VOLUME II JEWELRY MAKING INDIAN Anh ton tonne nenaTABLE OF CONTENTS Title Pane we 1 Copyright Page inside front cover! Introduction Table of Contents... Dedication. ‘Old Style Navajo Earring. ....--..-. 6 Alavaja Silver Hearistall Painting ‘The Silver Headstall or Bridle . Indian Pulling Whiskers 10 Tumezers or Whisker Pullers . aM Miniature Silver Pottery . 21213, The Silver Thimble . The Police Whistle. . The Cigarette Lighter Case ...... 216 The Silver Bell aw 7 Granular Silvor Soldering Techniques... 1819 The Story Bracolet ..... <+20-21 Rocker or File Engraving. ..... = 22:23 Leat and Flower Decorations ........ «. 2425 ‘The Multiple Stone Balt s 26-27 ‘The Large Stone Classic Bracelet, ...,... 28-29 ‘The Zuni Style Turquoise Inlay, ...... 30-37 The Silver Box. ....6 ese eeeeeeee eee: 3238, ‘The Sholl Top Box .. 2 3435 ‘The Mosaic Top Box. . 23637 Silver Tableware... 38-39 The Pistol Grip . Silvor Casting in Sand 42.83 Letters and Initials for Cutouts and Inlays... 06. ceeeeee ee M4Q5 Zuni Multicolor Inlay The Zuni Clustor. Novelties and Curios... cere 5051 Cuttlebone Casting ...... The Horseshoe Buckle... acme The Link Bracelet The Domed Channel Bracelet . Cushion Stylo Inlay... Silver Kachina Figures = 58.59 Silver Indian Figures ... The Silver Goblet Treasure Chest Publications, - finside back cover) Acknowledgements...OOP HERR deee INTRODUCTION Southwestern Indian jewelry, @ truly American art form, is be- ‘coming more popular around the world. The demand for INDIAN JEWELRY MAKING, Volume | ~ 45,000 copies sold in eighteen months ~ has inspired the writing and publication of Volume 11. This book not only illustrates advanced silversmithing techniques, but also illustrates some of the easy projects which depict a part of the history of Indian silversmithing, Many of the objects pictured in this book aro not technically Indian jewelry. The originals vere made by Indians, possibly at the request of elients or traders or as experiments by the silversmiths themselves. They are shown here with the hope that they will be used to develop new ideas and expand existing techniques. There are many one-of-a-kind examples of articles which could probably be copied and cleveloped and could ovolve into interesting and profit, able projects. Some of these examples are the small silver sculptures of Kachinas and Indian figures, the silver cups and goblers, and the various types of boxes. The more contemporary Indian artisans are now being influenced by the designs of Ancient Egypt, the Orient, and South America, which they are combining with the Traditional to create the jewolry stylo of the future. The working of gold is not included in this volume beceuse gold is so much mote expensive than silver for the individual silversmith, and the techniques for working it are more involved. Ideally, all the work of individual artists would be marked by a signature, stamp or an identifying symbol. Many of the projects illustrated here are based on examples of truly traditional items, but, tradition must rolinquish the way to progress!DEDICATION ‘This book is dedicated to the many Indian silversmiths, good and bad, living ond dead, who have ever practiced the art of silversmith: ing, whose signed and unsigned works, many of which are pictured ‘are appreciated, enjoyed and sought after by innumerable ad. mirers, This book is also dedicated to the many people who helped me to make it a reality ~ especially Richard Barrett |, a mastor crafts. ‘man, who wae instrumental in constructing and completing many of the very difficult projects pictured here; and Connie Asch, silver- smith, artist, and very patient person, whose humor made the work enjoyable, Last and most important, this book is dedicated to the silversmith who will use it and the ideas and techniques presented here to expand his knowledge and increase his skill.COCKER NOT TO THE READER The silvorsmith working many miles from supply houses uses whatever tools he has and improvises to make the simple tools he needs. This ingenuity is one of the reasons this great craft