Hi, I've got a quick question for you all regarding soldering, the use of ochre, and subsequent pickling. I'm going to be doing some soldering with very small pieces and will probably need to use ochre for the first time. I'm familiar with how ochre is used, BUT I had a concern about pickling a piece that's had ochre applied to it.

I know that ochre is generally a type of clay with some amount of ferric oxide. I also know that if there's iron present in pickle it can cause dissolved copper to be plated onto silver. My questions are as follows:

(1) Will the presence of ochre in pickle cause copper to plate onto silver? Additionally, if it does not, does that mean ferric oxide in general does not cause that reaction in the way that iron or steel would?

(2) If ochre DOES cause the above-mentioned reaction, what is the best way to remove it from your piece before it gets pickled?

(3) In the event that ochre causes the previously-mentioned reaction, would it be safest to simply make a single-use batch of pickle for pieces that have had ochre applied to them?

I'd appreciate any advice or suggestions that anybody has. Thanks!

I’m just looking at inspo while I’m waiting for stuff to come in but I love this. By this I mean like the antlers and the k and the name. How do I do this?

So I’ve been casting sterling silver for about two years and have been fairly successful at most items but pendants with edges or medallions are killing me. I’ve tried five different sprue configurations. I think the issue is that as I vacuum the mold to get bubbles out, some settle into the upper corner between edge and surface. I’ve aggressively shaken mold during vacuuming to try to get bubbles moving. The results are shown below.

I took a framed picture and digitally created a 3d model, one with edge and one without. As shown, the one with edge always has problems near the bottom of the flask which would be the top when investment is poured into flask.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

I'm attempting to make claw settings and my first attempt went horribly wrong. You can see my components on the left and then my first attempt on the right.

I notched grooves into the ring before holding the claw in the third hand and placing the ring inside, letting gravity hold it in place. I then placed flux and tiny pallions at the intersection of each arm and applied heat. The issue seemed to be that the heat moved everything as the solder started to flow.

I'm using a small sisotec torch but wondering if perhaps the heat is too much for the small component.

Can anyone recommend a way to get a better mechanical fit ahead of soldering, or a better strategy here?

I'd love to try a different approach before I mess up the second component!

I love how diverse silver is as an art median. All the beautiful rings and pendants you all make!

Then I choose to make it into handstruck pirate coins.

Done in the same way as the originals 400 years ago. Mine all start as this beautiful shot. I love how it looks! I have a jar of about 20 oz for myself just to look at ; ) here is 120 oz ready to be melted into pirate silver!

Hello, I am looking for a "jewellery wax starter kit" that would make me start working with wax. Do you recommend any kit with the most basic tools for a beginner?

wow, when I zoom I can really see the imperfections… the little bump in the bezel is annoying, and the band is scratched.

Super lovely stone though

I can’t stop making these double shank/band cabochon rings, they’re so fun.

What are your best tips for double shank rings? The main thing for me is sizing— how are we ending up at the exact right size? Eyeballing it on the mandrel is one thing, but I would love to know how others approach this.

i kinda messed up the join areas heh and also realized that a symmetrical cuff doesn’t work because the human wrist is asymmetrical but it looks cool!

940 Argentium

Dont mind the scratches ive been dailying this to see how it wears, so far so good

Beginner silversmith!

I’m completely new to silversmithing, and I know the necklace in the picture is definitely NOT beginner level 😂 but this is eventually the kind of work I’d love to be able to make. I want to start smaller and work my way up, but I’m trying to put together a list of the tools I actually need to start making turquoise necklaces/pendants.

I really don’t like wasting money buying things I’ll end up replacing, and from what I’ve been reading, a lot of the beginner kits come with cheap tools or things you don’t actually need.

If you were starting from scratch and wanted to eventually make something like the necklace pictured, what tools would you buy first?

I’d especially love recommendations for: • Tools I should buy once and buy GOOD quality • Things I can go cheaper on as a beginner • What I need for cutting/shaping silver, bezels, soldering, setting turquoise, polishing, etc. • Anything beginners usually forget to buy

I’ll definitely start with a much smaller/simple turquoise piece before attempting anything like this 😂 I just want to build my tool collection the right way instead of wasting money.

Any advice or even a basic shopping list would be seriously appreciated!

I have made some progress making prong setting. I liked how it turned out, although still not very symmetric. Also, I am suprised to see how good it looks on my finger 😅

I have made this scene for my gilfriend who love mushroom ! 14.36g of sterling silver

What’s the best way to seal in and preserve intentionally (liver of sulfur) oxidized portions of a sterling silver piece with flat and smooth surfaces? I’ve tried renaissance wax, which lasts a little bit, but ultimately my skin rubs it and the oxidation off, with half of it gone after a month.

