Oi, silversmiths!!

[michiexile]

Borromean rings
Originally uploaded by michiexile

I know you're out there. At least peura and thette do things with silver.

I want this. I want it in silver, and preferably as a pendant or a pin. And I want it with disjoint rings that hang together by the topology of the construction.

Is it possible to get pointers from you on how to do it, or whether you are able to pull it off nicely? If I say please? Please?

Comments

[pozorvlak.livejournal.com]

It's been a long time (about 14 years) since I did any silverwork, but I don't think it should be too hard. Start with a single ring for practice, then work up - silver's not too expensive. Basic ring-making technique is (IIRC) cut a length of thick wire to the right length, then weld the ends together. I don't think a soldering iron would be hot enough, but a Bunsen burner would - the trick would be getting it focussed tightly enough and handling it with enough dexterity. We used things that were essentially thin Bunsen burners with handles. And prior to welding, you cover it with some white stuff... er... dunno the name, to exclude air, I think. Anyway, having melted the ends together, you cool it by plunging it into water, then beat/file away the rough edges where you joined it. Now, you get a sort of conical metal spike, drop the ring onto it, and gently hammer it down the spike until it's a) circular and b) the right size.

For the Borromean rings, I'd guess you'd want to make all three (making one ever so slightly too large), then cut through one with a hacksaw, join the other ones onto it, then re-weld the one you cut. Then hammer them a bit so they're bent like the ones in the picture and don't slip out of place.

Now, let's hear the real answer from thette and peura :-)

[peura.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm just a beginner at using heat when working with silver (which is required for bending thick stuff and for welding...), but I think pozorvlak's approach sounds reasonable :-) The hard part would be joining the rings at the end, I think (depending on how thick you make them). Or perhaps hammering them to the right shape at the end. Welding a ring is easy-peasy, you just need the materials and tools. I could give it a shot at the course, it could be nice practice.

I probably could make it in PMC too, but I can't promise that it will be as smooth, and it would have to be much smaller since PMC silver costs twice as much as ordinary silver...