Turn Your Scrap Silver into Wire: A Silversmithing Tutorial

This tutorial shows how to cast ingots from scrap silver, forge them, roll them out through your rolling mill, and finally pull them through a drawplate to create usable silver wire. For this, you need a crucible, a torch that produces quite a bit of heat (probably an acetylene torch), an ingot mold, protective and safety equipment, and a well ventilated area. You also will need a rolling mill, draw tongs and a drawplate. Make sure you have considered all of the safety issues surrounding working with molten metal before you attempt this.
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casting a silver ingot
making your own silver wire
using your silver scrap
using a draw plate
Making Silver Jewelry
Making Jewelry
make jewelry at home
make silver jewelry
jewelry tutorial

[@bjones4097]

Another very informative video Chad. Thanks for the heads up on the use of the inexpensive mill i.e. keeping the gears engaged. I just purchased one and will be doing some rolling some wire soon. The mill I got, you don’t have to change the rollers to do wire. I will post a picture of it on discord. Thanks again!!

[@chadssilversmithing]

You must’ve gotten a combo mill. What brand did you get Bill?

[@bjones4097]

It’s a Vevor Chad.

[@JustME-ft4di]

Really useful video. Thanks! I got a Durston mill for Xmas and have just made a stand for it so hoping to play with it in the next week.

[@chadssilversmithing]

That's a nice gift! I wish Santa would bring me one:)

[@marebear61]

I love watching your videos! Just today in my mentored study class, we were told if you're going to squish your ingot before making wire or rolling it flat, one should pickle so the oxides from annealing don't get pounded into the metal. Makes sense to me!

[@marebear61]

Oh, and Happy Pi Day!

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thanks Marebear:). Good advice!

[@chadssilversmithing]

My favorite constant, and one of my favorite deserts as well:)

[@lindathomas2525]

Thanks for your reply Chad regards Linda

[@kristibbradshaw]

Great lesson. Thank you.

[@chadssilversmithing]

You’re welcome!

[@Gazz_R]

Fantastic demo! Great job Chad and thanks for sharing. Take care and have fun.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thanks Gazz!

[@kristibbradshaw]

It's time to anneal when the silver comes out of the mill. Just a good reference.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thanks Kristi!

[@melindakeith4103]

A great video, Chad! A basic all of us need to know! Thank you!

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thank you Melinda!

[@patredden4557]

Great video with lots of information, thanks so much.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thanks Pat! My arm is tired from all the forging and rolling:)

[@anthonygallegos4342]

I have the old 130 Pepe combination rolling mill.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Are you happy with it?

[@josephgraham319]

Feel the pain, I have the same mill, watching you change both roller is painful. I shredded two sets of rollers and or gears before I realized I was sending too thick of stock. So I bought another econ combo mill, accepts twice the thickness, no changing rollers. I have a few pattern rollers for the OG mill, cool results. Thanks for what you do!

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thanks Joseph! Which one did you end up getting that works better?

[@philippestory7601]

The main reason why people use a mill is the price of "ready to use" silver... In France ( I live in Brittany) the difference of price is largely worth the time !

[@chadssilversmithing]

Hello from Colorado! The fabrication markup can be significant:)

[@lindathomas2525]

Do you have a tutorial on what to do with raw silver and what to put with it to make it workable?

[@chadssilversmithing]

Hello Linda! I haven’t ever made my own Sterling, but the proportions are 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Probably just measure it out by weight, melt together and sprinkle a little borax into it.

[@anthonygallegos4342]

I use peanut oil in my ingot mold.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Next time I’ll try some organic oil. Probably smell better:)

[@seanmcguire6998]

I get chronic migraines 24/7. I usually can’t stand to hammer metal. Sometimes, the brain just doesn’t care. I totally sympathize with Chad’s wife.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thanks Sean!

[@JustME-ft4di]

I got a massive discount (several hundred £s off) in the Black Friday sale. Might be worth looking later in the year. Lucy Walker and Andrew Berry often have Durston discount codes.

[@zanepalmer8347]

Nice video. How do you deal with flux and dirty silver from sanding and filing?

[@chadssilversmithing]

A lot of it gets sold back for credit.

[@999fine4]

Great video. Are you strictly silver or do you work in other metals?

[@chadssilversmithing]

I occasionally use a bit of copper or brass, but I don't work with gold or platinum:)

[@Mazkay85]

Hahaha, I have the same mill as you 😅 even the boxes with the other types of rollers in, although mine has a smaller roller seperate and a sprout (for oil I presume). I intally couldnt figure out why the rollers were getting stuck on thicker gauge, then I saw the teeth. I love vintage tools and machinery. How long did it take you to get from 3inch to 30 inches in real time? Thanks Chad 😁

[@chadssilversmithing]

With annealing and rolling combined, probably about an hour:)