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Soldering mini silver or gold barbell beads
Hi, Lately I've seen many necklaces made from fine silver chain with
what looks like mini silver or gold barbells inserted between the links of the chain. I assume from looking at them that they are made by soldering a headpin, say on some silver wire, inserting the wire between the small links on the chain and then soldering a small ball onto the other end of the wire. But, either my torch isn't hot enough or I am just daft because I can't seem to do it. If I leave enough length on the wire I'm fine but I can't cut the wire short enough to make a nice small barbell. Does anyone have experience/suggestions for how to do this? Thank You MB |
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#2
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Soldering mini silver or gold barbell beads
m10b wrote:
Hi, Lately I've seen many necklaces made from fine silver chain with what looks like mini silver or gold barbells inserted between the links of the chain. I assume from looking at them that they are made by soldering a headpin, say on some silver wire, inserting the wire between the small links on the chain and then soldering a small ball onto the other end of the wire. But, either my torch isn't hot enough or I am just daft because I can't seem to do it. If I leave enough length on the wire I'm fine but I can't cut the wire short enough to make a nice small barbell. Does anyone have experience/suggestions for how to do this? Thank You MB I don't know the chain you are trying to describe, could you provide a link to a picture please? -- Regards, Gary Wooding (To reply by email, change feet to foot in my address) -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
#3
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Soldering mini silver or gold barbell beads
m10b wrote:
Hi, Lately I've seen many necklaces made from fine silver chain with what looks like mini silver or gold barbells inserted between the links of the chain. I assume from looking at them that they are made by soldering a headpin, say on some silver wire, inserting the wire between the small links on the chain and then soldering a small ball onto the other end of the wire. But, either my torch isn't hot enough or I am just daft because I can't seem to do it. If I leave enough length on the wire I'm fine but I can't cut the wire short enough to make a nice small barbell. Does anyone have experience/suggestions for how to do this? Thank You MB The easiest way to do this is to use a oxy-acetelyene or oxy- propane torch. You take your silver wire hold it in a soldering tweezers and ball up one end of the wire. Slip the wire through the two links of your chain. Clip your balled up wire to proper size which means how big of a ball do you want on the other end of the wire you have already balled up. Hold the wire with the balled up end and the links of the chain together and ball up the other end of the wire. This will lock the links together. It is best to use a sharp and hot flame. As the wire balls up pull your torch away when the ball has formed to the size you would like. Michael MichaelKnottDesigns.com -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
#4
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Soldering mini silver or gold barbell beads
I'm sorry, it took me a while to find a suitable image:
http://www.twistonline.com/DetailCloseup.aspx?ID=2085 lemel_man wrote: m10b wrote: Hi, Lately I've seen many necklaces made from fine silver chain with what looks like mini silver or gold barbells inserted between the links of the chain. I assume from looking at them that they are made by soldering a headpin, say on some silver wire, inserting the wire between the small links on the chain and then soldering a small ball onto the other end of the wire. But, either my torch isn't hot enough or I am just daft because I can't seem to do it. If I leave enough length on the wire I'm fine but I can't cut the wire short enough to make a nice small barbell. Does anyone have experience/suggestions for how to do this? Thank You MB I don't know the chain you are trying to describe, could you provide a link to a picture please? -- Regards, Gary Wooding (To reply by email, change feet to foot in my address) -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
#5
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Soldering mini silver or gold barbell beads
Maybe they are just melting the ends of the wire up into balls.
-- Connie Ryman Cryman Studio "lemel_man" wrote in message ... m10b wrote: Hi, Lately I've seen many necklaces made from fine silver chain with what looks like mini silver or gold barbells inserted between the links of the chain. I assume from looking at them that they are made by soldering a headpin, say on some silver wire, inserting the wire between the small links on the chain and then soldering a small ball onto the other end of the wire. But, either my torch isn't hot enough or I am just daft because I can't seem to do it. If I leave enough length on the wire I'm fine but I can't cut the wire short enough to make a nice small barbell. Does anyone have experience/suggestions for how to do this? Thank You MB I don't know the chain you are trying to describe, could you provide a link to a picture please? -- Regards, Gary Wooding (To reply by email, change feet to foot in my address) -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
#6
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Soldering mini silver or gold barbell beads
Thank you Michael. Given my novice status it would really help to see
it done. I guess there are some disadvantages to the virtual community. I'm going to try it again, with my beginner butane torch. I think I wasn't leaving enough wire or letting the ball get big enough. If I can't make it work I'll invest in a better torch, and perhaps some lessons. By the way, your work is really beautiful! Both organic and architectural. -MB Michael wrote: m10b wrote: Hi, Lately I've seen many necklaces made from fine silver chain with what looks like mini silver or gold barbells inserted between the links of the chain. I assume from looking at them that they are made by soldering a headpin, say on some silver wire, inserting the wire between the small links on the chain and then soldering a small ball onto the other end of the wire. But, either my torch isn't hot enough or I am just daft because I can't seem to do it. If I leave enough length on the wire I'm fine but I can't cut the wire short enough to make a nice small barbell. Does anyone have experience/suggestions for how to do this? Thank You MB The easiest way to do this is to use a oxy-acetelyene or oxy- propane torch. You take your silver wire hold it in a soldering tweezers and ball up one end of the wire. Slip the wire through the two links of your chain. Clip your balled up wire to proper size which means how big of a ball do you want on the other end of the wire you have already balled up. Hold the wire with the balled up end and the links of the chain together and ball up the other end of the wire. This will lock the links together. It is best to use a sharp and hot flame. As the wire balls up pull your torch away when the ball has formed to the size you would like. Michael MichaelKnottDesigns.com -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
#7
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Soldering mini silver or gold barbell beads
lemel_man wrote:
m10b wrote: Hi, Lately I've seen many necklaces made from fine silver chain with what looks like mini silver or gold barbells inserted between the links of the chain. I assume from looking at them that they are made by soldering a headpin, say on some silver wire, inserting the wire between the small links on the chain and then soldering a small ball onto the other end of the wire. But, either my torch isn't hot enough or I am just daft because I can't seem to do it. If I leave enough length on the wire I'm fine but I can't cut the wire short enough to make a nice small barbell. Does anyone have experience/suggestions for how to do this? Thank You MB I don't know the chain you are trying to describe, could you provide a link to a picture please? Michael is quite right, its made by melting the end of thin wire into a ball. Its actually surprisingly easy to do, but you must use a small, hot flame if you want to avoid melting the chain too. Try practising on some wire without the chain. Dip the end into some flux, hold it vertically with the fluxed end downwards, apply the flame to the end and when it melts (which happens pretty quickly with thin wire) follow the ball with the flame until its a size you like. If the ball gets too big it becomes pear shaped instead of spherical, and if you don't hold the wire vertically the ball gets a little lop sided, but it can sometimes be corrected by bending the wire near the ball. If you don't flux the wire the surface of the ball becomes somewhat rough and pitted. Give it a try, it really is one of those things that is easier than you think it should be. My post is late 'cos I'm in UK. -- Regards, Gary Wooding (To reply by email, change feet to foot in my address) -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
#8
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Soldering mini silver or gold barbell beads
m10b wrote:
Thank you Michael. Given my novice status it would really help to see it done. I guess there are some disadvantages to the virtual community. I'm going to try it again, with my beginner butane torch. I think I wasn't leaving enough wire or letting the ball get big enough. If I can't make it work I'll invest in a better torch, and perhaps some lessons. By the way, your work is really beautiful! Both organic and architectural. -MB Michael wrote: m10b wrote: Hi, Lately I've seen many necklaces made from fine silver chain with what looks like mini silver or gold barbells inserted between the links of the chain. I assume from looking at them that they are made by soldering a headpin, say on some silver wire, inserting the wire between the small links on the chain and then soldering a small ball onto the other end of the wire. But, either my torch isn't hot enough or I am just daft because I can't seem to do it. If I leave enough length on the wire I'm fine but I can't cut the wire short enough to make a nice small barbell. Does anyone have experience/suggestions for how to do this? Thank You MB The easiest way to do this is to use a oxy-acetelyene or oxy- propane torch. You take your silver wire hold it in a soldering tweezers and ball up one end of the wire. Slip the wire through the two links of your chain. Clip your balled up wire to proper size which means how big of a ball do you want on the other end of the wire you have already balled up. Hold the wire with the balled up end and the links of the chain together and ball up the other end of the wire. This will lock the links together. It is best to use a sharp and hot flame. As the wire balls up pull your torch away when the ball has formed to the size you would like. Michael MichaelKnottDesigns.com -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com If you give some thought to it it would be logical as I frequently stress here, to run some trials first with the wire you are using OFF the chain. To put it simply, get the technique right and quick to implement, then transfer it to the product your working on. Now no one has mentioned that you should ALSO use a spot of flux on the wire end to stop it oxidising. Save a lot of pickling and polishing. where is the "what if?" mind set these days.? Whats the matter with people, arnt folk taught to think these days?. as for using oxygen and propane , make the flame slightly oxidising , not good for the silver iuuuuuuuuif you didnt use flux, but it makes it much hotter. Again run trials first varying one paremeter at a time and youll get there. |
#9
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Soldering mini silver or gold barbell beads
On Tue, 15 Aug 2006 21:56:07 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry "m10b"
wrote: Given my novice status it would really help to see it done. I guess there are some disadvantages to the virtual community. I'm going to try it again, with my beginner butane torch. I think I wasn't leaving enough wire or letting the ball get big enough. If I can't make it work I'll invest in a better torch, and perhaps some lessons. Butane torch? Given that most of them on the market are of the small little versions similar to those also sold in kitchen supply stores for fancy cooks wishing to singe their Creme Brule or the like, I suspect that we've found at least one essential componant of her problem. Those torches just aren't hot enough and precise enough to have a good chance of doing this sort of thing. A better torch, and some lessons, sounds like a fine plan to me. :-) Peter |
#10
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Soldering mini silver or gold barbell beads
ted frater wrote:
m10b wrote: Thank you Michael. Given my novice status it would really help to see it done. I guess there are some disadvantages to the virtual community. I'm going to try it again, with my beginner butane torch. I think I wasn't leaving enough wire or letting the ball get big enough. If I can't make it work I'll invest in a better torch, and perhaps some lessons. By the way, your work is really beautiful! Both organic and architectural. -MB Michael wrote: m10b wrote: Hi, Lately I've seen many necklaces made from fine silver chain with what looks like mini silver or gold barbells inserted between the links of the chain. I assume from looking at them that they are made by soldering a headpin, say on some silver wire, inserting the wire between the small links on the chain and then soldering a small ball onto the other end of the wire. But, either my torch isn't hot enough or I am just daft because I can't seem to do it. If I leave enough length on the wire I'm fine but I can't cut the wire short enough to make a nice small barbell. Does anyone have experience/suggestions for how to do this? Thank You MB The easiest way to do this is to use a oxy-acetelyene or oxy- propane torch. You take your silver wire hold it in a soldering tweezers and ball up one end of the wire. Slip the wire through the two links of your chain. Clip your balled up wire to proper size which means how big of a ball do you want on the other end of the wire you have already balled up. Hold the wire with the balled up end and the links of the chain together and ball up the other end of the wire. This will lock the links together. It is best to use a sharp and hot flame. As the wire balls up pull your torch away when the ball has formed to the size you would like. Michael MichaelKnottDesigns.com -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com If you give some thought to it it would be logical as I frequently stress here, to run some trials first with the wire you are using OFF the chain. To put it simply, get the technique right and quick to implement, then transfer it to the product your working on. Now no one has mentioned that you should ALSO use a spot of flux on the wire end to stop it oxidising. Save a lot of pickling and polishing. where is the "what if?" mind set these days.? Whats the matter with people, arnt folk taught to think these days?. as for using oxygen and propane , make the flame slightly oxidising , not good for the silver iuuuuuuuuif you didnt use flux, but it makes it much hotter. Again run trials first varying one paremeter at a time and youll get there. Ted you are absolutely right about the flux. I was thinking about the steps I use to ball up the end of a wire and writing them down and somehow that one never made it to the page. Not only does it help with the oxidation it helps keep the balled end spherical. Michael -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
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