Art Jewelry - Balling up the end of wire

Art Jewelry Magazine associate editor Jill Erickson demonstrates how to use a torch to ball up the end of a piece of wire.
[For more visit www.ArtJewelryMag.com]

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Art
• Jewelry
• Magazine
• jewellery
• torch
• ball
• up
• wire
• arts
• crafts
• goldsmithing
• jewelry-making
• jewellery-making
• headpins

[trekranger]

so how long do you leave it in the pickle as oppose to vinegar ?

[artjewelrymag]

@trekranger Freshly made, warm pickle could clean it in only a few minutes. Cool and/or older/used pickle would take longer than that. And vinegar might possibly take up to an hour or more, depending on its strength.

[trekranger]

@artjewelrymag thanks. that helps so much.One more question if i may.do you do any eyelet tivets? If so how or where do you get them from?and do you use just a hamer or pliers or what? thanks for the help

[artjewelrymag]

@trekranger To see a free tutorial on how to make a tube rivet, visit our website. Click on the "How to" tab at the top bar, then click on "Metals." I hope that helps!

[sherriscreativemind]

What is pickling solution exactly and is it necessary to warm it? I have been toying with the idea of maybe mixing vinegar and water to use. I think I can make a flux paste with borax and water? I love doing this with .999 silver, it balls up so beautifully and nothing added ... BTW - love your videos, Jill. :oD

[artjewelrymag]

@sherriscreativemind Pickle is a mild acid. Many jewelers use vinegar instead and think it works just fine. You warm pickle so that it work better, and more quickly. If you're using vinegar you'll definitely need to warm it. I use a small crock pot to keep mine warm and ready.

And borax is the original flux. Many jewelers still mix up their own paste to use for soldering. Good luck!

[artjewelrymag]

@nrred It's a bit different. Copper has a much higher melting point than silver. And you'd need a great deal of flux to keep the oxygen away if you hope to achieve a round ball. Good luck!

[nrred]

Would the process be the same for copper wire?

[Xmoniquelauren]

Now I could save some money:)  So simple

[artjewelrymag]

@cirusinfabula The first solution is called "flux." You can buy it in paste or liquid form. It keeps oxygen away from the metal.

The second solution is "jeweler's pickle." It's a mild acid that cleans off the metal after you're done.