Silver Bee

Silver Bee gets lost in wax

I was never attracted to lost wax casting because for some weird reason I thought it was cheating! I just thought it was a matter of purchasing one of those red wax molds and casting someone else’s designs. I didn’t imagine for a moment that you would carve your own. A little naïve I know but I had never explored the subject so my knowledge of it was extremely limited. So much has changed since then.

It was during the evening class I am taking that I discovered it could be so much more. The class’s instructor, Bryan, has a great “give it a try” approach to the process. My first cast was of box wood tree leaves, an African violet leaf , some spiral pasta and an itty bitty starfish. An odd combination to cast together but it was all about just seeing what could be cast.  They all turned out. I’ve since used the starfish in a design, the spiral pasta was relegated to the scrap heap, and the leaves are waiting for a design. Apparently the starfish wasn’t supposed to work because of its’ composition. I love challenging the ‘rules’ when working with silver and taking chances without knowing what the outcome will be.

Next stop…the lost wax casting class. It’s been a few weeks since I took the class but I still want to share it. We had an amazing instructor, Rose, who brought alive the process involved in casting. The best part was walking into the classroom where she had completely set up individual stations. And there were kits! This was someone who clearly enjoyed details and organization…a kindred spirit. I knew I was in the right place and I knew I had the perfect instructor. An added bonus my classmates were a great group. There was a lot of laughter while we were learning.  In my books this was a perfect recipe for learning.

Faced with a  tube or block of wax I was incredibly intimidated. I certainly didn’t know how to look at the wax and ask what it wanted to be. You know like carvers of stone or wood. I was used to building up using silver but not taking away with carving wax. My first several attempts at carving were marginal but it’s what I needed to do in order to find out what happens when you work with the wax. Before any further attempts I knew I had the opportunity and necessity to build my tool inventory! What a beautiful thing when you have a whole new reason to add to your tool box. I even had to buy a new tool box! Before I start to wax (pun intended) eloquent about the new tools I bought I should get back to learning about carving.

Just like learning about what silver was all about I needed to know what the wax was about. Why are there purple, blue and green wax? Did it need finishing and polishing like silver? Does it bend? What makes it break? Nothing like experience to teach you. I discovered that different colour waxes have different hardness and melting temperatures. The green wax is hardest which allows you to carve more detail into your design. Blue is usually the “go to” wax for beginners and those wanting something with a little more give to it. Purple…well I’m not too sure what it is for exactly. I just knew that it had some limitations. I also knew that blue wax was prone to breaking ( well in my experience) and that green wax was more like silver. It offered resistance and had that wonderful attitude I love about silver. So even though blue wax was the best for starting I stuck with the green. Rose made the comment that once you use green wax there is no going back. And she was certainly right!

I had these grand ideas about what I would carve and those hopes were soon dashed. I decided to go back to the beginning and carve something very basic like a simple ring. It was the smart thing for me to do because I learned more about the personality of wax and believe me it does have one. I carved a wide thick plain ring band and decided that I wanted one of those flared rings that have become so popular. But you can’t flare the wax, instead you have to carve away from the middle of the ring band to make it concave. I bought some burs that could be used with wax. They were much more open in their design which stops the wax from clogging up the bur. A little safety tip here. When I was carving with these "monster" burs I needed to go slower and make sure I had control of it. It could easily slide off the wax and across your knuckles. As usual I found out the hard way. My advice is to tape up your knuckles or better yet wear a glove. I found some gardening gloves made with leather. My knuckles thanked me after they recovered from my learning curve. Next step is polishing and this is an exacting process. It needs to be as finished as you want the cast ring to be. All little nicks and marks will show up and you'll curse yourself for not taking more care before investing the wax. I used one of my new wax carvers to gently scrape away the worst marks followed by fine sand paper. It was starting to look very good but one more step...polishing. Rose had included a piece of cotton fabric in the kit which we used to polish the wax. Rose had one more tip up her sleeve, well she had several but for the purposes of polishing this one had to do with a piece of panty hose. It gave the wax a real shine! The trick to this is having the right kind of panty hose! The expensive silky kind didn't work very well but a pair of dollar store knee highs were great. They had more tooth which is important when you are polishing. I'll never buy another pair of panty hose again without thinking of this!

So now we have a very polished ring and it's time to sprue it up! But that will have to wait until part two because I just realized how epic this post is. 

