Constructing a Mokume Ring

Hello Everybody!

I have another question that is mainly aimed at James Binion but
again if anyone else has some insight, please feel free to reply.

I am making some Mokume rings for a customer who wants to use a
copper/silver pattern (I know about the copper wearing down over
time but they still insist that I use it) but they also want an
element of gold included. I came up with some designs and they
decided on one that includes a small band of yellow gold going
through the middle of the band with the mokume pattern on either
side. I decided that the best way to construct the piece would be to
start with a silver base plate (that would then become the liner) and
sweat solder a strip of mokume to the far edge, then the gold next to
it, and then another strip of mokume creating a band of yellow gold
in the middle, and then making the band from this piece. The
question I have is which solder do I use for the soldering these
pieces to the silver sheet? I thought about using hard or medium
silver solder, but I just wanted to get everyone’s opinion. What do
you guys think???

Thanks for all the input,

Sean Terry
S. AZ Jewelry Designs
Sedona, AZ

Hi Sean, I say sweat it all on the liner plate at one time with
Medium solder. Cut it to length and Easy solder the closure. Or Hard
solder the gold in place, Medium solder the mokume strip and easy
solder the closure. Do not use Hard solder on mokume unless you are
very, very good at temperature control. I would consider making them
a very simple test ring of silver and copper and let them try it.
Have them wear the rings for at least two months. That will give them
a chance to see how the varying chemistry of their bodies affect the
metals.

Bill

Bill, Deborah, Michele & Sarah
Reactive Metals Studio, Inc
928-634-3434, 800-876-3434, 928-634-6734fx