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ALLIGATOR CLIPS FOR THIRD HAND

Great for jewelry making.  Hold the piece in place while your work on it.
Priced per piece.

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Piercing is the term used when the metal is sawed out leaving an openwork design, or when the background is sawed out leaving the design in the metal.

Transfer the pattern to the metal.

Make depressions with the center punch in the sections which are to be pierced.

Insert the twist drill in the chuck of the hand drill and drill holes marked by the punch. Care must be taken in selecting the drill so the size of the hole will not destroy the traced line of the design.

Set the saw blade in the lower jaw of the saw frame.

Thread the blade through the drilled hole nearest the center of the design.

Support the metal against the lower jaw of the frame while inserting the loose end of the blade in the upper jaw of the frame.

Saw out the section.  Follow the directions under sawing.

Return the saw frame to the horizontal position.

Loosen the blade from the upper jaw, and remove from the pierced section.

Insert the end as before through another drilled hole.

Repeat as above until the design or the background has been pierced.

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Soldering is a process used to hold metal pieces together by using another metal or combination of metals which melt and flow at a lower temperature than the metal to be joined.

For these projects soft solder of tin and lead is used. Pure tin is used as solder only with sterling silver, as it is the color of silver and retains its brilliance. To help the flow of the solder and to keep the metal in condition when heated, a substance called flux is necessary. The flux referred to here is in paste form.

An electric soldering iron, or electric plate, will heat the metal enough so the solder will flow on the parts to be joined. Wire or small pieces of metal may be soldered with the iron. The electric plate is used for large areas of metal, or that of heavy gauge which cannot be heated enough with the iron. The metal to be joined must be held firmly until it cools.

Soldering irons can be obtained in several different types with replacement tips. The copper tip of the iron must have a thin coating of solder before it can be used. This process is called tinning.

Tinning the iron

Heat the iron.  Turn off the electric current. File the hot tip until it is a bright copper on all surfaces. Reheat the iron.  Rub the hot tip in the flux and solder until a thin coat of solder covers all surfaces of the tip.

Soldering wire joints and small pieces of metal

Hold the metal pieces firmly together.  Pick up the solder with the tip of the iron and place on the joint.  Heat the metal until the solder flows.

Sweating a sawed design of metal to a metal background

Clean and flux one side of the metal sheet from which the design is to be sawed. Lay pieces of solder on the fluxed surface. Place on a screen and hot plate until the solder flows. Spread the solder with a hot iron to form a thin coat on the metal. Rinse in water and dry. Saw the design and file all edges smooth.

Clean and flux the background sheet. Clamp the design to the sheet and soldered surface down. Place on a screen and hot plate until the solder melts. This is shown when a thin light line appears between the two metals. Let cool before removing the clamps.

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Coils of wire can be made on mandrels of various sizes and shapes. The simplest is the coil of round rings made of round wire. There are many uses for the coil. When sawed into rings it may be made into a chain. By pulling the wire on both ends to stretch the coil, an open wavy coil results, which may be curved or bent to follow a line for decoration. The open coil may also be flattened into a decorative band of overlapping rings. A cone shaped coil can be made on a round pointed mandrel (knitting needle). These may be used for pendants to give movement and interest to a design and are sometimes used as a fringe for an edge.

The jig

Select a round steel mandrel the diameter of the coil de¬sired. Place between two blocks of soft wood parallel with the grain of the wood.  Press the blocks between the jaws of the table vise to form a groove in each block. Remove the mandrel from the blocks, and file a groove at a right angle to the groove made by the mandrel.

Coiling the wire

Place the mandrel between the blocks in the groove letting the end extend beyond the blocks about 1/2 inch. Hold the blocks in the jaws of the table vise tight enough to hold the blocks but loose enough so the mandrel will turn and move out of the groove as the wire is coiled. Make a few coils on the end of the mandrel.   Clamp the mandrel and coils in the jaws of the hand vise. Hold the loose end of the wire in the filed groove during the coiling process to guide the wire and to keep the coil even. Use the hand vise as a handle to turn the mandrel to form the coil.

The blocks holding the mandrel are held in the bench vise. The protruding end of the mandrel is held in the hand vise, and the coil is formed by turning the hand vise. The wire is held taut and is guided by the left hand.

Round Wire Coils

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Often a design calls for a twist of given length, sometimes a tight or loose twist. To determine the length to cut the wire is important. The gauge of the wire as well as the number of twists the wire is given will determine the length of the finished piece.
When round wire is used, two or more lengths are necessary for the twist. A rope-like effect may be obtained by twisting a single length of flat or square wire. All wire should be annealed.

