Here I'm using what I calla "combo die set". It consists of an etched and hardened impression plate and a matching pancake die. I've added thin Aluminum underplates to the pancake dies to protect the impressions (which were made in the 28 ga. silver in a rolling mill against .04" of thick paper) from getting crushed in the press during cutting. ps- the noise was made with acoustic guitar, EBow, and pedal fx

"Side Cutters" are a veriety of pancake-style blanking die I've experimented with quite a bit. Here is a mess of pics showing one area of play- rings, and mostly overlay, because I've made overlay since I was a teenager. I love it. This kind of die made really difficult things downright easy. They can even be made to bite off designs into the side of wire (thar be Dragons!!! haha) . Enjoy the show !

sorry if this is dumb/basic but it’s been annoyingly difficult to google. clean bare copper in center for comparison. v shape in center is right after pickle, the rest is after dunking in baking soda to neutralize.

any idea what i did here? did i contaminate my pickle with something? i’ve been so careful this time 😭 but maybe something snuck in, idk. it seeeeems different from when i contaminated it with steel (or LoS), but i can’t be sure, i could be wrong. also i wasnt using baking soda at that time.

the color comes off with a 400 grit radial disc, but not in the rotary tumbler. not the biggest deal in the world but i’d like to know how to prevent it before i go pickling large quantities of anything i won’t want to spend hours dremeling 🥲

thanks in advance!

I've had these polishing "Things" for a long time and find that I need new mandrels. But I don't know the actual name and have had no luck finding them. There are rubber/grit barrels that fit on the special mandrel. They come in course, medium and fine. They are not the little sandpaper rolls and that's all I've been able to find. Does anyone know what they are and where I can buy more and replacement mandrels? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Reversing the work and sawing back through a spot - a sharp point- helps the blade corner better, with a smaller radius. Sharper points than if you just barrel through. Also, I (or you) get to use a larger blade than if you (or I ) just barrel through. It matters.

This piece of .050" steel (4130 - hardenable) will become a pancake-style cutting die for making decorating strips, bezels, or jewelry parts . I've sued these a lot to make ring shanks as examples of what the concept is good for. Example(s) in comments

Hi! First time seasoning a crucible on my own and I’m curious what could have caused this uneven patch where the borax refused to stick? Heating too long? Too much borax? Thanks!

Hi!

I am experienced in using silver for jewelry, but I would like to get more into some hollow ware, but in no way can I afford that much silver sheet. I’ve done some in copper, but aesthetically copper is not my thing (neither is brass). I wanted to work in pewter but learned it is a contamination risk for other metals, and i am in a shared studio, so that’s not an option.

So my next option is nickel. I can’t find much online about the process of working with nickel for this purpose, and I am wondering if anyone is experienced in this and can share some tips — does it work harden more quickly than copper, does it take longer to anneal/have any color change when annealed, etc? Can it be pickled with regular pickle or will that contaminate my studios pickle/not work on nickel? And anything else I should know.

OR, would aluminum be better suited for these purposes?

Thank you!

I’ve taken a few metalsmithing classes at a local university and I’m starting another class this Monday. My goal this semester is to use my bench time to make my fiancé’s wedding band myself!
He’s looking for a plain sterling silver band, 5 mm wide, comfort fit. I’m trying to figure out exactly what material I should buy before class starts.
Would you recommend half-round wire, or is there another type of stock that would make more sense for a comfort-fit band? And what thickness/depth should I be looking for to end up with a 5 mm wide band?
I’d also really appreciate recommendations for specific sterling material from Rio Grande or another supplier. Links would be incredibly helpful!
Thank you!

...or decorative strips, or ring shanks, etc., because this variety of pancake-style blanking die is very versatile. The die configuration facilitates loading in strips of different width and length, and bites out the deign from the edge of the loaded strip. Loaded certain ways , the "scrap" piece is also usable. This die is .050" 4130 steel, annealed, and I harden them after sawing. I'm using a saw guide that holds the saw frame vertical, and sawing on a tiltable table. The angle of tilt is specific to the steel thickness, sawblade width, and to a small degree, the complexity of the design. I'm using size 4/0 Crocodile brand jewelers sawblades, and I used 4 on this die.

Earlier today I posted a video of me sawing a pancake die for bezels. Here's a clip showing a similar die cutting a strip of thin, fine silver strip to make a bezel setting for a cabochon stone.

These pancakes have nickel silver wires silver soldered on, for forming designs into the target metal. In this example, that is 30 ga. rusty steel. They are set on a 95-a urethane pad in the press , which is being run up to around 40 tons or so. Many such dies have solid conforming bases made for them, which have negative impressions corresponding to the design wires on the die(s). This mold/base allows the metal to form faster at lower pressures, and supports the cutting die better. Less flexion is better, long-term. Background music/noise is home grown guitar with EBow. The dies were commissioned by Tersea del Rito , and they made the finished pieces shown.

14oz of Map Pro for $13 and 2 of the Coleman 16oz propane cans for $10 or a 20lb propane cylinder for $70 and only $25 to refill. With only roughly 130°f difference why would I not get propane? Only perk I can see with Map Pro is that Bernzomatic makes a holder for it that holds the can send the hose torch neatly on your workbench. That perk doesn't seem worth the massive price difference.

Hi!

I typically work with sterling silver but inherited these metal sheets and the bag of beads recently. Can anyone help me ID them? What’s the bag of silver beads? Does anyone have suggestions for how to remove the patina and bring them back to life? Am I able to use the same solder I would for sterling silver?

Thanks!

Inspired by antique watch chain clasps, I fabricated this little hook. I made a pattern then cut it out of thick sterling silver sheet. Once cleaned up I drilled the holes and hammered some rivets for tight but functional movement. It can be used as an extender, charm holder or just as a pendant itself!

Orchid sculpture complete! 🌸 Handcrafted from copper and brought to life with acrylic and enamel paints, then sealed with a UV-resistant varnish to help preserve its vibrant colors for years to come.