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I've finally got started on an 80th birthday present for my aunt. Have made the flower and the two bezels for the little golden topaz cabs (Though i did manage to accidently squash one a bit, oops). i want to attach these to a bar brooch. Anyone got any suggestions for a clean modern brooch pin mechanism. The bar is going to be really narrow, about 3mm -4mm wide.
I'm sure you already know a lot about this Sheena and there is more on U tube. Here is Nancy Hamilton, she's always good for a laugh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXQQmLLpn_g Dennis
I'd love to know more than I do, which is very little :) it would be great to have a book just about brooch pins and all the differant ways to do it. Anyone fancy writing one?
Thanks Dennis, i'd forgotten that Nancy did a video on this. I do wish what I read and see would stay in my brain better!Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis
This is part two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRInmaILUCo
For a narrow brooch, you would use a single pin. The catch and hinge can be soldered on as separate items and the pin added and bent in place afterwards.
A length of stainless steel wire can be annealed to bend it more easily, and will still be hard enough to function.
Before use it will need to be rubbed up with a Scotchbrite pad, or sand paper to restore the shine
This is what I have so far.
Attachment 12863
I don't have a lot of soldering experience so this one's really going to test me. The flower is made up of three parts with the possible addition of two tiny bits for the front of the flower. The bar is going to have a brass strip added to the top and the hinge and catch added. The stones will either have a step or back plate added. What should be my sequence of soldering? I was assuming I could construct the bar and the flower separately then put the two together. Is that correct? I'm a little concerned that my flower is curved and it'll collapse during soldering.
Looking good so far Sheena, although the bezels dont need a separate backing, they can go straight onto the bar.
Problems arise if you slowly build up your piece without thinking. It can even get too big for a little torch to work. Here is my choice of sequence.
1. Compete the soldering of the flower itself (hard) and set aside.
2. Solder the hinge and catch onto the back of the bar with hard solder, turn it over and make holes in the block so the bar sits flat the right way up. This will protect your findings for the next stage.
3. Solder on the bezels with easy solder.
4. Sweat some extra-easy solder onto the back of the flower (make sure the back has a good flat area for this)
5. Support the flower in place, push in a little more extra-easy solder and reheat for the last time.
If the solder will not flow at the final stage, you might need a bigger torch, or two little ones, one in each hand. Work in a darkened area, so that you can see where the torch is being directed. Don't linger too long in any one place, but keep the torch moving. Dennis.
Thankyou so much for this Dennis, it's going to make me feel like i know what i'm doing and can solder with confidence. i'll let you know how i get on :) it will also give me more of an idea with other projects, what order to solder is always an issue for the newbie ;)
Mmm I just tried to solder my brass strip to the side of the silver strip and my silver melted where the brass was touching. I think the brass must get hotter than the silver. Any tips? I've noticed before that brass has a tendency to melt the silver it's touching and sink into the silver.
I had another go, used a little less heat and didn't put any direct heat on the brass . The top bar was the one that melted, the one below my second attempt.
Attachment 12867
I missed the part with the two bars. They really need sweat soldering together, by applying molten solder under the narrower upper bar and using a softer flame.
However it looks as if your torch is too small to achieve this because you would need a larger more gentle flame. In fact you are adding another layer of difficulty to what is already a challenge. So why not make do with just one bar? Dennis.
That's interesting, second attempt i had my bigger torch turned down and took more time heating the metal up which seemed to do the trick. I did consider just silver but felt the design really needed a flash of yellow to warm up the design. Having had a go at this I'm definitly not doing it again, it was a lot of work, (sawing, soldering, then sanding down flat), for minimal reward.
Tomorrow I'm going to switch to putting the flower together, I'll keep posting as I go along.
Just finished watching Nancy's two videos, she recommends a book Behind the Brooch: A Closer Look at Backs, Catches & Pin Stems by Lorena Angulo.
It's not too expensive.
Seems she shows some beautiful backs (or rather hides them).
Attachment 12868
Hi Sheen I was given this lovely book , it has lots of examples .
