Learn
some of the tricks, tips and techniques that have helped
me make jewelry making easier, faster, better and just plain
more fun.
Polish your hammers. The
better the finish is on your forging hammers, the less finishing
work yu will have to so on your forged jewelry.
Polish your anvils. Just
like your hammers, if your anvils have a good polished surface,
the back side of yoru work will reflect that high polish
and you will have much less polishing to so on the finished
piece.
Inspect raw materials before you start.
Make sure that the material is clean and free from any possible
contaminants. Sometimes the silver wire I get is held together
with tape. If the residue is left on the wire when you start
to forge it, it will have a slight distortion and will be
harder to clean later on.
Calculate material needed.
When I have a piece to make out of gold wire, I usually
take a piece of copper wire of a known length. I make a
prototype of the part and then measure the left over wire
to more accureately calculate the length of wire to use
in gold.
Cadmium Free Solder. Whenever
I silver solder, I always use a solder formula that contains
no cadmium. Cadmium is very toxic not only for the jeweler
making the piece but also for the one wearing it. When you
order your silver solder, always request a Ccadmium free
formula. If you can't find a company that will sell it,
contact me for some options.