Advice needed for making silver tube

[Keia]

I'm hoping to make some hoop earrings with hinged earwires & one of the ways I'd like to try this is with silver tubes, meaning I can have the earwires going into the hollow tube making the connection secure while being worn.
I was planning on making my own silver tube for this. Does anyone know how to make it properly using a rolling mill please?

[Dennis]

Hi Sian,

Silver tube is made by forming an oblong piece of sheet in a swage block until it is a channel shape and then pulling it through a large drawplate to close the edges. This is quite a hassle considering you can buy all sizes of seamless tube, ready made.

The next problem is to form it into a hoop, which I have not attempted either, because you would have to fill it with something such as sand or wax to stop it collapsing and then bend it around a mandrel. It would take several attempts to get this right.

There is also a method for using stiff wire and drawing it out, leaving the hoop intact, but I have forgotten the detail.

If I had to do this, I would use solid wire, which is easy to form, and add sufficient tubing at one end for your needs. I hope I have not misread your question, Dennis.

[Keia]

No you didn't misread it, that's exactly the advice I was needing, thankyou!
I think I'll try the solid wire with a small bit of tubing on the end to accept the earwire & take it from there, many thanks =D

[Exsecratio]

For bending fine bore small tube Cerrobend is excellent, melts at 158 F (so much lower than water boils) and stops crushing and collapse without the danger of voids that can come with using sand or salt.

It's a child product of Cerrocast that was originally used for making chamber casts in the firearms world (it doesn't shrink when cooling, it expands by 0.002%) but if it is poured then dropped into water it becomes very malleable for bending fine wall tubes.

It will allow bending of plated tubes as well without the peeling you sometimes get :)

best wishes

Dave

[Dennis]

Sian, if you go that route your added tubing will still need a gentle curve. You can do that easily by fitting in a piece of copper wire (maybe from old electrical cable) and then bending it around a mandrel, or using those pliers with one stepped beak, used for making loops.

Afterwards the wire is withdrawn by pulling it through a hole on the flat side of a draw plate, or a hole in a stout piece of metal, small enough to hold back the tubing. Alternatively, you can give up and just use an ear post and scroll.

Dave, I was quite excited about your suggestion, until I realised that Cerrobend is a low melting alloy of bismuth, lead, tin and cadmium. This would be a big No No in a jewelery workshop as even traces remaining would contaminate silver, particularly if a soldering operation follows.

These metals are potentially allergenic and around a piercing could cause swelling weeping and scabbing which could take weeks to resolve. Once sensitised a person would begin to notice an unpleasant sensation in their fingers for example when touching a metal key pad, or reddening from a metal backed watch.

Dennis.

[ps_bond]

Fields metal is another low melting point alloy - but lacking in lead & cadmium. http://www.mindsetsonline.co.uk sell it.

(Just seen the price of the stuff...! I bought mine before the price of indium went through the roof)

[Exsecratio]

These metals are potentially allergenic and around a piercing could cause swelling weeping and scabbing which could take weeks to resolve. Once sensitised a person would begin to notice an unpleasant sensation in their fingers for example when touching a metal key pad, or reddening from a metal backed watch.

oooerr, that's not good :( thanks for the heads up Dennis :)

best wishes

Dave

[medusa]

recently reading this forum is a bit like reading potential storylines for CSI :)

[Dennis]

Fields metal is another low melting point alloy - but lacking in lead & cadmium. http://www.mindsetsonline.co.uk sell it.

(Just seen the price of the stuff...! I bought mine before the price of indium went through the roof)

Well, if someone can recruit ten people to share Peter, I'm in. I was also wondering how you would fill a silver tube with the stuff. Maybe fit a clear plastic tube and suck? Dennis.

[mizgeorge]

Well, if someone can recruit ten people to share Peter, I'm in. I was also wondering how you would fill a silver tube with the stuff. Maybe fit a clear plastic tube and suck? Dennis.

