Back to Ganoksin | FAQ | Contact

Rolling and rolling mills

Jewelry Discussion
#1

Hi everyone

I’m soon going to be the owner of a brand new durston rolling mill
and i need to ask a couple of questions

i want to make a patterns or textures on to sterling silver and 18k
gold, now i was told that you should make a sandwhich of silver or
gold then put the thing you want to transfare then brassbecause
brass is hard and it helps to get the pattern onto the
silver/gold,now the silver i wanted to use is 1mm thick so now the
question is how thick should the brass be and do i need all different
sizes or if i just had 1mm brass i could use that for any silver
sheet. After reading a few things i found out you can use things from
paper to lace to make a texture so does everything need to used with
brass as i was told this protects the rollers on the mill also the
mills rollers only open about 6mm, oh yeah i almost forgot how many
times can you use each piece of brass is there a limit?. now for the
last question whats the best thing to use to protect the rollers from
rus, durston have a liquid or oil to protect them but they say that
they cant ship it on its own so until i order something else i need
something to use until i do is there anything that you can use from a
hardware store that can be used without the risk of hard to the
rollers

many thanks

#2 
whats the best thing to use to protect the rollers from rus,
durston have a liquid or oil to protect them but they say that they
cant ship it on its own so until i order something else i need
something to use until i do is there anything that you can use
from a hardware store that can be used without the risk of hard to
the rollers

I use Singer Sewing Machine Oil (I think I picked mine up at JoAnns-
lasts forever) on a piece of memory type foam. Cut two pieces of the
foam to fit the length of the roller and set one above the top rollar
and the second below the bottom roller. Every time you roll, an even
coating of oil will lubricate the rollers and prevent rust. It tends
to leave a bit of oil on the pieces, but a simple rinse is a thousand
times better than damaged rollers!

Mariel

#3 
I use Singer Sewing Machine Oil (I think I picked mine up at
JoAnns- lasts forever) on a piece of memory type foam. Cut two
pieces of the foam to fit the length of the roller and set one above
the top rollar and the second below the bottom roller. Every time
you roll, an even coating of oil will lubricate the rollers and
prevent rust. It tends to leave a bit of oil on the pieces, but a
simple rinse is a thousand times better than damaged rollers!

Oily rollers are dust magnets, they collect dust and press it into
your work. The foam also acts as a dust and dirt reservoir :-(. Best
practice is wipe down and lightly oil rolls after use and wipe down
with alcohol just before use to strip the oil film.

James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts

#4

Jason,

If you are going to roller print with organic materials, or fabrics,
like lace, it won’t hurt your mill’s rollers. Brass, copper, silver
or gold won’t hurt them either. You shouldn’t need to use a
"sandwich" of brass or copper between these materials and your
rollers. Where I would definately use the “sandwich” of brass or
copper sheet is when you are rolling steel wire or screen through
your mill. These harder materials have the ability to scar your
rollers, so I would not print with them touching your rollers
directly. I have also seen references to rolling sheets of steel
with patterns on them, through the rolling mill, to print non-ferrous
metals, but you couldn’t get me to do that with any of my mills. I
have also rolled coarse grit sandpaper (with copper sheets
surrounding it and my silver sheet) through my mills with no
problem, but I am careful to wipe up any loose sanding grit from my
rollers afterwards. Metalliferous in NYC has a terrific selection of
patterned brass sheet, whch leaves deep impressions on sheet silver
or gold. It also seems to hold up well for multiple rolls through the
mill, without loss of detail. Roller printing is all about
experimentation, and you should just play withall kinds of materials
to see what works best for you. Just make sure you are mindful of
what might have the capacity to damage your rollers, and avoid those.
Make sure your material to be roller printed has been freshly
annealed, so it is at its softest, to make the best impression.

As far as lubricating your rollers, just about anything will work,
from sewing machine oil to olive oil. I use a spray lube from the
hardware store which has a rust preventative in it. However, I would
NOT recommend WD40, as it is not recommended for long term
lubrication on steel.

I would oil up those rollers at the end of the day, and COVER your
mill when you are not using it.

Jay Whaley Whaley Studios

#5

One thing I always do when rolling is to sandwich my silver/textural
element in between cardstock paper. Even if I don’t have to use a
copper or brass sandwish, the cardstock protects the rollars and
keeps “stuff” from sticking to them from the high pressure generated
when rolling. I’ve got this great “fiber” mat that I found at the
craft store and it makes an incredible texture, but the first time I
rolled it, it almost “melted” onto the rollars. Wasn’t hard to get
off, just a pain and waste of time. Now I sandwich it with my silver
in cardstock, and don’t have to worry about it.

Enjoy roller printing…I took a class with Jay last August on the
roller-mill and have been lovin’ it ever since!

Thomas Jay Parker

#6

I agree that oily rollers are dust magnets; however, I prevent dust
buildup and residue by frequently (meaning once a day or when I walk
by it and am thinking about it) turning the handle on the mill even
on days I don’t use the mill. The foam serves to collect dust buildup
and then redistributes a light even layer of oil. I’ve never had any
problems with impressions, and my rollers are kept safe from rust.

#7 
I agree that oily rollers are dust magnets; however, I prevent dust
buildup and residue by frequently (meaning once a day or when I
walk by it and am thinking about it) turning the handle on the mill
even on days I don't use the mill. The foam serves to collect dust
buildup and then redistributes a light even layer of oil. I've
never had any problems with impressions, and my rollers are kept
safe from rust.

If you take a fresh clean piece of metal from your supplier and run
it through your mill and loupe it I will bet you will find
impressions left on its surface from dust and dirt trapped in the
oil. Your sponge wiper will not catch and hold all the dust, some
will migrate through the sponge as the rolls traverse it.

Unless your studio is in a marina or in an un-heated space where the
temperature falls below the dew point or some other super high
humidity space your mill will not spontaneously rust. I have had a
studio within spitting distance of the SF bay and in the rainy
Pacific Northwest for 20 odd years now and never seen my mills rust
except when I abused them by not keeping the surface clean or the
rolled metal dry and pickle residue free. Any rust will be from
contact with your skin or metal that is not clean and dry. Both of
those factors can easily be avoided or mitigated by proper cleaning
of the metal before rolling and a wipe down with a shot of WD-40
after use and a wipe down with a clean cloth or a bit of alcohol
before use. There is no need for oil on the rolls in use, none of
the hand mills or even the studio power mills need lubrication on the
rolls because we don’t work the metal hard enough in a single pass
to require it.

James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts