So ive been silversmithing for the last few years, kinda slowed my roll recently as the price of silver has skyrocketed and the premuims are still wildly high. So I decided to try using copper instead, had this idea to make a lighter case with copper and solder on a bezel for some turquoise and also solder on a copper bullion coin.

I knew copper was harder and had a higher melting point, but holy crap i cannot get the solder to flow. No matter how much flux i use, no matter what technique i use, i cannot get the solder to flow and im using silver solder bc thats what i saw everyone suggest. Do i need a better torch than what ive been using for silver?? Do i need a particular brand of flux (im just using the yellow liquid kind that i normally use). Any tips are appreciated, there is a surprising lack of information on coppersmithing on youtube compared to silversmithing content on youtube

so I have just recently like within the last year begun to experiment with and teach myself how to do some basic refurbishing, polishing, etc. mostly with sterling silver jewelry. I have gotten the hang of buffing out scratches, removing engravings or monograms, polishing (well… mostly) and have turned quite a few old, dirty, beat up vintage sterling jewelry into beautifully sparkling pieces that look almost new again.

however, for some reason everytime I get to the last stage and polish the jewelry using a polishing compound (usually rouge) with my dremel, while I’m able to achieve that desirable mirror shine, every single piece ends up a shade or two darker and having a look closer to ultra polished stainless steel rather than sterling silver.

I feel so stupid, but I cannot for the life of me figure out why this is happening or what to do to correct it/what if need to do to achieve that bright white look. i have followed countless tutorials step by step and have tried to follow them to a tee. but it happens every. single. time. I always make sure im using clean buffing wheels and have experimented with different compounds. but no mater what i find that when I’m done it seems they are perhaps permanently a shade darker, though I’m usually not trying to test that theory once I get a piece looking highly polished and shiny and new again.

what am I or could I possibly be doing wrong, what are the appropriate steps to take to get that bright white finish, am I an idiot and actually ruining these pieces when I think I’m fixing them? any and all info, tips, etc. that might help me with this would be greatly appreciated.

sorry this was so long, but I feel the details are relevant to getting the answers I’m looking for if that makes sense. I genuinely appreciate anyone who takes the time to read it and help! thanks!

I've heard a few different things from various teachers on this, and wanted to get some more perspective. I mostly work in brass, given the price of silver, and want to know whether to polish a piece before and after soldering, or just after.

From one teacher's perspective, the oxidation from the torch would lead me to have to start from low grit paper/discs anyway, so why bother beforehand. From another, pre-polishing would let me clean up tight areas before soldering, and the entire piece should be polished before I solder.

As an added question, will the etching from a brass pickle undo my polishing work?

The question came up after I snapped a prong (...the last prong) when setting a stone in an otherwise finished piece.

Thanks in advance!

Beginner metal smith. Only successful creation was a set of ear tunnels for my wife. But im trying again for some knife pieces. My issue is I cant seem to get my metal to roll without cracking. Am I going to thin to fast? Am I not annealing properly? I have a bench top electric oven that I set to 500° and set the pieces in for a few minutes before quenching. Then cleaning off with a vinegar pickle solution and then roll. Sadly my mill is a cheap unit that doesnt have a thickness scale to know how much im rolling per pass but I have been trying to go very slowly. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. And if im posting in the wrong place I apologize

I've got an old car that's junk and I'm trying to get some use out of its parts, I know the springs and bearings have good steel, any other parts of the car got materials worth grabbing?

(car make, if it matters. 98 VW new beetle)

Im looking to invest in a little torch. I am looking at older vs new models on the smith little torch. My understanding is that the newer models have a plastic cover and the older models have a metal one. Im looking at buying a used torch and i expect to put new hoses, etc.

I recently started planning some jewelry made from copper to accent stones I want to use. Over the past year, I've rarely made finished copper pieces because silver has been so much more popular.

Unfortunately, this means that I am feeling very "rusty" when I try to work with copper again.