is alive and well today. It is surprising to discover that some of the home. made tools are the best and most-used tools a silversmith possesses, In several projects illustrated in this book pieces of silver were fashioned into particular shapes by bending or forming them around strips of black wrought iron or “strap iron”, usually six to eight inches long of varying thicknesses. Large bolts, the heads of which hhave been filed into shape to make forming tools are usually ham: mered into wooden block to complete the die. One Indian silversmith, instead of sawing out the many hundreds of scalloped edges around a belt concha, saved himself a great deal of ‘time and work by making a erascent shaped cutting chisel to shear off the excess silver around the edges. It is said, “Necessity is the ‘Mother of Invention’, The improvising and making of certain home: made tools should be encouraged among the silversmiths and crafts: men. Numerous wooden and iron tools were devised to complete many of the projects in this book. ‘A small portable shoot motal worker's punch, such as the Whit. ney-Jensen No. 5 with a set of punches ranging from 3/32nds of an inch to 9/32nds of an inch, is an extremely useful tool for the silver: smith. Small holes can be quickly and easily punched in thin metal more perfectly than they can be drilled. It is particularly useful when making a hole to insert a jeweler’s saw blade for sawing. All the soldering was done with Leach and Garner's No. 55 solder (medium flow) with a 1325°F melting point; and Handy and Harman's Handy Flux was used exclusively. This solder was Used successfully regardless of the number of times an article was soldered. The word “solder” as it is used in this book refers to silv solder, not to lead or soft solder, Silver solder is a mixture of pure silver, copper and zinc, but naver lead. Even @ small amount of lead accidentally mixed with silver renders the silver unworkable, This contaminated silver should be sent to a refiner ~ it should not be used in casting. Any lead solder put into the acid pickle will contam: inate the acid. Kirksite, roforred to in this book, is an alloy of zine and other metals used extensively in industry to make non-deforming molds to form or shape other metals. It has a melting point of approximately 800° F and can be poured into dry plaster or investment molds to make forming dies, 1t can be obtained from: Morris P. Kirk and Son, 2700 South indiana Street, Los Angeles, CA 80023, ‘The lead which was usod for dios pictured in these projects is melted down old automobile wheel balance weights,OLD STYLE NAVA[O. EARRING Ce a Oe ees Pony ML read re ecm eid Cea ee caer a A pair of old silver beads was a very popular addition on the loops as was a matching tab of turquoise, abalone or red shell Cee or tn rte! J é De Ra CO PT ee cial abel a . Pinder adie okgal pe Pere Tcl ena nn Re ert aaa si te 7 Pe / Tea E y < q S XN i NOG) = rT ee ee gauge pieces of silver wir lightly loss than 6 inches nr terete ae See er en eee ather end is grooved to hold the pointed end. {A good way to form a groove isto grind a pieco of Peeere nite ere et te) lead block. The flattened end is then hammered into. eet et okie ao en ee ee eee) round the large end of a ring man- __ These earrings are almost the exact design Pease . SU ‘ Indians of the Northern Rio Grande ) Le Ce 3 of : J x i Se ree 5 :. Pres cere ae S oe Ce Ru RCs it oO ) pend y oy a ( come eey rr laa 1 Ss Se eee Pe a fs eae i) aIn this water color painting by Tucson artist Vie Donahue, the “NATANI NEZ", or head man, is admiring his horse wearing the silver headstall. The headstall lying across the painting wasTHE SILVER HEADSTALL OR BRIDLE F Ce rd er Re aa | a ce eR ee Ce Se ke ee ene Cee ae a eee et Pe Rein et omen Ty Cee) \ Se ee a pieces plus the naja, and weighs about 18 oz. Troy, or a little more than @ pound. The straps are usually made of 3/4-inch Pee eee ne a) \ inch black strap iron over which to form the silver \ to fit the leather strap. The pieces of silver . Cee eer cs) EN. Co ccd eae Se eRe N Cee