Latest Creations in Fine Silver & PMC

[MuranoSilver]

Here are a few PMC rings, some of which are wedding rings for a wonderful couple
who gave me the honour of making the rings for their partnership ceremony. :D
http://www.muranosilver.com/images/pmc-rings.jpg
Here's a Medical Alert Bracelet a combo of hand drawn and hand carved images.
http://www.muranosilver.com/images/medical-alert.jpg
I fused the chain on the Medi-bracelet (inspired by Solunar & Bijou)
Hope you like em :)

Nic x

[bustagasket]

wow! what kind off setting is that called on the rings (havent learnt about stone setting yet)

[MuranoSilver]

Its a Flush setting (flush with the metal)
Here's a flush setting tutorial
http://www.professionaljeweler.com/archives/articles/2000/feb00/0200fys1.html
Nic x

[Di Sandland]

:'(:'(:(|:

Hmm - I just played with my first pea sized pea of Art Clay Silver - the whole lot has started my first slip pot! Tis not as easy as it looks, is it!

Perhaps the problem was that I used ACS slow dry (because I thought I'd need the extra open time) but the whole bloody lot just cracked up on me and I couldn't make it smooth for love nor money.

:help:

[MuranoSilver]

The main thing to do with PMC is to have ALL your tools ready and the design planned out in advance.
I normally use soft fimo to pre-design things (similar texture) then you can have it in front of you when you open your pack.

Slow dry is what I use with my students as it does give you a little more working time but clay normally
has to be conditioned a few times whilst working with it...

1) Have about a 10cm square of cling film ready.
2) Open the zip lock packet take out the sealed clay and literature.
3) Moisten some kitchen towel and pop it into the packet ready.
4) Open your clay
5) Pop it into the cling film (to preserve moisture)
6) Squidge it for a bit to soften it up and distribute the moisture evenly
7) If its a little hard then flatten the clay out open the cling film and smear a drop or two of water across the clay.
8) Fold the clay over the moist area cover with cling film and work it in.

It's now ready to work with, work quite speedily and don't try for perfection
you can always sand an iffy edge once it's dry ;)

If you're not using a bit of clay then put it back in the cling film and
pop that into your pre-moistened packet and zip the seal....

Hope that helps, but if you still have difficulties it's definitely best to go on a course.
Working texture is the only thing that is difficult to learn out of a book.

Nic xx

[Di Sandland]

Thanks Nic - I have a course booked for November. I'm impatient :N:

I have never knowingly been beaten - and I won't this time either! Currently tho, this smilie is indicative of how I'm feeling #-o

[The Bijou Dragon]

WOW I was an inspiration... I think I need a lie down now :D

Looks beautiful Nic!

Love the rings especially :D

[Ominicci]

Lovely lot of rings!! Bright pink a bit OTT for me - the one on the far left or right would be fine for me thanks! hehe

[julie]

If it's a ring it's got to be "BLING" lovely rings :D

[Di Sandland]

Okay - stupid question coming up.

All my bits of sterling in the 'waste' pot - if I melt them down, can I use them again? Well, what I mean is what do I do with the melted metal so that I can reuse it.

:confused:

[SilverByRosie]

Ooh! I can't stop staring at those rings, especially the ones with purple in!
Lovely!

[MuranoSilver]

Oooh thanks all - glad you like them :">
Yes you can re-use sterling waste but to be honest I mainly just send it to cooksons in a scrap pot :)
Nic x

[Coco]

You could melt your scrap and use it for casting or if you've got the patience and the equipment you can remake it into sheet or wire. You need a rolling mill and swage block etc though

[reikiangel]

ooh Nic im so excited about coming on your course now .. i could just come and move in with you actually :idea::D

[MuranoSilver]

Lol - I'm looking forward to having you visit :)
Our cottage is teeny though, so you might change your mind about moving in :<3:
Nicx

[Charlotte]

Gorgeous work Nic! And thanks for the info on flush setting, I guessed thats how it worked but I'd be happy to buy some burs now and have a go. It must have taken a while to set all those stones?!

[ps_bond]

They're very nice! One thing that puzzles me is what is the advantage in making rings of that style in PMC? This is probably down to my mindset & familiarity with other techniques; I'd fabricate or cast in Delft clay to get a similar thing.

How about a closeup on one of the flush settings? That tutorial is pretty good - although using steel tools in finishing the edge of the setting bothers me; fine with diamonds, not so happy about it for softer stones. I made up one of the concave tipped brass pushers last night to give it a try; not sure about it yet, I'll need to play with it some more.

If you're remelting lemel, do make sure it is clean of solder, steel, copper and anything else that could contaminate the melt (and reduce the purity). I wouldn't bother melting filings, generally - just the larger scrap. Adding a small amount of new casting grain in really does help the melt flow.

