I am going to try to answer the questions in one post, please bear with me:
Originally Posted by
Metalbestos
The turquoise color on the second pic looks amazing . I would love to see some of the jewelry your creating . Ever create any wedding bands or rings ? Keep up the great work ! They would look wild in a train garden
I'll post some pictures of some of the silver jewelry I have made on this thread, just check out below.
I have made rings for friends, one I am particularly proud of was a pink stone set in a palladium/silver alloy that I was able to cast so that it had a pink hue to the metal, and rings for a couple that I know, I'm glad you asked. It's actually a member on this forum that gave me the idea for a more grounded, down to earth version of the traditional wedding ring, his name is Ryan, I'm sure you all enjoy his posts. I used natural diamonds that were not cut, and set them in bezel settings. They came out really nice, again when I get a chance I'll post pictures. I also made a silver pipe with a dear horn bowl that comes apart and can be cleaned easy. I have made a few silver lighter cases. Neck chains using an ancient ringmail design. I have done reposse'/chasing, moving metal with plenishing/finishing hammers, vases, etc. This is something I have been doing in the time I am waiting for reactions to take place, or when I am waiting for some other process, and should be present while it's going on. I haven't posted anything prior as I am not really in a spot where I can make items on a regular basis, school and refining take up the majority of my time, and then I have other things that are going on that I am responsible for that I cannot neglect. I have been learning, and developing my skills in this area for the last few years and only now feel confident enough to post anything.
Originally Posted by
jimicrk
Scott, your trees are awesome! Do you sell your works of art?
Thank you, truly thank you, I really appreciate all the positive comments. Anyone can make a tree like this, or at least I believe anyone can. I didn't realize I had any talent until I tried. I always thought of people who were artistic, as being talented in a way that I am not, but I am finding that I have possessed some kind of latent talent. But more so, it's learning how to do these things, having the patience to do them, and then just simply doing them. I do sell the trees, and jewlerly I make, as well I make specific items for people who know me, and have known I have been doing this, and asked for something specific. If there is interest, I'll post some things I have that I would be interested in selling.
Originally Posted by
ilyaz
Scott these look great! I am assuming the process involves a lot of toxic chemicals. How do you protect yourself?
I recover and refine precious metals, while doing so I generate acidic gases that I then condense as much as possible, but then also process through a wet fume scrubber, then dry fume scrubber, and then finally exhaust as air far more clean than what you are breathing when you walk outside. Again, I know I say this a lot but honestly I am so swamped most of the time that I totally forget, if I remember and when I have time I will take pictures of the contraption I designed to submit the trees to the acidic gases I generate during processing. More or less what I did was to take a plexi tank with a lid, inserted a polypropylene seal on the inside with clamps around the outside so that I could close it without any air escaping. I run the exhaust from the reaction into the inlet in the box, then an exhaust from the box that continues to the wet fume scrubber. This enables me to subject the metal trees to the acidic gases without being exposed myself. When I remove the trees they are still technically reacting with the oxygen in the air, so I handle them with gloves, and set them aside to develop. When I first remove them, you can see the color has changed but not dramatically. After they have been exposed to oxygen, they start to change color. Within a few hours a copper tree like the one in the picture, starts to take on that green patina you see in the picture, over the next week it continues until it becomes almost fuzzy. At that point I either spray it with a sealant, or I knock off the excess oxidized metal (or what you might call rust) and wire brush it for a different looking finish. I am still learning about the different ways I can patina metal, but to my knowledge, I do not know of anyone else doing it in this way.
Originally Posted by
pjost
Love the trees Scott. Your thread got me wondering how long it takes BB copper to oxidize. According to answers.com about 20 years:
"It takes about 20 years for Copper to turn greeen in normal conditons. Here are a few ways to make Copper Turn Green Quickly. #1. In the summertime, spray it with a spritz bottle with a mixture of salt, vinegar and water every morning and night. Green in about 2 weeks. When you get the green you like, rinse it with a hot water spray twice a day for a week. Then polish it with felt or canvas and wax it. #2. To turn copper green spray with 1/2 strength Muriatic Acid . Sprinkle with kosher salt. Place in sun. With in 24 hours it will look like 100 years old. #3. Here's a patina formula I found online that will give copper that bluish-green antique look you desire: Take 8 ounces of salt and 8 ounces of ammonium chloride and mix them with a quart of vinegar. Mix in a half ounce of ammonia when you are ready to put it on the copper. Spread it on with a soft brush and let it sit for 24 hours. If you want it darker, repeat the formula and let it sit another 24 hours. When it's done and has sat for a full day, wash it down and protect it with wax or lacquer."
