Thank you Leonid!
That is exactly what we did in school! By all the processes of
melting, pouring, drawing, forming, sawing and torching (over and
over again) you learn the metal. The school provided the silver which
we used over and over again and we were then encouraged to bring in
scrap gold to learn the feel of gold. I personally was shameless in
asking family and friends if they wouldn’t mind letting me have a bit
of broken chain, an earring that had lost it’s mate, etc. A few
scraps add up quickly; and again, you use and resuse. The added bonus
is speed. Once you can “feel” the metal you can work with tremendous
confidence and speed. Hard work, repetition and mastering the basics
are the only sure way to becoming a proficient goldsmith.
Lee Pinto