Very First Hinge .. and oval stone .. and riveting..

[emsterv]

I'm fairly new to metalsmithing so there's lots of learning to do. This is the first stone I've set that hasn't been round. I hand formed the bezel and only after finishing the piece realized I could have possibly formed a round bezel with the correct length and then tried to compress it to oval in my vice and then tuned up the shape to be exact. Dur. :(| It was a pain to fit - I can only imaging what trial a truly oddly shaped stone could be.

I also bought a few gravers and after sharpening them as best I could (not great, but alright for the first time perhaps?) I tried bright cutting the stone which as you can see in the pictures didn't go to well!

Lastly I tried riveting for the first time and realized that the silver wire was just too soft to hold up to the riveting. Either that or I should have held it a different way since the wire started to buckle as I riveted. I'd originally intended to make them invisible rivets but as you can see that didn't work out.

The patina needs a touchup too. But I was so excited about doing a fully functioning HINGE I had to post it.

Its sterling silver and a labradorite stone.

694369446945

[Dennis]

Hi Emily, you have made a very interesting piece, but here are a few pointers that might help for next time. The easiest way to shape and adjust bezels is with a bezel mandrel. They come in various shapes, and the best bargain is a set from Proops: http://www.proopsbrothers.com/set-x-6-bezel-mandrels-1759-p.asp

You found setting this bezel tough and I guess it could have been a little thinner. Also making it from fine silver sheet, or ordering the width ready cut helps.

As far a rivets are concerned, it is best to countersink each end of the row of knuckles by making a saucer shape with a round burr.
The rivet itself should protrude by no more than the wire is thick. One end is already slightly spread by holding it in pliers(preferably grooved) and tapping lightly.
Then insert the wire, rest the spread end on something hard and tap the other end very lightly and repeatedly until it spreads too.

If you find this difficult, you can use a bit of very thin tubing instead of wire and spread that just by wiggling a scirber or pointed object in the ends. Dennis

[Wallace]

if you are still in Canada, you may find some stockists cheaper Emily.


looks like you have many different things going on here and all of them learning points. Well done for all your achievements.

Rivets and hinges, depending on the look you want can have a variety of different methods applied. If you are attaching a loose fitting wire through the hinge, it might be worth repeating that with the rivet to keep the flow and design going.

Nancy L T Hamilton, apart from a smile, is a world of information on You Tube.
I only use bezel mandrels after the soldering experience to true up the metal. Thicker metal is lovely, if you are cutting some of it away and it is Fine Silver rather than Sterling, (as Dennis mentions)

Rather than bright cutting with a graver, instead go for a highly polished round ended old bur. This will still make the setting bright, but won't damage the stone or the setting, at least until you gain more experience. I can bright cut with a graver, it is one of the few things I was taught, but I still rather use a highly polished old burr.

good luck with your future work, keep sharing - it is lovely to see it.

[emsterv]

Thanks for the link, Dennis. More mandrels are on my to buy list, right now I only have a round one.

I really like the look of a chunky bezel, so I'm still trying to find a nice balance between aesthetically pleasing to me and physically pleasing to my arms! Ha! Fine silver would make it easier, but I only have sterling at the moment.

Thanks for the riveting information, no pun intended ;)

Thanks for the comments, Wallace. I had intended to rivet the hinge as well but with the curve of the pendant and the overhand of the square tubing I didn't have enough room to get in there. In hindsight, I could have used some sort of thin punch. Thanks for the bur tip!

[Tabby66]

Wow Emily, that is a lovely piece and what challenges you set yourself!!

I think you've done a great job, but in terms of improving, along with the suggestions that Dennis and Wallace have made, I would suggest that the rivet wire on the hinge is too long. It is not necessarily the softness of the wire that is the problem, but the fact that it is too long. This enables some of the force you hit the wire with to be absorbed by the wire bending rather than spreading the wire end. As Dennis suggests, remove a small area of metal with a burr, this allows you to counter sink the rivet, level with the surface metal, but to spread it wider than the hole that you are riveting through, thus making it more secure. As you've identified, use some sort of punch to access the wire to rivet it.

My tip would be, make it again, you'll learn lots, make it in a fraction of the time and see improvements all along the way!!

Great work!!
Tabby x