Oooo, never heard of that one before. I do love single subject books. I think the subject is always covered better if it has it's own tome. Will go and check it out, thanks.
Back to my brooch this morning. Soldered together my flower and as the petals were a very organic shape and I hate sweat soldering decided in this case to use hard solder paste. Generally I don't like the stuff as it's very easy to burn then it won't flow properly but it is slightly easier when it's protected between two pieces of metal and it's great for sticking pieces together so they don't move too much before the solder runs
Attachment 12893
Scored some metal, folded it, put solder in the joins then soldered hinge to brooch back. Drilled a shallow hole in back of brooch and soldered on catch. Made a mistake using 1.5mm wire, awfully difficult to bend to shape and get in the right position, oh well, I've learnt.
Attachment 12894
It's looking beautiful, but why is the flower blue? Is it just a trick of the light? Dennis.
Before I pickled it :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis
Is the book in English? I looked it up and it's only available from GermanyQuote:
Originally Posted by Goldfish
Hi Theresa I tried looking for it but couldn't find it for sale so you did better than me.Quote:
Originally Posted by theresa
This is where things got messy! I cut a couple of hole in my vermiculite board for the hinge and catch. Sweated some easy solder onto the back of the flower and laid it on the bar, but I really struggled to get the easy solder to flow, particularly hard when you can't see what's happening. Eventually after a couple of unsuccessful attempts I managed it, but also managed to reflow the solder holding my flower together (little bit of slumpage but nothing too catastrophic).
When soldering the bezel settings onto the side of the bar, my solder kept jumping to the top of the bezel or onto the front of the bar (instead of between the two), i suspect this is to do with the heat not being quite in the right place. I ended up with firestain, particularly noticeable on the bar, pleased I managed to sand it off.
Attachment 12895
Well you're battle scarred but much wiser, Sheena. I guess for the very last soldering of the bezels onto the bar, I would have used extra easy solder placed inside.
The truth is you have packed more stages into a little piece than is good for your health.
Next time try to make a simpler plan. Dennis.
Unfortunately no extra easy solder to hand :( but yes more stages than is good for my health, feeling it this morning :) I've had two recovery naps already.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis
But extra easy solder is cheap and worth ordering, because it extends the hierarchy of solders when you need it.
Cookson will send it by return. Dennis.
Pin now added. Had to wait a little bit to order in some steel a little bit thicker than what I had. Wires.co.uk. 0.8mm, was really bendy so in the end resorted to twisting it with parallel pliers. Just got to hammer down the ends of my rivet. Then it's on to stone setting :)
Attachment 12919
Lots of episodes to this series and each one ending in a cliff hanger. Everything fits well and there is little reason for the rivet to work its way out, so it will only need minimal tapping. Dennis.
I hope you're finding it entertaining, Dennis. It's certaining getting really exciting for me!! Almost finished :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis
Had a very long and tiring eye appointment but pleased to find my eyes are fine. The stones setting went smoothly. They're step bezels but with a wee reflector of 0.3mm fine silver under each topaz. Finally finished with platinol. Used a cotton bud and cocktail stick, bit of a struggle to get the platinol even, still prefer just to dip but it would have been a bad idea in this case. Hope you like the result. The platinol is likely to wear but as a flower is an organic thing, I think it should still look good even if it does.
Attachment 12946
Does anyone else want to do a step by step of their latest project?
That's lovely Sheena and well worth the wait! You must be really chuffed with all that work and also that your eyes are ok too.
Aw thankyou :) I am, though my energy flagged a little towards the end. Definitly the hardest thing I've made so far.Quote:
Originally Posted by Petal
I've learnt a few things, I would like to use a firecoat next time to stop firestain, would probably make the bezels a little thicker, and find a diferant way of applying the platinol; maybe with a cloth, or still with a cotton bud but wetter.
Yes there's no sign of double vision anymore, so hopefully that's it gone for good :)
Very nicely done Sheena. You were right not to dip, because the Platinol would have found its way into the bezel cups.
Now enjoy a little freedom, before you become the prisoner of a new project. Dennis.