Tutorial: Sterling Silver Wave Cuff Bracelet

Tutorial for making a sterling silver cuff bracelet with a wave design.
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[@malcolmthompson9848]

Best practice for sweat soldering is to heat the thickest piece and draw the solder from the soldered piece to the non-soldered piece. In this case, putting the bracelet on a screen and heating from below would give the best chance of complete bonding and it might reduce the amount of firescale on the visible surface. Also note that every time you melt solder, you slightly increase the melting temp of that solder.

[@genechavez3253]

Very nice work and I like your technique!

[@themacz1671]

Very nice work thanks for sharing your skills 👍👍

[@jarlathmcnee3833]

Thank you, great elegant project, covering basic skill used to full effect. Beautiful

[@vladimirkovacevic1656]

awesome bracelet

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

Thank you

[@tahomyjo]

Hello! Love your cuff and hope you can help me ? I’m not sure what length I need to cut the silver because if I’m adding a gap then can’t I cut the silver shorter because of the gap? I’m using low dome wire so I don’t want to cut anymore than I have to because it’s shaped and expensive. If it was just flat sheet it wouldn’t matter cause I could melt it down but want to save as much as I can of this shape wire.

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

Well as a general rule of thumb: For a seven inch wrist you would want 6 inches of low dome wire and have a 1 inch gap. For a 6.5 inch wrist you would need 5.75 of silver and a 0.75 inch gap. Also remember that these type of cuffs are quite adjustable and the gap can be expanded or contracted to allow for a more custom fit. Good Luck

[@lenastiward8657]

Could you texture the wave piece prior to sweat soldering? Just curious. I would be nervous to slip and mar the under piece.

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

Yes I believe you could but it is pretty easy to do after, there is a ridge from the sweat soldered piece that helps to prevent slipping onto it.

[@ItzScoli]

If I wanted to order the exact silver pieces you used what sizes are they? I’m having trouble figured out what I’m ordering on rio grande. I have a client that wants a silver smithed cuff type bracelet and I think this would be amazing for it. I’ve never done any silver smithing before so this is going to be an adventure for me lol

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

Google sizing stock I don't believe that Rio sells sizing stock in sterling silver. The places I get it don't sell to the general public, Stuller Inc. or Hoover and Strong. The size used for this cuff is 10mm wide by 2mm thick.

[@esclerovida615]

Beautiful job! Thank you for the video, I learnt a lot!!!

[@maudale]

Thank you for sharing!

[@lynnettekutzleb5219]

Thank you Pat! Love your work!

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

thank you

[@Christine-rg2ev]

This is a brilliant tutorial. I wish I had watched it before I spoiled a copper cuff bracelet I was making using this technique (I am a beginner so I test everything in copper first). When you solder the wave part to the base, how do you know when to stop heating it?

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

Look at the edges of the wave you should see a flash of solder on the edge all the way around.

[@Christine-rg2ev]

Thanks, Pat. I think I did not have the little solder pieces close enough to the edges.

[@tanviranjum6463]

How much cost it will be around, my brother?

[@susane945]

Gorgeous! You're so creative and very talented. Thanks for sharing your skills with us! 😊😊☀️

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

Thank you that is very nice of you to say.

[@ClydeTheLuckyCat]

Thank you this was very helpful. May I ask what gauge sterling are you using? Also, where could I find a rotating fire stone like that? I've looked around and can't find one.

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

Thank you Ellen: The base is sizing stock that is 2mm thick or 12 gauge, For the top accent I use 22 gauge sterling silver sheet, you can go up to 20 gauge if you prefer. The rotating soldering station can be found at many places Rio Grande has them, so does Contenti and many other places.

[@ClydeTheLuckyCat]

@@patcahillmetalworks322 Thanks so much. I was looking for a rotating annealing block. no wonder I couldn't find it LOL. I'm going to try my hand at this with copper. Thanks so much for the great videos.

[@mugshot1970]

If i was making this for a wrist of 15cm circumference, how big would the gap need to be?

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

About 2 cm

[@rommelpangilinan829]

nice vid,thanks

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

Thank you too!

[@tonyandbevjordan7363]

Thank you for such great videos. Bev.J. N.Z.

[@EliseJens]

great work, Pat! You mentioned your cuff was over 6 inches long... exactly how long did you make it? Mens or womens?

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

Hello Elise, this cuff can be for a man or a woman, I made this one for a client that wanted a cuff for a 7 inch wrist. The sterling silver was 6 inches long and had a gap of 1.25 inch which can be adjusted to obtain a custom fit. I hope that answers you question.

[@parkerstafford1515]

Huh

[@lindagoldberg2325]

What kind of burr did you use to get the matte finish?

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

I used a diamond burr

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

Doh sorry I misread your question the matte finish is made with a red wheel, the textured finish is the one that uses a diamond burr.

[@someoneyoudontknow7407]

Is there a place I can order one of these?

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

That particular one sold but I do have a very similar one available at my web site here is a link to that product: patcahillmetalworks.com/product/wave-cuff/

[@tammygurl64]

❤️❤️❤️

[@sandragusmao7778]

Show

[@dianneharris2234]

What gauge is your bracelet blank and wave. Thanks Dianne

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

The base is sizing stock that is 2mm thick or 12 gauge, For the top accent I use 22 gauge sterling silver sheet, you can go up to 20 gauge if you prefer.

[@Ydocsalguod]

What's the bottom stock? Silver?

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

Sterling silver the whole cuff is made from sterling silver

[@iwoncin]

Is it possible to sweat solder using paste solder?

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

I never use paste solder I don't like it

[@patcahillmetalworks322]

I should explain a bit more sorry. I tried paste solder once and I didn't like the results, it actually left small pits in the silver, I have never used it after that. But I should say that I only used it once so I am no expert on its application your results may be different.

[@iwoncin]

@@patcahillmetalworks322 Thank you, Love your work