Cufflinks

[DaisyDaisy]

Hey everyone, looking for some advice if anyone can help. I have some sterling silver bezel cups into which I'm going to put an insert (in this case a picture which a little one has drawn) and a glass cabochon. I want to turn these into cufflinks. I am at present not able to solder, I have the equipment but haven't had chance to give it a go yet, but I have cufflink fittings with the flat pad on them. Is it safe and secure enough to glue the bezel cup to the pad? Would I need to scratch the pad to make a better surface to stick to?

I used E6000 adhesive to stick a disc to another piece of metal as a practice run but I could, with quite a bit of force, pick the disc off. Perhaps this isn't the best adhesive to use?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[Dennis]

Well everyone can only work within their capacity, but If you want to be a jeweller, then learning to solder must be your first priority. To my mind, without it you are only crafting.

That said, all adhesives work better on roughened surfaces, because that increases the area to be glued, ie gives a stronger bond. Secondly the strongest adhesive readily available is two part epoxy, such as clear Araldite or two ton Devcon. They come in two parts which have to be dispensed equally and mixed together.

Where possible I would recommend the slow setting version mentioned above, because it is the strongest and in the case of Devcon claims to be waterproof. Dennis

[Goldsmith]

Have you considered using some soft silver wire and riveting the flat surfaces together?

James

[DaisyDaisy]

Thanks for your responses, much appreciated.

Oh, Dennis, I'm so disappointed that you're referring to me as a mere crafter The cufflinks are just for a family friend so with limited time to complete them and to get to grips with soldering I was going for the easiest route. I don't personally feel comfortable with just gluing them, though, so perhaps an extra early morning is the way forward so that I can try and put aside some time. Do you happen to know where I can find an extra 10 hours in a day?

I'm off to sit in my crafters corner now

[caroleallen]

The glue recommended by Dennis would work fine. If you want to learn to solder, it's really best to be taught by a professional. It's not something I would recommend a beginner to learn from a book. I'd say come out of your crafters corner and book yourself into a class. You'll soon be hooked!

[DaisyDaisy]

Classes would be great but, unfortunately, where I live such classes are non-existent. We have limited classes at a local college but it's very basic stuff such as beaded necklaces and beginner jewellery classes.

[Katia]

For later on and when you have time'
Another option would be to try a month's subscription with Andrew Berry's online tutorial " At The Bench" maybe?
Or just have a look at some online tuitions on youtube.
Learning from videos is actually a viable option I think. Yes. It would be better to have access to professionals teachings us, but it is not always possible.
Maybe I am going to have a look at some of them this week- end, post the links to the ones I think are good and then ask what other people think about them. I need to learn to solder too, did it only once with the help of a book. i think it was Ok, but I need a lot more experience!

[medusa]

Carole is right, it's much better to get someone who knows what they're doing to teach you. I ~am~ self taught and whilst I do plod along alright with my soldering, I waste a lot of time and effort sometimes, because I'm not consistently good at it. If I had the money and also could commit the time, I'd take a class.

[Katia]

Oooh yes, of course! But on the other hand I know of a hand engraver who is self taught and well, has recently completed an engraving for the mayor of Amsterdam! You never know. I believe it is always good to give it a go.
I think we live in a very privileged era where access to knowledge is quite incredible. ( just stating the obvious, but I find it wonderful actually) The constant optimist in me is speaking there, sorry!

I can understand Daisy. I too have been looking for siversmithing lessons in my erea and have found nothing. So well, the next best thing for me is the internet.

Ps: i am self taught in other" parts" of my life and I take it as a positive aspect though.

[trialuser]

Ok, so it may be ideal if you are taught to solder by a professional, but don't let that put you off, it's by no means essential.
The principles are very simple, and then it is a matter of a bit of practice. Start with easy stuff, go slowly, take care, and think about what is happening.
The trouble with youtube is that as well as some really good stuff, there is some really bad stuff, and if you don't have a basic idea you won't immediately twig which is which.
The 'at the bench' idea is a good one. Andrew berry has several free videos on YT and his web site, you probably won't go too far wrong if you watch these.
You can always go to a professional if you find it's not working for you - but give it a try.
Piece of pi$$ really