Silversmithing: Tools of the Trade
Posted: Monday, September 17, 2007
by Dianne Lehmann
Artisan Jewelry from SyZyGy
In years past, it was hard to separate the black smith (or just smith or smithy) from his tools. When you said “smith" you were referring all at once to the person, his tools and the place where he worked. The same is still true today. Without her tools, today’s silversmith has nothing.
I am passionate about tools. My father is responsible for instilling an appreciation of and respect for good tools. He always said that with the right tools, you can do anything. He also said that you should always buy the best tools that you can afford. In tools, cheaper is not always better.
If you are going to shape metal by pounding on it, you need something to pound with and something to pound on: hammers, bench blocks, anvils and stakes. There are all sorts of hammers and each one is good for one or maybe two purposes. An embossing hammer, when driven against the inner walls of raised work can elevate positions of the surface. It may also be used for planishing. A planishing hammer is useful for smoothing out imperfections and finishing surfaces of pieces that have been raised. Raising hammers are used on the outside surfaces to force the basic shape of various objects. Ball peen hammers are used for flattening, shaping or removing dents. Riveting hammers are used for forming rivets and tacking. Chasing hammers have either flat heads or domed heads. Chasing can be thought of as a sort of stamping. Specially shaped punches are used to press a pattern or design into the metal. Most of these hammers will be made of drop forged steel. But they may also be found in brass and nylon. Rawhide mallets are useful when you do not want marks of any kind left on your silver. For general all around uses, I find a domed chasing hammer to be most handy. If you can afford only one hammer, that is the one I recommend.
Bench blocks, anvils and stakes fall into the same general category. They are what you hold the metal, either sheet or wire, against as you hammer it. Bench blocks come in a variety of shapes and sizes. In its simplest form, it is a square of hardened steel that sits on your work bench. The surface should be kept smooth and free of debris. I use one that is four inches square and it is a fine size for most purposes. Blocks are also available with depressions in them in the shape of half of a ball. These are called dapping blocks and require a set of dapping punches. These are useful for doming. There are a number of other blocks with differently shaped depressions for all sorts of purposes. I always tell people to get a tool catalog from a company you like and just read it. They contain a lot of good information.
If you purchase an anvil, be sure the base is very solid and that it has a low center of gravity. Even so, it is sometimes a good idea to mount it to a piece of a 2" x 6" board for stability. Anvils that have a cone on one side are particularly useful. Again, these come in all sorts of sizes and shapes. The size you choose will be determined by the size of the jewelry you wish to make.
Stakes are hard to describe. They are made of hardened steel and can be held in place by a vice. They come in a wild array of shapes and sizes and they are generally used for raising. There is one stake called a Cow’s tongue stake. It looks pretty much like its name. A bowl or vase that is being hammered into shape would be placed over the stake and the metal would be struck from the outside against the stake.
Whenever you hammer or bend metal, you work harden it. It becomes more brittle the more that you work with it and requires annealing to keep it from cracking and breaking. A torch (black smiths use a forge) is useful for annealing. A torch is necessary for soldering silver.
If you are going to be soldering silver, you will need, at minimum: a torch; a soldering block; pickle; water for quenching and rinsing; copper tongs; silver solder; flux and a flux brush. Protective eye wear is always a must.
When I first started soldering silver, I wasn’t at all certain that was what I wanted to do. So, I started very small. I bought a butane fueled mini-torch; the kind you might use in your kitchen for making fancy desserts. No matter what you do, you absolutely need the other items mentioned above. That is, unless your only intention is to solder jump rings closed. Then a butane mini-torch and silver paste solder in a syringe are all that you will need. Well, and something to polish them a bit when you are finished.
I quickly learned that I liked soldering silver and that in order to complete larger pieces; I was going to need a serious torch. I opted for a single fuel torch with four sizes of tips. The fuel I use is acetylene. The torch handle and tips are designed to mix the proper amount of atmospheric oxygen with the acetylene to get a nice hot flame. For the most part, the smallest size tip suffices for what I make. Occasionally, I use a larger one. I am glad that I have that option. Nothing is more frustrating than having this great idea and not having the tools you need to accomplish it.
As far as soldering blocks, boards and pads go, the smaller you can use the better. The block is a heat sink (as is all the air around it) and the larger it is, the longer it takes to heat it up and heat the metal that is sitting on it. That is why some smiths prefer charcoal soldering blocks. They are usually small and once you heat them up, they stay quite hot for a long time. And that is their main drawback. They can get so hot that it is uncomfortable to move your work around on them with you hands. Also, they tend to crack as they cool and for this reason it is best to wrap them with binding wire before you begin using them.
There is a magnesia block option. They heat and cool quickly. They are not really made of magnesium, which is quite flammable. The surface of this soldering block does degrade and become pitted with use, but they are easy to make true once again. I just move mine around on the concrete outside of our workshop with a circular motion and in a few moments it is nice and flat once more.
There is a whole host of soldering boards that can be useful. They are made from a number of different materials. Some are of transite, which is very durable, non-asbestos and withstands temperatures up to 2800°F. Ceramic soldering boards tolerate temperatures up to 2000°F. You can also purchase soldering pads made of calcium silicate. They also heat and cool quickly without cracking and can be pinned into, as can the magnesia blocks. Once again, purchase the smallest surface for soldering on that you can use. It cuts down on the time needed to reach the melting point of your solder.
Tripods with mesh screens are available that allow you to heat your work piece from the bottom as well as the top. But keep in mind, that all the air around your work will be sucking away the heat. I have one, but rarely if ever use it.
Pickle is simply an acidic solution used to remove fire scale from sterling silver after it has been heated. Sterling silver is an alloy composed of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. When you heat it, the copper is brought to the surface of the sterling silver. Copper is much more reactive with the moisture in the air than is pure silver. That coupled with the heat (heat speeds up the reaction), causes the copper to “rust" or tarnish much more quickly and the surface becomes quite black. Also, some fluxes will become quite glass-like after heating and they also need to be dissolved. Granulated pickles that you mix with water are most common and generally are not considered as hazardous materials which require a very large shipping fee. Copper tongs are required for placing and removing objects from pickle. If an iron bearing tool is used, you will plate copper onto your sterling silver. It is a good idea to mix a little baking soda into your rinse water to help neutralize the acid completely.
Silver solder basically comes in four hardnesses: extra easy; easy; medium and hard. The silver paste solder mentioned earlier is basically extra easy. You will need all but the extra easy for most projects. The first join is always made with hard solder. It melts at the highest temperature and subsequent joins will, then, not unsolder the first join. Use medium and easy solders as you work your way through your piece.
If you are using a new sterling silver called Argentium® Sterling Silver, you can not use the regular hard solder with it. Argentium® has had some of the copper replaced with germanium and melts at a lower temperature than traditional sterling silver. You can purchase solders made specifically for use with Argentium®.
Flux is what helps the solder to flow. An anti-flux may be used to keep solder from flowing where you do not want it. I have not used anti-flux. Generally, the solder will follow the heat, so if you are careful about how you apply your flame, you should not have a problem.
Fluxes are all toxic. Care should be used in handling them and managing the fumes given off as you are heating them. There are liquid fluxes and paste fluxes. My husband likes the liquids and I prefer the pastes. I find the pastes are easier to keep where I want them. Also, you can thin them with water, if necessary. You can mix your own flux from boric acid and water. Fluxes are usually applied with a brush. Just about any small brush will do.
Earlier, I briefly mentioned polishing. After pickling, your silver will have a dull whitish coating. You can remove this with a soft brass brush dipped in a solution of dish soap and water. The soap keeps the brass from being deposited on the sterling silver. This will give a very “soft" shine to the surface.
For a brilliant, hard shine, you will need a buffing wheel of either cotton or muslin. The type that is stitched is best. It holds together longer and throws off less lint. These can be mounted in a regular drill that is mounted in place. Just be certain that the buff is rotating in a downward direction as you are looking at it. That way, if you let go of the work, it will fly down, back and away from you rather than into your face. There are also many motors available for purchase. Some will run only one buffing wheel and some will run two.
There are many grades of polishing compounds. Some will cut quickly and remove large scratches. Others are for final polishing. Ideally, you should begin with metal that is as free of scratches as possible. Once your work is soldered together, it is not always easy to get to all the areas that require polishing. The compounds are held against the buffing wheel as it is spinning at speed. This is called “charging" the wheel.
Hopefully, now, you have some idea of the basic tools you will need to begin your foray into silversmithing. It can sound very complicated on paper, but when it comes right down to doing it, it’s not all that bad. I remember my delight at my first soldering closed of jump rings. At that moment, I was hooked. Oh yes, you will melt things that you did not want to melt. That is part of the learning process. Have fun and be creative.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)Dianne, hi. Okay, a few suggestions. Treat your article as an explanatory essay: 1. Introductory paragraph with a definitive thesis statement. Put "I am passionate about [silversmithing? or] tools" in the first paragraph; it tells the reader right off what this is going to be about; careful, if you deviate from that goal, you'll lose readers. The first para should give ideas about how you are going to make the explanation, what items IN GENERAL (one sentence each) you will explain and why. 2. Body paragraphs: to be an essay a composition must have at least three paras, intro, body and concluding. It can have as many body paras as necessary to explain the general ideas you propounded in the intro. Each body para should have its own topic sentence and each para a minimum of two sentences; keep it simple if you're reaching out to people who don't know the first thing about silversmithing, i.e., (a topic sentence: "The soldering iron is essential.") then briefly explain why. 3. Conclusion: this para synopsizes the essay in brief and, IMPORTANTLY, finishes with a sentence that leaves the reader with a sense of having read something cohesive, useful, and worth referring to others. We call this "good transition (GT)" and in fact should take place all the way through your essay, word to word, sentence to sentence, and paragraph to paragraph. GT is the solder that holds a composition together, and it must be applied in all the right places. When you think you have finished, realize that you have not. Go over it three times, have a friend read it (not your husband, not your mom). Put it down for three days or a week then go back and read it aloud. If it stumbles in the live context it will surely stumble in a readers mind. YOU know what you meant by that, but