Silversmithing course
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One of the men in Galgael has been doing this at college. Try you local further education college, many of them do jewellery making courses and the good ones do it from scratch, bronze, silver, gold, etc.
I'd love to see what you make too
Cheers,
Toddy
I'd love to see what you make too
Cheers,
Toddy
Evening classes are the way to go, around here Adult Education has all sorts of interesting classes, I did a course in silversmithing some years back and found it very interesting till I got bit by the gold bug.
Whenever I'm mooching the bootsales i always look out for scrap gold/silver and when I've got enough I have a girl that melts it down and makes up items to my specs
SWMBO has a nice expanding bangle my daughter has a fancy bangle and neck torque, step daughter has a nice fancy bangle, myself I have a bangle type thingy that I wear.
The price of both gold and silver has in recent times climbed almost vertically, recycling scrap items is the way to go.
regards
beach bum
Whenever I'm mooching the bootsales i always look out for scrap gold/silver and when I've got enough I have a girl that melts it down and makes up items to my specs
SWMBO has a nice expanding bangle my daughter has a fancy bangle and neck torque, step daughter has a nice fancy bangle, myself I have a bangle type thingy that I wear.
The price of both gold and silver has in recent times climbed almost vertically, recycling scrap items is the way to go.
regards
beach bum
I was a jeweller in a former life I even have a jewellery and silversmithing degree I would also recommend some sort of course I used to teach evening school two nights a week when i was a student we used a very wide syllabus that let the students use a variety of techniques in the first year to see what the field had to offer after the first year the students could then choose to either carry on in the same year or move to another class and start to specialise and develop a deeper understanding of a particular skill .
If you want to start to by DIY my advice is start simple and work up. Save your money and buy the best tools little and often don't waste your time buying cheap pliers and files get the proper stuff the first time it will last you the rest of your life( if you look after it) and you will make better end products. You won't do much better than to start buy reading this book its very good and gives and a good level of understanding to the beginner. if you want to go the hole hog and you have some cash get this book you will never need to buy another jewellery making book ever (this book was the only text book for my degree course)
the worshipful company of goldsmiths could have some information relevant to you but it's more of a professional body.
http://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk
these guys do tools and other materials
http://www.hswalsh.com/
If you need any advice about tools, materials, technique, anthing give me a shout and i'll do my best .
James
If you want to start to by DIY my advice is start simple and work up. Save your money and buy the best tools little and often don't waste your time buying cheap pliers and files get the proper stuff the first time it will last you the rest of your life( if you look after it) and you will make better end products. You won't do much better than to start buy reading this book its very good and gives and a good level of understanding to the beginner. if you want to go the hole hog and you have some cash get this book you will never need to buy another jewellery making book ever (this book was the only text book for my degree course)
the worshipful company of goldsmiths could have some information relevant to you but it's more of a professional body.
http://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk
these guys do tools and other materials
http://www.hswalsh.com/
If you need any advice about tools, materials, technique, anthing give me a shout and i'll do my best .
James
I'm coming to the end of the first year of an NCFE in jewellery at the moment... It is a fairly inexpensive course, but has quite a lot in it. I'm a bit of a self-starter, so I'd already done a moderate amount (including a long weekend with some jewellers in the New Forest), but I didn't quite fit into the categories as a result.
I'd second the advice on tools - buy the bare minimum *high quality* tools you can. Also, remember that in a number of areas there is overlap - I have some extremely nice pliers from electronics work for example. Similarly with books, Untracht is fantastic (although a little outdated - for want of a better word - in some areas: I'm happy knowing the theory behind amalgam gilding without actually messing with the mercury.).
I think that possibly the easiest way to get into it might be to learn chain making - very little outlay, and perhaps the best bang for your buck. James, any comments on that as a suggestion?
I'd second the advice on tools - buy the bare minimum *high quality* tools you can. Also, remember that in a number of areas there is overlap - I have some extremely nice pliers from electronics work for example. Similarly with books, Untracht is fantastic (although a little outdated - for want of a better word - in some areas: I'm happy knowing the theory behind amalgam gilding without actually messing with the mercury.).
I think that possibly the easiest way to get into it might be to learn chain making - very little outlay, and perhaps the best bang for your buck. James, any comments on that as a suggestion?
