Critique Request Inlay into silver pendants

[Dani Girl]

Hey everyone.

I am home from my time away and trying to warm back up, making sure all my tools are sharp, practicing techniques I need to do better.

Please pick apart anything you see I'm going about wrong. The designs are just whatever got drawn on there at first go. The inlaid border was cut with a 90 degree and then undercut with an Onglette I'd just shaped with the new template I got. The groove ended up being deeper than I was planning to do making the gold only just enough to fill it. Without having plenty above the cavity when I bashed it in with the brass punch it dinged the metal surrounding significantly. A good deal of stoning down got them out, hopefully leaving some of the lip that was holding the gold in.

The one where the backbone scrolls inlaid in gold got cut with a flat then undercut with a screw driver looking baptiste chisel tip displacing the metal except where it wouldn't fit i cut the most curved bits with the onglette again. The initial grooves could have been a tad deeper this time.

I'm having trouble with cutting ... going along smoothly then suddenly going too deep. Is it more likely the way my pendant is mounted on the steel with hot glue... my turntable wobbling... my drill press not being screwed down yet... my graver heels being too long or too short... wrong piston/stroke lenth?

I tried yanking a bit of sticky tape stuck to them to see if they fell out but didn't feel like putting more effort than that into destroying my work.

Also the one with the border inlay was only 24 guage which is too thin for this and being mounted with flexible hot glue when I smashed the inlay into what precious little metal was left at the bottom of the groove it displaced the back of the pendant pretty good. Could something like that be done mounted differently or just use thicker stock?

So...
heel drag... shorter heels or lean out on curves?
tool digging in... longer heels.

 

[Dani Girl]

Oh, and I got this far and realized I don't know how to shade scroll heads with inlaid backbones

 

[tayloredcreations]

I love the look of the inlaid backbones.

 

[monk]

looks kinda nice to me. nothin to pick on.

 

[peteb]

This company makes a bi-metal 22 or 18 kt. gold on silver 18, 22 and 24 gage. You could perhaps remove some gold exposing the silver and engrave any design for both you desire, of course the gold would be raised above the silver but could be hammered or rolled flatter. (Might be a tad expensive). Also Keum-boo using 23 or 24 kt gold could also be placed in a shallow cut and is very economical, about $9.00 a square inch and you can apply multiple layers. Or how about cutting a groove and simply filling it with gold solder and fileing flat?

http://www.hauserandmiller.com/fab/bimetal.html

 

[Jahn Baker]

Dani, I think you're being too critical of yourself. You have come so far in the short time you've been engraving, it is just amazing!
We all hit plateaus, and feel frustrated with our work, our skills, or lack thereof, only to realize that we've just learned how much more there is to learn. Practice, practice, practice. Do all you can each day, and you will find todays' challenges replaced with different ones tomorrow.
You already answered one question, that yes, 24 gauge is a bit thin for doing inlay. The graver digging in may be due to wobble or too long a heel. Only you can figure that one out. Eliminate one variable, if that works, you figured it out. If it doesn't work try eliminating another variable. You will get it. Keep up the wonderful work you're doing. BTW I sure wish I could design as gracefully as you do.

 

[Riflesmith]

These are quite nice. When inlaying I always ensure I have a solid backup under my work, also I usually don't inlay without cutting a shallow line on either side of the inlay, makes the gold strand out. JMHO

 

[Dani Girl]

Thanks everyone. Yes I know I'm being self-critical,... and asking you to be even more critical.

Can anyone remember what the name of that low temp melting metal is or what their favorite way of holding items for inlaying is?

Thanks

 

[mitch]

one specific type of low-temp metal is called Cerro-Safe, but there are variations in formulae & melting temps. It's bismuth based.
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t.../cerrosafe-chamber-casting-alloy-prod384.aspx

HOWEVER: If you want the all-time screw-up mess of your young career, get some of that stuff on 24kt gold. It will bond to your inlays like it's been TIG welded. Yeah, I found out the hard way when I used it to hold a particularly odd shaped part many years ago.

 

[Southern Custom]

Dani,
You crack me up! If anyone has the ability to self critique at this point its you. But I'm the first to admit that I'd be a much better engraver today if I'd gone about the process as you have. You have always been unafraid to ask questions, show your progress and ask for critique when you think you need it. You've been a model for how this forum should work. Cheers.

 

[monk]

Thanks everyone. Yes I know I'm being self-critical,... and asking you to be even more critical.

Can anyone remember what the name of that low temp melting metal is or what their favorite way of holding items for inlaying is?

Thanks

i got some of the stuff from mcmaster-carr.com. i think it was called "jigging metal". huge mistake !! using it to hold a gold jewelry item to repair it. the low temp stuff actually attacked the gold, and began eating away at it !! buy only from a jewelry supply place.
pitch, hotmelt glue, and thermoloc are good. pitch is kind of reall messy to use.

