Crinkle metal sheet, also known as crinkle bi-metal, is a great 'cheat' way of achieving a reticulated look.
It immediately reticulates with lovely crinkled texture as soon as it is brought up to temperature with a gas torch - without the need for any surface preparation. It is fully annealed which makes it soft and easy to form. It can be formed before bringing out the surface texture and it will hold its shape perfectly.
On this page, we go into detail about how crinkle metal sheet works with tips and advice on how to use it.
Please note that we no longer stock crinkle metal sheet, but we have kept our advice page and video available for educational purposes. If you would like to reticulate metal sheet, we recommend watching our video tutorials with Kim in our 12 Months Of Metal series.
1. Place the metal on a charcoal or similar heat resistant block pattern side up. The pattern will disappear on heating.
2. Bring the piece slowly up to heat with a moving flame.
3. When the metal reaches the proper temperature the surface will begin to form waves and then start to crawl as it crinkles up. A small oxidising flame works best.
4. Remove the heat, cool and pickle as usual. The piece may be re-heated if there are any areas that you do not like.
5. Overheating will cause the alloy to flow freely on the surface of the fine silver where it may be stirred with a soldering poker or metal brush for unusual effects.
Granules, chips and other heat resistant materials can be dropped into the molten surface for even more special effects.
In our 12 Months Of Metal series, Kim shares a brilliant tutorial on how to reticulate silver, talking you through every step and all the tools you need to achieve this technique. Kim also shows you an example of reticulated copper!
Watch more videos and tutorials on reticulation with Kim Thomson over on our blog.
If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with our friendly team who will be more than happy to give you advice over email or on the phone.
You can learn more and find inspiration by visiting our Jewellery Making Tutorials, Jewellery Making Kits and YouTube Channel. Don't forget to follow us on social media and tag us in your designs on Instagram & Facebook, we would love to see!