Making a pmc and sterling ring - advice please

[WitchfordSilver]

Would it be possible to make the ring and then heat and pickle until the surface of the ring has become reduced in copper to almost be fine silver.

Then make the mould the flower around the ring? Would the silver clay fuse to the fine silver outer shell of the ring.

I could be completely wrong.

[Dennis]

Hi WS,

Most of the members are frantically making and selling at the busiest time of the year, so you are unlikely to get many answers. I don’t do clay, but here are my thoughts;

It is true that you can fuse together parts made of fine silver, but the surfaces have to melt to do so. It is also true that by depletion gilding you can create a thin surface on the ring shank of fine silver. However the shank will still effectively be made of sterling, which has a slightly lower melting point than fine silver

So unless you have special skills you are more than likely to end up with a collapsed ring. As you are heating the parts anyhow, I see no reason why you should not add a little solder. Dennis.