CHAPTER TWO

MATERIALS, TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

Materials

Today's silversmith is somewhat spoilt for choice when it comes to the supply and availability of precious metals for use in manufacture. The range of products is comprehensive and caters for most if not all of our current requirements. In addition, you can also order specific sizes, gauges, shapes and profiles for those one-off situations when individual design requirements must be met. The information below covers the main metals that are used in silversmithing.

Precious metals

The grades of silver listed below are available from bullion suppliers, along with an extensive range of carat golds, platinum and palladium.

Sterling silver

This is the most commonly used silver by most silversmiths; it is also known as 'standard silver' and contains 92.5 per cent fine silver mixed with other metal alloys representing the other 7.5 per cent (usually copper). Other alloyed metals sometimes partially replace the copper, usually with the intention of improving various properties of the basic sterling alloy, such as reducing casting porosity, eliminating firestain/firescale ( see Chapter 4) and increasing the silver's resistance to tarnish.

Various forms of bullion available. (Images courtesy of Cooksongold)

Britannia silver

This is softer than sterling silver and is used in situations where the demands on the metal are more severe, such as large, deep and complicated shapes for hand raising or spinning. Because of the higher content of fine silver (95.84 per cent), Britannia is less likely to crack and fracture during manufacture; as with sterling silver, the balance of alloy within this lovely quality of metal is normally copper.

Fine silver

This is 99.9 per cent pure silver with no alloy added, and although it is generally too soft for producing functional objects some silversmiths choose to work with fine silver, especially if extreme demands are to be placed on the metal throughout manufacture. However, we should mention that if you decide to use this pure metal you will need to consider designing your piece to compensate for its softness by increasing the gauge, also ensuring that the form and structure support your design.

Condiments made in Britannia silver by Gemma Daniels.

Folded vessel by Clare Ransom.

Base metals

Gilding metal

This is a copper alloy, comprising 95 per cent copper and 5 per cent zinc. It is used as a base metal alternative to silver. Its working properties are very similar and it is ideal for starting to learn the core techniques and processes of silversmithing without incurring the higher cost of silver. Gilding metal is also receptive to silver plating, so your time invested in producing some work in this base metal will provide a very good alternative silver artefact at a moderate cost.

Copper

Like fine silver, this can be used to manufacture items if the same principles are applied, with the obvious benefit of saving you the higher cost of buying silver. You can also do vitreous enamelling on copper plate, so it is a sensible metal to choose when learning about another specialist technique of the craft.

Brass

Brass is a very useful hard base metal; it cuts, turns and finishes well when used on an engineer's lathe. It is also used for making spinning chucks, as well as in the technique of spinning. Brass holds a crisp edge when sawing and filing and also polishes very well. Standard modern brass is 67 per cent copper and 33 per cent zinc. However, soldering can be difficult and sometimes silver plating struggles to adhere or strike to the brass, so please be aware of these potential issues.

Bronze

Bronze is available on the market in a wide range of grades; sometimes these are used for casting and fabrication, and also where patination is required to finish a design in base metal.

Other materials

Stainless steel

This is valued for its structural strength, hardness and durability, and it can be used in conjunction with silver but this has to comply to the current hallmarking rules (please check with your local assay office). It can also be used for making durable templates and patterns.

Silver chandeliers by Padgham & Putland, using a stainless steel skeleton.

Tea set by Richard Gamester on wooden (wenge) base.

Wood

Many hard and tropical woods are used in silverware. Lignum vitae, mahogany, beech, rosewood, padauk, oak, pear, African blackwood and many others can be used as bases of vessels, trophies and models, as well as for handles, insulators, decorative features and the like.

MDF

MDF is used for making trophy bases because it is a stable material and will hold and retain the shape it has been formed into; it is also very tolerant of different temperatures. Once fabricated and moulded it is then professionally sealed and sprayed with either paint or a polyurethane lacquer to achieve a high-lustre polish.

Model by Padgham & Putland, on a highly polished polyurethane base.

Roulette wheel by Padgham & Putland, using bird's eye maple veneer.

Wood veneer

Burr walnut and bird's eye maple veneer are just two examples of the many wood veneers available, usually covering an MDF base or substructure.

Glass

Glass is used in sheet and blown form. It can serve as a functional element within a design and is also valued for its visual and aesthetic qualities. Glass can be used for bases, as a component part of a design, for holding liquids - water, wine, juice and so on. It is universally popular, it remains a contemporary material and supports and enhances good design aesthetics.

Claret jugs by Martyn Pugh.

Steel: mild, silver and tool

This is widely used for making supportive components in manufacturing silverware on things like formers, spinning chucks, tools and jigs, punches, etc.

Cast iron and steel

These are predominately used for the casting or making of stakes for hand raising, seaming work, bespoke shapes and supporting tools when fabricating silverware designs. Many silversmiths make patterns in wood or MDF for stakes to be cast at a foundry. This requirement and activity incrementally helps you to build a good collection and range of stakes that will cater for all sorts of shapes and sizes that you will need for the variety of challenges and demands in manufacture. Such a collection will also save you a lot of money in comparison to retail prices for such tools.

Stone

Natural materials such as solid granite, marble or travertine are a good choice of material for bases of trophies, models and designs. The quality finish that is obtainable from such materials and its associated weight make them a good choice if funding permits; they are a natural partner to silver and work particularly well together.

Workshop stakes.

Malachite veneer by Richard Fox.

The silversmith's workbench.

Stone veneer

As an alternative, stone veneer is best used on a pre-formed aluminium base, and this has the obvious advantage of reducing the cost in comparison to solid stone. Semi-precious minerals such as lapis lazuli, malachite and other fragile and more expensive materials are also used in this way for commercial reasons.

Tools

Compared to jewellery making, a silversmith needs a larger range and scale of tools, equipment and machinery, and this of course will also take up greater floor and workshop space. Equally, the potential to generate more noise from your activities is a reality, so you should bear this in mind when deciding on where your workshop location will be. It is difficult to provide an ideal shopping list of the things you need because the requirements will vary depending on the nature of the work being undertaken.

The hammering room, The Goldsmiths' Centre.

Stakes - Padgham and Putland.

Hammers and stakes for raising.

However, the selection included below gives an insight into what could be considered necessary in a well-equipped silversmith's workshop. We are also mindful of the relevant costs involved but many of the things you need can be purchased second-hand, sourced from trade magazines, eBay or from silversmiths who have retired, perhaps, and want to pass on their heirlooms at moderate prices. This route is recommended; it is what most of us do when starting out in silversmithing.

Engineer's lathe.

Equipment and machinery

The equipment and machinery required is associated with most of the higher costs, as one might expect, but again, there are companies who specialize in buying in and selling on some fine quality products that are in very good working order, usually at moderate cost. You should carry out careful research when equipping your workshop, and it is...