I wanted to thank you and your team for such great videos! They have helped me so much so I appreciate the time you guys took and making theses casting- cleaning! Amazing work!
Muchas gracias por compartir la bendición del Padre del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo estén en tu vida y todos los tuyos gracias buen día bendiciones 😅😅😅😊😊😊Colombia cristo te Ama recibelo en tu corazón
It is absolutely fascinating to watch you use existing scraps of metal combining stones, metal scraps and your drawings to come up with your ultimate designs. Thank you so much for sharing your process!❤
Mary, wow, you’re amazing! I learned so much about soldering techniques. I love the way you thoroughly explain every step. The earring design is very cool and the idea of incorporating an element that has personal meaning is lovely. Thank you so much for this truly thoughtful, thorough, and informative demonstration! 😊
Hi there, only just found you. I respect you as a jewellery maker and great setter, but I have a few tips for you. I have been making jewellery for over 30 years and I believe we can all learn from each other. Instead of using your funny bending pliers, which are almost guaranteed to mar your work, why don't you bend the shank round a mandrel, hold it down with one hand and tap it with a hide mallet. Also, when making a bezel for a cab, use a triblet or small mandrel to get the basic shape, lay the stone and your setting material on a block, and push the fine silver around the stone with the handle of your tweezers. You will find you will make much less marks on your work and, as the old adage goes, don't put marks on your work 'cos you'll only have to clean 'em up! All the very best. Phil from philongold.co.uk
Is it necessary to start with filing and then sanding? Or is filing not always required? Isn’t it easier to just start with coarse emery paper…files just leaves deep grooves which then need to be sanded anyway…
It all depends on the surface of your casting and how much work you did during detailing of it. Where the sprue was cut off usually needs filing or a grinding wheel. The rest is really your judging what is next best method to continue resurfacing the piece until it is finished. There are also different coarseness of files and some are much finer than others. Same with abrasive papers. What I try to avoid is having to go back a step because I didn't get all the previous imperfections out of the last step. It becomes apparent on the next step! Then you have to go backwards. Keep on creating!
Always love your videos, Mary. Stunning rings. I work mostly with cabs, but have been lately setting faceted material. This video helped a great deal especially the tips on undercutting tube and prongs to account for the girdle thickness. As far as tube setting, I've heard people say that the top of the tube and the table should be almost even. On a 2mm stone when I have the setting less than half the level to the table, I can't get it to stay in the setting. Finally I'd love for you to show how to remove stones from settings, esp. thick hammered bezels.
On a small tube setting I try to have the top of the tube level with the table when I start. Always a balancing act act between too much an too little, but the stone has to be secure. You can carefully trim back the edge with a graver if you are covering too much of the stone. Do not hit the stone withe the graver!
Awesome series...I am a closet artist..meaning haven't really found my inner voice still experimenting. This series is very thought provoking - Thank You.
Thank you! Jewelry and metal arts has been my vocation and passion and I have developed a lot of what I do on my own with a bunch of mentorship from others. Keep on creating!
Hi Catherine I use Boric Acid (you can get it at jewelry supply or a pharmacy) and denatured alcohol. I do not use a percentage. Basically, you keep adding the Boric Acid to the alcohol and keep stirring until the solution is over-saturated and there is excess Boric Acid that will settle in the bottom of the container. Too much is OK, not enough is a problem. Keep it in a sealed jar and dip your piece of metal to be soldered in and agitate it to stir it up and get the Boric Acid on your piece. Then when you put your flame on it the alcohol will burn off and leave a fine white coating of Boric Acid. It will turn glassy and help protect against firescale. Use your flux right over it. If soldering with diamonds in place you need to protect them with this solution. And remember not to quench diamonds! Keep on creating!
hi mary great video . im making my pieces with delft clay and some of my designs have quite a bit of detail and because i use delft clay, my castings have a lot of texture i need to remove. what would you suggest i use to remove the sand texture while prepping for polish while not destroying the fine detail in my design? im currently using diamond bristle brushes but i find while they work, they take forever to remove the texture. can you suggest some sort of more aggressive brush type tool?
Without seeing the amount of detail it is difficult to judge what you might need to use. A standard bristle brush with tripoli or bobbing compound might work. Remember to charge the brush with compound frequently since it does the abrasion, not the brush.These abrasives from Stuller.com come in different grits and can be stacked to create a wider brushing surface -- Dedeco® Sunburst® Yellow 80 Grit Radial Discs. They have many abrasive choices overall as does Rio Grande. I have not used the delft clay for casting. Wrapping emery paper on a needle file to get into tight spaces is always a good trick to try or folding it into little stiff shapes to get into contours. Good luck!
