Making a silver ball pendant

[Didi]

Hello,
The other day I made a pendant and photographed the process as I went along. I thought Id post it here so you could see what ive been getting up to.

First I cut out 2 silver discs
Then I domed them and made sure they matched each other. That was trickier than I thought it would be.
I marked the design out that I wanted and drilled holes so I could get the piercing saw through.

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Didi

[Didi]

Part 2
The finished piercing on the first hemisphere
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I then soldered a thin strip around the inside of the hemisphere so it would fit inside the other half and not wobble. I then superglued the two together, polished them up to a high shine, washed and de greased them.
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I then painted them with poster paint
Thanks at this point to James who told me how to do this!

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Didi

[Didi]

Part 3

With the paint dry , I drew the rest of the pattern in pencil so that it flowed around the whole ball.
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It was even possible to rub out mistakes and draw again until I was happy with the design
Didi

[Didi]

Part 4 Will try to get the images in line rather as attachments!

With the design complete I scratched though the pencil lines and marked the areas I wanted to cut out

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I then drilled holes to fit the saw through
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Piercing nearly done
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Now to saw out the delicate edge shapes. This was difficult to keep it all in shape as it distorted whenever the saw got stuck
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Didi

[Didi]

Part 5

Both parts pierced out.
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Now, wire it together. Once, twice, three times. Grr!! it kept slipping out of place
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Flux, position solder. reposition solder, start again. have a cup of tea....finally solder
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Whoop! done!!!
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At this point feel very pleased with myself
Didi

[medusa]

that is so cool! well done you, you should be pleased with yourself!

[Didi]

Part 6

Solder a silver ball on one end of a length os 1mm wire, thread it through the ball and shape the free end into a bail.
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Suspend it in Liver of Sulphur
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Take it out, look at it and decide the whole silver bead bit is too big! Have another cup of tea.
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Thats better, Ive replaced it with a smaller bead and polished the LOS off the outside.

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Voila!!!! Finished
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Hope you like it. Didi

[medusa]

lovely! though I confess I liked the larger ball version. It looked a bit astronomical.

[silken]

So pretty! I love step to step photo guides, I'm pretty nosy and love to see how other people work :D

[Dennis]

Quite a labor of love and pretty result. Dennis.

[Tabby66]

Quite beautiful...............and for what it's worth,....I prefer the smaller balls......xx

[Goldsmith]

Well done Didi, now what's next on the workbench?
For a suggestion, Easter is coming so how about trying the same system and make an Easter Egg pendant.

James

[MeadMoon]

That's lovely Didi, a labourious process but well worth the final result. I too prefer the smaller ball.

[Didi]

Ahhh. James. That IS a thought. How on earth do I do egg shaped doming? I can see how to do the round end but how can I do the pointy end?
Didi

[Goldsmith]

I am afraid I do not know how much training you have had Didi. But I make my egg halves by either using punches or by metal spinning on my lathe. If making small eggs I use a brass punch that I shaped on a lathe to shape the pointy half of an egg and a doming punch for the semi circular half. I use a lead block to either press or hammer the shapes into. I have mentioned lead blocks on this forum before as I make my own and use them for many shaping processes, I have three lead blocks and when they are marked a lot I just re melt them into new ingots, using a large torch and a mold ingot. I also use these ingots for just hammering shapes like leaves and flowers. I have re posted some photos, sorry if you have already seen them.

James

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[Didi]

Hi James. Very little training I'm afraid. (1three day course on making a ring). However I have a habit of not giving up, otherwise known as , sheer bloody mindedness. I love a challenge. Spinning isn't an option so , looks like I'm going to have to find some lead. Do you think I could use different sizes of doming punches to get the pointy end? Thankyou for your support
Didi

[Goldsmith]

Hi Didi, I don't think different size doming punches would do. If you do get round to making a lead block you could make your own punches by filing rods to shape.
I buy lengths of silver steel rod and brass for making punches and they are also useful for making jump rings. They are not expensive, I buy them from this company;
silversteel ; https://ekpsupplies.com/materials-metals-/silversteel/cat_141.html
brass rod ; https://ekpsupplies.com/materials-metals-/brass-materials/brass-rounds/cat_118.html

The rods are sold in 13 inch lengths so each rod can be used to make three punches. If you do buy some, get a selection of sizes as they will last a lifetime and you will find many uses for them, such as for winding jump rings as I mentioned before.

Good luck
James

[Didi]

Hi James
I might be on to a winner here. My other half has a load of lead flashing he is prepared to donate to the cause, I could get a cake tin to melt it in couldn't I ? If I melt it outside there wouldn't be a problem with fumes would there? Whats the advantage of silver steel over Brass? Oh, so many questions

Thank you
Didi

[ps_bond]

I still wouldn't want to breathe the fumes from melting lead, but it's a lot safer outdoors than in. A cake tin is adequate - although it'll release the lead better if there's a slight draft on whatever mould you use and, in the case of baking tins, there's a film of rust over the surface.

