Hello!
I have a new project in my learning, this time is about
reticulation. I want to make a ring about 10 mm. Wide and 1 mm. thick
with a plane surface that will be reticulated, my question is this
has to be done before soldering the ring or after?. I ask this
question because if I reticulate before soldering the pattern of the
reticulation won’t match and if I reticulate after soldering this can
be damage.
I will use Ag 800 as working material so the reticulation will be
more notorious as I want it to have a melt porosity effect. Any
suggestion or comments will be very appreciated.
Regard’s
Alvaro Diaz Codoceo
Santiago, Chile
I have a friend who makes reticulated rings. He reticulates the
strip first and then hydraulic forms it, calculating the size
slightly larger than the finished size, next, he solders the joint
and then fabricates an inner ring with wire on the edges so that the
reticulation is protected. The inner ring is a bit smaller than the
reticulated outer ring. The last step in the project is to put the
finished ring on a ring stretcher and stretch slightly to the
correct size. Another style he made is to put a 4mm join of sterling
on the reticulated band and then solder on a 3mm bezel for a garnet
cab. The reticulated rings were 8mm bands.
Donna in VA
My advice (having made similar) is to first reticulate a sheet of
sterling perhaps 2" x 3", then saw out the section you want for your
ring, and bend, solder, etc. If you are concerned about a visible
seam where the two ends are soldered together, you can “cheat” it a
bit with a small ball bur or similar to make the pattern look more
or less continuous.
It is better to reticulate a somewhat larger piece, and saw out what
you want, because unless you are very practiced at reticulation (I
am not) the technique is somewhat accidental, and doing a larger
piece first enables you to select a section of reticulation which
you like and which turned out well.
Lee Einer
Dos Manos Jewelry
http://www.dosmanosjewelry.com
with a plane surface that will be reticulated, my question is
this has to be done before soldering the ring or after?. I ask this
question because if I reticulate before soldering the pattern of
the reticulation won't match and if I reticulate after soldering
this can be damage.
Alvaro, for true reticulation (versus torch texturing), it is not
possible to reticulate the ring in a band form. First, your
reticulation temperature is higher than your solder temperature.
Second, you need a heat reflective surface to get the high relief for
reticulation. Also, when reticulating, your metal will pull in from
the sides to provide material for the “mountains,” and thusly, will
be uneven on the edges.
However, to solve the problem of edges that will not match on the
solder seam, consider using something else as part of the design,
such as a plain piece of sterling for the back side, or for the front
side with a set stone(s). You could use a piece of gold wire to where
the ends meet as a design element, or some other creative design
element to visually separate the mismatched edges.
For a ring, it is best to have an inner band for strength and
comfort that is plain, with the reticulation applied to the outside.
It is also wise to provide some type of guard wires to the edges of
the ring that will prevent unwanted wear to the reticulation.
Katherine Palochak
@kpalchk
http://www.katherinepalochak.com
Hello Alvaro,
The reticulation would have to be done before constructing the ring.
In order to achieve the reticulation effect, the metal needs to be
brought to a temperature approaching the molten stage. This is above
the soldering temperature. Attempting to reticulate after soldering
would cause a failure of any soldered joints. On the other hand,
careful soldering should not have a detrimental (negative) impact on
the reticulation.
One word of caution, though: Reticulated metal is a bit more brittle
than conventional sheet. After cutting the ring blank from the
reticulated sheet, form it gently and carefully into a band and you
should be okay. I was able to create a bail from reticulated silver
for a pendant I made after having been told it wouldn’t be possible.
All the best,
Dave Sebaste
Sebaste Studio
Charlotte, NC (USA)