[Jewelry making - Article 00947] - Re: [Orchid] Magnesia soldering block

[Rick Copeland]

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>        To be real honest, I don't know the exact chemical makeup of
>     the bricks. I get them at a local brickyard. There, they're called
>     'silversmiths bricks'. They're 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 9" & weigh 1# 14
>     oz. They're soft enough that pins can be pushed in with your
>     fingers. While they're smooth, they have many holes that may be the
>     result of small air bubbles trapped when the bricks were cast. 

    This is the type of block I started soldering on years ago when I
    was a teenager (scary to think that was over thirty years ago).  What
    I like about them is that they can be carved to hold pieces at
    different height as well as hold balls and tubes in place.  For years
    I searched high and low for them and tried magnesia blocks and was
    disappointed with them.  Last year I found them at a jeweler's supply
    shop in Denver that I did business with 30 years ago and they still
    had them.  They call them Oven Bricks and I think sell them for $5.00
    each.  They lady who waited on me was taken aback a bit when I was so
    excited to find them.  I told her that I used to do business with
    them 30 years ago.  She told me her mom must have waited on me
    becasue she was too young to work in the store at that time...  ;-) 

    The store name is: 

	Maroon Bell Industries
	3400 Tejon Denver, CO 80211-3435
	(303) 433-2283

    I don't know if they do shipping but it would be worth a call. 

Rick Copeland
Silversmith and Lapidary Artisan
Colorado Springs, Colorado
http://home.covad.net/~rcopeland/


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