Silver steel is much, much harder than brass - and it can be hardened & tempered.

[Didi]

Got an old loaf tin The sides slope out from the base if thats what you mean by 'draft' . Im thinking, bottom of the garden with my back to the wind!
Im getting a bit worried about 'steel is much much harder than brass' , Presumably I could still cut it with a hacksaw?
Didi

[ps_bond]

That'll do nicely - and yes, that's what I mean by draft.
Silver steel is still easy to cut with a hacksaw.

[Goldsmith]

Got an old loaf tin The sides slope out from the base if thats what you mean by 'draft' . Im thinking, bottom of the garden with my back to the wind!
Im getting a bit worried about 'steel is much much harder than brass' , Presumably I could still cut it with a hacksaw?
Didi

The steel from the source I mentioned comes in a relatively soft state as it is sold for machining. It cuts easy with a hacksaw. I cut smaller diameter 3mm. and 4mm. silversteel rods, that I use for making chasing tools, with my piercing saw and a large blade quite easily. If you have some lead flashing you could cut it up into small pieces and it will melt very quickly. I made my blocks from lead flashing.
If you can get into the habit of making some tools for yourself, you will soon notice the benefit. As an apprentice making tools was one of my first jobs, we even made our own spade drills by using tailor's needles as drill shafts, much cheaper than buying ready made drills.

James

[Goldsmith]

Didi, here is a photo of one of my brass small egg pendant pointy half punches. This one is made to fit into my small bench arbour press, which I use for this type of work, but a hammer will also work.
I have one of these on my bench;http://www.warco.co.uk/sheet-metal-fabrication-machinery-metalwork/90-arbor-press.html

James

[Didi]

More tools!!!!! Yum!
That Arbor press looks fantastic.
Just heading into the garden to melt some lead Will let you know how I get on - thats if the fumes don't wipe my memory
Didi

[Goldsmith]

This is my messy workshop and workbench, the arbor press is to the right of my bench pin area, the green Warco tool with my optiviser and saw frame hanging on it. This tool is great for many squeeze jobs especially as I have got older and loosing some hand and arm strength, it can be used for fold forming if you want to get into it, I have made many shaped punches to help me when shaping items.

James

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[Didi]

And I have a lead block!!!!

[Didi]

Now need to cool down the block - I think it will take about as long as the Rugby.
Didi

[Goldsmith]

Well done Didi, it was easy wasn't it :-)

[Didi]

It was really easy! I think I'm getting an inkling of what I missed at school. We girls did needlework and domestic science. Going to order some rods next. Tool making here I come!
Thanks to both you and Peter
Didi

[trialuser]

Blimey, bet you can't pick that up with one hand!

[Wallace]

Didi,

that is spectacular - what a lot of work to do and such a great demo for us to learn by too.

:)

[Didi]

Trialuser, you're having a laugh _ one handed? Nearly needed a forklift! Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to do it RIGHT at the bottom if the garden
Didi

[Didi]

Wallace, thank you, and thanks to everyone for your kindness. It was a lot of work but I learnt so much, and more.
Didi

[Goldsmith]

One final tip Didi, when you do get round to using your lead block, please remember to clean your shaped metals after using the lead block, especially if you are going to anneal when shaping, as any lead scraps will melt onto metal and even eat into them when you anneal. So keeping clean is important when using lead.
Another place I have bought cheap hammers for re shaping is Shesto, their small hammers are only about £5 and are great for changing into various shapes and textures;
http://www.shesto.co.uk/Jewellers-Tools/c91/index.html

James

[Katia]

Ha Didi! That is delightful! Thanks for posting your step by step...adventure in silver!

[Anna Wales]

It was really easy! I think I'm getting an inkling of what I missed at school. We girls did needlework and domestic science. Going to order some rods next. Tool making here I come!
Thanks to both you and Peter
Didi

Same here Didi, we weren't allowed to do metalwork or woodwork, seems such old fashioned thinking now! Only just found this thread. Thank you for putting it up, you must be very pleased with it. Did you find the piercing hard? I've never done any on a domed surface, must have a try.

Thanks James for all the pictures and links. I have learnt so much since joining the forum. Messy workbench, I don't think so it looks very organised compared with my tip!

[Didi]

Hi There
Katia - thanks - any more thoughts on soldering?
Anna - I dont find piercing hard exactly, time consuming certainly, and to start with you go through loads of saw blades. Sawing a domed surface isn't any harder then a flat sheet just more awkward and you have to watch for the saw accidently catching another part if the piece. It can be tricky drilling the holes for the saw but as long as you punch a good starting mark the drill is less inclined to go wandering.
Didi

[mallitta]

wow thats gorgeous!!!


Mallitta,