Edit: your trees and jewelry would be a cool addition to the "made from scrap" section of the forum
Hint, hint
As I stated above, after I remove the trees from the box that subjects them to acidic gases, I can see them oxidize and take color within an hour. Over the next 24 hours they gain the majority of the change they will have, but you can still see a significant enough change over the next week or so to justify allowing them to continue their oxidation process.
There are many different ways to patina metals, for copper one of the most popular is by using "liver of sulfur". It gives copper that dark burnt look you see so often at antique stores. The purpose of this is the same as bluing gun metal. It is to prevent oxidation, bluing a gun is actually an oxidation process to patina/oxidize the metal so that it does not rust and thus weaken the metal. It's the same concept. Some patina's are not only interesting to look at, but also functional.
I didn't even think to post them in that area. Moving forward, I think that's exactly what I will do. My business model has always been to stay small, but also increase my profit margin by taking recycled metals all the way from junk, to finished product. To this end I took some metal working classes so that I would better understand what jewelers and metal workers need in order to create what they do. The idea being to then produce metal in the forms that are most useful to the artists who use it, and then by doing so making the metal more valuable. For example, jewelers use sheets of silver/gold/platinum etc that they then cut out designs from to make jewelery from. Then also use small round balls of metal that they call grain, for casting. They also use different shaped wire from round, to half round, to triangle, to square, etc. Really thin flat wire for bezels, and the list goes on and on and on. This is how I got sucked into working with metals, but I have yet to regret it. In any case, your suggestion is idea for this type of post, and appreciated.
Originally Posted by
Abuilder
COOL……
I wonder if you dipped the top half of one of the steel trees into very used AP the copper should take to it. Like a copper patina?
I use a pickle made of SMB, a different one for copper as opposed to silver. If, after I have pickled enough copper in the copper pickle, I put a piece of silver in the pickle, it will chemically plate copper onto the silver. Of course that's not ideal, I would rather plate silver onto copper. But regardless, you can use chemical processes to plate some types of metals onto others. You can also use a plating tank, which I have done. I have plated a copper tree in silver, which I need to take pictures of, it came out fairly amazing, and then I subjected it to silver nitrate so that it took on a fuzzy white patina.
Even more interesting, I have recently become interested in, and have done some work in what is called electroforming. Where organic material is plated in precious metals, for example a gold/silver or platinum plated rose. I am planning on doing this with four leaf clovers as I found a place where I can get seeds, that tend to produce a majority 4 leaf clovers after the second generation. I figure a real four leaf clover that has been plated in a precious metal and will last forever might be novel enough that people would want to buy them.
I am also doing things like developing my own precious metal clay, where you take a metal clay, form it into whatever form you want, and then put it in a kiln between 600-900 degrees so that it burns off the organic binders, and fuses into one pure piece of metal. This is already being done, but I am developing a version slightly differently formulated that has less shrinkage, and also in alloys not currently available, or at least I hope! It's going on a 4 year project, but if I am able to complete it should be a very interesting product.
As well I am doing other things, but it's hard. I am back in college with the intent of gaining a degree in chemistry, as there are no metallurgical degrees offered in the state of California, and then perhaps a degree in material handling and chemical engineering. But I am in my 40s, and to be attending college at my age is a little bit difficult, so I am playing it all by ear and not becoming too attached to any one direction. I prefer to allow things to happen on purpose, than to force something to happen that closes the other doors before I'm able to explore the possibilities if that makes any sense. To say the least, it's all really interesting otherwise I wouldn't be even attempting any of it.
I have to say I didn't think I would get the response I have, I really appreciate it. It does the heart well to say the very least.
Scott
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