I'd be up for that Dennis :) Just eight more then....

[Dennis]

I'd be up for that Dennis :) Just eight more then....

Provided Peter can assure us that it's safe with silver and won't just form some nasty amalgam.


recently reading this forum is a bit like reading potential storylines for CSI :)

Here's the outline: A dentist befriends a load of demented wrinklies in a home and they make over their savings. Then he fills their teeth with said noxious amalgam and they inexplicably all leave feet first. The medical examiner can't find any cause of death because the toxins are too rare.The perp. leaves with the dosh, gives up the day job to become a rock guitarist.

Credits roll: From An Idea By Liz Medusa. Loud strumming.

[Keia]

Are you the dentist or the demented wrinkly? ;)

[ps_bond]

Provided Peter can assure us that it's safe with silver and won't just form some nasty amalgam.

Well, I can assure you it's not got the toxicity of Wood's metal - it's relatively safe (safe enough to be sold to schools in today's litigious society); I can assure you it won't form an amalgam (only because I'm being a pedantic git though - amalgams require mercury) but I can't find anything that states it won't alloy to silver at heat. As bismuth is often found as a by-product from lead smelting (as is silver), I think I'd be a bit cautious about it. I'll have a dig around some text books, but this may be a practical research issue.

Sand works...!

[Wallace]

Bismuth can be found naturally. It is very heavy element found in nickel, tin and silver. It is chemically similar to arsenic and antimony and recently discovered to have a little bit of radioactivity in its make up. Talking of which, it is used in make up... And can block ones pores with a shine!

It is classed as a heavy metal.... But don't expect Metallica to start playing any time soon as it is one of the lesser toxic varieties. Although if you look up ..'bismuth line' you won't find a pretty sight.

Peptobismol has some in it. An interesting YouTube experiment shows how it can be extracted... But that involves nasty chemicals, so best avoided, lest we end up with more scenes that need investigating!


Sand really does work, as does wax!

[Exsecratio]

Silicon is great for small tube bending but I can't recall what material is used to dissolve it out....from memory I *think* it's MEK.

Bismuth is also used in the GAU8 cannon shells as an igniter for the DU, from my understanding it's the weight that is attractive to firearms manufacturers.

best wishes

Dave

[ps_bond]

Bismuth is also used in the GAU8 cannon shells as an igniter for the DU

Eh? I was under the impression that the DU was just a penetrator and that ignition was unintended? It's been a while since I was anywhere near an A10 though.

[Exsecratio]

It is, the bismuth coating on the penetrator initiates the reaction combined with the heat provided by impact,as you quite rightly say though they aren't intentional incendiary rounds,(I guess somebody in the halls of power saw the effects and liked it) Same reason they use it in 113a Raufus rounds.

I can't say I'm a big fan of the warthog, a blue on blue left me with one less family member :(

best wishes

Dave

[ps_bond]

...and WP is for smoke only...

Fusilier?

[Patstone]

Are you talking the same as the rest of us or am I on the wrong forum. Good job hubby was in the Army for 22 years and served in the first Gulf War, he could translate for me.

[ps_bond]

Sorry Pat, bit of a tangent on material properties. Your husband probably has similar feelings about the idea of being in a Warrior armoured vehicle with A-10 Warthogs flying about.

[Exsecratio]

My fault, apologies to all for going off into the scenery.

On the material properties, I just had an eventful 24 hours after inhaling too much MDF smoke so got a quick reminder from the Doc that what we can't see isn't always safe.

If it's ok Peter I'll pm you?

best wishes

Dave

[Dennis]

Are you the dentist or the demented wrinkly? ;)

Classified.

[Patstone]

He said yeah hahaha


Sorry Pat, bit of a tangent on material properties. Your husband probably has similar feelings about the idea of being in a Warrior armoured vehicle with A-10 Warthogs flying about.

[Keia]

Thanks again for everyone's input. I've a much clearer picture now of how to go about it :V: