I'd love to spend three solid days at your studio, if I could, learning the very fundamentals of silver-working the right way... the professional way... all ship shape and Bristol fashion. I'd want to learn skills I can bring back: how to alloy 925 from scratch without a master alloy handy, proper hammer technique, manual wire and bezel forming sans rolling mill, soldering with flux, pickling, and polishing. And a basic course in using my Miniflam torch, which I have as yet used but can bring with me.
As an instructor for a beginning silversmith program I must say this
fellow needs a reality check!
In my experience silver work has a very steep learning curve.
Learning the working properties of silver takes time and repetitive
experience. Proficiency comes with time. In my class I teach a
simple bezel set cabochon pendant project. The class is one day a
week, eight weeks, three hours per class. This amounts to 24 hours
of class time per session. Three days of instruction (8 hours per
day) at the hand of an experienced jeweler would amount to the same
number of hours, but with a lot less assimilation time.
A student that attends my classes, works diligently and also engages
in self directed study in his free time, will learn all skills
necessary to do basic silver work (piercing, soldering,
manipulation, finishing and design/order of fabrication). Upon
completion of his first piece he have the confidence to start
self-teaching if he so desires. Said person will still be quite a
way off from basic metallurgy, milling their own materials, and any
advanced techniques, let alone proficiency in basic work.
I might suggest that Mr. Fine try finding a classroom environment to
begin his endeavors, a bit of googling brought this forward;
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/3c
Jewelry making is an expensive undertaking in good times, in tough
times it can break your back. If you are poor-mouthing now, it will
not bode well for getting your career off the ground.
Sell the electromelt and pay for some education, It would be a
better spend of your money. If you have access to tufa and feel that
it would be of value to jewelers, figure out how to package and ship
it successfully and then sell blocks on eBay. That would also serve
to fund your education.
Best of luck!
Jean pSmith