Raising Mokume Gane and Other Patterned Lamination Questions

|

Hello!
Blacksmith and sheetmetal worker here! several questions:
First off, I am wondering whether it is possible to raise sheets of mokume gane/pattern laminated metals in general. Should it be done hot?

Second, Is it possible to laminate steel/iron sheet and copper, or steel/iron and nickel? If so, when annealing should I quench for the copper or air cool for the ferrous metal, I'd use iron or mild steel.

Third and finally, would it be possible to do a fagot weld of brass and copper or would the zinc just burn out of the brass?
Thanks eversomuchmoreso,
sorry to ask so many questions!
Archie


jbin's picture

Raising Mokume etc.

Yes you can raise mokume like any other sheet metal. How easy it is will depend on your skill at laminating and the alloys you use. As for hot or cold well again it depends on the alloys used and your skill and sometimes the phase of the moon :-) Virtually nothing concerning mokume is as easy or trouble free as working a single alloy sheet but there is nothing intrinsic to mokume to keep you from working it like other sheet metal.

Iron and copper work well and are beautiful. steel and copper laminates are much more difficult to work with as steel is much harder than pure iron. Nickel laminated to anything is a pita but can be done it is just miserable to work with.

Air cool gas furnace or electric kiln for heat source to keep the carbon out of the iron.

Jim Binnion
www.mokume-gane.com


visitor's picture

iron sheet source.

Hey Jim,

where do you find pure iron sheet?

I've only found bulk suppliers in the UK and China. Are they any small volume North American suppliers?

thanks,

Mark Basford


kpotter's picture

There is a book on doing it

archie I have a book that talks about how to make mokume and how to raise it I have seen the book at barnes and noble. someone borrowed it and now I dont have it to tell you the exact title. sorry kevin


fireflyjewelrydesign's picture

Mokume Books

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0965165078/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

You might look at the book Mokume Gane A Comprehensive Study by Steve Midget.   It lays out a lot of the process and has some inspiring gallery shots of raised pieces.


Berni's picture

beginner with Mokume game

Hi Jim,
a friend of mine in my jewelry Arts class mentioned your name the other night so I was pleased to coincendently find you here. He said that you had once given him advice to a question that he wrote on a blog. Anyway I am new to mokume gane and have just started to experiment with it. The book we were reading talks about soldering it, but now I see a lot about fusing it in a kiln instead. Can I use my Paragon kiln that I fire metal clay in or does it have to be in a larger hotter kiln? I need to get some books if you can suggest any. If I fuse it in my kiln, do I need to place it on any special surface? is there a firing time and temperature?
Thanks,

Berni


ambition's picture

ive done copper steel with

ive done copper steel with this proces:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=406506
more like soldering them together with copper at 1200 c so you don't have to work verry clean. hot forging only(until youve got sheet)

copper brass: great combo. you will have to work clean with high quality sheet.

as for raising check:
http://www.artmetal.com/images/ambition/2008/03/my_entrance_piece_for_bowl_of_humen_delights_exhib_liquid_pasion

raised from a single sheet of copper brass silver mokume;)

do share youre projects!


David Barnhill's picture

mokume books

There are a few mokume books that I consult on a regular basis-
Mokume Gane by Ian Ferguson ISBN: 0-87349-901-8
Mokume Gane A Comprehensive Study by Steve Midgett ISBN: 0-9651650-7-8

In my experience forming/raising non-ferrous mokume works best cold.