Art_Jewelry_-_March_2016_USA_

(^3) ⁄ 8 in.
(9.5 mm)
1 in.
(25.5 mm)
(^25) ⁄ 64 in.
(10 mm)
(^25) ⁄ 64 in.
(10 mm)
Medium
solder
56 Art Jewelry ■ March 2016
BOXES & LOCKETS
TOP & BOTTOM
1
Use a jeweler’s saw with a #2 blade to cut a 1^3 ⁄ 8 -in.
(35 mm) square of 24-gauge (0.5 mm) sterling silver.
NOTE: If you want to roll-print your metal, do that before
cutting the sheet to size. The metal may become skewed
when you roll-print it; starting with a larger sheet than ne-
cessary (included in the materials list) will give you wiggle
room to lay out the cut lines.
Use a fine-tip permanent marker to draw a horizontal
line 1 in. (25.5 mm) up from the bottom of the sheet.
Use scissor-type metal shears or a guillotine shear to
cut the metal at the line. This will yield two pieces: one 1 x
13 ⁄ 8 in. (25.5 x 35 mm) and one^3 ⁄ 8 x 13 ⁄ 8 in. (9.5 x 35 mm). Use
a #2-cut half-round file to file the edges of each piece so
they’re flat and square — you’ll thank me later!
2
Place the 1-in. (25.5 mm)
piece pattern-side down
lengthwise across a groove
in a wooden forming or
swage block.
NOTE: When formed, my
tube will be about 10 mm
in diameter, so I used a
comparable groove size.
Lay a wooden dapping-
punch shank across the width
of the metal in line with the chosen groove. Use the flat
face of a ball-peen hammer to lightly strike one end of the
punch that extends from the metal. To keep the curve even,
repeat on the other end of the punch.
Place the metal in the next-smaller groove in the block
and use different punches to refine the form. Continue to
form the sheet using smaller-diameter punches until the
sides of the sheet meet tightly.
NOTE: If the tube is out of round, use the shanks of the
punches to help round it out.
Repeat for the^3 ⁄ 8 -in. (9.5 mm) piece.
3
The long tube will become the bottom of the locket,
and the short tube will be the top. Both should have
the same diameter.
4
Lay the long tube join-side down on a soldering pad.
Use T-pins to anchor it in place. Apply flux to the inside
of the join. Place a pallion of medium solder on the join
inside one end of tube.
TIP: Flowing the solder along the inside of a join
in a hollow form ensures that solder doesn’t
flood the texture on the outside of the assembly.
Heat the assembly in a circular motion, then concen-
trate the flame near the join until the solder flows. Solder
flows toward heat, so heat the tube from the end without
the solder to draw it down the length of the join. Pickle,
rinse, and dry the long tube. If needed, use the dapping-
punch shanks as before to round out the tube.
Repeat to solder the short tube.