First bracelet attempt prior to bending

[Roger B]

I've not worked with Niobium. Does it work harden quickly? Another thought is that when the bracelet is shaped the oval cavity will elongate but the insert will not.

I do however wish you the best of luck and would like to see the end result.

Roger

 

[Brian Marshall]

IF it works... and it may - if there's enough metal there on the ends to cover the stretch - why would you insist on doing it the hard way?

It can be done correctly with a quarter of the time and effort, NO RISK and still get exactly the same "look".


B.

 

[peteb]

Brian
Please enlighten me to the method you just mentioned. By the way the piece is 16 gage, 1 1/2" wide by about 5 3/4 long to fit my wife's wrist. There is to be a compound bend, width as well as length wise.

 

[Brian Marshall]

This is a perfect example of why there are classes and workshops - that don't fill...


Did you mill a cavity in the bracelet blank for the inlay with your pantograph? How deep? Why?

What level of equipment & tooling do you have access to to? (I know about the Preis pantograph)

For example: hydraulic press, arbor press or just a simple baseball bat & rawhide mallet...

Steel, aluminum, Delrin, resins, die rubber of various durometers?

The compound curved dies and forms necessary to acheive what you mention in forming the double curve?

How thick was the niobium you chose? Did you chase it or engrave it? How deeply?

Are you averse to using cold connections?


And finally, probably most importantly - what level of metalsmithing skills do you have and where did you get them?



B.

 

[silverchip]

Rivet,rivet!!!!

 

[Haraga.com]

You'll be fine. Go ahead and bend it.

 

[peteb]

If you mean do I have the tools:
1. Panto for skiving an oval. Recessing the niobium seem to me to afford maximum protection from wear and tear
2. Miller for removing excess material
3. Simple 12 ton press for forming
4. Various urethane pads for use in forming
5. Lindsey Classic for engraving + Lindsey templates
6. Reactive DC output for coloring
7. .010 Niobium for insert. Engraving to .002 to .005 deep. This thickness of niobium was chosen because I can get Platinum clad niobium at .010 and plan to make very specific designs in the future.
8. Careful oxidation and soldering
9. Machinist training and toolmaking in Providence jewelry trades from 1959
10. Metalurgy and supervisory positions in clad metals
11. Recent interest in engraving and ideas about art jewelry
12. No pre-conceived notions about engraving, therefore no limits on creativity
So I am open to all ideas that would produce the items I envision, cold or mechanical connections included.

 

[silverchip]

So bend it already, I'm dying to see it finished. I think it'll be fine.

 

[Haraga.com]

It's only a one minute process. Get it done and show us the result.

 

[Brian Marshall]

OK then. You're in Rhode Island, once the jewelry manufacturing capital of the USA...

Hopefully, you got exposed or better yet dipped in some hands-on metalsmithing. It's a wee bit different than machine shop work. But close.

Looks like you have enough tools or know what they are and where to get them if you need 'em.


I've got ten years less than you, having started in '69. My own experience is mostly metalsmithing and engraving.

I have a small machine shop - but calling myself a machinist would be one of those long stretches of the imagination.


There are multiple ways to come at this and I can't crawl into your mind, so we gotta set some parameters first.

So, to start with: You want to protect the oval of niobium as best you can.

Instantly, a shadowbox mounting comes to my mind - but we'll stay with what you are doing.

Do you really need a flush surface? Would a "bezel" above the surface detract from the "look" you are after?


B.

 

[peteb]

Thanks all for your comments. I need one more tool to protect the back of the piece and then it will be finished. The urethane pad is ample protection for the face. I have already shaped it using a PVC end cap about 6" in diameter that is domed and polished. No movement of the niobium can be detected. The radical bends will come when I can protect the back adequately. Will post the final result when my camera gets back next week.

 

[silverchip]

Dang!!!!! the suspense is killing me!!!!! Don't you have a camera on your phone?!!!!

 

[Haraga.com]

Put some leather or tape on the back, bend it and snap the photo. It's going to look great.

 

[Marcus Hunt]

Dang!!!!! the suspense is killing me!!!!! Don't you have a camera on your phone?!!!!

+1!!! I wanna see it too!

 

[Haraga.com]

Is it done yet? Shawn did young would have finished ten of them by now.

 

[silverchip]

Maybe today????

 

[Haraga.com]

No Dave. The end of the week.

 

[silverchip]

Well?You're killing me!!! What happened? Bet it turns out super kool!!!!

 

[peteb]

Two Peaches is bent. Please excuse the poor photo. I hope to post better next week. The bezel pulled away from the insert about .025 on each end. The bezel is wide enough to allow for this. The bracelet is "tailored" to fit the small wrist of my wife, about a size 3 out of 10 so the bend is rather severe. She is quite pleased with the result. If the insert could be fixed by bezel in a deeper cavity at about 1/2 the thickness (around .030 deep) the "shrinkage" figures to be less.

 

[silverchip]

Hooray!!!! congrats on getting it bent!!!!! Try taking a photo with a solid darker background!!