Beaten gold finish

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hello,

I am a newbie when it comes to finishing jewelry. I would like to
start doing a beaten finish on my jewelry and am not exactly sure
where to start.

I know i would need a hammer. Is there a special hammer i need? I
looked through the rio grande catalogue and there is many options.
Also does anyone have any tips for someone who is learning this type
of finish.

I appreciate any tips.

vikas

2

Hey Vikas…

You can get different finishes using various kinds of hammers…
you can even get some hammers in mumbai (india) itself… some
names of hammers are…jeweler’s hammer, wedge hammer, ball-pen
hammer.

all i would say is that you have to experiment, you can also try
textures through rolling mill…also u might get some good books on
various surfaces…

have fun…for jewelry is all about that.

Aastha

3

G’day Vikas: You do of course need a hammer for this job, but it
needn’t be a large one. A small hammer with a ball-pein face would
be the usual tool. However like many people I don’t do enough to use
a ball hammer accurately, so I suggest as an alternative; a small
ball ended punch. Although it might be possible to buy one, it would
be quite easy to make. Cut a 3 inch length of drill-steel rod, about
a 1/4" diameter and grind the end to a smooth round shape, polish it
to a mirror finish, then harden and temper it to a light straw
colour. This will give nice fine overlapping indentations to annealed
gold or silver when tapped gently against the metal to be treated. It
will of course work harden the metal but will produce an excellent
finish. Repeating this on the other side will flatten sheet metal.
Another idea is to simply silver solder a steel ball bearing to a
short length of rod of any metal; even a large nail or brass rod will
work, quench it in water then put a final polish on it, finishing
with 400-600 grit paper, and polish on a buff or finer paper.–

Cheers for now,
JohnB of NZ

4

Vikas,

Here is my suggestion – I believe the finish you want is a hammered
finish. When you apply this with a hammer, it must be done with
metal on metal to be effective. This may distort your piece or thin
your surfaces.

I prefer simply using a rubber wheel on a flex-shaft to create
polished craters in the metal surface. Very little waste, no need
for extensive polishing, and no deformation of the form. The point is
to create the illusion of hammering without hammering.

Reality is perception.
Paul Klecka

5

Hello Vikas, welcome to the neighborhood. Most beaten surfaces on
commercial jewelry are done with a grinding tool making a series of
indententations.

Have fun.
Tom Arnold

6 
Most beaten surfaces on commercial jewelry are done with a
grinding tool making a series of indententations.

As Tom points out - I do what we call a hammered finish pretty often

  • beaten, peened, as you like. You CAN just get a small ball pein
    hammer or chasing hammer and just beat on it, and there are times
    when that’s the way. If you have something like a wedding band,
    though, that pounding will distort it and also change the ring size.
    I use a huge round bur, like 8 or 10 mm, and just touch it here and
    there, getting that finish, and then go back with a Cratex or Shofu
    bullet to get out the grind marks. Laborious, but there’s not much
    else to do. I know a guy who’s worked out just how small to make a
    ring, and then he uses a hammer and it comes out just the right size
  • I don’t know his system, but it will change a ring like 2 or more
    sizes…
7 
I do what we call a hammered finish pretty often - beaten, peened,
as you like. You CAN just get a small ball pein hammer or chasing
hammer and just beat on it, and there are times when that's the
way.

We usually just did it in the wax…lots faster, more controllable,
and easy to change if necessary.

Wayne

8 
If you have something like a wedding band, though, that pounding
will distort it and also change the ring size.

I have done traditional hammered finishes and I have never
distorted= or changed the size of a ring. When trying to match a
previous pattern of texture, I did distort a ring, and discovered
that
I could not get the depth of texture with a hammer. I have never had
a customer who wanted the traditional hammered look require anything
more than light repetitious blows covering the surface using a ball
peen end of a planishing hammer.

A small dapping punch will give you a smaller pattern, but not the
depth that a ball burr can do. I have had to refinish a repair where
the depth was only achieved with a ball burr to match the existing
pattern. I guess I would be picky, but I would not call a ball burr
finish a hammered finish, as you cannot get that finish with a
hammer. Changing a ring size two or three sized is like whaling on
it, stretching it 3/8th to 1/4 of an inch. Seems to me, if you are
hitting it hard enough to distort the object, you are forging it, not
decoratively texturing it, unless you forge it and retain the marks
as part of the design.

9

Make sure the rounded end of the ball pein hammer is smooth and
polished. You’ll thank me when you have to polish the hammer finished
ring.

David Geller
JewelerProfit
www.JewelerProfit.com

10 
Make sure the rounded end of the ball pein hammer is smooth and
polished. You'll thank me when you have to polish the hammer finished
ring.

Nice bit this…
Oft ovelooked…

Gary W. Bourbonais
A.J.P. (GIA)…