they will not. Clarity is important. Try to not use the same word twice. Can't be helped sometimes I know, but you overuse "tools" in your article, esp. the first several paras. Last, unless this is written as an instruction it's too long and detailed for general audience consumption. Go back, hit the high points and make it come alive -- your passion for the art should show and make others think, "Gee, I'd like to share that."Thank you so much for the constructive critisism. I am fairly new to writing articles and need all the help I can get. And yes, I have been having my husband read them. I realized that this was too long, but was in a rush to get it out. I will not rush in the future. I have put some of my other articles aside for several days and then found that they needed editing. Patience is a virtue. I appreciate the time you took to put it all down for me. Thanks, DianneI am having some trouble making the article shorter. I have made quite a few changes per your suggestions, but all the things that I had to say, I still want to say. This is information I wish that I had when I was just starting. Anyway, I will let it sit for a couple of days and then look at it again. Thanks again, Dianne
Dianne, you are welcome. As to length, what is your goal for the composition? Your piece reads like an instruction manual. If the aim is to teach the "how-tos" of silversmithing it certainly has a lot of valuable information but no one except those already interested in advancing the art will read it. If you wish to plant the seed of interest, you must shorten it into an explanatory essay. Do that first and query, or submit a copy, to some hobby craft publications. Let them know that you plan to follow up with a how-to article. Glenn WillefordGlenn: Thank you again and that is the problem I am having with this article. I do wish to plant a seed of interest, but I am not totally sure about how to do that. It is much easier for me to instruct. It is so much more straight forward. I think that I shall stick with writing it for the novice silversmith; to give them a bit of a heads up. I had planned on following this article with articles that cover each element in more detail. But maybe I am getting ahead of my ability. You have given me much to think about. DianneI am a jewelry hobbyist and would like to see each element in more detail. As long as your statement "I am getting ahead of my ability" is in regards to your writing skills, please still consider doing the article that covers each element. The instructional information is making me want to try new things. I think your audience is really people who are thinking about trying new techniquest but need help in discovering how and which techniques they are interested in. I know that based on instructional articles on the internet, I have tried techniques I would never have tried because I thought it would be too hard and articles like yours convinced me I could do a technique.Thank you so much for reading my article and for the encouragement to expand it. You might want to check out my article, "How to Solder silver: Tips for the Complete Novice." I sometimes think to myself, why should I write an article about this, it's been done so many times. But then I tell myself that each of us brings something new and different to the discussion. And yes, the "getting ahead of myself" referred to my writing. Thanks again, Dianne
Dianne,I don't know if you are still accepting questions....but I would like to know how to get into the trade. I know there is no formal "education" per say, but rather it is a study that usually involves an understudy of sorts.....any help you could give me would be appreciated.Thank you!- PaulaHi Paula,We were out of town for a few days, hence my delay in responding.First, thank you for reading and commenting.Yes, you can learn jewelry making and repair as an apprentice, but there are actually a lot of courses offered by community colleges in the art of jewelry making. You should check with your local institutions. Also, if you pick up jewelry making magazines, you will find many art schools listed.I got my start by simply having the desire, as you seem to do, to make jewelry. I started simply with stringing one bead at a time onto cable and attached clasps with crimp beads. Then I branched out into wire wrapping as a means to more permanently attach one element to another without having to solder them. Then I took the leap to actually lighting a torch. Somewhere in the middle of all that I learned how to cut and polish stones to make them into cabochons.It has mostly all been trial and error. I have nothing against getting instruction, I just don't always perform well in a rigid and structured environment. I am too stubbornly independent for that.Get some good catalogs (Rio Grande or Fire Mountain Gems), they will tell you a lot about what findings and supplies you might need and what and how they are used. If you are interested in learning to wire wrap, check out the book titled, "All Wired Up," by Mark Lareau. I can recommend "Art Jewelry Magazine" for good how-to articles, inspiration and basics information. Lastly, have a look at the Ganoksin Project and their Orchid Forum. Just go to ganoksin dot com (can't put a URL in comments).Please feel free to send me an e-mail. There is a button next to my name that will allow you to do that. Good luck and most of all, have fun!Dianne
Thank you so much for such a great article!! I have found that learning the silversmith techniques are very trial and error.....I have come across quite a bit of error in the beginning...I am wondering if you can help with more information on a torch....I have been using the small butane torch but need the single fuel torch. Where did you purchase it?Hi Karyn.I got my torch from a local jewelry making supply shop, but I can recommend a couple of online businesses from which I make other purchases. One is Metalliferous and the other is Contenti. Both have good prices and good selection. I have found my Prest-o-lite torch with its four tips to be sufficient for everything that I have wanted to do. One thing I don't think I mentioned in the article is that when you buy your acetylene tank, buy a used one. Most of the welding businesses that refill them do not do that on the premises and you never get back the tank you left for filling. So be sure to look at the condition of the valve on the top of the tank. If it looks too worn, request another tank. It's also a good idea to purchase a tank key rather than using pliers or a wrench to turn it on and off.Yup. I think it's all about error. When things go well, I don't learn nearly as much as when they don't. That goes for all of life as well.Thank you for reading my article and I hope you have loads of fun.Dianne
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