Stay tuned for "Lost in Wax - Part Two".

Silver Bee fights bloom - part two

Welcome back! I know I’m a bad bee for taking so long to write Part 2: “All about polishing”. No excuses. Instead, back to that blooming firestain and how to rid your silver of it. 

In the previous post I wrote about finding firestain/scale on a ring already set with a stone. The stone, an aquamarine, will crack if I try to use depletion gilding to remove the firestain/scale. I had set the ring aside with other projects that hadn’t quite worked out. It would have sat there for some time, except that someone asked about removing firestain/scale after a stone was already set. How serendipitous that I had a ring with that same problem! Is it weird to be excited? I felt compelled to find a solution.

While researching for a solution I discovered much more than just the answer to removing firestain/scale. I found out that not all cutting or polishing compounds are made equal. Manufacturers’ recipes differ so it’s not a simple matter of choosing a colour for the compound.

I decided to try bobbing compound first. I had read and heard it was excellent for removing firestain/scale. But it didn’t work which had me puzzled until I read about the variations of different formulas among what looked like similar types of compounds. The bobbing compound I used was yellow while the compound I heard about is more of a mustard/ochre colour.

Undeterred I tried another compound called XXX White Diamond with a yellow chemkote  (treated muslin) buff. It worked! I then used bristle brushes to get into the area around the bezel setting. Regardless of how much firestain/scale you are dealing with patience is key here. It works but it takes time.

Be mindful of the stone. Cover it with masking tape or a waxy type lubricant. If the silver starts to get warm back off a little. Heat is not a stone’s best friend unless you are trying to change the colour. But that is another subject.

The ring did look good but could it look better? Not really knowing the answer, another  experiment was in order. Using a muslin brush I tried rouge next. It was still looking good. But I had to keep testing having had such success with removing the firestain/scale. Using a chamois brush I tried ZAM, another final polish safe for most stones. The shine was even better.

One thing I noticed during this process were the fine lines left behind by the last sanding of the ring shank. No matter how fine the sandpaper, the fine lines wouldn’t disappear. Asking my instructor, Bryan Taylor, about it brought to light that it doesn’t matter how many times you try to finish the surface, if you keep using the same direction you are only polishing the fine lines rather than removing them. His suggestion was to hold the ring at a 45 degree angle to the brush, polish the entire shank, turn it and continue to polish the shank again. The result was amazing! The fine lines were gone and the ring was left with a jewellery store polish.

This concludes the saga of firestain and the ring. Make sure to wear protection for your eyes and a mask while polishing. Compounds create a lot of dust and you need to keep your lungs safe.

Happy polishing and as always, stay safe!

Snow casting - another word for fun!

Just when the snow was beginning to get me down it gave me an idea. Snow casting?!?!

What would happen if...? This is a favourite question. All sorts of ideas and possibilities tumble out of it. It's the reason I love working with silver -- it offers so many possibilities!

A 6-litre plastic container packed with snow was brought inside. I had a towel and fire resistant tray set up on the floor but quickly realized it would be awkward. Awkwardness with molten silver is not good. So instead I cleared most of my bench and set the snow packed container on a safe 12" x 12" solderite pad. I decided to use less silver than I would for, say, water casting so I didn't need the largest torch tip either and I didn’t need as much heat. After all it was just an experiment so I intended to try it only a couple of times.

I melted a small amount of scrap silver. It takes time because you are also heating up the crucible, much like pre-heating but with the silver. When it had transformed into a hypnotically beautiful ball of molten silver I moved it over to the bucket as I followed it with the torch.  Still making sure the torch was directed at the silver I poured it from the crucible into the hard-packed snow.

The first pour was disappointing -- just lumps of silver. Hmmm. Maybe the snow was too hard packed. I poked around in it to loosen it up. That made the second pour was much better. But it was the third try that yielded some pretty cool pieces. I wasn't going to stop now. Whoever said that once was enough, or even three times?

I kept melting and pouring silver until much of the snow melted. I added some hot water to speed the melting but not enough to raise the temperature too much. That resulted in snow clumps floating around like little ice bergs, more solid than the snow had been. They made a perfect target for the next pour. The results were very different though it may be difficult to see in the photo. I think that the first drop of the molten silver hit the snow and went as far as it could and all that followed dropped in almost the exact same spot.  My hands must have been very steady! You can see how each bit of silver hardened at different points. I can't imagine just yet if these pieces and the others will be used but until I need the silver for something else they are fun to look at.

