You have entered the Studio of Sonne Creations. Enter at your own risk. I like to play with fire and beat metal until it's unrecognizable. I am a self taught metalsmith and I do things that your metalsmith teacher probably tells you not to.
For my initial bonding technique with PNP (maybe photo paper) I use a laminator. I have the PNP trimmed to the size of the metal. I use Avery adhesive dots (1/4" diameter) in the corners of the PNP to hold down film, then sandwich the metal in a paper sleeve, then feed 4 passes thru laminator - adheres it quite well. (this would eliminate the awkward laying down of resist to heated plate.) Next, I use an electrical hot plate between temp of 275 and 350 degrees (290 degrees best. I TURN OFF HEAT, I use a temp gun for accuracy). If you notice the PNP start to curl on the edges, remove immediately, the plate is to hot. At 290 degrees the metal heats up quickly, WITHIN SECONDS you can visually see the toner fuse to the metal - it becomes super black. I use a small cotton t-shirt rag to lightly press straight down on the PNP in areas that are questionable for contact.. no rubbing or burnishing - this only smears the heated toner) I have great success with this method. for reasonable PNP, contact Reactive Metals Studio, Clarksdale AZ. Min order of $25.00 - Last time I bought 20 sets for 32.22. Happy Etching!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. when transferring the PNP - you used a red mat on the griddle???? is that a silicone mat? 2. I was told to use ferric nitrate for etching silver. do you the difference between using copper nitrate vs ferric nitrate? 3. how long does your solution last? 5 etches or more and do you need top recharge it with more copper nitrate? 4. Ive never heard of Tuck Tape....where do you buy it in the USA? thank you. can't wait to watch the enameling videos. kindest regards, Irene Comstock
@IreneComstock Thank you for the questions. As you correctly deduced, it is a silicon mat. The copper nitrate (for sterling silver) and the copper sulphate (for copper) is SUPERIOR! For one thing, it’s more economcal and eco-friendly. The Ferric solutions can only be used a couple times at best before they degrade. The copper nitrate and coper sulphate are filtered through a coffee filter when pouring them back into the solution container and they can be used over and over and over again. Tuck Tape is a Canadian product. Packing tape won’t cut it, even duct tape won’t stick. If you go to a good hardware store (not a box store, most of the kids that work there don’t have a clue) and ask them for an alternative to Tuck Tape they might be able to help you. In the meantime, I’ll do my own search and get back to you if I find anything similar in the USA. Thanks again Irene and enjoy! If you have a die cut machine, like a Cricut or a Silhouette, those sticks are amazing as well! Not as much detail with fine lines, but I do all my texture plates with stickers made on my Silhouette.
Thank you! I am using a little Blazer Torch. It’s good for pin point heating and on a Solderite board. Charcoal holds too much heat and you run the risk of melting. I also use a Sondiko butane torch head which uses a canister of butane camp fuel. Inexpensive to operate and REALLY good for bigger projects. I’ve gone through most soldering fuel options and I appreciate the simplicity and safety of the butane. About the only thing they aren’t good for is casting higher amounts of metal. Both of those torches are available on Amazon.
Thank you! Rules are only there as a guideline, LOL and most should be discarded. There’s only one rule with Argentium and that is “Don’t touch or move it when it’s orange-red hot! Enjoy!
@@wendyshaw6985 Thank you for comment! The larger twist on tip is a Sondiko and it fits onto a camp stove butane bottle. I really like it and it’s essentially replaced my Little Smith Torch dual gas torch, it puts out an incredible amount of heat. I also like the Blazer line of torches.
Thanks for your excellent videos and technical information. I am learning how Argentium differs in behavior from that of Sterling, and I try 2 pay attention to small details which may or may not apply. For example, when the three component pieces were fused (~7:30) you pointed out use of a vermiculite-based solder block. Is there a particular reason other than heat reflection/control properties that you did not use a charcoal block ? Having worked 30 years as an industrial chemist I often "over-think" choice of materials in videos - LOL. Best Regards, James
@jameswilliams3270 Thank you! And my apologies for the late reply! Vacation and holidays :( The vermiculite is nice for Argentium because it doesn’t hold the heat like a charcoal block does. If you are fusing a jump ring then you might be able to get away with a charcoal block but because fusing is essentially “melting” the Argentium, it’s easy to get carried away with the heat and heat control is a tight rope walk. The vermiculite doesn’t retain the heat like a charcoal block, you you are only managing the heat from the torch. I also like using pumice because it will support awkward shapes really well. Glad you are enjoying Argentium. Once you’ve got the heat control figured out, it’s absolutely fantastic to work with and so easy.
Woah! Sorry for the late reply! Google wasn’t sending me notifications. To fuse fine silver to fine silver you need to use something like Blue Fuse which is a solution made from copper acetate. However, if you are wanting to fuse fine silver to Argentium that becomes a different issue. Fine silver melts at 1760F and Argentium melts around 1640F at it’s upper range. So by the time you have the fine silver surface liquid enough to fuse with the Argentium, the Argentium will already be a puddle. Download a copy of metal melting temps available on the internet to guide you on the other metals. You can fuse pure metals like 24K gold to itself, but anything with copper in it, like 18K etc will not fuse.
I hope you are enjoying retirement. What is the next step after you adhere your design onto your metal… In this case silver? What solution do you use for the actual etching of the metal? Thank you.
Check out the other videos from this channel. There is a great series where every step, including resists and etchant formulas are explained and demonstrated in detail.
