Texturing Sheet Silver

Jewelry Discussion
21 
I am looking for some ways to texture sheet sterling silver.

What a fun topic–oh, the millions of ways to texture metal!

Among my favorites:

  1. use a badly damaged hammer to create texture

  2. hammer the silver against a rock, concrete, rusty surface (a
    Fred Zweig specialty), etc.

  3. roller mill with dryer lint, lace, fabrics of all kinds,
    screen

  4. put in an acid bath

  5. make carefully designed textures with chasing tools
    (especially Japanese ones)

  6. stamp in textures using commercial or home-made stamps

  7. Put a brass or steel brush in the flexible shaft, or put in
    one of those funny wheels made especially to create a satin
    finish

  8. Use a ball bur in the flexible shaft. dot across surface
    close, or spaced, deep, shallow, or of mixed depth. All good

  9. A forming hammer makes a nice texture when hanmmered all over

  10. Use a mizzy wheel to scratch the heck out of a surface.

I’m dying to see other people’s suggestions.

22

When I first got my rolling mill I rolled anything I could get
my hands on. Best results: dried leaves (look in the spring for
skeletonized ones-I carry an old TV Guide in the car trunk for
flattening and drying fresh finds), feathers, thin twine, school
paper towels (they are rougher and have a lot of texture), 22 ga.
wires (shaped), ribbons, aida cloth (for counted cross stitch),
old clothes (especially with woven patterns, herringbone, etc),
fringe, milliner’s woven band (for hats & stiffening, torn paper,
old straw hats & baskets, and discarded cane chair seats among
other things.

Donna in WY

23

I haven’t read all the postings but I haven’t seen rolling
reptile skin layered in a mill. Super pattern!

24

When rolling this wide variety of materials through the mill,
are the materials being placed between anything beside the
silver?

Not sure I phrased that well. I have seen some very heavy damage
to the rolling mills at school. For a time there was lucite to
encase the metal and image material between.

What do others do? Teresa

25

Draw a design to fit a hammer head. Put your resist on and
suspend in acid. Or grind pattern if you prefer not to deal with
acid and pound away.

Carole

26

If you are worried about damaging the rollers on your rolling
mill, try sandwiching the rough texturizing material between the
sheet silver and a thin sheet of copper or a heavy piece of
cardboard before rolling. >D<

27

Hi Teresa, I never would even consider putting half the stuff
that some of the people listed in MY rolling mill. Paper and
fabric give a great variety of textures and they won’t damage the
rollers. I just Anneal my metal, Clean it (pickle and
ultrasonic), Make sure it is dry, then roll it at about 1 or 2
notches under the gauge of the metal (depends on thickness of
texture material) You should test a small bit with copper to see
how it comes out. I actually keep my test patterns with info
written on the back for future reference. And if it doesn’t quite
have the texture you want start over and reroll over the texture.
You can also roll the metal sandwiched between 2 texture
materials and you will get a pattern on both sides of the metal.

28

Hi Teresa,

It’s a good idea to make a sandwich of the metal being textured,
the item being used for the texture between 2 sheets of brass or
copper. The brass or copper protect the mill rolls from damage.

Dave

29

When rolling abrasive materials through the mill such as metal
screen, sandpaper etc. I sandwich them between the annealed
silver and a piece of brass or nickel. Often I end up with a nice
piece of textured brass that I end up using in another project!
When rolling things like fabric, lace, paper etc. I sandwich them
between the annealed silver and smooth paper like bristol board.