If you are going to try this please, please, please, make sure your space is free of any  encumbrances so you can move with the molten silver smoothly. Do the work on a heat-safe base, wear an apron, make sure your clothes are natural fibres and wear full shoes. Much the same safety requirements as the water casting post, in other words.

Of course I can't leave out the photos of the snow casts. The first one is from the third pour and on. The second is a photo is of the trapped-in-ice pieces. The last and my favourite looks like, a Middle Earth creature or a Gila monster or a dinosaur!

Use your imagination!!

Water Casting - According to this Silver Bee

This is a long post...grab a cup of tea, coffee or whatever and relax.

Okay so I've been wearing my earrings made from pieces of silver that I've heated into a molten puddle and poured into a large pail of water and I can't believe the response. I've been asked over and over about how to do it. This is my best guess...maybe not the right word...my best...what the heck...my best guess!

However, first a little lecture on safety. When you are doing any sort of work with a torch wearing natural fibers and close toed shoes is strongly recommended for what I hope are obvious reasons. Next make sure that your hair is tied back, burnt hair is not a pretty smell or look. And while you are outfitting yourself throw in a pair of safety glasses…to actually use. A well ventilated area...oh like...the outdoors… is a must. A safe surface to set the crucible while you are melting the silver. A cookie sheet from the dollar store is not a safe surface! Unfortunately I learned that one the hard way. In the photos you will see I was using a cookie sheet but I've since mended my ways. I would suggest a fire brick or solderite pad. After all this...common sense...which you have to have if you've gotten this far with a torch...I hope. :-)

So you have your torch, it must be hotter than a butane micro torch. I use a propane torch with the largest tip I have. It's often referred to as a Shark torch because I use a disposable propane cylinder but the manufacturer calls it a Whale Torch and you can get a connection for use with a refillable propane tank. Consider your working space first before doing this.

You'll need a crucible with a handle. A little aside...I just found out that the crucibles are made from clay bonded fused silica...well I had been wondering! I use a 7 1/2 oz melting dish with a handle which looks like this...only bigger. Mine doesn't have a pouring lip but I'm sure it would be great if it did.

Next a large bucket of water...the taller the better. I fill it to the top with cold water.

Oh and I guess you'll be needing silver...preferably scrap. I never get upset when a project that I'm experimenting with goes awry because in my books it's just more for the scrap pile. I know not an especially thrifty viewpoint but I have to put a positive spin on my boo boos.

I also use Borax powder which is a component of most fluxes to sprinkle on the silver after it has melted.

One last little safety thing...please make sure that you have enough room to maneuver with the torch, brick, crucible and handle and large bucket of water.

Take a deep breath because we are about to start project "melt down".

Add a small amount of silver to the crucible. You can increase the amount in subsequent melting processes. The crucible will need to heat up before any melting can happen so be patient because the first time will take much longer that you think it should. Don't point the flame directly into the dish, as I found out, you'll starve it of oxygen and poof it's out.

By the way you can click on the thumbnail images and see a larger one...I just discovered this...yes I'm embarrassed.

Keep heating until the silver becomes a round rolling angry ball of bright silver, move the direct flame off the silver for a moment and add some borax powder. Focus the flame again on the silver and when it is molten use a carbon stirring rod or clean solder pick to stir it in. Technically I understand the use of the Borax but I just can't quite think my way entirely through this particular process but that's what I read to do...so I do it! So now you have that round rolling angry ball of silver again. Keep the flame concentrated on it while you move the crucible over the bucket of water. You want to keep the silver molten when you pour. Keeping the flame concentrated on the silver, pour it into the bucket. Voila you have created your first water castings! Congratulations.

Now you can collect your little treasures from the bottom of the bucket. You'll be excited to get at them so remember not to put your arm with the watch into the water or forget how deep the bucket is and have your sleeves go into the water...with the watch. No...not a good idea.

Sort through the pieces and put the rejects back into the crucible...remember it's hot...and add some more silver and you are good to go again. Because the crucible is hot you'll find the melting process with the silver much faster this time.