Rad hor a eed | A eee rr el Re he a ee eet ne ed Ceo Re A ' il F SE Ce tea Ce eee an Pech ss sdk aaican ojala kt ole \ eee eerie ea sakes eles Neder: pass er eres So ge TP gestall is definitely Moorish in _ design, brought to America by the emu oc eC ay Po ee eo Gey Dee a Uni eee ena eee ky Se encesRoem Ce old personal article used by the Indians Cee writings of many of the first explorers Ce ee ea ae Ce ees facial hair, an easy, if somewhat painful, method was used to extract it, Iron and Pee ane ees fore Columbus arrived and shaving with sharp stones, shelle or other objects was Recs es RL en ic steel razor was introduced, They consi. Ce me facial hairs at various times during the- Ce eu Re enc): ' Nae oe ay = many Indian burial sites o- De ad De eRe Gorman (ni Se Cc * DR as AG VAD eA CEN E Oe ery Pee eed of a small shell instead of a razor, The ene eae loosely together through holes punched oe ee] Ce a ed Se aOR cee eed Sede Cees iekel) silver Seem ed 4 em et it Tid) Cech en a U i Se ~) I pepertenyl rent peer Cay ke | alpha Sen _ ter bending, {tis filed to times these were carried with i) make the matching edges ‘the button inserted ina buts) mesh, s Ce ea ae * De eC service button and part of old roy Cee me ag Ro ees ad ee CRE med pee Etc k Cr made from a double section of steel packing case strap, taking oR) oe ed Seas ee ey "ig Ri Con MINIATURE SILVER POTTERY Se mC a ‘one of the most beautiful and fascinating art forms available today. The miniatures ee ee es Ce eee Pe ue oy pottery types, both historic and prehis- ge Pe a dacorations are sawed from small pieces Ce ee Ce ma Pe ee Pee eg rae ue ee a mag Or er reece cr See F Bistos-oubuaanial xX @000e @ @e0e These are the basic component forms or CO Se See ne tris e bins efi , CO Se rs er » Pe a > Pottery dosigns are sawed || Ce eg Pe ee ad Ror ca eee @ @ Ce Co PS Sea Ld Ces * ey | The dapping block and a few punches Sec ce Reera = << § Cd © =) FA.. ” es Santa Clara water jar decorated with Pats ®@@trmns & ic) oT LBL be Cera) eo ya - ©) @) « & re en ee pent design jar. The hardened steel bolt was used to hammer Ce Cg ce a a cree ANN e beeen eee Ee ‘The Masa Verde mug and the cutouts to show how the de- As eeTHE SILVER THIMBLE 1¢ silver thimble was among the first tourist items It was easy to meke, wok very little silver, and could be sold ot a reasonable price. It became popular as an inexpensive gift at a time when many housewives were doing their sowing and mandling by hand. cone is made of a piece of 2 ge silver shoot, A pattern is fi ‘out from paper which has been fit ‘ound the proper finger. ‘Those throe stamps were made to score the top of the thimble to keep the needle from slip: na. ‘Transfer pattern to silver, cut out and stamp with indentations so that ‘the needle will not slip while being used, Bend around ring mandrel and hold in place with iron bind- mre checkering file, ¥ Try on the finger for the proper fit. A ring of 16 gauge round wi is made to fit on the bottom and This is the simplest of all sit 4 ye nes Ueslidapr abe rear oem dents in the end of the thim- ble like the punches above, A.disk of 20 gauge sit- Clean by pickling in acid. ver is cut slightly largor ys, File and smooth ell sharp than the top of the conagill corners s0 as not to irri ‘Stamp with Indentatio ‘the finger. Finish dome on wood block, by polishing inside and ‘then solder onto top of » out, cone.Ui s/o ee) AOD Ae Ye ‘The police whislewas adopted ve- a a od Ce eee ears Ce ee yy So eg pellng ater emiettinep oy 5 overlaid on top, was used Danis Taglar hoa namamer basis 4 jepior Hasan dita Ce ee eee ey AB ‘manufactured article. These old inlay design of the whistles are indeed rare as there 1940's Cron ee ee Two are stamped with an appropriate design for the Pi eee Coes Ser a a ad Dd Ser Bi i ea aealailadatadal eons “sel uacene Sn Se ae ke ec) ee eee er es Re directs the air flow-in relation to the top edge of the air cavity, determines the pitch of the sound, Tho top edge of the Circular piece should just slice the air flow from the mouth piece. The thinner 0 Ld De