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Having a little wibble and wondering whether to go thicker. I tend to use 1mm as standard,apart from delicate shaped/domed detail but sometimes think it looks a bit thin. Have used 1.5mm before but the bottom often is narrower than the top as my blade appears to go wonky!
I would then maybe go for 1.2mm?
Hi Silverlining. You've posed an interesting question. I have made pendants out of all different thicknesses of sheet but in the end it's the design that determines the thickness required. With reference to the blade going wonky a possible answer would be to cut oversized and then file back to keep a square edge. I have found if you move the metal rather than the saw when piercing you are less likely to let the saw wander off from vertical especially round corners.
Didi
Depending on your design, one problem can be weight.
By finishing your edge with an undercut you are hiding the thickness and not getting the best value from your metal.
File it with a slight bevel so that the top is a tiny fraction narrower than the bottom and it will appear thicker than it is.
You can also add a frame of wire to much thinner metal and file back to that, to give the illusion of thickness. Filing back should be left until all soldering is completed, particularly of that grade, so that the join does not show. Dennis.
When I was in my class the tutor recommended 0.60mm for putting on the back of cabs and 1.5 if no stones are used. I have a preference for thinner for pendants because it can weigh quite heavy with a cab on and as long as it looks in keeping it will be strong enough. If you have a small pendant it would look stupid if you put it on a 5mm chain, well its the same principal, and as Dennis said its all about the design of pendant.
Yup, totally depends on the design and size, is there a specific idea you have in mind? Typically I use between 0.8 and 1.5...
wonky blades are a pain.
a couple of solutions I have found useful have been:
Keep checking on the tension - if it is a little free, a wobble will happen.
use a slightly bigger size for the metal than you think. I think at least 3 teeth to the width of the metal is what I understand to be the average. For 1mm I use a 2/0 or if getting into finer frets, a 3/0
make sure your frame isn't misaligned
and use some blades that don't stretch too much. (I use relentless and that is exactly what they are!)
just my experience, and hope I am not offending anyone.
for pendants, as most have said, it can depend on what it is and what is needed is what I go with although, for most things I am averaging between .9mm and 1.2mm
It just depends on the design, I like 1.2 for simple pieces. Perhaps you get a preference for the feel of a certain thickness. I'm glad its not just me going wonky with a saw! This may be an obviously silly idea,.. but if you tend to saw the bottom narrower than the top and are after a bevelled edge can't you just reverse your design and then turn it over? Or is that daft?