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A newbies journey into the jewellery world- It's doming time!
It’s doming time!
After a week of sickness I couldn’t wait to get back to start finishing my link bracelet. I continued to make jump rings as before however previously I really struggled getting started with the saw, it was suggested to me to wrap the coiled wire up in masking tape. This really helped, it not only meant I could get started easier with the saw but meant that the jump rings didn’t ping everywhere whilst I was cutting them. It definitely saved me a lot of time looking around on the floor!
I left some of the jump rings open and combined them with the full jump rings I made last week to make the beginnings of a bracelet. Using medium solder to close the new jump rings so as not to damage the soldering of the other links I started putting the bracelet together. After about half an hour of hot and sweaty soldering I had managed to make a bracelet. All that’s left for me to do is make a toggle clasp (which I’m hoping is simple!) and polish it off, et voila!
I was really looking forward to our tutorial this week as I had heard it was about how to dome metal. I’ve seen a lot of designs that use this technique and couldn’t wait to see whether I would be able to achieve the same effect with some of my designs. I was really surprised at how easy it was to do and achieve really professional results.
After cutting out a disc of silver we then annealed the silver by heating it until it reached a pink ‘blush’ colour. This softens the metal making it easier to work. We then got a doming block and chose the relevant sized dome and corresponding doming punch. A handy tip was to make sure the punch is able to roll around in the dome before popping the metal in so as to make sure the punches do not get damaged. Starting with a very shallow dome we placed the circle in the block and put the corresponding punch on top. We then hammered the top of the punch so as to put pressure on the metal. The metal domed after just a few hits. We then continued using smaller punches and holes in the doming block until we achieved a dome the right height for the design.
I was really impressed with the effect the doming block created, the domes were very even and I can imagine doming the metal adds a professional feel to most designs; I’ll definitely be investing in one to get experimenting with!
The doming block is also really handy if you want to make your own beads, we watched the tutors demonstration on how to make silver beads with the hope that with a bit of practice we might be able to do the same! After cutting discs with the metal she then drilled the hole for the centre of the bead whilst the metal was flat. Using a sharp point she hammered where the hole needed to be to make a little indent, this means that the drill does not slip when drilling the hole. Using a dremel multi tool with drill attachment (this is a great tool for beginners as it has most tools you will need as attachments) the holes were made quickly and easily. It was then back to the doming block to make the curves, it is important to remember to do each disc one after the other in the doming block so as not to get mixed up with which holes you are using, ensuring the bead is even.
Once the two sides of the bead are ready it’s time for the tricky bit…soldering the two parts together! Balance one side of the bead in a supaloc, to help it stay in place the supabloc can be carved in to. It is however important to remember not to carve the hole too deep as this will mean the heat won’t be even when soldering. Then flux around the edge of the bead and heat, next apply tiny bits of solder around the edges of the bead a few millimetres apart. It is then really important to line the top part of the bead up accurately to the bottom, use reverse action tweezers to do this. It’s now time for the soldering itself, making sure that the heat is evenly distributed within the top and the bottom of the bead heat the bead using a blow torch, make sure that the top or bottom don’t move apart in this process, you should be able to keep them in place using a soldering poker. Once the solder has run completely round the edges of the bead it is ready! Quench in water and then pop in to safety pickle to clean of the fire stain…and there you have it, you’re very own silver bead!
21st October 2010.