[Di Sandland]

Thanks Peter - what I was thinking of was the bits left over from my early work with silver wires. They're all in a container to go back to Cooksons because I couldn't work out how to come up with a product I could reuse after melting (hadn't thought of rolling mills and the like duh!).

[ps_bond]

Rolling mills, drawplates, hammers, power hammers... Let's face it - you could cast a blob, beat it flat and you've got sheet - no rolling mill needed.

However, if you want drawn products in standard sizes and alloys, I'd just buy them! I only really use lemel for the occasional cast and mucking about with Japanese alloys.

Hmm, wonder if those cuttlebones have dried out yet?

[MuranoSilver]

I guess I like pmc because it's so easy to apply texture and flush sets are a doddle because the clay is so
easy to drill into (you turn the bit with your fingers).
If you stuff it up you just fill with clay let it dry and do it again.....
As pmc shrinks with firing the finished silver is naturally gripping the stone really tightly :D

Sorry I took that picture with a camera phone so I haven't got the detail
here's a different pmc ring exscuse the dust it's a very big close up!
http://www.muranosilver.com/images/flush-set-pmc.jpg

It's a carved d-shape ring - for someone like yourself PMC might be useful for prototypes....
It eliminates first stage wax and cast tidy up....

Nic x

[ps_bond]

Ah, I see. I think. I *really* need to break open that pack and play - I'm tending to see things primarily in terms of the techniques and methods I already know, without enough extrapolation. It hadn't occurred to me that you'd drill the clay before firing, for example - because setting (for me) is the last thing I do before a final polish!

So are you firing with stones in place then? Do you undercut the setting to allow for the shrinkage?

[MuranoSilver]

Yes the stones are fired in place and apart from a small pilot hole for pushing the stone out (if needed) I rarely undercut :)

[bustagasket]

ooh Nic im so excited about coming on your course now .. i could just come and move in with you actually :idea::D

and i am soooooo green!! What do you have to go and live all the way up there for Nic, i could so do with going on on of your courses

[cezerpringle]

Hi Nic, first post in cooksons forum but have been reading for some time...
Love the rings! What size stones are they?
Ceri :)

[MuranoSilver]

Pleased that you jumped in :)
They're 3mm stones
nic xx

[bustagasket]

and i am soooooo green!! What do you have to go and live all the way up there for Nic, i could so do with going on on of your courses

Guess whose going now? weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[julie]

Guess whose going now? weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

i'm glad you going i couldn't keep my eyes open last night to hear the good news i was getting dizzy facebook / cooksons & back again #-o LOL i think a pmc course is just what you need su & with me to keep you company :Y:

[bustagasket]

I just hope i dont shake with excitement too much lol - and i really goota make the appointment to get my eyes checked now too, think i need to change me glasses lol

[The Dragon]

I'm just starting on a design for cufflinks using PMC. I was thinking of a chanel type set putting the stones in after firing with a torch as I'm worried about the shrinkage element. Do stones such as topaz and garnet fire ok and how on earth do you judge what size to make the setting? I had though of using sterling for the setting and soldering it to the PMC element to get around the problem.

Just can't quite get my head around it at the moment :confused:

Annie

[MuranoSilver]

I'm just starting on a design for cufflinks using PMC. I was thinking of a chanel type set putting the stones in after firing with a torch as I'm worried about the shrinkage element. Do stones such as topaz and garnet fire ok and how on earth do you judge what size to make the setting? I had though of using sterling for the setting and soldering it to the PMC element to get around the problem.

Just can't quite get my head around it at the moment :confused:
Annie

Annie I hope you don't mind me asking but are you an experienced metal clay user (as that's quite an advanced technique). Jeanette Landenwitche's book "Setting Stones in Metal Clay" covers it though. :Y:

Topaz don't fire and some garnet types fire at low temps e.g. the green garnet
but for both they should be done in a kiln as the temperature variance of torch firing would be likely to damage them.

The easiest way to do it is to get some Cz's and use those to practise the technique of Chanel setting PMC - they're a LOT more resilient and will let you set pre-firing :D

Nic x

[The Dragon]

No not an experienced user at all. Don't really have classes in my area and work makes it hard for me to travel to classes. I'm self taught with a lot of help from various books. I do however have a lot of patience and I try a lot of ideas out in sculpey polymer first. That said I will keep at something until I find a way that works for me.

I'm a bit like the bumble bee, nobody got around to telling it it shouldn't be able to fly, I nearly always get there in the end but sometimes its a long trip

Annie

[purple4711]

Have read the flush settling tutorial 3 times now and my brain just melted....:'(

[amazingbabe]

Gorgeous rings Nic, i love all of them, love your work :Y:

[Chanters]

I would love to make rings like that Murano, how long have you been working with Silver coz your work is brilliant.