Help in finding domed Concho's

[MICHAEL]

I've been searching the forum for a supplier of nickle (german) silver Concho's already domed or sterling silver Concho's and haven't been able to find a thread telling where I can get them. A good friend of mine makes custom leather holsters for cowboy shooters and he's been held up making a rig for a customer for months due to the engraver. I said I'd get some concho's and engrave them for him. Thought this would help me improve on my borders and I'd be helping a friend out. Any help will be much appreaciated. Thanks.:thumbs up:

 

[DakotaDocMartin]

Track of the Wolf has large nickle buttons that would probably work. I bet they could have them made with Chicago screws on the back too.

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartList.aspx?catID=10&subID=68&styleID=240

Or, you could dap some nickle discs yourself and solder the Chicago screws on the back.

 

[delder]

http://www.ijsinc.com/


check out this site

 

[MICHAEL]

Doc. Thanks for responding. When you say dap, do you mean dome? I was told that German silver was too brittle to dome and not to use german silver unless already domed (I assume they would be cast). I was told that if I make my own concho's and dome them to use sterling silver. I'm interested in getting some other point of views on this.
Also, would i just cut the loop off the button and solder a chicago screw on the back? He said he could make the Concho's if we could get some sheets of material but I thought if I got some already formed with screws, it would speed things up and make it easier on him.:thumbs up:

 

[MICHAEL]

Delder, I went to this site and only found nickle silver circles. They are in gauges 20, 22, and 24 gauge. Does anyone know which gauge makes the best concho for a gun belt? And i'm still unsure on doming nickle silver (the brittle thing). Anyone dome their nickle silver concho's and have any problems?:thumbs up:

 

[MICHAEL]

O.K. i found the sterling silver circles, $25.00 bucks each, GULP! I hope nickle silver can be domed without problems.:thumbs up:

 

[Brian Marshall]

Yes, nickel can be domed without a problem...

You should probably anneal it afterward, to soften again - depending on the degree of dome.


Brian Marshall
SJAS
Stockton, CA USA 95209
209-477-0550
instructor@jewelryartschool.com
http://jewelryartschool.com/

 

[DKanger]

Tandy Leather has a zillion conchos, however I think they already have designs on them. Don't know if they have any blanks or not. If nothing else, they have all the attaching hardware.

 

[rogerbar]

michael
i bought some domed stainless from tandy thinking i was going to put them on some chaps. DONT TRY IT , lol i used evrything i had including a highspeed rotory tool anbroke everything i used. i tried to aneal it an cut it an finally got one of them engraved but it looks like i used an axe on it.
hogshooter ( roger)

 

[MICHAEL]

Thanks for all the responses and if anyone else has another source for these please let me know. I placed an order with Indian Jewelers Supply Co. Ordered nickle silver circles 22 gauge, 10 each 1 3/4", 10 each 2", and 25 each 1/2". Please feel free to post any tips or links to threads that show how to make concho's using my circles. My friend has never made concho's from nickle silver but has made them from sterling / silver. :thumbs up:

 

[Brian Marshall]

If he has domed silver, then nickel is basically the same process... just beat 'em or press 'em a little harder.

You should ask if the material they are sending is dead soft... if not, get out the torch.


Brian

 

[Marrinan]

Michael,
Here are a few sources. Lots of stuff on the web-Fred

http://www.leathersupply.com/downloads/catalog/Hardware/BuckleLoopTip SetsConchos.pdf item 282
http://silverama.biz/page2.html
http://www.sdtradingco.com/index.htm
Ebay.com search plain conchos lots of listings under conchos
google search plain conchos lots to look at

 

[DKanger]

Brian,
How do you anneal German silver? Seems like I tried it on some sand cast trigger guards and they always started to fizz like zinc was boiling out of them or something. I could never get them to a red heat........maybe less heat is required.

 

[Dave London]

rio grande

 

[MICHAEL]

O.K. Fred and Dave, I went to the sites you guys listed and did not find any plain nickle silver concho's. Fred, those plain concho's on the first site you listed are stainless steel / brass. I've spent all day searching the web / the only place I found any plain concho's was Indian Jewelers Supply Co. If they dome allright, I'll be a happy camper. It would be nice to get already domed concho's with chicago screw on the back. Thanks for responding.:thumbs up:

 

[Brian Marshall]

OK, Dave,



You asked, I shall answer:


Start with a very dark room... a few candles... some incense... and an altar - which will consist of a heavy wire screen or or a pumice pan. (Or both?)

Coat the sacrificial nickel alloyed victim(s?) with boric acid/alcohol to reduce the firescale. (Still gonna be some)

Place it/them on the altar. Light the alcohol and meditate for a moment... (No, don't meditate on the stuff in the bottle, light the stuff on the victim(s)!)


Crank up the music, light the torch and crank it up too. Pump the arm holding the lit torch up and down in time with the beat.

Or try chanting while pumping the torch arm, they both seem to work equally well...

Approach the sacrificial nickel alloy victim(s?)... Wave the torch over under and around the victim(s) until it just begins to show red in the dark room.

Now........................ the magic word.... STOP! Do not overheat/cremate the victim(s)!





And here's more magic words.............................

"DO NOT QUENCH ANYTHING CONTAINING NICKEL" - let it air cool.





And even more magic words...

Either purchase or make (find the formula) "Nickel Pickle" (Yeah, I know it's a cute little rhyme - but it does exist, and it works far better than other methods.)

Probly why they call it "Nickel Pickle", ya think?

Use according to directions.


If you do not get good results during your first performance, try performing the ritual again - but naked.

Invite your SO, family, friends & neighbors to observe and film the process. This will pretty much guarantee that you will wake up in a strange room with soft padded walls



Brian


Unfortunately, all bets are off if you don't know for a fact what you are working with. Anything that fizzles is in that category. Castings don't generally NEED annealing, seeing as how they were pretty warm at the time they were cast.

Please take proper safety precautions - especially if performing any part of this ritual naked in front of a crowd.


P.S. The above post is the product of spending 10 hours a day for a week getting jobs out - and finally getting the boxes to the UPS office and processed precisely two minutes before the truck arrived to take them away for delivery to the clients on Monday morning. Still decompressing...

 

[MICHAEL]

Brian, I'm still laughing!:big grin:

 

[DakotaDocMartin]

I have a large sized cupola punch and die set that I use to make buttons and conchos from discs. I bought it from Finding King. Like this one:

http://www.findingking.com/p-36168-cupola-punches-die-steel-3pcs.aspx

If you want to mail me a bunch of discs I could form them for you if that would help. Nickle forms just fine.

Doc

 

[castagnos&s]

You should have just gone with the sterling. It handles better, it engraves better, and its just alot nicer. Oh ya and it solders and aneals way better. You'll have a tuff time getting nickle to cut nice and bright and it turns green. Just my opinion Mike

 

[doug]

doming conchos

I have a large sized cupola punch and die set that I use to make buttons and conchos from discs. I bought it from Finding King. Like this one:

http://www.findingking.com/p-36168-cupola-punches-die-steel-3pcs.aspx

If you want to mail me a bunch of discs I could form them for you if that would help. Nickle forms just fine.

Doc

Doc I been trying to dome some conchos myself I domed a peice of two inch round stock and pounded it in to a peice of lead it works ok but I think a matched dapping set would be better for doming diferent sizes.I would like your advice before I spend the money.Do you think the dapping set is the way to go or is there something better.

Thanks Doug