Art_Jewelry_-_March_2016_USA_

Medium solder

Easy solder

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7

Place the domes

open-side up on the

soldering pad. Apply

flux, and sweat three

pieces of medium

solder just inside the

rim of each dome.

Pickle, rinse, and dry

the domes.

8

Place one dome open-side down on top of the long

tube. Apply flux to the join between the tube and the

dome. Gently heat the assembly, keeping the flame far away

from the metal.

NOTE: If you bring the flame too close, the rapidly bubbling

flux may dislodge the dome from the tube.

Once the flux becomes glassy, move the torch in closer.

Heat the assembly in a circular motion until the solder flows.

Repeat for the short tube and second dome. Pickle, rinse,

and dry the assemblies.

9

Cut four^1 ⁄ 4 -in. (6.5 mm)-long pieces of 3 mm outside-

diameter (OD) heavy-walled sterling silver tubing (small

tubes). File and sand the ends flush.

Stand the short tube assembly on the soldering pad

with the join at the 6 o’clock position. Place two small tubes

against the tube assembly at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions.

Apply flux, and place a pallion of easy solder at the base

where each small tube touches the short tube. Heat the

assembly until the solder flows. Pickle, rinse, and dry the

locket top.

5

Use a disk cutter (with a

lubricated punch) to cut

two^5 ⁄ 8 -in. (16 mm), 24-gauge

(0.5 mm) sterling silver disks.

Place one disk in the

12 mm depression in a steel

dapping block. Use an ap-

proximately 11 mm dapping

punch (to allow for the met-

al’s thickness) to form a

hemisphere.

NOTE: Use a steel dapping

block; the depressions are

deeper than depressions in a wooden dapping block. But,

be careful. Make sure to tap lightly so you don’t affect the

texture of the silver.

Use a 10 mm punch in the same depression to slightly

tighten the diameter of the dome. Fit the dome into the

10 mm depression, and use a 9 mm punch to form a 10 mm

dome. Repeat for the second disk. Check the fit against

one end of the long or short tube, and adjust the size of

the domes as necessary.

6

Place one dome rim-side down on 220-grit sandpaper.

Move the dome in a circular motion until the rim is flush

with the sandpaper. Repeat for the second dome.

SMALL TUBES