When I first used argentium, I wasn't aware that it was any different to sterling, so imagine my shock when I used binding wire and it all crumbled. All the soldering cheats that you've used for years are gone if you're using argentium, no tweaking with the tweezers, no popping earwires onto the work as the solder flows (for me) but all it needs to master it is a little planning and forethought.
Ye Gods!!...planning - forethought ....I wasn't expecting to have to undergo a personality transplant to work with it!!=:-O:-D. I am only using it at the moment for earwires - as all my work is fine silver based and that is too weak to use for earwires - Argentium has been a complete godsend for my earring production! I might try to use it for brooch pins when I can find a day when I am not running myself ragged and can have a play around with it...but it does seem to be nice and hard and springy after it has been hardened.
I haven't had much chance to play with it yet as Cooksons are unable to keep up with the demand. I have some arriving today and am looking forward to using it for keum boo. One of the advantages of it is that it fuses so easily so you don't need to use so much solder. Cynthia Eid demo'd soldering using argentium paste which you can only get (of course!) from Rio Grande in America. I've now got some of this, so hopefully will be able to start work soon.
Argentium seems to come pre-annealed but if you want to anneal it you need to know a simple trick. Draw all over the piece with a Sharpie pen and heat it until the pen marks disappear. Also don't quench it too quickly, wait for it to cool a bit. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.
I wonder if anyone actually uses Sharpie pens to write with??!!??:-DQuote:
Originally Posted by caroleallen
I shan't ask how you (or whoever) found out about this neat little trick!!
Out of curiosity Barbara, why don't you just use Sterling for earwires?
Hi George. I have always loved silver and prefer the look of it to gold - but I have never been able to wear it much because I make it discolour so quickly...lord knows what is wrong with my body chemistry!!:-D. When I discovered fine silver and found out that I could wear it for ever and it didn't discolour I swore I would never go back to sterling and I would give other people the opportunity of having silver that could be worn without having to constantly clean it. So that is my 'unique selling point'....and I doggedly refused to make earrings until Cooksons started to supply Argentium and I could provide my earrings with wires that would have the same tarnish resistance as the fine silver I use for everything else! ....Good old Cooksons!!:Y: