Level: Intermediate and above
Requirements: Basic Metalsmithing Skills
Program: Fall
Status: Open
Length: 3 Days
Tuition: $ 450
Materials: TBA
Date: September 24, 2010 - September 26, 2010
Time: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location: Metalwerx

Created for people who want to become comfortable working with Argentium Sterling Silver sheet and wire, this workshop will teach a variety of techniques including annealing, soldering, fusing, and hardening. Argentium Sterling has superb fusing qualities, so demos will include fusing granules to sheet, sheet to sheet, wire to wire, and gold to Argentium Sterling. Argentium Sterling is wonderful for Keum Boo, since the surface does not need to be heated and pickled as extensively as traditional sterling prior to application of the gold foil.

Following demonstrations, participants will have time to make their own technical samples and/or finished jewelry projects during the class. Students with basic jewelry and metalsmithing skills, as well as professionals, are welcome.

About Argentium Sterling Silver: This exciting metal is a sterling alloy that is at least 92.5% pure silver. It does not firescale, is highly tarnish resistant, is more malleable and ductile than traditional sterling, fuses and welds more easily than traditional sterling, and can be hardened using a kitchen oven.

About Keum Boo (also Kum-Boo or Kum-bu): Keum-boo is an ancient Korean gilding technique used to apply thin sheets of gold to silver. Traditionally, this technique is accomplished by first depleting the surface of sterling silver to bring up a thin layer of fine silver. Then 24 carat gold foil is applied with heat (hot plate, torch, or UltraLite kiln) and pressure (burnishing).

Cynthia Eid, an internationally recognized metalsmith for over 35 years (www.cynthiaeid.com), has been working with this alloy since the year 2000, and is the author of the technical guide to Argentium Sterling used by Rio Grande, as well as articles published by the Society of North American Goldsmiths in SNAG News and Art Jewelry magazine.

Materials & Tools

Tools And Supplies For Students That Will Be Supplied By The Instructor

Estimated material fees will be provided closer to registration, due to the volatility of the prices of precious metals.

• Argentium Silver Solder
• A piece of Goddard's Long Shine Silver Cloth
• 1" x 6" 24 gauge AS sheet
• 1" x 3" 20 gauge AS sheet
• 24" 20 gauge round wire
• 12" 18 gauge round wire
• 6" 16 gauge round wire
• 6" 14 gauge round wire
• gold for kum boo
• 2" 18KYG for fusing

Tools and Supplies for Students to Bring to Workshop

Metal:

• Students may wish to bring additional Argentium Sterling, according to the gauges and scale that are usually comfortable.
• Additional Argentium Sterling will be available for purchase at the workshop.
• Sources for Argentium Sterling include: Rio Grande, Stuller, Allcraft, G & S Metals, and Hauser and Miller. Though there are other sources, take care not purchase anything that is sold as "like Argentium Silver" or "the same as Argentium Silver". Since this is a patented and licensed alloy, such claims are not reliable.
• Techniques for working with Argentium Sterling will be discussed and demonstrated. Participants may do samples, or work on a piece that expands on one of the demos, or a design/project of their own choice.
• Students may wish to bring a bit of gold scrap or wire for soldering or fusing to Argentium Silver. 18K, 22K and 24K are easier to fuse to AS than 14K.

Tools and Supplies

• Safety glasses and dustmask
• ruler, paper, pencil, fine tipped permanent marker
• Broad-tip Sharpie marker for annealing (useful as a temperature indicator)
• files
• abrasive paper and sanding sticks
• Jeweler's saw and blades, Saw blade lube
• wire cutter
• 3 "dishes" or containers to hold solder chips, such as yogurt lids
• close-toed shoes (safety in case of dropping something hot, sharp, or heavy)
• barrettes and elastic bands for long hair
• 1 or more clean "shop cloths", such as an old towel, (to save on paper towels, and to wrap up your samples at the end of the workshop
• optivisor or clip-on magnifier-recommended by instructor for fusing

Students might also wish to bring

• metal shears (Hand-held) The instructor recommends Joyce Chen shears, which may be purchased from Allcraft, or at some kitchen suppliers
• Pliers, such as round nose, Chain nose pliers flat, and Half-round/flat combination pliers--- if you have them
• apron
• Camera
• Dividers and/or compass
• Scribe
• Favorite flex shaft tools
• Favorite soldering tools (poker, tweezers, ...)
• A soldering board dedicated to Argentium Silver.
• Instructor recommends Solderite for soldering, and platinum blocks or silquar/ceramic for fusing.

Participants may wish to prepare for the workshop by reading the following article, which offers a good introduction: "Road Testing Argentium Sterling" (Art Jewelry magazine, Sept. 2006)--- available on-line at www.cynthiaeid.com and www.argentiumsilver.info

*The technical guide offered by Rio Grande is a more detailed article.

Note: If you are flying to the workshop, be sure to put your tools in a checked bag, rather than carry on.