You will notice that a there appears to be two liquids in the crucible and there are. One of course is the silver and the other is the copper that has separated from what was an alloy. When you pour I've noticed the copper won't interfere and stays behind and coats the crucible. I'm sure that there is a very technical explanation to explain all this but the one I'm going with is...copper comes to the surface of sterling silver when you heat it creating oxidation. I'm guessing that prolonged exposure to the heat brings the most of the copper to the surface.

A few others observations about water casting:

1. If you don't keep the torch concentrated on the silver when pouring you will end up with a big ugly, in my opinion, lump of silver.
2. If you hold the crucible very close to the surface of the water and pour quickly you are more likely to get the 'splats' and the 'water bubbles'. This is what I'm looking for...anything else goes back into the melting pot.
3. If you hold the crucible a bit above the water you will most likely see long needle like pieces of silver. Attractive and useful for some designs...but not mine.
4. The ambient temperature makes a difference as well...so a warm day brings different results than a cold day.
5. Some people have suggested using Ice cubes in the water...maybe I did not add enough but all it did for me was to make for very cold water when retrieving the silver.

All of these photos are in the photo album but I thought that it would be nice to have a visual as you were reading.

One last note...I can't guarantee the results and these instructions are derived from my own experience with water casting not a formal source. Have fun with it and bee safe! :-)

I'd love to hear your questions or hear about your experience with the process, so post a comment or email me...with photos would be great, but not necessary. I'll do collective post of the results!

Re-runs

I know that's such a bad word in today's hyped up schedules but since I'm starting to create some photo albums that I should re-run some of the relevant posts from Bee Inspired. Besides...Bee Inspired...Silver Bee...is still a Bee! Actually I'm just trying to distract you while I finish my unpacking...who knew I had this much stuff!

This one is about broom casting and the adventures I had with it.

May 25th, 2008

I tried broom casting while at my lesson with Barrie on Friday...it was so much fun! I couldn't wait to get home and try it on my own. After a quick stop at home I went to Capilano Rock and Gem to buy the materials I needed which was a crucible with a detachable handle. But instead of rushing right home to see what sort of trouble I could get into I went for dinner with a few of my work mates to say good-bye to Lynne who is moving to the Okanagan.

After a great dinner I was on the hunt for my broom...it had to be a corn broom. Do you know how hard they are to find? All I could find were the plastic ones with magnetic properties for dust and stuff. I wasn't trying to attract anything...I just wanted to pour some molten metal over it...plastic would have been very messy. I was determined and kept up the search until I made my way to Revy Hardware and much to my amazement I had a choice of at least 6 brooms! I'm really glad that it was almost closing time and there weren't many customers around because I certainly would have been questioned. I had all the brooms down from the second shelf...did they think they were going to dance away...to test them. What I was testing them for is a mystery even to me. But I felt that I shouldn't just settle for the first broom that came along...been there before...but instead carefully pick my way through the broom to see which one had the most interesting shaped straw, the most straw...it's that size thing again...and was the best value for my money. I found my perfect broom and took him...I mean it...home.

In order to do the broom casting you need to separate the straw from the rest of the broom so that you end up with a bundle held together with an elastic. So it went into a pail to soak while I ran back to Capilano to pick up a few things I forgot. Finally I was ready to go to work. Using my 'Shark' torch I heated up the scrap silver in the crucible. I was doing this outside which trust me is the only place to do it unless you really like the smell of burnt straw. The silver was finally a little molten ball of silver in the crucible...it's tough not to just stay mesmerized by it...but finally breaking the spell it had on me I poured it into the bundle of straw which was standing in a metal container and supported to stay upright. What a rush!! The straw began to smoke so I quickly rushed to pour the container of water I had close-by to douse it, forgetting that the container with the straw was already full. What's a little water everywhere when you still have the exciting prospect of finding out what transpired in that smoking bundle of straw. The treasures I found in the straw were so much fun. This is a photo of a lot of the ones I kept. This was definitely going to be addictive...I just knew it. I melted the rejected bits along with more scrap 5 or 6 more times...I lost count. I can't wait to see what I can create with it. The shapes are so organic and other worldly looking.

Today I'm going to try casting in water. I'm just waiting for the ice cubes in the freezer. I'll post a photo if it's successful. Actually I did try the water casting...see Castings  album for photos.

I'll continue to add posts from Bee Inspired blog as they are relevant and as soon as I get 'pages' fixed into my brain I'll most likely relegate them to their own room!