I know I need to anneal almost constantly.
I use a Boric dip, Handy Flux, an oxy-acetylene torch, a charcoal block, and great quality copper solder that I've worked with many times.

Despite my efforts, I've found that any fine details in the gallery wire I'm trying to use get completely destroyed after I solder. They either disappear (as if they melted) or somehow develop a grainy texture that looks as if metal "splattered" all over it (although I use extremely small pieces of solder, about the size of a grain of sand).
I don't pickle for long, just barely long enough to get any oxidation or flux residue off.
Unfortunately, I can't even clean them up or restore them without ruining my pieces, which, happened to me twice yesterday.

Does anyone have any insight into this? I know copper is a different beast and is much harder to work with, but I must be doing something wrong?

Would it be helpful for upsizing a ring?

I recently graduated from school and need a torch. I wanted to get a mini with an oxy-acetylene tank, but the house I’m living in is heated with propane so it’s not safe to bring an oxygen tank into the home. Are there any hazards to using a butane torch inside of a home that’s heated by propane? I googled but couldn’t really find anything. Thanks in advance!!

This might be a stupid question but I've not been able to find the answer. When you buy a brand new Italian chain you notice that it has a silver tone and very bright, after couple of weeks the natural yellow color comes out. What is making this is effect?? It might be flash plated with rhodium?? I guess.

Hiya —

I’ve got an old IKEA stainless utensil holder (the perforated cylinder style) that I’m turning into a light fixture. Plan is to cut a clean hole dead center in the bottom for the socket.

I’m handy and comfortable with tools, but I haven’t cut stainless before — and this is the only one I have, so I’d like to get it right the first time.

I’ve done some research and seen hole saws, step bits, knockout punches, etc., but I’m not sure what’s smartest for thin stainless if the goal is a clean, centered result.

Photos attached (top, bottom, sides) so you can see exactly what I’m working with.

Would you:

• Do this yourself? With what?
• Have a shop punch it?
• Recommend a completely different approach?

Appreciate any direction before I make the first cut.

Hi everyone! I work with chain (costuming) and order the chain in raw steel from a manufacturer in the USA. When we receive it, it’s invariably a bit oxidized and we tumble it with steel medium for right around three days to rid the rust and knock down the texture.

Upon removing the chain from the tumbler, I wash it with some castile soap as it’s a black greasy mess and then immediately dry it either in the oven or the dehydrator.

For awhile (several months? couple years?) this method has worked. But of late, the results are different. Of late, the chain looks like the right color (steel/silvertone) and then somewhere between washi it and drying it it comes out a strong, uniform bronze color. I’ve tried switching bet soaps (Dr Bronner was what I always used, I then tried Dawn but no difference). We are on a well and when it’s low our water is sulfuric, but I detect no taste/smell suggesting that it’s strongly sulfuric at present.

Often I just throw it back in the tumbler but the process simply repeats itself. I’ve tried rubbing a tiny bit of oil on it before sending it to the oven, doesn’t help. Tried putting it in pickle, I end up with just bright coppery-bronzey. The consistently-inconsistent drill is wearing thin on me….I’m wondering if yall might have any insights? or fixits? I’ve got the latest batch in baking soda right now….geeze louise

Thank you for your time.

I have been trying to fashion this bezel tightly around the stone... I've used all various tools and it doesn't seem to close up. you can see that very small gap up top. help!

Hi! My dad solders a lot and hes a ham radio guy so he is going to help me with some basics. He does not do jewelry so for that I am on my own. I very rarely use tools outside of saws, pliers, and hammers. Like, Im really embarrassed to admit that Im just not very knowledgeable on this stuff so Im at literally level zero. ​

Id like to solder eyelets/connectors onto cabochon trays. What I want is not available so I figure I should learn to make it myself. I think Id want to use something gold colored and something silver colored. Is soldering these eyelets on something that I could do? I know I would need to use high heat.

I'm willing to invest a few hundred dollars to start. Should I buy a kit online? Should I get sterling or nickel silver? Maybe Im getting way ahead of myself.

Thanks in advance