[Jewelry making - Article 00103] - Re: [Orchid] Copper oxidation

[Zemyna Designs]

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>     Any coating will eventual come or wear off, including plating. 

    That's what I thought... 

>     The raw metal will turn the skin funny colors. It will corrode in
>     contact with dissimilar metals. This is the nature of the beast. 

    Yes... not good for crocheted necklaces or bracelets... but maybe
    longer-lasting when used for pendants or brooches? 

    Does it tend to corrode when in contact with "red brass" (90%
    copper, 10% zinc) or lead-free pewter (92% tin, 7.5% antimony, 0.5%
    copper)? (I'm sensitive to nickel, want to try using pewter as a
    white base metal to practice on instead, found a manufacturer of
    pewter sheet and wire 0.8 mm. [about 20-gauge] and thicker.) 

    I have a design idea for fabricating a pendant/pin that would
    involve one sheet each of copper, brass, and pewter. I would pierce
    different parts of a pattern into each of two of the sheets, then
    rivet them to a base of the third sheet. I think this would give me
    good practice piercing, sawing, filing, and finishing. Trying to
    solder copper, brass, and pewter together sounds impractical, hence
    the attempt to fabricate a cold connection. Not sure if riveting
    three sheets together is a good way to start, maybe I should think
    about cutting the base sheet to include tabs to fold up over the
    other two, and work them into the design somehow. I don't like to
    copy other people's projects, even for practicing, but sometimes end
    up frustrated because my own design ideas don't work out with the
    materials I've chosen. I'm thinking that the pewter will be the
    softest metal, so it should either be used for the middle layer,
    where it will be most protected (if I use tabs), or maybe the bottom
    layer, if I use rivets, so that any scratches that happen after the
    piece leaves my hands will most likely be on the back of the piece. 

>     If the piece is really experimental, I work out my ideas in copper
>     first then reproduce them in gold or silver. 

    I am basically practicing with copper before working with silver
    (hopefully gold will be somewhere in my future). 

>     Every metal has its characteristics and limits. The fun is in
>     learning how far you can go before hitting those limitations. The
>     key: learn the nature of your materials. I love seeing what I can
>     get away with once I know what I can't get away with. Usually much
>     more than one thinks possible. 

    I'm happy that you're emphasizing that it can be fun! I am feeling
    anxious, keep reminding myself that even base metal mistakes can be
    sent back to the supplier for refining and re-use instead of tossed
    into a landfill. 

    I was blown away by these photos of fold-forming that I found while
    browsing: 

    http://brainpress.com/Foldforming.html 

    which seems to work beautifully in copper. Have you tried this
    technique? 

Fran
Zemyna Designs
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA
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