ANASTASIA YOUNG

THE WORKBENCHGUIDE TO

2Techniques • Core techniques

ANNEALING METALAnnealing is the process used to soften metalonce it has become work-hardened. Thesesteps show the annealing of metal wire, rod,and sheet. Lengths of wire should be coiled andloosely bound with binding wire, which willhelp to prevent overheating any areas. Use asoft, bushy flame to heat the coil evenly untilit reaches annealing temperature.

To anneal thick wire orrod, angle the torch flamealong the length of the rod,and start heating at one end(or, as shown here, at oneedge of the loop). When theend becomes a dull red color,move the flame along the rod,making sure that the wholelength or loop has reachedannealing temperature.

Anneal sheet metal with abushy flame—circulate theflame to bring the whole pieceof sheet to a dull red color.

Allow silver to cool toblack-heat before quenchingin water. Allow larger piecesof sheet to air cool, whichwill prevent distortion fromrapid cooling.

on a heatproof mat and start heating, using asoft, bushy flame—you will soon see colorchanges on the surface of the metal, and once themetal starts to glow red (check the chart forparticular metals and their annealing color) stopheating. These color changes are most visiblein low light levels.The method you use to cool the metal will affect its temper (hardness)—in order toachieve optimum results, use the recommendedmethod of quenching or cooling for yourparticular metal.The annealing process causes a coating of oxides to be formed on most metals, and they will need to be cleaned in an acid solution calledpickle (see page 98).

When not to anneal

For certain tasks, such as making earring wires where no soldering is required, it is oftendesirable to retain the hardness of the metal sothat the piece will not easily bend out of shape.The piece will be less easily formed, but will bea more durable structure.

FILE

T E C H N I Q U E

Precious Kiwi-skin necklace

By Alena Joy Precious metals were used alongside dried kiwi skins to construct this delicate necklace.

SOLDERING

Metals are most often joined together using the solderingprocess. Solder is a metal alloy with a lower melting point thanthe metals it is joining; precious metals each have their ownsolder alloy, but base metals are usually joined with silver solder.

Materials and tools

Solder is available in different grades—hardsilver solder has a melting point just below thatof silver, medium has a lower melting point,and easy solder melts at a lower point still. Hardsolder is used predominantly, as it color-matchessilver better than medium or easy, and flowsalong seams better, too. Enameling solder has avery high melting point and can be used to joinelements that are going to be enameled (see page229); extra-easy solder should only be used forrepair work. Every karat and color of gold has itsown solder alloys of hard, medium, and easy.Flux is used to aid solder flow by preventingthe metal from oxidizing when heated. Borax is

Technique finder

Core techniques

(pages 82–108)

• Cutting and piercing• Drilling• Filing• Annealing

Soldering

• Pickling• Bending metal• Cleaning up• Polishing

Construction

(pages 109–119)

Forming techniques

(pages 120–149)

Carving and casting

(pages 150–168)

Mechanisms

(pages 169–189)

Color and texture

(pages 190–234)

Stone setting

(pages 235–247)

Stringing beads

(pages 248–251)

Outwork

(pages 252–269)

Plant cell brooch

By Laura Baxter The intricate silver and gold elements of this brooch were skillfully soldered together.

a good general-purpose flux, and comes either asa solid cone that is mixed with water in a dishto form a thin paste, or as a powder. Solderinggold requires relatively high temperatures, andyou may get better results using a flux especially for that purpose, instead of borax. Easy andextra-easy solders, and stainless steel will alsoperform better with a flux designed for thespecific purpose.Heat-bricks, charcoal blocks, and solderingmats, including ceramic mats that have holes forpinning pieces in position with binding wire,are necessary to protect surfaces from torchflames. Mats can be used on a turntable, which will allow the piece to be rotated while heatingtakes place.Small, inexpensive hand-torches are useful,but only for small soldering jobs such as chain-making. Torch heads that automatically mix airand bottled propane or butane gas are easy touse, and are a worthwhile investment. You caninterchange different sizes of head attachment togive suitable flame sizes for most soldering jobs.

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Annealing • Soldering