I would really appreciate some advice re Viking Knit/Weave. I’ve now
made a few chains in SP wire and copper, and feel confident enough to
progress to 26g Fine Silver or DS Argentium. The question is, which?
I love the shine on Fine Silver but normally just ball it for
headpins etc. I worry that it might not be serviceable enough for
Viking Knit, especially being drawn through the drawplate, or might
be otherwise unsuitable. I need to make some single knit chains of
various lengths, some incorporating beads. I usually work with about
3 metres of wire at a time to minimise joins.
I’ve searched through the old posts, but can’t find the necessary
I hope one of you good people can help.
I would really appreciate some advice re Viking Knit/Weave.
I have used, and taught classes with both fine silver and Argentium.
They work very similarly, in my experience, and are both quite easy
to use. In my classes, I now use all Argentium. I love the feel of it
(a bit different from either sterling or fine), and the insides of
the chains don’t tarnish at all rapidly. Of course, if you’re drawing
them really tight and/or oxidizing them, this doesn’t matter. Neither
work-hardens too rapidly. Really, you should be fine either way!
If you use a wood drawplate you shouldn’t have any problem drawing
fine silver Viking knit. I’ve drawn both Viking knit and loop and
loop through a wooden drawplate lubricated with bur-life and they
came through just fine.
I do have a homemade wooden drawplate and haven’t had any trouble
drawing viking knit through it, but I never thought to lubricate it
which would obviously make it even easier to use.
I do have a homemade wooden drawplate and haven't had any trouble
drawing viking knit through it, but I never thought to lubricate
it which would obviously make it even easier to use.
Yes, maybe, but then you’d have to find a way to clean the lube off
the inside of the chain…
Yes, maybe, but then you'd have to find a way to clean the lube
off the inside of the chain...
When drawing chain thru a draw plate, I usually put some dish
washing detergent in my hand & pull the chain thru it 1st. Then I
draw the chain thru the draw plate. After the chain has been drawn to
the desired diameter, the detergent can be cleaned off by rinsing in
warm/hot water. Swinging the chain around in a circle after rinsing
helps get the water out of it. Using hot water instead of warm water
also helps to dry it faster.
Noel, your point about cleaning the inside of the chain reminded me
of a question I’ve been meaning to ask. I’ve only made a dozen or so
viking knit bracelets for gifts and was pleased with the results. I
used ends from Rio and attached the first few with easy solder
causing the fine silver to discolor inside the chain with no real way
to polish it again. I finished the rest of the bracelets using epoxy
to attach the ends. The epoxy seems to work but I don’t quite trust
it and would not sell anything put together with glue. I would be
interested to hear how others attach ends to viking knit chains and
how they clean up the chains after soldering.
Yes, maybe, but then you'd have to find a way to clean the lube
off the inside of the chain...
I simply run it through my warmed ultrasonic for a short bit. I use
Bur-Life to lubricate my wood drawplate. I’ve never had a problem
cleaning it from any work in the past, whether deposited by a bur,
drawplate, or other tool.
If I were using a heavy coat of paraffin or some other high
viscosity lube I can see a problem, but then again, it would depend
on your cleaning method.
I used ends from Rio and attached the first few with easy solder
causing the fine silver to discolor inside the chain with no real
way to polish it again. I finished the rest of the bracelets using
epoxy to attach the ends. The epoxy seems to work but I don't quite
trust it and would not sell anything put together with glue. I
would be interested to hear how others attach ends to viking knit
chains and how they clean up the chains after soldering.
I have soldered and tumbled with good results, but what I have
mostly settled on is to make (or buy) end caps with a small hole in
the closed end. Weave a wire through the end of your chain, attaching
it securely, then pass it through the cap. Pull the cap down onto the
chain, and finish off the protruding wire with a loop and a wrap back
around itself. Strong, no glue or soldering, and the style goes with
the chain. You could solder your wire loop back to itself if you
prefer, and the clean-up would be on the wire and cap, not inside the
chain.
If this is not clear enough, let me know and I’ll do a photo or a
drawing.