Hello everyone,
I have been doing craft fairs for a few years now and have also been
putting work into galleries on consignment. Like everyone else out
there I am looking for alternative ways to market my work. I was
wondering how well people have been selling on the Internet on either
websites of their own or sites such Guild.com.
Another short technical question, I have been trying very
unsuccessfully to bend tubing to be used as a bail for a pendant.I
have followed the directions and technical advice given in books and
manuals but it never seems to be a ‘smooth’ result. I would
appreciate any tips or does anyone know of a supplier that sells
curved sterling tube beads which would probably work just as well. I
have seen them in base metal but never in sterling. Thanks for
the help. GRACE in Cleveland
Hello Grace, Further to your question about bending tubing… Here’s
a tip that may work. In the plumbing trade, plumber’s use a tightly
coiled steel spring that just fits over the tubing they want to bend
(usually soft copper pipe). The spring keeps the tubing from cracking
or getting those annoying kinks when the wall of the tube collapses.
You may be able to get a spring that is suitable for the size of your
tubing at a local hardware store. Also, be sure to anneal your tubing
before bending.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Dave Nitschke
Grace, There is an alternative to bending tubes with good results.
Thinner tubes may be tricky.
You can fill the tube with bismuth, a low temperature alloy used in
fire sprinkler systems. Because of their low melting temperature,
they can be boiled out in water after bending. They are available at
melting temperature as low as 117 degrees F. You can get them at
www.smallparts.com.
Daniel Biery Jr.
Master Goldsmith
Industrial Designer
Watchmaker
http://www.nobleconcepts.com
@Dan_Biery
Another short technical question, I have been trying very
unsuccessfully to bend tubing to be used as a bail for a pendant.
I have followed the directions and technical advice given in books
and manuals but it never seems to be a 'smooth' result.
You must support the tubing from the inside as you bend it, to
prevent it from crushing at the inside radius. The best method depends
on the diameter of the tubing. In general, you fill the tubing with a
non-crushable solid material, bend the tubing, and then empty the
solid from the bent tube. If you can find some aluminum wire, VERY
slightly smaller than the I.D. of the tubing, insert it, bend, then
try to pull it out. If the bend is too sharp and you can’t pull the
wire out, put the assembly in dilute muriatic acid to dissolve the
aluminum. If you can find some “Wood’s Metal” (M.P.= 160 F), you can
melt a pool of it in hot water, draw enough of it into the tube to
fill it, then let it solidify. Once solidified, bend the tubing to
the desired radius. Then place the assembly in boiling water to
liquefy the Wood’s metal. Presto! Some people even pack the tubing
with finely ground sugar. Bend the tubing. Then shake out what you
can, and dissolve the rest in water. Some commercial tubing benders
use a tightly coiled wire spring whose I.D. is very slightly larger
than the O.D. of the tubing. Insert the tubing inside the spring and
bend the assembly. The spring protects the tubing from the outside by
preventing the inside radius from crushing. Any good hardware store
should have a wide assortment of springs. One will probably be just
right for you. Lots of Luck, …Bob Williams
Hi there, One can purchase a set of bending coils from Micro Mark
for a few dollars. (they also put out a magazine with great stuff)
I have some from them and they work well. Glen Paris-Stamm
Hi there, One can purchase a set of bending coils from Micro
Mark for a few dollars. (they also put out a magazine with great
stuff) I have some from them and they work well. Glen Paris-Stamm
Micro Mark can be found at http://www.micromark.com . I just tossed
my catalog, I don’t know if they have the item number online for the
bender Glen mention, but you can email or call them.
Terri Collier
Dallas, TX
@Terri_Collier