Make a textured silver ring in 30 minutes!

In this silversmithing tutorial video I show you how I make a Sterling silver ring by fusing it rather than soldering, and how you can create cool textures with just a blowtorch.

[@malcolmthompson9848]

Fusing bits of scrap to the shank before forming the ring will give a more striking effect. You probably know the following, but your followers might be interested. The dark color of the silver is caused by firescale or oxidation that has gone so deeply into the metal in this case as not to be able to be polished out. The best option to restoring the shine is to do "depletion gilding" which is done by heating the ring (dull, not red hot) and pickling (in nitric acid if you have it) and repeating this process 6-7 times. This will leach out the oxidized copper on the surface leaving a very thin film of fine (pure) silver. Hand polish this to a luster or gently brush with brass for a satin finish. Best of luck on your new channel.

[@HereWeAre__01]

Polishing with a dry brass brush will actually coat your silver in brass. You need to use soap with it to avoid this.

[@naalijewelry9231]

Yup. I've stopped using these brushes since I made this video. A handheld brush with soap and water is better. Using soap and water with these spinning brushes would make a mess, and you're pulling brass bristles out of your skin after using these because they keep breaking off even with low speeds. Safety goggles are essential.

[@shelleythompson8816]

Using a lazy Susan type soldering table looks like it would be helpful along with a white soldering board. They tend to absorb the heat keeping your piece evenly heated.

[@SA-pq4de]

What does quench mean

[@brainscrub7976]

It means to cool down very hot metal by dipping it in a liquid, in this case water.

[@nix2570]

Nice vid