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Annealing married metals

Jewelry Discussion
#1

Hello all. I have tried to post here a few times earlier, but without
much success. Anyway, hope this one goes through. Here inlies my
dilemma.

I have been working with a suite of married metals that I have
developed using a combination of sterling silver and copper which I
call ‘puddingstone silver’ (Any better ideas for names?). The problem
results when I attemt to hand-forge it. I have tried everything,
resulting in a great deal of waste which tends to get a bit
expensive. I have tried re-annealing every few hammer blows, but
seems to not affect it very well. It still always seems to tear along
the silver-copper interface.

Since copper seems to have a bit higher annealing temperature than
silver, I have also tried to anneal the metal composite at a bit
higher temperature than one normally does for silver to no avail.
This has resulted in many utterances of profanity. I heal up the
tears with hard silver solder, re-anneal, and it tears again as soon
as I smack it, it seems.

Anyone have any insight on the matter? Any input would be greatly
appreciated.

#2

Hello Kevin,

Can you give a little more on how you have joined the
sterling and copper? If it is soldered you will never have much luck
forging it due to the brittle nature of the soldered bond.

Jim Binnion

James Binnion Metal Arts
Phone (360) 756-6550
Toll Free (877) 408 7287
Fax (360) 756-2160


@James_Binnion
Member of the Better Business Bureau

#3

Mokume gane layers ought to be fused together, not soldered. I think
it’s called diffusion fusing, where the billet made up of several
(quite thick) layers is clamped heated to red and forged. James
Binnion will tell you more.

Brian
B r i a n A d a m
e y e g l a s s e s j e w e l l e r y
Auckland NEW ZEALAND
www.adam.co.nz

#4

It seems to me that you really need to be bonding your layers in
more traditional Mokume-gane processes. The solder is your culprit.
As long as it is involved your problem will not go away. Bill

#5

Thanks for the tips everyone, but maybe it was a slight misnomer
using the term ‘married metals’. Although I am nearly finished
developing the process, it is very new and maybe you will understand
that I do not wish to share the secret yet as I am still trying to
get my business up an running (ourobouros.netfirms.com (please
forgive the construction, give me a few more days)) and I do not
have the copywrite on the process yet. Anyway, in my process, I use
no solder whatsoever and the two metals are fused at high
temperatures for a secure bond. It is mokume-gane which inspired me
to the process. I hope this sheds some light on the situation.

Thanks all,
Kevin

#6 
and I do not have the copywrite on the process yet.

And you CANNOT protect a process by copyright anyway. Certainly you
can file a TX form with a write-up and $30 and you may very well get
back a Certificate of Registration, or you can just put your
copyright notice on your text for free----but it in no way protects
the process, only your expression of the process that goes beyond the
bounds of a mere listing of steps. If you wish to protect a process
you must file a patent application and prosecute it all the way to
patent issue—then defend it in court against any infringers.

James E. White
Inventor, Marketer, and Author of “Will It Sell? How to Determine If
Your Invention Is Profitably Marketable (Before Wasting Money on a
Patent)” Info Sites: www.willitsell.com www.inventorhome.com,
www.idearights.com www.taletyano.com www.booksforinventors.com