Balling up the end of brass rod

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hi,

I am interested in a project where I will be working with brass and
copper.

What I want to do is create a brass ball at the end of a brass rod.
Can I do that by melting the end of the rod like as with silver, so
that it balls up on the end? I’ve never worked with brass so I don’t
know what heat does to it.

Thank you,
Debra

2 
What I want to do is create a brass ball at the end of a brass
rod.

Debra, yes, you can do it the same way. Brass melts at a somewhat
higher temperature than silver, but not out of the range of a propane
torch (or, for thin wire, the flame on a gas stove).

I take it that by “rod” you mean “wire.” Melting the end of a brass
rod of any great thickness is another matter altogether.

Enjoy your project!
Judy Bjorkman

3 
What I want to do is create a brass ball at the end of a brass
rod. Can I do that by melting the end of the rod like as with
silver, so that it balls up on the end? I've never worked with
brass so I don't know what heat does to it.

You can ball brass wire, but you need a hot torch (fuel/air, or
fuel/oxy), and you need to be fairly aggressive with it. Hot, sharp
pointed flame, and pull it as soon as the ball forms, or the zinc in
the alloy will cook out and leave you with a pitted, lumpy mess. Even
with practice, depending on the brass alloy, you will still get a
fair number of rejects.

Ron Charlotte – Gainesville, FL

4

Dont forget the FLUX! With silver or other metals, first I would
hold the wire in self locking tweezers,then prepare my flame.
Preferably Oxy propane. Warm the end of the wire and dip it into the
FLUX, repeat and then hold wire vertically and centred over upward
pointing flame. Experiment with some spare wire, several attempts may
be necessary varying flame size and intensity and distance from end
of
wire until the desired ball size is achieved. Larger diameters can be
difficult, say, over 2mm. So lots of flux and whip the balled wire
away from the flame when the ball forms.

Practice Makes Perfect. Actually you will seldom get a perfect ball!

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