47 GMT -5
]Thunderbird supply are good folks. I have dealt with them on occasion and they do have a lot of hard to find Native American items. One thing I regularly buy from them are the hand forged steel stamps mostly with S.W designs. You can definitely tell they are hand made because more than a few I have bought have at one time been intake and exhaust valves for an internal combustion engine They tended to be out of stock fairly often on certain silver wire, bezel, etc so I moved to SFJS. That doesn't surprise me at all. The mother store is in Gallup, NM. Having been born in BFE New Mexico, I speak from experience when I say, that is how they roll.
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Post by radio on Feb 7, 2014 21:18:49 GMT -5
]Thunderbird supply are good folks. I have dealt with them on occasion and they do have a lot of hard to find Native American items. One thing I regularly buy from them are the hand forged steel stamps mostly with S.W designs. You can definitely tell they are hand made because more than a few I have bought have at one time been intake and exhaust valves for an internal combustion engine They tended to be out of stock fairly often on certain silver wire, bezel, etc so I moved to SFJS. That doesn't surprise me at all. The mother store is in Gallup, NM. Having been born in BFE New Mexico, I speak from experience when I say, that is how they roll. BFE NM! I have been through there! I think Thunderbird does the majority of their business with walk in traffic. I have been in both stores and they are very friendly and knowledgeable folks. The frequent out of stock things hurt their on line business though. It could have changed somewhat though as i haven't bought Silver from them for a very long time
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