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Thread: How to make a cage - Part 1

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    111

    Default How to make a cage - Part 1



    Make sure your measuring equipment is set to imperial, (not metric).

    Set it to exactly 1 inch.

    Once this is done, select some 32 thou silver wire and cut 8 x 1 inch lengths either judging the length by eye against the gauge.

    Or by setting up a chenier cutting jig (the red thing) which can aid repeatability and speed production.


  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
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    111

    Default second installment

    Just kidding about imperial measurements! -
    The wire is 1 inch long (about 25mm) for us EU-ites and is standard fully annealed Cookson's best 0.8mm Sterling silver wire.



    This is a Wire collet jig.



    Clockwise from the top - Base, Collar, piece of miscellaneous copper (stops the wires dropping right through),
    and Nut - which I use as a spacer, to keep the copper sheet at the height I want it!
    And last but not least - 8 Claw head.



    I'm just using the jig to keep the wires apart and roughly aligned - (since juggling 8 wires can otherwise be tricky).
    An alternative method would have been to stick the 8 wires into the charcoal block directly which works just as well
    (if not better as the jig acts like a heat sink, which can be a menace if you don't have a lot of heat in the first place.



    The wires are pushed loosely in the jig, --------- next time I'll tidy them up and get down to some soldering.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    111

    Default Soldering on

    I made a cap for the top of the cage, to cover the joint - this is the moment of whacking it out using a disc cutter.



    And here's the result



    To solder the wires and the cap I'm using Oxy Propane as it gives a small, very hot flame - the torch is a Smiths Little torch.



    And here is the result - not my finest soldering, but it won't come apart in a hurry!


  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    111

    Default Dome alone

    Here's the soldered cage after pickling.



    Next we need to get it into the shape of a rounded cage top.
    For this we apply violence in the form of a doming punch in a doming block.



    See! - it's domed already


  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
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    Cornwall
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    Default

    This is good. Don't keep us waiting too long for the next installment please.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
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    Cornwall
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    Default

    Blimey, I've just noticed the time of your last post Bigwol! Get some sleep - we can wait a little longer.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
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    1,293

    Default

    Oh! ...to have all these tools!!! I'm loving the thread though Bigwol...keep it coming!!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Solihull
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    Default

    Wow this is fab, thanks Bigwol! Especially great for me being a newbie Really great to see it in stages. Can't wait for the next installment Erm well when youhave caught up on your sleep that is.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Felmersham, Near Bedford
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    942

    Default

    Thanks for the demo of the claw setting jig too, I've got one and it didn't come with instructions - I think I dare use it now!
    Lorraine

  10. #10
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    Rye Foreign, East Sussex
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    Default

    i am such a noob. it would never have occurd to me that you could shape solderd wire bits with a doming block. excellent thread
    Su' xx

    My FB fanpage -https://www.facebook.com/CintaHandCraftedJewellery
    My Website www.cintahandcraftedjewellery.co.uk

    I want to learn so much, and i want to know it all NOW!!!:p

    One day i will arrive

    A huggle a day makes the bad stuff go away

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