Silver - Hardening and Cleaning (Just started silver work)

[lindab]

Hello all,

I have just started working with silver and I am doing soldering and making 3-D pieces (rather than flat). I have two questions if you could help me please:-

1. What is the easiest way to get silver back to shining again after it is soldered?

2. How would you get back the hardeness/stiffness back in to a 3D piece after it is bent and and hammering would just flatten the piece? I do not want my pieces to get flattened easily whilst wearing them.

These two things are sending me bonkers. Your assistance with these two issues would be greatly appreciated.

Linda :-)

[caroleallen]

Hi Linda and welcome.

1. You need to use wet and dry paper, working down through the grades until all the scratches are removed. Then polish using either a rotary polisher or polishing cloths.

2. As long as you use a thick enough gauge of silver, you shouldn't have any problems. The fact that it's been bent will give strength to the piece.

[lindab]

Hello Carole and thank you for the very quick response. Very interesting and informative.

On a similar thing, I have been using half hard wire mainly. If I used fully annealed soft wire (and similar for sheet work) instead would this also get hard enough again with the obvious advantage of being a lot easier to bend initially?

Thank you in anticipation.

Linda

[caroleallen]

Depends on what you're using the wire for Linda. If for ear posts, you can twist it a few times to harden it once it's been soldered. If for ear wires, you can hammer it a bit or burnish it. My own preference is to use a tumbler which burnishes and hardens. Sheet really doesn't need hardening in any way as long as it's thick enough.

[Di Sandland]

Linda, all metals 'work harden' as you manipulate them; sometimes this becomes a problem cos you can't move it for love nor money! At that point you anneal it to take it back to pliable again. Annealing means bringing the metal up to a certain heat (varies with the metal), which rearranges the molecules and, hey presto, the metal is soft again.

As these are very basic questions - and we all ask them, so no worries there - I wonder if you have a basic metal working book? If not, I'm sure the guys will inundate you with suggestions. The alternative is to go over to youtube and take a look at some of the videos over there. Some are brilliant and some are... well, not quite so brilliant. A search for 'annealing sterling silver' brings up loads of stuff for you to watch - you'll be there all day. You tube is a great time waster, but it can be very informative too :-)

[Di Sandland]

Depends on what you're using the wire for Linda. If for ear posts, you can twist it a few times to harden it once it's been soldered. If for ear wires, you can hammer it a bit or burnish it. My own preference is to use a tumbler which burnishes and hardens. Sheet really doesn't need hardening in any way as long as it's thick enough.

Oops, sorry Carole, cross post ;-)

[lindab]

Thank you for these answers. I will have to go 'a watchin' and 'a reading' a bit.

Not to mention getting a tumbler - saving up time methinks.

Linda

[Di Sandland]

Oh, Linda, you poor little innocent ;-) You will be lusting and saving for ever more now

[lindab]

Apologies Ladies, but another question. Can you point me in the direction of a tumbler please - cost effective of course but something that will get the job done right.

Many thanks.

Linda

[Dennis]

Linda, it is important to have at least one book to refer to and introduce you to the many techniques you can use.

The most comprehensive beginners’ book I know is The workbench Guide to Jewellery techniques, by Anastasia Young. There is a UK and a USA edition, but the contents are the same and you just find the cheapest out there.

If you find a 300 page book a bit much, then I suggest Two In One Manuals, Jewellery by Madeline Coles, which has techniques and projects.


In answer to your further question, putting Tumbler into our search box, top right, brings up past discussions on this http://www.cooksongold.com/forum/sea...?searchid=1438. Dennis.