I reticulated a pc of sterling this afternoon for further use in
other projects. As I understand it, the metal is now rather brittle
and fragile. What can I do to loosen up and “relax” the molecules
again? Should i anneal it a few times and let it cool in some sand
or something like that? It seems to me that must be a way. Does
anyone have any ideas?
Marya Columbus
what do you plan to do with this reticulated sheet? If you are
planning to use it flat, it’s fine the way it is. If you are
planning on doming or raising it, that’s another matter altogether.
It’s probably ok for shallow doming the way it is now. Coax it along
and anneal it frequently. It will make a difference also as to how
heavy the gage is.
Marilyn Smith
Marya,
I work the reticulated silver just like the regular silver sheet.I
do use the 80/20 alloy from Hoover & Strong. Works well. I do burnish
the edges to reduce the porosity and use a little more solder than I
would for a regular silver sheet. I do rings with no trouble. One of
my students has done a bracelet with a 1 1/2 by 8 inch piece of 22ga
that was reticulated. He used the 80/20 alloy. He bent it and put a
twisted wire edge on it. He used the slotted twist wire that Rio
Grande carries. Came out just fine. I think if you are going to bend
things into a very tight curve like a size 5 or smaller ring, you may
have to be extra careful but larger curves are fine. No need to do
any special annealing. My experience is just go for it. As long as
there are no holes or sharp edges you should be fine.
Bill Churlik
@Bill_Churlik
www.earthspeakarts.com