head pins

[sarahd]

please can anyone tell me where to buy large amounts of sterling silver head pins not plated. about 50mm lenght with a ball head and not flat. All the ones i have found are very expensive. I have tried making them myself but the ball always ends up witha dent in. Grateful for any help

[caroleallen]

My advice is to always make them yourself. Bought ones are usually very weak. I used to buy them from Burhouse Beads but was always having things returned for repair. Now I make them from Argentium silver and the balls are always perfect.

[sarahd]

maybe i will buy some argentinium silver i am in hatton garden tomorrow. do you use a particular thickness? do you hold the silver in to the flame heating from below. I hate the little dents that appear when you use 925. many thanks for your help

[caroleallen]

I don't think you'll find argentium in Hatton Garden Sarah. The only company that sells it in the UK is Argex in Birmingham. Yes you do hold the silver in the flame but you need to cool it more slowly than sterling - just hold it for a few seconds out of the flame before putting it down.

[abyjem]

I am pretty sure that Palmers have now started selling Argentium and also The Silver Corporation but not in many different guages

[orestruck]

Palmer's range of Argentium is limited to a lobster clasp and an earwire!....deffo no bullion there..............

Sarah

[caroleallen]

That's interesting Faith. Good that a few more companies are stocking it, though Argex have more choice.

[mizgeorge]

Palmers have got 0.8mm wire, but at a fairly hefty price.

There's still a problem with some of the gauges from Argex (unfortunately).

[Ominicci]

I thought i remembered you mentioning that before George - I have just had 0.8 and 0.5 from them to make headpins and the only way I could actually form the ball without it dropping off or the wire just curling up was to form an eyepin first and then heat it. Takes more time to make them, but works. I also do not quench at all - just put them down on a block when done and leave to cool, then pickle and tumble.

[mizgeorge]

Nicci, I'd send it back! The 0.8 is definitely failing, and I've also just returned a large amount of 1.5mm for the second time. I know the 1.0 and 1.2 are OK, but I've been talking with the Argentium Ltd metallurgist, and there's still something not quite right in the process at the factory.

[caroleallen]

Ah, that would explain why the person I spoke to asked what I was using it for. When I said for its balling up qualities, he was a bit hesitant. I then asked if they'd sorted out the problem and he said "yes". I'll have to give it a try this afternoon.

[mizgeorge]

I actually feel a bit sorry for them Carole - they're being badly let down by the factory. I had to give in and place a rather larger order than I'd have liked from the US today :(

[orestruck]

Interesting....I ordered some earlier today and he asked me what I used it for, so I told him. He then cryptically said "You'll have to let us know how you get on".
I did say to him that some fellow jewellery makers were experiencing some difficulties with some they had bought and was that why he wanted to know!

Sarah

[abyjem]

I have used some of Cooksons Reflections wire or balled up headpins and it seems ok

[Ominicci]

I've used it all to make headpins now as I needed them. I should ring them up and tell them about it I suppose; the more people that complain the more likely they are to do something about it. What I don't understand is why it is any different to what cooksons were supplying. Surely they must have changed something in the manufacturing process. If they are the UK distributors shouldn't we be complaining direct to Argentium International Ltd? (sorry, a little bit of a thread hijack here :-")

[mizgeorge]

It's Argentium themselves I've been talking to Nicci. Apparently there's something not quite going right in the manufacturing process, but as the factory's in Italy, I think there's a bit of a communication problem at times.

[lilia]

I tried making headpins with Argex argentium 0.5 wire the other day. I had real problems there, a bit of flux helped though, however nowehere near how it should be. I would describe mine as though the metal melts and drips and rather than balls up.

I also had a tiny bit of Cooksons reflections (0.5 as well) and it balled up beautifully. I saw a thread a while ago about making Reflections headpins and that they didn't turn out nice, however mine were fine. I had the torch flame very hot (mine is Little Torch), the tip of the flame very pointed and darker blue.

[Joe]

Ooo another Little Torch user... I've just got the melting head for mine!

[mizgeorge]

Argentium shouldn't need flux, and the melt and drip sounds like the same bad batch to me. Send it back!

[caroleallen]

I've had a go with my latest order from Argex and it seems fine.

[lilia]

It shouldn't, but without the flux the pins just would not ball up. I also tried making granules for granulation, and they turned out rather ugly, with pits all over them - which is totally wrong. Unfortunately, I've already used a good amount of the 'faulty' wire. I just hope it is still .925 silver content. I will however, send an e-mail to Argex.