Jewelry workshop week 2

HI! This post is about my second week in the jewelry workshop and it is continuing to show the different processes of jewelry making. This week we looked at two more processes these were piercing out and soldering.

Piercing out 

The first process I did this week was piercing out. First for this process I had to get a copper or brass plate and scratch the design I wanted to pierce out onto the metal plate with a scribe. Next you have to put a dint into the middle of your design using a center punch and hammer so that when you try to drill a hole in it it won't brake the head. After putting the dint in the metal use the drill to create a hole now you can start to pierce out. Get a piercing saw and pass the blade through the hole making sure the blades teeth are facing downwards then secure the blade in the saws frame. After that put the metal on a bench peg and hold the plate down with your fingers, then you can start piercing the design out but make sure you keep the saw straight up and not on a tilt when sawing. Once the design is pierced out you have finished the process. I think this process is the most challenging because you have to saw bends and make sure the lines aren't wobbly but it is also quite enjoyable. I believe my own attempts look good especially for a first try.

Soldering

The second process I have done this week is soldering. Soldering is the process in which two metal items are joined together by melting solder into the joint. First you have to get two pieces of copper wire or two copper plates or a copper plate and a piece of cut copper tubing to solder together and file the sides you want to solder together so they are smooth. Then put some flux powder and water onto the surface and then wash it of, we do this to get rid of dirt,oil or grease. If we didn't do this it wouldn't solder properly. Then put the joints you want to solder together on a heat resistant surface and put the solder at the end of the joint or on top of it. After that get a blow torch and heat the surface and joints of the metal make sure it is heated evenly though otherwise it won't work. After heating pick the metal up and put it in water to cool it down, then put it in sulfuric acid to wash. Then if you use wire wool to rub it it will give it a shiny finish. This process was great even though I didn't like the blow torch. I also think my examples look ok.

This is the end of this blog my next one will be up at some point tomorrow so good bye for now :)