 

[MoldyJim]

Granted it's not the same as engraving, and I haven't tried it myself.
But, I have used 3M double stick tape (film core) to hold flat material in the milling machine to flycut aluminum.
Clean the surfaces with acetone, apply the tape to the work and to a solid block in the vise, press the two taped surfaces together.
Should do a good job of supporting the material.
Use alcohol to remove it carefully.
Let it soak the edges and peel up slowly.
The Cero-safe is amazing material, best for 3D parts where it can lock in mechanically.

 

[sparklemotion]

Also the one with the border inlay was only 24 guage which is too thin for this and being mounted with flexible hot glue when I smashed the inlay into what precious little metal was left at the bottom of the groove it displaced the back of the pendant pretty good. Could something like that be done mounted differently or just use thicker stock?

This is a guess on my part -- but what about a thin layer of superglue between the silver and some nice thick steel?

Superglue will come off with a heat gun (or gentle torching)

The only thing that I worry about is the superglue being so brittle that the bond mind break from the force of the punch.

Perhaps adding grooves like Clickspring Chris does on his superglue/cement arbors might help.
[video]https://youtu.be/KXzyCM23WPI?t=1m11s[/video]

If you have pitch working stuff available, a hard pitch, worked cold (I'm thinking "japanese" black pitch) would probably be hard enough for the inlay as well.

 

[John B.]

Like Jim said. the 3-M film core tape will hold flat parts on a flat steel surface for most inlay.
I break the bond with an acetone soak to remove the parts.
And double sided carpet tape works well for anything except very thin soft metal parts that are being inlaid.
Same MO to break the bond.

 

[Dave London]

For pendants like you have done. I use hot melt glue on some wood blocks . Mine are Purple Heart a hard dense wood.
Leave a small channel under the pendant, pour a little alcohol and it will release the pendant .

 

[Dani Girl]

Someone told me to release hot glue Squirt isopropyl alcohol under it to release it. I just lever it up a tad enough for fluid to wick under it... pops little things off pretty easy.

 

[Dani Girl]

Thanks everyone. Trying again today, working on a thick enough chunk of steel with the silver fill pieces super glued to it. Worked really well. Warmed it up with my electric heat gun and gave it a gentle tap on the steel and the two pieces just jumped off.

Working with the hot glue I put baking paper over it and press it down flat again for the next part... I also press the piece in to the glue with super glue over it and something flat which means I can sand the piece and work without lumps of glue standing up.

It felt more solid to work on superglued down I think by a little bit I didn't have as much trouble controlling the depth of the flat making the grooves and was fairly successful in making the undercuts with the onglette without cutting through the side wall, digging in or marring the other side. I found I had to turn around and come at the most curvy part from both sides to make for less heel drag at the edge of the inlay. Trial and error

Dad's going to pull out some dynabolts when he has a spare minute and bolt my drill press to the floor.

I would say the Artisan handpiece I am using at my bench now was about equally as good for hammering in the gold as the palm control. I really love it for stippling though. Great little tool.

I am going to set a stone in the middle of these two

 

[Ausmithe]

Dani Girl, I'm in no position to offer any constructive criticism, but I can offer some very genuine compliments. I recognized the photos in this post immediately because I follow you on instagram. I find your work to be quite beautiful and an inspiration to myself who is quite literally just starting out. I've been a jeweler for over 30 years and am no stranger to pushing a graver through precious metal, but have finally decided to buy the equipment needed to teach my self this art form. I hope that in time I can produce work that even comes close to what you are producing. So thanks for your posts. Please keep them coming.

 

[Dani Girl]

Close up of 1.5mm cz setting in progress... beads pushed up but not formed into beads yet.

Geometric design drawn with dividers,ruler and scribe... ready for 6 1mm black stones to be set. Really challenging myself to drill in the middle now everything else is engraved already

First attempt at rope edge in 5 years

Leonard already pointed out i forgot the leaf shaping cuts...oops....

The first inlaid pic at the top here... it's pretty easy to see with the bit of steel blue darkness left on the silver around the gold that the gold is jagged because i got some epic heel drag with my flat cutting the grooves. Would i be wisest to raise heel angle, round heel, not use a flat at all? Take multiple passes? This was a good depth for the wire.

Pic of me in San Fransisco (fisherman's warf)

 

[John B.]

The first inlaid pic at the top here... it's pretty easy to see with the bit of steel blue darkness left on the silver around the gold that the gold is jagged because i got some epic heel drag with my flat cutting the grooves. Would i be wisest to raise heel angle, round heel, not use a flat at all? Take multiple passes? This was a good depth for the wire.

Try cutting the inlay channel with an ongelette followed by a round bottom graver to widen it out. No heel drag.