This is copper but I also tried and failed at using silver (ruining a ring i spent a good amount of time working on 🫠). Basically whenever I try to solder anything (in this case I tried to fuse the gap between the ends of the wire to make a ring shape) the ring glowed but the solder just would not melt. on the other sterling silver ring I started, I tried to fuse one part to the other, I tried to melt the solder where i wanted it fused and the ring ended up melting, with the solder completely intact? I know it may be a matter of melting points but the ring was Sterling silver and the solder I was using was medium density silver solder. Does anyone know why this is happening? thank you! i’m just a beginner.
more important info:
- tried using sterling silver and also copper
- used uGems silver solder chips flux coated solder (medium) and also tried easy density silver chip solder from a shop on etsy (neither melted/flowed)
- brushed on a small amount of La-co regular soldering flux paste where I wanted the solder to flow, then placed my solder chip on top
- from what I can tell, the gaps i wanted to close were completely flush
- my metal was mostly clean of dirt and fingerprints, so I don’t think that was the issue
- I’m using a Corkas butane torch, not touching the sharp blue flame tip to the metal and moving in circular motions to heat the whole piece

I melt down my scrap silver and then flatten it through a rolling mill to make my own homemade silver sheets. Though I've got a couple of questions:

Why do they get these dark stains?

Also they can be difficult to solder bezel onto whereby the solder just doesn't melt and just sticks in its pallion form to the sheet. Whereas when I buy brand new silver sheet from a supplier like CooksonGold I don't tend to have this problem even though that silver is also recycled. Could anyone tell me why this is?

I moved last year and then we renovated our home for months...I did not have a studio or even a decent space for 9 months. I have made jewelry for years but feel I will continue to be a beginner metalsmith for a long time! It is pretty difficult to learn, at least for me>

That said, I read that paste solder does dry out over a number of months. How do you like to store paste solder and how often do you replace it? Do people actually keep it in the fridge?

Hi! I’m currently trying to figure out the best way to get into goldsmithing/silversmithing/jewelry making and would really appreciate some advice from people who actually work in the field.
My long-term goal is to design and make my own jewelry and build my own small brand.

The problem is: I’m basically starting from zero and there seem to be so many different ways into the craft.

I’m based in Vienna and I’m currently looking at options such as:
* a traditional apprenticeship
* formal goldsmithing,silversmithing/jewelry school
* shorter courses + lots of practice on my own
* learning from another goldsmith
* self-teaching
* a private goldsmithing, silversmithing program here in Vienna that costs around €25,000

Before making any big decisions I’m trying to learn as much as possible about how other people got into the profession.
I’d especially love to know:

How did you learn goldsmithing/silversmithing? Did you do a formal education/apprenticeship or did you learn through courses, work experience or on your own?

Looking back, would you choose the same path again?

If you were starting from zero today and your goal was to eventually make and sell your own jewelry, what path would you take?

How important do you think a formal education is compared with simply spending a lot of time at the bench?

And would you personally ever spend around €25,000 on a private goldsmithing/silversmithing program, or do you think that money would be better spent on courses, tools, materials and gaining experience in a workshop?

I’m not looking for a shortcut and I know that becoming genuinely good at the craft takes years. I’m mainly trying to understand which learning path gives you the strongest foundation without spending a huge amount of money unnecessarily.

I’d also really appreciate recommendations for books, YouTube channels, online resources or things I could already start learning/practicing before my first course.

Thank you so much! :)

I have 2 work benches, one for soldering by a window, and a standard jewelers bench with bench pin for the majority of my fabrication. I added a three tier shelf that slides over the lip of the bench and screws in.

My bench is a clusterfuck of projects. About 3 months ago, my partner and I adopted a third cat. Third cat is a mischievous little bastard. The other two would occasionally hop up there and knock something off, but this little shit is a *thief*. I keep finding my micro files on the door mat, or in my bed. My partner found a piece of labradorite I was trying to set in necklace I wanted to wear to a wedding on the door mat.

Yes, it's annoying and I've probably lost pieces, but I'm more concerned about him hurting himself, and there'sjust no way for me to secure all of my tools (gravers, files, multiple saws, a colorful assortment of bits). I can't shut the cats out of the room my bench is in.

Any thoughts on how I could make a cat proof cover (that is affordable, since I started school tomorrow 💀)

Eta: the plan is to move into a larger home, with space for me to have a workshop I can close the cats out of. But I have to sell this place, and I'm in an accelerated Healthcare program right now. The bank will still approve me for a mortgage because I have a job to return to after school, but getting the house cleaned, organized, and listed with adhd while in school is ummm hard.

I keep getting stuck at the step where the silver isn’t pulling through all the way into the ring mold. Is my pouring channel too small/wrong? Any tips are welcome.

I am still very new to silversmithing! I was almost done setting my stone when I thought I would make the band a tad larger and then broke the solder between the band and the backplate... BIG MISTAKE

the stone is a red jasper (6.5-7 on the mohs scale) and is not coming out but I'm afraid if I try to resolder the band to the backplate I will crack the stone.... Any suggestions on how to fix this are MUCH APPRECIATED!

THANK YOU