New to the site

trysh - Friday, September 28, 2007 - 12:23pm

My name is Trish, and I live in southeastern Virginia.

I have been making jewelry of many types - using wire and crystals mostly. Started out with coated copper wire,
then on to sterling, and most recently, Argentium. I have tried making my own jump rings (also love chain maille!)
and it was a short jump to get very interested in what else I could learn about using metal in different ways.

I would love to learn how to do cold connections, and then anything else - I am sure there is a whole new world
full of wonderful things out there, just waiting.... and this seemed like a good place to come and meet others, and
learn from them - and sometimes even have something of my own to contribute. I am looking forward to being part of this group!

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Welcome to the forum

Fred Zweig - Friday, September 28, 2007 - 1:00pm

Welcome to the forum Trish,

Let us know how you like working with Argentium.

Cold connections cover a multiple of techniques. Let me know if I can help. I have taught for over 20yrs and continue teaching workshops.

Best,
Fred

Fred Zweig
Metalsmith

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Thanks so much, Fred! About

trysh - Friday, September 28, 2007 - 3:07pm

Thanks so much, Fred!

About Argentium - I like the fact that it is much slower to tarnish - and is a bright silver color - but I have found that
it seems to discolor a bit - not tarnish exactly - but it loses
it's shininess. Tumbling brings the shine back, but a potential
customer isn't going to do that. So, now I'm mulling whether
it is worth the extra cost. It seems softer to work with than
sterling too.

As for cold connections - if you could steer me to a basic resource about 'how-to' or what would be the simplest to just play around with - and what basic tools do I need? I have a tiny anvil and little hammer that I use to flatten sterling jump rings - but this may be too lightweight for rivets, etc? I am really a rank beginner here, but totally interested! Any suggestions you can give me would be most appreciated!

Trish

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Hi Trish Welcome! I'm new

peggy - Friday, September 28, 2007 - 10:34pm

Hi Trish

Welcome! I'm new to this site as well. I too have found that argentium loses it's shine. One solution you might want to try is making a paste of baking soda & water and apply it to your piece with a toothbrush - I've found this to work pretty well. As for riveting, I use a steel block & either a ballpeen hammer (small end) or a small goldsmith's hammer. Also, you might want to check out "The Complete Metalsmith" by Tim McCreight as it covers many metal working techniques, including rivets.

Peggy

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Thanks, Peggy!

trysh - Saturday, September 29, 2007 - 8:05am

After looking at some of the wonderful pictures here,
I am completely awed, and know how very far I have
to go with my meager skills - but it's also inspiration!

Thanks for the tip about the book - I'll make a trip to
the bookstore and see if I can find it....I am anxious to get
going and start learning!

Trish

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Welcome to ArtMetal Trysh!

webminster - Monday, October 1, 2007 - 2:56am

Welcome to ArtMetal Trysh! Did you know there are two versions of the Complete Metalsmith? There is one that includes a cd, and another less expensive student handbook. Both of these and more can be found here at ArtMetal. We have a link to Amazon.com. If you follow the ArtMetal links, we will get a small referral fee (4%) from the sale.

It's good to see beginners join ArtMetal. There is much you can learn from the more experienced metalsmiths, and they are happy to share their knowledge. That's what ArtMetal is all about.

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