oldbadger
Skanky Old Mongrel!
My wife sorted out several silver jewelry items and asked me if I could do something with them. I suggested that I would take them to the local gold dealer and exchange them for something that she might like, but she asked me if I could make some new jewelry or ornaments with them myself.
I have often made rings out of ebony and other very dense woods, something that started years ago when I made two tings in Walnut to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, known traditionally (here) as the 'Wood' anniversary. We wore them on our first anniversary for that day. The first ring on the left is my Wooden Anniversary ring. But I has never actually caste anything in silver before.
I purchased a clay crucible locally and went to U-Tube for some lessons in casting silver, then purchased a cuttlefish bone from the local pet-shop and after preparing it I impressed a lovely onyx ring in to the two halves of bone and got ready to melt some of the silver.
I am used to melting and casting lead bullets, had done that for many years, it was just a question of achieving much higher temperatures with my butane-propane gas torch than that. I didn't expect to succeed first time, in fact I have just purchased a propane torch for higher temperatures, but my first attempt would be with my existing gear.
I was so surprised when I opened the mould after casting, to find a lovely silver ring, completely formed and ready to finish with hand tools and dremel! The pics show the ring after casting, and also beside the onyx ring which I copied.
I've enough silver left to caste a 50mm clam (these are on our foreshore) which my wife would like for her display shelf, but I will certainly need a propane torch for that heavier amount of silver casting.
Does anybody else make jewelry castings? I expect that engineers like @Revoltingest make heavier casting altogether.
I look forward to any replies
I have often made rings out of ebony and other very dense woods, something that started years ago when I made two tings in Walnut to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, known traditionally (here) as the 'Wood' anniversary. We wore them on our first anniversary for that day. The first ring on the left is my Wooden Anniversary ring. But I has never actually caste anything in silver before.
I purchased a clay crucible locally and went to U-Tube for some lessons in casting silver, then purchased a cuttlefish bone from the local pet-shop and after preparing it I impressed a lovely onyx ring in to the two halves of bone and got ready to melt some of the silver.
I am used to melting and casting lead bullets, had done that for many years, it was just a question of achieving much higher temperatures with my butane-propane gas torch than that. I didn't expect to succeed first time, in fact I have just purchased a propane torch for higher temperatures, but my first attempt would be with my existing gear.
I was so surprised when I opened the mould after casting, to find a lovely silver ring, completely formed and ready to finish with hand tools and dremel! The pics show the ring after casting, and also beside the onyx ring which I copied.
I've enough silver left to caste a 50mm clam (these are on our foreshore) which my wife would like for her display shelf, but I will certainly need a propane torch for that heavier amount of silver casting.
Does anybody else make jewelry castings? I expect that engineers like @Revoltingest make heavier casting altogether.
I look forward to any replies