I came across these rather lovely rings a while ago on Pinterest and I've been wondering how that texture is achieved? This sort of organic style is something I'm aspiring to for some future projects but I haven't worked out whether these are cast, metal clay or sheet with something added to alter the surface.
Yes it's reticulation. Practice with small offcuts of scrap silver, by heating with a hot pointy flame until the surface just melts. It will then wrinkle as it cools, like the scum on gravy. Dennis.
I've watched a few tutorials and read up on some reticulation discussions on the forum but the advice seems to vary a bit so I thought I'd ask a couple of questions.
The tutorials talk about using 800 silver for its higher copper content. I was wondering if this is crucial or whether the technique works with sterling too? (mostly because thats what my scraps are that I could practice on currently)
Annealing - allow to cool naturally or quench? One tutorial said natural cooling was very important to encourage larger crystals to form, others people quench it immediately and don't mention anything about cooling.
Anneal / cool / pickle cycle - differing advice about how many times to repeat, varying from about 7 or 8 to at least 20 times. What do you find works for you?
Thanks
I haven't come across anybody using 800 in the UK, sterling works ok but I think I read that fine silver works better.
The idea is to bring the pure silver to the surface hence the annealing and pickling multiple times.
I must admit that I didn't bother and was perfectly happy with the result although I think some might say that is then melting rather than reticulating.
I tend to quench mine directly in the pickle once it has lost the red glow.
Im sure Ive reticulated other things but this is the only pic I can find atm, lightly reticulated silver with gold balls soldered on http://sarahfoxfineart.co.uk/a1-gall...ictureID=90719
Its easiest to use minimum 1mm sheet so you don't burn holes in it, have a play and see what gives you the results you seek.
No one buys special silver for this, just sterling. It's a rough and ready method, which hardly merits the term technique, so experiment for the best results.
Depletion gilding for five cycles is about right. Quench when it no longer glows in daylight. Dennis.
Successful reticulation, now I just need to decide what I'll use these for. Might also be time to start reading up on patina agents to make the most of textured pieces.
Senior Member
how is this texture achieved?
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks