I am working on a Argentium silver wire reversible bezel (a project
featured in an issue of Art Jewelry magazine). The ends of 6 of the
"prongs" are balled up. However one wire prong refuses to ball up on
the end. I have used the ultrasonic and pickle for cleaning and
deoxidizing, and have even filed the metal to make sure it wasn’t
covered with solder. It still will not form a ball. I am sure that a
number of you out there know exactly what is going wrong. Please help
me out. Thanks!
Two things come to mind
-
perhaps the material somehow got mixed up and the piece that
won’t ball up is something else -
a heat sink problem. If this one wire is too close to whatever is
touching it, it may suck the heat right out. Silver is a very good
conductor of heat.
What exactly happens when you apply the heat? nothing at all?
discoloration? slight deformation?