Day 7: One-a-day jewelry challenge March 2012

Today’s piece is a copper and sterling silver charm bracelet.  I actually started it yesterday and finished this morning because I had an afternoon commitment today.  The copper links are soldered together and the charms are hung with soldered jump rings.   For design continuity, the clasp is a simple sterling silver hook attached to one of the copper rings.  Finally, the charms were scraps salvaged from my previous projects; they just needed sanding, drilling, and hanging. 

This charm bracelet was truly a milestone for me.  Soldering has always been a hit or miss proposition, especially after I moved from a plumber’s torch to a “real” jeweler’s torch.  When it worked, it was a nice surprise.  Finally this week I fixed a lot of mistaken process and pushed my success rate to about 95%... YAY!!!  In case it helps someone else, here is what I did:

• Stopped using the wrong kind of firebrick under my work.  (What’s needed is the type of firebrick that lines a kiln, NOT the kind you get at a builder’s supply.  Those bricks had been sucking the heat away from my metal.)
  
• Stopped aiming the torch directly at the solder, and began heating the surrounding joints instead.
• Sanded / cleaned my solder before using it.
• Made sure my pieces were very clean.
• Improved the fit between pieces (since solder can’t fill gaps.)
• brought the torch to the other side after the solder ran, to pull solder all the way through the joint.

I haven’t completely mastered this yet, but it’s a great start and it opens up a bunch more design possibilities.  Good day!!!

Check my March 1 post for details about the giveaway, and how you can enter.