Twisting wire 18 gauge or lighter

Measure the amount needed for the twist. Loop the wire length in the center, and insert the two loose ends through the hole in the spool. Hold the ends in the jaws of a table vise. Insert a small steel rod through the loop of wire, and pull the wire taut. Hold the spool firmly against the rod. Turn the rod to twist the wire.

Twisting wire 16 gauge or heavier

Hold the looped end of the wire in the jaws of the hand vise. Clamp the loose end in the jaws of the table vise. Turn the hand vise to twist the wire.

To determine the length

In cutting the wire for a definite length of finished twist, the following examples have been given of two round wires of different gauges and lengths.

18 gauge, 26 inches, twisted 50 times, gives 11 1/8, inches
18 gauge, 26 inches, twisted 75 times, gives 9 5/8 inches
18 gauge, 14 inches, twisted 50 times, gives 5 1/4 inches
20 gauge, 14 inches, twisted 50 times, gives 4.7/8^ inches

Twisting fine wire

Twisting heavier wire. The wire is annealed. It is held taut while being twisted but will break if it is twisted too tightly.

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A flat coiled unit is usually made of round wire. It may be the foundation of an article and is often used for decoration, either as a single unit or several combined to make a pattern.

The wire ends of the unit may be turned under at right angles to form staples so that it can be used as a decorative stud on leather or fabric. The unit may hang as a pendant or several may be linked together to form a chain.

The jig
14 gauge or heavier metal sheet. Saw a 1 inch disk or larger. Drill a hole in the center of the disk the size of the mandrel which determines the size hole in the center of the coil. File a notch in the edge of the hole the size of the wire to be used for the coil.

Coiling wire 18 gauge or lighter

Cut a wire length, and insert the end and mandrel 1/2 inch through the hole in the disk, and the wire in the notch. Bend the annealed wire around the mandrel, and hold both the wire and the mandrel in the jaws of the hand vise.  Wind the wire to make the coil by turning the vise. Keep the coil flat with the thumb of the left hand while coiling.   Each ring must touch the ring just made and lie flat on the disk. Place the hand vise in the jaws of the table vise.   Insert the end of the mandrel in the hole of the setting tool. Tap the end of the setting tool to flatten the coil.   Repeat this operation often to keep the coil flat.

Coiling wire 16 gauge or heavier

Insert the wire end and mandrel through the hole in the disk.   Hold as described above. Place a hand vise in the jaws of the table vise. Hold the loose end of the wire in the right hand, and wind on the disk.

The setting tool

Saw a short length of hard wood rod (a broom handle). File one end smooth and flat and finish with sandpaper. Drill a hole in the center larger in diameter than the man¬drel and deeper than the length of the mandrel.

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Following are the basic processes for all jewelry making.

Cleaning and filing keep the metal in condition for sawing and soldering which are construction processes, and for wire working which is a decorative process. Polishing and lacquering are finishing processes which bring out the technique of construction, and if well done, enhance the beauty of the article.

Sawing

Sawing with a jeweler’s saw blade set in a jeweler’s saw frame is used for metals which are too heavy in gauge or too intricate in pattern to be cut with shears. This type of saw can be used for straight, curved or angular lines which often form the outline and shape of the design. The saw blade comes in several different sizes. The coarsest used in this book is # I and the finest #0.

The thickness of the metal must be greater than the distance between the teeth of the blade to prevent the metal from becoming wedged between the teeth, and the saws from bending and breaking.   For example, saw 18 gauge metal with a # 1 saw blade.

Transferring the pattern to the metal

Transfer the traced pattern with carbon paper and a hard pencil.  Scratch the traced design into the metal.  Wipe the metal with a damp cloth to remove the carbon lines. 

Setting the blade in the frame

The worker should be directly in front of the V in the bench pin with the shoulder about 3 inches above the bench top.  With the frame in a horizontal position, place the upper arm of the frame in the V of the bench pin. Hold and press the handle against the body and clamp one end of the blade in the lower jaw. Press the frame, clamp the loose end in the upper jaw. Release the pressure. The blade must be taut.

Sawing the pattern

The right arm holding the saw frame vertically should be directly in front of the bench pin. Use the full length of the blade when sawing straight or curved lines.   For angles use the center of the blade with short strokes in one place to make a space in which to turn the blade.

Place the blade in the lower jaw, teeth pointing down toward the handle and away from the frame. Press the arms of the frame toward each other while inserting the blade in the upper jaw.

Saw with a vertical stroke, the blade always perpendicular to the metal.
 
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