Silver cross.. help

[cezerpringle]

Hi, sorry I've been quiet, real life is of the not fun and the being busy
I was hoping for some advice, I've made a silver cross from 1.2mm sterling sheet (1 continuous vertical with the two sides soldered on) but the solder lines are quite visible however much I sand... it's a present so it doesn't need to be perfect but I was hoping to salvage it.
I was wondering if I could cover it in PMC slip (like PMC plating) and fire the top, maybe add a design...
Could I have used a little too little solder as it's firmly soldered but it's not raised where it's soldered?
Any other ideas would be great

Thanks
Ceri

[mizgeorge]

I've had that happen when my joints weren't quite as perfectly straight as I thought they were!

I think I'd just saw the sides off, file off all traces of solder, and re-attach them.

Alternatively, saw off the top and bottom and solder them too to make a 'square' in the middle - perhaps with a bezel set cab mounted in the centre?

I presume you didn't have the right size of sheet to pierce it as a single piece.

Oh, one extra thought - how about adding a design in wire (soldered on) to disguise the joints?

[MuranoSilver]

The PMC "fix" wont work unless you get rid of all the solder....sorry

[cezerpringle]

Thanks, yes I think that's the problem, not quite straight!
I didn't have enough to cut it from one piece, now I do but piercing is hardly my strong point, you gave me an interesting idea... think I'm going to cut off the top and bottom resolder and then wrap it with wire in the centre, maybe copper? kind of milk that handmade look

If it doesn't look right I'll attempt to cut it from one piece but I'm loathed to "waste" it if I don't have to.

Ceri

[mizgeorge]

I think that could look great - either copper or oxidised silver for contrast - a sort of bound together look could be particularly nice.

[lesley]

I think the wire wrapping would look fab!

[cezerpringle]

ok, I'm liking this idea... never ever oxidised before though, if I do the hard boiled egg thing I just read about do I do that before wrapping, would the oxidisation get abraded by pickling then? what about polishing, soldering etc?
Help please but I luuuurrve the idea of oxidised silver now!
Thanks
Ceri

[mizgeorge]

You'd need to oxidise last if it's going to be soldered. A little bottle of Liver of Sulphur is only a couple of pounds from most Art Clay suppliers - and lasts a surprisingly long time. You can paint it on selectively with a paintbrush and then polish back with 0000 wire wool. It can look lovely on just small areas.

[cezerpringle]

thanks, that's cool but I was hoping to finish it today, anything I can use instead? I mean I bought safety pickle before I found out you could use stuff like Citric Acid (which I have laying around), just wondering what effects could be produced with household chemicals, I read that antidandruff shampoo might work but I don't have that... might have to do some digging

[Emerald]

I posted about the dandruff stuff on another thread its selsun one of my colleagues found out it worked when she washed her hair with it and her necklace went black lol we used it because at that time liver of sulphur was hard to come by and expensive if i rememeber rightly might be easy to find in a local chemist.