eco 0 Cy Co ere pee seat any ed oa , a) fe) sce ce A silver ring made of about 10 gauge round ‘wire is soldered on opposite the mouth- piece. The whistle is then filed, darkened oe td Pa I een: SU eee ae ene tet compressed and inserted into the air dante Cen 24Oise (On| E Oe) s bP ae Noe ars err) Pg Ca pee De eg ‘the particular lightor is decorated with a stamped border and bent around a discarded lighter body. Black iron binding wire is used to hold it in place Ce ee ao before soldering on to the bottom. The perfora- Cee ea eC Cee end ‘them and soldered on with twisted wire or other decorations such as leaves, etc. The stones are set, Pee Re Sa ed for the disposable pro- Ce ee ee ent item for the silver- s Pe ed Fe ae ber of years ago for the old cotton wick naphtha Cus poner permenr et Serres) i ceed ee Se a engraved, initialed, with stones, Ce me es Cee ees a Pumas Pee ts ee eR ns Bee ed ee Cre ey Pe ae ers“One of the most sought after items of tourist silver is the 4tilver ball, which was seldom made and is therefore scarce, These were made only on order or roquest from @ ‘ader. Few silversmiths have ever experienced making this Bell made for a Catholic Priest A paper pattern is mace to form a cone. The size can vary. The piece to form the body of the bell is made of silver sheet of at least 18 gauge thickness, The silver is then stamped and bent in the shape of a cone and sol- dered. The shaping can be done over a ring mandrel, a Navajo bell of the Zuni bell with carved 1930's AA circle of 18 gauge silver, slightly turquoise fiqure larger than the top, iscutand domed. Two holes are drilled near ‘ the center of the dome, A piece of 16 gauge silver wire is bent into a F ) “"U" shape and soldered through the holes to form aring to hold the clapper. The dome is then sol- : le is made of dered onto the top af the cone anc! e@ The han of » pce 0° ‘of 20 gauge silver sheet form the edge filed smooth. ied around «acnlLioguel Sate rel, fastaned with iron bind f ing wire and soldered. A small perforated silver disk is soldered 1/8 inch inside the top, o larger end of the handle, ‘The clapper is made by melting brace making tho end of the handle serap into @ ball and soldering to it a form the bezel for the stone. inch piece of I4 gauge brass wire. Bend the wire into a small top near the ball. Bend the remaining length of wire into, fan “S" shoped link for hanging inside the bell. ‘The small and! is soldered, center of the dome. The: pickled, the stone is set and bell polished. The clappor is added fast,GRANULAR SILVER SOLDERING TECHNIQUE SS ue cd PU an aed cea acy ‘wo old brass shotgun Pee aay eee hollow nozzle, notched for vibrating a stream of solder filings on filigree Peet mad oa a er ea boon fluxed, and scraping across the ith a fingernail, This samo type il being ‘used in S aa Granular soldering is @ technique which was used on both silver and gold as early as 700 B.C. and which en: Ce ee es Se ea ae Ret See ce cay ee ee ey as much cartridge brass, and pounding or filing off bits of the slug to use as solder solved a very important problem for the Neveio- the problem of soldering. Now that high quality, reliable sheet and wire silver is readily available, and because so much time and effort is required to produce homemade silver solder, the pro- cedure is all but forgotten and in danger of being lost Caen een rd Se nd Ce em eas eed ‘This piece of filigree was constructed by SE a eae a ea ‘gauge silver around a wooden pattern and soldering the ends, ee cen ee ‘under the direction of the Spanish or Mexican silversmith. The great amount of time consuming work re- errr a ee eae kaa Cd and lightness of weight did not appeal to the Indian, Filigree was truly of Spanish origin, Re a eR Cy Re ee meee orem eu me em a mec Pee er eae a eer a ad eo erydipped in thick fandy Flux) and laid face down on the asbestos block. The figure is sprinkled with granular solder Figura ie heated to malt flux’ ) and solder, coating back of figure with s8lder. Figure is placed in‘position on base and reheated, welding Wee ewww ee cw Ww