So I tried this exact method or so I though with 16g Argentinium wire and got nothing but little boobs tiny over and over. No cups boo hoo! I was holding over a bucket maybe I should try a shallow dish like you had ?
Hello, thank you very much for your precise video with a lot of new and helpful informations. How many percent has your hydrogen peroxide? We have here the 3% available. Greetings from Germany
Hello, thank you for the tip adapting and filing the wire laying on the bloc. It's much more easy er than adapting on a soldered ringshank. Your spinner rings turned out amazing beautiful😍🥰😍. Greetings from new old jeweler from Germany😁😁😁😊
@marenc9648 Hi! Just in time for when you make your gold filled ring! I’ll make another video on soldering it altogether, the Sondiko torch worked the best, the small Blazer takes too long for my liking. Thank you for the feedback on the rings, I think they are going to like them a lot too. I was a bit sceptical about the chrome diopside combination initially, but it turned out to be a rock star.
I love that tip too Thankyou ..not too sure about cutting out the shank and leaving the only joint made of medium or easy on the setting ..it’s not so strong also I have done a ton of repairs and resizing …I would be baffled looking for the join to cut through😳🤣from an old Goldsmith in England ..always something new to Learn. Spinner Ring is fab!
Where did you get your shears from… I have bought several at Rio Grande on my wholesale account but I have not found shears that cut that doesn’t require filing????
I just heard you say Swanson shears and I work with a lot of argentium, so yeah, right that pointy end will just end up fusing. But I thought I heard you say that when you cut into Xoe already V-shaped jump ring that the shears you used made them flushed to each other.??? so is it still the Swanson shears????
I have heard many positive things about argentium so perhaps I will give it a try. I primarily work with sterling and rose gold. I appreciate the explanation of the visual and all the "broken " rules of sterling. Yes, argentium could be a real time saver in the fabrication and soldering process. Thank you!
Thank you very much for the repairing tutorial. It's alway awesome to watch the fusing process. Over on beyond I discovered my mistake at sticksoldering. There my wire always balled up. It is the first time that I saw, that I have to heat not directly the seam and I have to heat the backside. I'll try it soon. Thank you very much for sharing. Greetings from Germany 😁
@marenc9648 Thank you! However this was a terrible example of stick soldering 😂😂😂! I will make a better video on stick soldering, especially where the torch doesn’t block the view and I have enough fuel in the torch😊. Thank you for commenting! I appreciate that. ❤
Thanks for this video!! I just began using Argentium and have only forged some findings so far and haven't fused yet. It blows my mind how much easier Argentium is to work with! I may only work with.925 when doing repairs if necessary, since Sterling is touchier when soldering. Great job on your video!
@erinobrien8408 Thank you and welcome to the wonderous world of Argentium. I’ve been working with it since 2010 and have never looked back. It doesn’t work harden as quickly as 925, you can make an entire piece with added components and never have to solder. Faster to work with because there’s no clean up from the flux or solder, no worrying about previous joints coming undone. Thank you again for the kind words and comments! Stayed tuned, because there’s more in store for this video!
@@SonneCreations I can't wait for your next videos!!! Any more on Argentium? Is there another source for it in addition to Rio Grande? They have a very limited variety in their stock. That's where I've been purchasing it. Thanks again for sharing this with us all!!
@erinobrien8408 I buy all my Argentium from Riogrande. They are limited in the fancy bezel strips and ring sizing stock when it comes to the Argentium it’s true, but that might be on the manufacturer of Argentium from the UK and not necessarily on Riogrande. I looked on Etsy and if it can’t be found on Etsy at overinflated prices then it just doesn’t exisit. 😮 I have a lot of videos on Argentium, I work solely with Argentium or Fine Silver (for enameling) and the video quality has improved then. If you have access to a rolling mill, I think you’ll enjoy the next video. Be fearless when working with Argentium, the metal will give you enough warning to tell you that it’s had enough and is about to melt into a blob. 😊
I notice you have some ventilation there for your toxic substance fumes. I will have to hook something up to fuse with crazy glue!!! I saw another video where the person nestled the piece down into some sand as insulation and support. What do you think of that? Greetings from Dallas.
@ruthdederich3622 Hello Dallas! Thank you for commenting! I have a small pan of sand as well and use it on occasion. Anything that is able to offer insulation/support when working with Argentium is great. I find the sand is a bit too “fluid” for some things, meaning it doesn’t always stay put, you know “like sands through the hourglass…..”? I mostly use the ventilation if I’m using a charcoal block or working with copper. The crazy glue is vaporized very quickly and you’re only using minute amounts.
I taught myself on Argentium. I tried sterling and was frustrated with flux and solder and all the rest. I read about Argentium and that day ordered some and never looked at SS again. . ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Argentium
@gkelley2383 Fantastic! Argentium is so user friendly it’s hard to believe. As long as you have enough heat, whether you have enough solder, flux or mojo it doesn’t matter. It’ll either fuse or solder. Welcome to the Argentium fan club!
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge for making a beautiful ring and making the things easier. The idea with the crazy glue is great😅. Greetings from Germany
@mulanjamilah7849 Jool Tool and GRS have repurposed it for stone shaping. It work exactly like a split lap would. And yes, you can still use it to sharpen gravers. I tried engraving, I found it very challenging. Keep practicing and working at it. If you have talent for the art itself, eventually you’ll gain talent in the skill.
