Introduction Pickle is one of the most important cleaning agents that all metal smiths need if they intend to do soldering. In previous posts I have written about changing the pickle and creating a pickle jar, but I have not focused on how pickle should be used. The key things to remember are gold, silver [...]
Browsing Posts tagged silver
Introduction Now that the piece is cast it is tempting to hurry up and finish it. With my first couple of cuttlebone casts I just tied a ribbon or a necklace right around the button and said the piece was finished. Later on I realized that proper finishing is what makes a great piece “pop.” [...]
Introduction Now that the cuttlebone is sanded flat and the mold is dug out you are ready to cast the first step is preparing the silver. The second step is setting up the mold for casting. The third is heating and pouring the silver and then the last is removing the piece. For a quick [...]
Introduction Annealing metal is extremely important and is one of the most basic tasks that a metal worker must do. Annealing metal is primarily used for three functions. The first function is to soften metal that has been work harden. The second function is to give the metal a different texture and color, which is [...]
