Fusing argentium gallery wire

As you can tell from the subject, I’m trying to fuse fancy Argentium
gallery wire into a bezel. How do I do this without melting the tiny
tips of the wire?

Michele

Hi Michele,

I'm trying to fuse fancy Argentium gallery wire into a bezel. How
do I do this without melting the tiny tips of the wire? 

The size of the torch tip and flame should generally be proportional
to the thickness and size of the metal being worked on. When there
are tiny parts that you want to avoid over-heating, it’s generally
best to focus the heat only on the larger parts. If this does not
work, then perhaps you want to use solder for this piece. Fusing is
only an option—not the only way to make joints with Argentium
Silver. Since solder melts at lower temperature, that may make this
job easier.

Cynthia Eid

As you can tell from the subject, I'm trying to fuse fancy
Argentium gallery wire into a bezel. How do I do this without
melting the tiny tips of the wire? 

I do this by heating from beneath. I do this a lot. If I am using an
Argentium back plate as well as gallery wire then I support
everything on a thin sheet of titanium (argentium won’t fuse with
the titanium) balanced in a tripod. Most times I use a sterling back
plate or a fine silver back plate and then supporting the piece is
not an issue. Heat from below. Works great. Happy Torching :slight_smile:

joy kruse
wildprairiesilver.com

Hello Michele,

Very, very carefully! Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Try inverting your bezel so that the tips are down and somewhat
protected from the heat. Even then, I sometimes get a little
slumping. It’s a delicate torch act. Another little heat shield aid
is to coat the bezel tips with WhiteOut (the NON-flammable kind!!).

Remember to fuse in low light so you can see that fuse-flash and
pull the heat off immediately.

Judy in Kansas

Hi Michele,

I'm trying to fuse fancy Argentium gallery wire into a bezel. How
do I do this without melting the tiny tips of the wire? 

The size of the torch tip and flame should generally be proportional
to the thickness and size of the metal being worked on. When there
are tiny parts that you want to avoid over-heating, it’s generally
best to focus the heat only on the larger parts. If this does not
work, then perhaps you want to use solder for this piece. Fusing is
only an option—not the only way to make joints with Argentium
Silver. Since solder melts at lower temperature, that may make this
job easier.

Cynthia Eid

Hi Joy,

...how to fuse fancy Argentium gallery wire into a bezel? Joy said:
I do this by heating from beneath. I do this a lot. If I am using
an Argentium back plate as well as gallery wire then I support
everything on a thin sheet of titanium (argentium won't fuse with
the titanium) balanced in a tripod. 

That’s a pretty interesting solution. May I ask how thin the
titanium usually is? I remember that Nancy Howland (may her memory be
blessed) used titanium to support thin sheet during AS granulation. I
haven’t tried it, since I had not needed to do so. I like it as an
answer to this problem! Thanks for sharing!

Cynthia Eid

Stick the thin prongs into a potato cut in two.

Tony Konrath

Thank sounds exactly what I need to try now. Do you fuse/solder from
underneath on a wire mesh? Never bought titanium, who sells it? Does
it act like a heat sink, need more heat? This answer has me excited,
thanks.

Peace for all,
Carole

This is interesting… So what I see visually is bezel back with
gallery wire sitting on top and then a small potato stuck on top of
the gallery wires. Correct. If the titanium doesn’t work, this
sounds plausible. I love the smell of cooked potatoes too.

Peace for all,
Carole

I bought sheet titanium from Alpha Knife Supply about 2-3 years ago
and I was pleased with their product and service. Very reasonable
prices for offcuts.

Jamie

Re: Stick the thin prongs into a potato cut in two. I Just LOVE this.
I am going to trying right now! I am grinning from ear to ear! A
Potato ~ simple useful tool ~ :slight_smile:

joy kruse
wildprairiesilver.com

I Want to thank everyone for the suggestions. Not sure about the
titanium to use it but it’s a thought. Will try the potato first.
Again, thanks!

Michele