Hi all,
I am attempting to reproduce some small granulated beads (ancient) that I acquired in Egypt decades ago. They are 5 granules fused together in a circle so that the thread passes through the center. There is no backing, back plate or other wire connecting them. I have made several attempts, with a high rate of failure as the granules naturally want to adhere to each other in a triangular shape. I was thinking that making a shallow depression in the charcoal with perhaps a wire in the center might work – basically the shape of a bundt cake pan. I assume steel binding wire would provide too much of a heat sink for the 22k granules. All suggestions welcome!
Thanks in advance 
Makena
I think you’ll find that these are, in fact, soldered. They used a mixture of solder filings and flux. I’ve watched Egyptian goldsmiths make them. Yes, they use a dimple in a soldering block and iron binding wire.