Anyone in the Orchid community with experience using the below technique?
In the book Castellani and Italian Archaeological Jewelry I was fascinated reading in Chapter 7, page 185, about powdered solder for small filigree work. The small parts are glued onto gold sheet with gum tragacanth, or other organic substances, even saliva. Borax is then melted into glass and ground into fine powder. Fine gold solder filings and the fine powdered borax are mixed and sprinkled over the positioned sheet and wire components. This solder-flux mixture was kept in a special vessel known by the French term rochoir, which had a long spout with a serrated upper edge. Small amounts of the solder powder could be shaken out of the rochoir by running a fingernail along these serrations.
I am particularly interested in learning about this ancient method and making a rochoir.
ROCHOIR, s. m. (Orfevr.) Instrument for the use of almost all the workers who use metals. It is a little box of round copper, and raised to about the size of a round holster; there is a lid, and below a hole to which is fitted a pipe on which is a small band of crenated metal. In the body of the box is contained the pulverized borax, and this powder is dropped on the parts that one wants to rock or sprinkle with borax, by passing his fingernail along the notches of the small crenaceous band, and directing the pipe on the places where we need borax.
@ishiatsu
The “crenaceous band” description kind-of reminds me of this tool for spreading powdered enamel, but it’s probably too small to work with borax.
Victoria Lansford teaches a similar technique for Russian filigree. She makes (and sells) powdered solder that contains flux, so no further flux is required. The process works well! You can see my work using her techniques at www.dahyiitihiarts.com. See Victoria Lansford’s page, the products she sells (she has videos, too) and her workshop schedule. Her workshops are terrific!! https://victorialansford.com/
Thank you Patricia. Very pretty filigree work. How do you apply the powdered solder to the metal? I would need powdered gold solder and will contact Victoria Landslord about that, or learn to make it myself.
Hi
I have learned making jewellery from Master Goldsmith Gert Salzmann in germany who recreated medieval tools as a hobby. He is now retired and has a Goldsmith Museum. This article: http://www.burkhard-beyer.net/Reportage_Goldschmied.html
shows his place and in picture 5 you can see his “rochoir”. He made it when I was still there and used it to put salt on his breakfast… It works very well. See the spout curving upwards. He would have copied that from an old picture.
All the pictures are worth looking at!
Hello Otrwin, Amazing!!! A photograph of a rochoir!
Did Gert Salzmann recreate ancient jewelry?
What did he put in the rochoir?
Here is the photo Otrwin has made possible.
Thanks for your link to the pics.
Whats so nice to see is that he has many of the larger tools I have here in Dorset. UK. which are currently in FULL use.
It prompts me to consider posting pics of my set up.
I too go to work unshaven at times!.
He has 1 fly press,
and a proper 3rd hand on the left .
with an older ungeared mill.
Couldnt see tho, any electric motor driven polishing set up. Im not counting the flex drive.
Do you know if he is still alive? and how currently old?
Im 83
Ted.
Hi Lois.
Here, near Porto, north of Portugal, there’s a tradicional filigree city(Gondomar), where we can find the only public jewelry school(CINDOR) in the country.
I learned old filigree techniques and how to make some tools, such as the one you describe as “rochoir”(we call it “borrachinha”).
Now, I teach traditional filigree techniques and contemporary design.
Here, you can see my tools to make filigree:
Dear Dragonflies,
Your work is exquisite. And Porto seems like a wonderful place.
Yes! I would love a few more details on making the borrachinha. You are very kind. Thank you.
Best,
Lois
, search borax cone and dish.