I can’t remember if I left a comment but thank you so much about using baking soda to help clean silver jewelry. It really makes a lot of sense because I use baking soda to help whiten my teeth once again thank you so much. Where is your studio? I’ve noticed in some videos that you are in a studio with students learning???? Autumn Michelle
Hi Autumn, I am in Oregon. I had a retail store for 15 years and you saw others that worked there, or my co-owner, Debbie. I no longer have that store, but only a small private studio and no room for students. I am working on some new videos to put out later this year. Thank goodness for all the RU-vid content that really can teach so much to so many! Keep on creating! Mary Wong
Mary, what type of video camera are you using to to do your RU-vid videos? I’ve been using my iPhone and it’s done very well for me. But I wanted to upgrade and I still have to stay within the budget. I mean my iPhone wasn’t cheap, but it’s also not the best thing for videoing if you really wanna be truly professional on RU-vid.!!!! I’ve been looking at cameras lately, and I have actually found a Vivitar but when I talked with the technical team support, I found out it only videoed in 10 minutes segments. So that would be a lot of editing for me to do when I would transfer them over to my editing program anyway, if you can help appreciate it.. Autumn Michelle
Wow 🤩 I’m so impressed with the way you think and design… Just the way you explain your vision of design is so easy for me to follow. I am a silver smith instructor. But you are just killing it on the teaching part. You are awesome. Would you please do more videos. Or do you teach any advanced courses? And I absolutely love the way you think the way you design. Like you said, think of it as a sculpture. And that’s exactly what you’re doing. You are not starting off with just the basics. You have found a way to incorporate design pieces completely in different orders. For beginner classes I start off teaching them how to make a bezel and then how to solder the back plate. And then of course, cleaning it up with your files or your sandpaper. Deciding if you want to add some decorative pieces around the bezel. And then you make the ring shank to be able to solder on the bezel, and then set your stone. I love how you’re just doing it in your own order. Oh I really and truly wished you would be doing more videos. Or once again, do you teach online courses??? Please let me know very interested… Autumn Michelle
My youtube is Mary Wong. There are many Mary Wong's however, so try- studio.ru-vid.com/show-UCsFHmfZvnFei1tWwnlR0-3Qvideos/upload?filter=%5B%5D&sort=%7B%22columnType%22%3A%22date%22%2C%22sortOrder%22%3A%22DESCENDING%22%7D I don't know exactly what dimension I used in the forged bail, maybe it was 2.5mm square stock. I am working on some new videos but it will be awhile yet. I am glad you are getting something from them! Keep on creating Mary Wong
I hope you will be able to answer this. What was the gauge of the Square wire that you used? I either missed it in the beginning or you didn’t mention it. I am a Silversmiths instructor. And I was intrigued with a jewelry, designer, Henry Stein in the 1950’s. My mother had a Designer piece from him and at that time I had no idea how famous he was and he actually passed away in the early 1970s anyway he had a Bracelet and I do not know his technique but the bracelets were forge the way I’m sure you did lots of twisting, but it was like spring. He’s super springy and I have no idea how he did that… Anyway, I ended up repurposing that designer bracelet, and this was before I was as knowledgeable in Silversmithing, as I am now. I regret destroying his work. But I did keep his specialty curved designs in place with the piece that I made for a client and I had added blue Mosque kyanite faceted gemstone for a pendant, and then the same gemstone for the earrings, my client was just thrilled and she loved the history of the vintage silver. I normally don’t listen through to a really long video but I enjoyed your teachings!!!! The way you explained forging was spot on. I do know how to forge with my hammers, but I want you to know I have watched some really good Silver Smith instructors. But no body that I have watched so far has done explaining as well as you did in this video. I’m talk texting, so I just pray that this doesn’t have any weird wording. I noticed you’re not doing any more classes. I really hope everything‘s OK with you. I would be very interested to learn where you took classes. I’m going to watch some more of your work. And your mother is going to love this pendant. Thank you so much, Autumn Michelle
Thank you, Mary. You have a great teaching style: calm, informative and unafraid to show the mishaps or unanticipated results. I look forward to your new series.
Woh. I just cleaned my yellowish rings and all of them turned to silver right away. This is the best hack I've ever tried, easy breezy. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Jacky, We do not use a special solution. We scoop up some ultra sonic solution from the cleaner to keep it separate from the rest and ultrasonic the castings in it. You do not want plaster in your ultrasonic! It will damage the surface of other things, so discard it when finished. A stiff brush, steam, ultrasonic and elbow grease in combination is usually the answer. Keep on creating!
Thank you for your kind words. I am working on a new series about design, wax carving, unusual stone setting, problem solving. It will be awhile but it will be several video parts and, I hope, worthwhile! Keep on creating!
Ive never known about using boric acid and alcohol to stop fire scale, by dipping main piece into. Does it matter of the join has that mix on it? what proportions is best? Thanks for the tip about the white paper. So logical when told. Thanks. Bev.Jordan New Zealand
Hi Tony and Bev, The formula I use is very approximate and you could look up something more precise. I put denatured alcohol in a small jar and add boric acid powder and stir it. keep adding boric acid until the solution is over -saturated - until the alcohol can"t dissolve anymore powder and the solution is cloudy when stirred. When you want to use it, shake it up to distribute the settled solution and dip or brush it on the piece. Typically, people ignite it to burn off the alcohol. Then you can see how well coated the piece is. It does not interfere with fluxing a joint. It is very flammable so ignite after the jar is closed again and away from hair and face! It is not fool proof for firescale prevention but is very helpful if you don't overheat. It forms a glass-like coating on the piece to prevent oxidation. Keep on creating!
Hi Michael, "The Jeweler's Bench Reference" by Harold O'connor. I have the 5th printing from 1983. The ring blank chart is one of my most used pages, but it is full of great info. Keep on creating!
