Make a heavy base plate with a lot of solder joints!
This will satisify the skeptics that say
we must use the three grades of solder for complex multi joint pieces,
especially if pieces are solder on to a heavy base plate.
I decided to use 14 gauge square wire solder together to form a sheet
that most would consider a heavy base plate.
This base plate will consist of 46 pieces of 14 gauge square wire, 47 solder joints.
Step One
The Base Plate
Cut 2 1/4 inch lengths of 14 gauge square wire. Straighten them and place them on a charcoal block. I also decided to include a piece of twisted wire made from two pieces of 18 gauge round wire. This should just add a small punctionuation to the piece!
Flux the pieces and place nice large pieces of hard solder on each end.
Large pieces and lots of solder can be used, because we are using only hard solder. It will polish just like the sterling silver. It does not pit like easy and medium have a tendancy to do. Hard solder is as hard as sterling and will not "under cut" like as the softer easy and medium solder will. This is important because I want to put on a high polish on the front and back of this base plate. With 46 square wires being used to make, if easy solder was used it would begin to under cut, buff away, leaving a fine line between each wire piece.
Or at least that is what I beleive, any one wishing to take this challenge and use easy or medium solder would be most welcome!
Solder all the pieces together in the same way. I am using nothing but hard solder on the whole project, so of course this is all hard solder.
Part of my challenge to my self is that I want to use the $10.00 propane torch form Ace Hardware. The torch that I consider one of the worst torches to use for silversmithing. But i consider it to be the best torch to use to learn silversmithing. It is cheap enough for almost any one to begin making jewelry, and can make thousands of dollars worth of jewelry. I also believe they are one of the safest torches becuase of the small amount of gas and relative low pressure involved. Even thought the small disposable tanks are abour $3.00 they will last most silversmiths for at least 2 to 3 months, and hundreds of pieces of small jewelry, a little less on larger pieces like this. However, I do not recomend them for larger pieces such as heavy buckles and bracelets. I recomend a Smith Acetylene/Air torch for larger pieces and as students can afford to purchase them.
As you can see I left some openings that I plan to inlay with stone just to help make this piece even more complex and experimental! I most likely should have spent more time straighting the wire pieces, but I only have a limited amount of time also. No set limit of time, just a goal to finish this piece as fast as possible and with least amount of my time spent on a peice I have no intention of selling.
As the can see in the photo I wanted the twisted wire filled in to make it look as though it was sculpted in to the base.
This may proove to be a mistake. I will just have to see what happens to it as the piece gets polished. It will have a tendancy to fill in completely.
I just drew a circle to give me an idea of the size of the circle of this piece. Keeping in mind that I was going to dome this piece to make it even more difficult, complex and experimental.
