I've been making lots of dichroic pendants lately and have been drilling a hole in the top and putting a silver plated jump ring in the hole for a chain.
My arthritic hands will not permit me to even attempt wrapping so this is, I feel, my only solution.
I'm using 60-40 solder and cleaning the jump rings afterwards with Giraffee Joos or Classic NeutraCLEAN.
I sold several dozen to a store this past week. A couple of days later the owner called me a said a customer loved the pendant but thought the ring was "tarnished." I admit there is a tiny bit of discoloration but it certainly doesn't look "tarnished."
Any suggestions for bright, shiney jump rings?
Judy
If you have a Dremel or Flexshaft, use a tiny muslin buff with a little bit of rouge on it to touch them up.
The solder joint is probably going to show, though. Silver jump rings are meant to be silver-soldered with a torch and silver solder. Silver-soldering those puppies without breaking the glass would be a challenge. You could cover them with something like Kool-Jewel (and pray alot) or even fiberblanket, but I still think you might have a problem. The flow point of extra easy silver solder is around 1200F-1300F I think.
Another option would be to see if you could get them soldered using a "Sparkie" (they're in the Rio Tools catalog) and silver solder-filled jump rings. I've heard various reports about whether or not they really work and don't own one myself. But it is an option that would allow you to solder the jump rings without heating the glass, assuming of course that it works.
If you need more info, Judy, please feel free to email me.
I put them into my small tumbler and tumble away for couple of hrs. be sure to use stainless steel shot and water with alittle dish soap in it. I've even fused the sterling silver inbetween the layers and then made jump rings and put the glass and all in. work great
Hope this helps
If you have a Dremel or Flexshaft, use a tiny muslin buff with a little bit of rouge on it to touch them up.
Geri,
I do have the Dremel with Flexshaft. I don't want to appear completely stupid, but do you buy the "tiny muslin" for buffing or is that something you make with muslin and use it with your Flexhaft?
Good question, Judy! I forget that not everyone is part jeweler on this board sometimes. LOL.
You can buy them from a jewelry supply place.
They're in the current Rio Tools catalog on p. 398-399. I'd try both the white and yellow buffs...not sure which will do better for you for that application.
You'll also need a screw mandrel as found on p.374.
Red Rouge is on p. 405.
When you're done, wash them with warm water and soap to remove the residual rouge.
I just thought of something else...if it's not too badly oxidized, a rouge cloth might work...
"drilling a hole in the top and putting a silver plated jump ring
I'm using 60-40 solder and cleaning the jump rings afterwards with Giraffee Joos or Classic NeutraCLEAN.
Any suggestions for bright, shiney jump rings?"
My wife is a jewler, so I asked.
First, she hadn't heard of silver plated wire. Conisdering the part of an inch needed for a jump ring - would sterling be unrealistic economically?
Is your silver plated wire sold as sterling or fine silver? It is not impossible that it is not the chemical silver [I hate posting stuff like this when I don't know the person - I could be WAY off base, and I understand that] in which case you could clean and buff till your hands ache [worse] and still be fighing a chemical effect that could not be fixed.
Second, the only 40-60 solder I know is plumbing solder; lead based. Is this the "new" plumbing/copper solder?
The thing that would be best for sterling wire jump rings would be the soft silver solder from someplace like Rio Grande. It can't be done with a soldering iron, but there are mini torches that are very good for single-purpose jobs like this.
I hate answers that miss the point of the question.. and go on and on, farther and farther from it. If I've become guilty of my own pet peve... just [ gently ] say so.
Until I read the last post, I missed the part about the jump rings being silver PLATED. I thought they were solid sterling. If you decide to rouge buff them, be super-careful or you could buff the plating away.
Is there a reason you're not using sterling jump rings? They really aren't that expensive. Take a look in the Rio "Gems and Findings" catalog or email me and I'll give you their price based on the size you want.
The rings I'm using are NOT sterling silver. I believe the package said silver plated. Regarding the solder, it's the same solder I used in my old stained glass days. Personally, the rings look good to me when I've finished cleaning them.
I was just wondering if anyone had a better solution.
I had a local jeweler put 14kt gold rings on several of my pendants and he charged me $10.00 each so I'm staying away from the jeweler.
I had a local jeweler put 14kt gold rings on several of my pendants and he charged me $10.00 each so I'm staying away from the jeweler.
Judy
..............................
I dont begrudge a local jeweler that kind of pricing for doing work- he's making a living, running a business [ ya ta ta, we know there's more to the selling price than the material cost ].
The trick is to cut the cost of a quality product. My wife always makes her own jump rings -saves even more, but you are trying to reduce small muscle hand work, so I'd follow up on the post above and just buy them. Your product is going to be MUCH better for it.
If it were me, because of the way I'm put together, I'd go to the store I sold to and offer to replace all the rings. Gotta be good for business in the long run.
I used to make pieces with split rings and found that they caught on my clothes and snagged them all the time. So I finally learned to solder jump rings. LOL.
If you were to buy some sterling silver wire you can fuse it right into your cab/pieces and then make a jump ring using a thicker one. The ones I've made look tarnished when out of the kiln thats....when I pop em into the tumbler and when they come out they are absolutly beautiful. Doesn't hurt the glass either. Hope this helps!!!!
I have already replaced anything she was the least bit dissatisfied with and still have a very happy customer.
My next order I may get the sterling silver rings.
I have used the split rings without soldering them and, like Geri, they have caught on things and one time I bent over; my chain caught on something and when I came up the split ring split. I think the solder offers a bit of insurance.
I just ordered a catalogue from Rings n Things. Maybe they will also have sterling silver rings.
If you use the split rings and make sure the "split" part is inside the hole you've drilled can you avoid the problem of catching it on things? That's what I've been doing so far with no problems.
I admit there is a tiny bit of discoloration but it certainly doesn't look "tarnished."](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
but do you buy the "tiny muslin" for buffing or is that something you make with muslin and use it with your Flexhaft? 
