Interesting rolling mill patterns

Jewelry Discussion
1

I am looking for suggestions for interesting patterns to roll in the
rolling mill. I recently rolled a piece of wire fencing with small
squares turned at an angle to create diamonds. With a little bit of
shading it looks like alligator skin. I’m looking for people who want
to share their tricks on the rolling mill.

Thanks in advance.

2

check the Metalliferous catalog they have maybe 100 patterned brass
sheets to choose from. http://www.metalliferous.com

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

3

Richard

Costco sells a set of scissors that have different patterns on them.
You can cut strips with them and if you leave one end uncut so the
strips are attached together you can keep them mostly straight, You
can also do what I did and cut them separate and lay them on your
silver, lay some brass or copper over and roll them so some may slip
out of alignment somewhat and get interesting results. Also try using
different thicknesses of paper and different textured paper too. Try
saving the net bags you get things like garlic, onions, potatoes,
etc. as these also make interesting patterns.

Karen Bahr - Karen’s Artworx
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

4

Richard,

There are just SO many possibilities for roller printing onto
non-ferrous metals! Paper, such as Japanese papers, found at art
supply stores, have wonderful results, even cutting shapes out of
business card type stock will produce a strong pattern with a rolling
mill. I’ve had excellent results running Japanese papers through my
half-round rollers, to produce a patterned half-round wire. Torn
paper towels, paper doilies, etc. work well. Certain lace and cloth
material works well.

Be VERY careful of rolling steel screen through your mill without a
brass or copper layer between it and your rollers. Also watch out for
rolling sandpapers through your mill ( always in a copper sheet
"sandwich"), as they will leave a grit residue all over your mill,
which is a killer for mills. I am always vigilant about what goes
through my mills, so they don’t get damaged in any way.

One of my students found a skeleton of a leaf at a craft store (for
scrapbooking), and it made a most detailed leaf print on silver
sheet.

Metalliferous in NY also carries a good selection of brass patterned
sheet for this purpose.

I look forward to other postings about roller printing.

Jay Whaley Whaley Studios

5

I went wild with mine when I first got it. Woven bands for support
inside of ladies hats, veil mesh from the fabric store. Dead and
dried leaves. Steel mesh hose, interesting fabric, woven straw hats
for starters.

Donna in VA

6 
I am looking for suggestions for interesting patterns to roll in
the rolling mill.

Ratty cheese cloth, lace, heavy weave fabric, textured plastic
doilies, feathers, holly leaves, some types of evergreen needles that
are dry but not brittle, file folders with patterns cut out, art
papers, leaves that are leathery–usually thick, vegetable netting
bags, embossing sheets you’ve etched, anything relatively flat that
will hold up to pressure without shredding or squishing. Organics was
a bit of a problem in CA, since everything was green. Green goes
squish, ick. Protect your rollers with copper leaves for sandwiching.
Durston mills have a primer on their website that was provided by
Orchid members, the Goss’. Excellent.

7

I like to use fabric lace, makes for very interesting patterns. I
have seen some people use feathers. The trick is to keep your rolling
mill from getting damaged. I make a sandwhich with a strip of brass
sheet 1/16" thick, the fabric lace, the metal I want to put the
imprint on and then a folded up piece of paper towel. I then run the
sandwhich through the mill. The brass and the paper towel protect the
rollers of the mill. You have to play with the pressure a little bit
till you get the desired results, but you want to make only one pass
otherwise the sandwhich can and usually does move.

8

Richard, I pierced a piece of steel flat milled stock sheet with a
flower design done stencil style, and rolled it with a very well
polished piece of 18 gauge Argentium. It made a subtle contrast
between the shiny, slightly puffed up flowers and the milled,
scratchy background. It was best just left like that. I am
considering doing it again, and adding moro gouges and rougher
texture to the unpierced sheet next time. It was time consuming to
pierce the sheet, of course, but worth it if you are doing many
pieces from the same plate. The milled sheet is the stuff I make
pancake dies with.

M’lou Brubaker
Minnesota, USA

9

Katherine

Ratty cheese cloth, lace, heavy weave fabric, textured plastic
doilies, feathers, holly leaves, some types of evergreen needles
that are dry but not brittle, file folders with patterns cut out,
art papers, leaves that are leathery--usually thick, vegetable
netting bags, embossing sheets you've etched, anything relatively
flat that will hold up to pressure without shredding or squishing.

Do these things work when rolling 14k gold?

10

14 kt. gold is harder than silver or copper. I can definitely say
that cheesecloth works, and the heavier and stiffer vegetable netting
bags. Brass embossing sheets with pusher pads and a copper leaf (to
protect the rollers) work well also. The gold does have to be
annealed, even if it has just come from the supplier. I suspect file
folders and playing cards with patterns cut out will do equally well,
but softer organics might not. You might want to do some
experimentation on scraps, as well as using pusher pads to get more
of an imprint. Pusher pads made from cheap brownish paper towels,
like the kind usually found in mechanic garages, make the best pusher
pads I think. They have just enough give without being too soft.