[Jewelry making - Article 00428] - Re: [Orchid] Byzantine chain patterns

[silvergrrl]

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    I, too, love making chains. I have found that care in cutting the
    links makes a huge difference in rough edges. If it's sterling, I
    use my Jump Ringer to cut them and make sure the blade is sharp. That
    way I have very little (if any) roughness to start with. Then I
    tumble the finished chain (rotary, with steel shot & burnishing
    compound) to get rid of remaining edges. 

    I don't solder these types of chains (Byzantine, Foxtail, etc)
    unless the links are large for the weave & so likely to catch & pull
    apart. For example, I make a tapered version of the Foxtail chain and
    solder all the links in the larger middle section. By Foxtail, I am
    referring to the weave that is like Byzantine but is a pattern of 4
    links instead of 6. It's a very neat square pattern. There is a
    picture of one on my website. 

    For soldering links, there's a trick to keeping solder from jumping.
    I use a very small flame (Little Torch, oxy-propane, tip size 4).
    Grasp the link to be soldered in locking tweezers to stabilize it and
    protect the other links, and give you both hands free. Take your
    soldering pick and dip it in your flux, then put just a drop or two
    of flux on the seam. Have little pieces of solder ready. Heat the
    seam gently so that the flux bubbles up then settles down, dip your
    pick in the flux again and pick up a piece of solder, then transfer
    the solder onto the seam. Heat again until it flows into the seam.
    Needless to say, the ends must be butted up tightly, preferably with
    no visible gap. Done well, you can't even see the solder. I have to
    give credit and thanks to DX Ross for teaching me this method. Once
    you get the hang of it, it goes pretty fast. Also, I solder link by
    link as I create the chain. Trying to go back afterwards is a real
    pain. 

    If I am working with fine silver, I saw by hand as I have found that
    the links fuse more consistently that way. I use brass tubing to
    wrap the links (tightly!! neatness counts!!), and then scoot the coil
    up to the edge and saw the links right on the tube. Works like a
    charm, as long as you are careful to saw on an angle and not catch
    the back of the other side. 

    My favorite chain books are Classical Loop in Loop Chains by Jean
    Stark and Josephine Smith and Chain Making Link by Link by Jeanne
    Jerousek-McAninch. 

    I also found some really excellent step-by-step instructions with
    great pictures at http://bijoux-de-terre.com/, clink on "For our
    students" on the left. They also have information about aspect
    ratios for different chains, which is quite useful. 

Ann Kinsinger
http://lilikoijewelry.com
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