I started making chains but for chain mail rather than chains, the links can be a little difficult to solder and finish for the beginner. The first thing we used to teach was twisted wire work and drawing of wire, Its very simple and you can use copper in stead of silver to experiment with giving you loads of workshop experience for very little outlay. we then moved on to cabochon settings you get to play with pretty stones, learn how to solder and set and make and design what ever your stone sits on i made a oval box with a Lapis Lazuli lid mums still got to on the mantel.
James
James
Ah... I started by making chainmail too. In titanium. No soldering, but what a swine to work! Stainless links were unpleasant to cut too.
I think my main thought on the soldering front was that if you botch a link, or even manage to fuse several together, it's not that big a loss to clip them out & keep going. Melt your very first cab setting & it might be more dispiriting.
I think my main thought on the soldering front was that if you botch a link, or even manage to fuse several together, it's not that big a loss to clip them out & keep going. Melt your very first cab setting & it might be more dispiriting.
titanium chain mail bet that looked good 
( did you anodise it ) but boy are you a glutton for punishment ? and then to do it in stainless 
I know what you mean about dispiriting but melting stuff is all part of learning how to solder and you just have to get on and make another it's no where near as bad as working for a week on a piece and during the last polish on the buffer you lose a little concentration because your tired and the piece get flung in to the back of the extractor at super sonic speed I went straight to the pub without passing go or collecting £200 that day.
James
( did you anodise it ) but boy are you a glutton for punishment ? and then to do it in stainless I know what you mean about dispiriting but melting stuff is all part of learning how to solder and you just have to get on and make another it's no where near as bad as working for a week on a piece and during the last polish on the buffer you lose a little concentration because your tired and the piece get flung in to the back of the extractor at super sonic speed
I went straight to the pub without passing go or collecting £200 that day.James
jdlenton said:titanium chain mail bet that looked good
Unfortunately, the Ti wire was already anodised - all the way to dark gray. Still made a nice necklace/neckpiece, however. With that & the stainless, I learned the value of good quality sawblades. Now I might be tempted to use a separating disc instead!
This is all very intersting.
I was thinking of doing a few bits for myself. I like plain silver. (little use for stones or gold) but most of the stuff you see is very poorly designed.
I have a few nice pieces but they are nearly all very old.
(Ill put some pics up one day)
I got a very heavy (40g!) curb bracelet at a car boot the other day, £10 but the clip was broken. I can get another clip easily enough but its soldering it up...
I was thinking of doing a few bits for myself. I like plain silver. (little use for stones or gold) but most of the stuff you see is very poorly designed.
I have a few nice pieces but they are nearly all very old.
(Ill put some pics up one day)
I got a very heavy (40g!) curb bracelet at a car boot the other day, £10 but the clip was broken. I can get another clip easily enough but its soldering it up...
I'd be very careful about a repair like that as you don't know what grades of solder have been used I've never liked doing repairs now I always pay someone else to do that and that way if they stuff up they pay you. I once lost a £160 ruby out of a ring I was mending it poped out when
I was soldering it and went to that place where very small thing go when you drop them on the workshop floor. The repair was £20 I ended up £140 down i have had a few other horrors like that I don't do repairs any more.
James
I was soldering it and went to that place where very small thing go when you drop them on the workshop floor. The repair was £20 I ended up £140 down
i have had a few other horrors like that I don't do repairs any more.James
I'll second Oppi Untracht's book. Plenty of recipes for pickles, patinas and electrolytes for plating. All the techniques, all the tools are described. Metals, stones, chemicals and tools are often given with their names in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish; sometimes chelicals are given with their old names (can be useful when comparing with old books that call for "Muriatic Acid").
I used to play mainly with brass and nickel silver,as cheaper substitues for the expensive yellow and white metals.
If you can manage to saw, file, and bend nickel silver, then doing the same with sterling silver will be a doddle afterwards.
Doing cabochon setting practise with sterling silver and emeralds would be expensive, too. try the flat-based glass beads for table decoration, or for fish tanks, and nickel silver.
K.
I used to play mainly with brass and nickel silver,as cheaper substitues for the expensive yellow and white metals.
If you can manage to saw, file, and bend nickel silver, then doing the same with sterling silver will be a doddle afterwards.
Doing cabochon setting practise with sterling silver and emeralds would be expensive, too. try the flat-based glass beads for table decoration, or for fish tanks, and nickel silver.
K.
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