Raw Materials for Down & Dirty: Essential Soldering Techniques
Interested in or already registered for the Down & Dirty: Essential Soldering Techniques online course? Here are the raw materials you'll need!
Without knowing what size stone you're using in your setting and the exact size or shape of the motif you'll be piercing, I cannot give you exact size specifications for the silver sheet you need. However, here you'll find the basic raw materials you'll need to create a well constructed, embellished setting like I do in this mini-course.
I recommend choosing your stone first and ordering your silver to accommodate it and any embellishment templates you plan to use.
Sterling Silver Sheet, 22g, Dead Soft - BACKPLATE
I used this 22g sheet for my the backplate on my setting. The size I used was approximately 2" long x 1.5" wide.
Sterling Silver Sheet, 22g, Dead Soft - PIERCED EMBELLISHMENT
This is the same silver sheet you'll order for your backplate. This piece needs to be significantly smaller- the one I used in this course was approximately 1.25" tall x 1" wide. (Note: you can order one larger piece and use it for both the backplate AND the pierced embellishment.)
Sterling Silver 8.1mm Round Closed Ring- OPTIONAL/BAIL
This is a good example of a large jump ring that would make a nice bail should you choose to make your embellished setting into a pendant. You do not need these if you're making a ring.
Sterling Silver #4 Low-Dome Wire, Dead Soft- OPTIONAL/RING
This is the ring stock I used to make my band on the final ring. This is optional- you do not need this if making a pendant.
.999 Fine Silver 1/8" Bezel Strip, 26-Ga., Dead Soft
Without knowing the height of your stone, I cannot determine the exact height of bezel wire you'll need. Choose one that is tall enough to sit approximately 1mm (or slightly less) taller than the edge of the stone with which you're working. I personally prefer bezel wires that are 26g-28g thick, but this is also up to you. Check the "Specifications" section on the product page to determine what gauge you're ordering.
Silver Sheet Solder, Hard
Hard sheet solder. You'll use this to solder your bezel closed. The minimum order from Rio Grande will be more than enough for this course.
Silver Sheet Solder, Medium
Medium sheet solder. We will be using this for attaching our bezel to our baseplates as well as for bonding all embellishments to our setting.
.925 Sterling Silver Casting Grain- OPTIONAL
This is an optional choice for those who would like to play around with casting grain for embellishment as opposed to melting scrap down into balls. Grain can also be hammered flat to create the appearance of sequins or discs. If you want to skip this, you'll simply cut up and melt the scrap from your baseplate and pierced motif and use that instead. Both options work well!
Silver Sheet Solder, Medium
We'll be using quite a bit of this for this project. I'd recommend purchasing 2x2 or 2x3 inches so that you have plenty for practice and play.
Silver Sheet Solder, Hard
I only use hard solder in this course for closing up the bezel, so the minimum order that Rio allows of 2"x1" will be plenty.