Palladium-silver twists WIP

Its been a long time since the last post. Again, the day job and wedding preparation took priority.

But at last today I tried twisting the palladium-silver billet.

It was fascinating, my heart was racing, my legs trembling, but the billet was strongly bonded so everything held up really well.

Here is a test polish. The palladium-silver combination has a very subdued contrast, and to me at least, looks really elegant. No oxides and patinas here; remember this is Palladium 500 and Palladium enhanced Sterling Silver.

It seems that after having conquered the technical aspects of bonding, patterning is the next frontier. Patterning and rolling are indeed a whole different ballgame, and I still have a lot to learn. Maybe I should try it on some cheaper stuff, but what the hell...!

Palladium-silver mokume success!

After a night in the kiln, this combination looks pretty well bonded. I will try twisting it and see...

Palladium silver mokume wedding rings WIP

The time has arrived for some serious mokume experimentation. I have researched and cast my own alloys, namely Palladium 500 (50% palladium, the rest silver and copper), and Palladium enhanced Sterling Silver (Sterling Silver with 3% Palladium). The cost of the materials alone exceeds 6 euros per gram, let alone the casting and rolling to sheet form.

Here are the two ingots in a light that shows their true contrast.

And here are the rolled strips ready to be bonded, under a light that makes the palladium look almost black.

I will try to bond this combination in my electric kiln, using the usual stainless box setup, but at a much higher temperature, and longer, overnight soaking times. Should be interesting!

Mokume bracelet finished!

The sterling silver-shibuichi bracelet is finally finished. We put a sterling silver lining so that no copper alloy will come in contact with skin. 

Shibuichi is a tricky alloy as it is very hard and also work hardens rapidly, and the combination is a tricky one to process. 

The combination may also need longer firing times to avoid delamination while twisting.

Anyway, here it is!

Silver - shibuichi mokume bracelet WIP

I tried the solid state diffusion process once again, using 15 layers of sterling silver and 25% shibuichi.

Below you can see the billet, missing 1/4 of its original size, which was used to create a bracelet for a friend.

It took several hours of anvil forging, twisting and rolling, to arrive at the band seen below, which will be given to a jeweler friend to bend and finish. What I learned during the process is how critical it is to not abuse and to be really attentive to the billet you are deforming. Mokume is bonded together, but it still is not one homegeneous metal that you can abuse at will, and expect to stay together. Shibuichi also work hardens rapidly, which complicates things further. 

Many times during the process I had to intervene and solder fissures that had started to develop. In the end, all solder was ground away, and the material remains perfectly bonded. Had I not done that though, I could easily end up with a split up billet in my hands. 

I guess that's why one should not give mokume billets to jewelers who do not know anything about the material, to work on. They would definitely abuse it, split it, and then reason that mokume is crap, or that  it was not bonded properly...

Anyway, I am amazed at how bold the pattern appears on a larger piece. It is true that mokume rings are all the rage now, but they are too small to show the patterns.

Promise to post a picture of the finished bracelet soon.

Mokume gane video

I just came across a very interesting, and rare I guess, video by the Pijanowski couple, on the Andrew Nyce Design site. Below is the link to the video, along with some excellent bibliography

http://andrewnycedesigns.com/education-center/mokume-gane-video

The video is old, hence low resolution, but is invaluable in giving some insight into the traditional Japanese mokume gane methods (liquid phase diffusion) using a coal forge. Enjoy!

(the image above is there just to attract some attention to this post; it is a creation of the Pijanowskis)

New mokume technique - solid state diffusion

 Ok, this is probably going to be a long post, and rather technical as well. Those interested in joining mokume gane, bear with me. I have already tried and succeeded in joining metals using torque plates in a gas forge. Essentially you press the metal stack between two steel plates, and heat it up in a reducing forge atmosphere until one of them, or a eutectic alloy of them just melts, then you remove them from the heat, press them, and you are done. This is the traditional Japanese method, and it requires an eye for temperature, as you must judge by eye when the metals are melting and move fast, otherwise your stack is ruined.

Another method is bringing your stack to a temperature below melting point, and keep it there for some time, under as much pressure as you can. Hence, you compress the stack in a hydraulic press, and stick it in an electric kiln, where you can pretty accurately regulate the temperature. However, the kiln does not have a reducing atmosphere, just plain air so your metals will oxidize rapidly once heated up, and again your stack is ruined.

So, after reading Ian Ferguson's book, and also reading about James Binnion on the net, I tried the latter's method, i.e. placing the stack and torque plates in a stainless steel container, filled with charcoal particles. 

Here you can see the necessary implements, a stainless steel box, with a lip and a lid, the torque plates with the stack in them, crushed charcoal, and some refractory cement to seal the box.

Here is the sealed box before being put in the heated kiln,

... and here just as it came out a good 3 hours afterwards, still glowing (it was red hot, but I guess the camera read that as blue).

Finally, a successfully joined mokume stack, made of 19 layers of copper and brass. 

The good thing about this method is that by keeping the temp lower than the melting point, you hopefully avoid the risk of melting your stack, and hence you can safely experiment with more presious metals as I intend to do.

James Binnion interview.

James Binnion is one of the best known mokume gane artists, and here is an interesting radio interview of him. I understand this blog has now turned almost 100% mokume, and that the interview is of interest mostly to mokume freaks, but hey it's my blog in the end...

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/whaleystudios/2009/12/10/metalsmith-benchtalk-wth-james-binnion

For those of you who do not know who James Binnion is, here is a piece of his work.

http://www.mokume-gane.com/index.php?page=collections&subpage=custom&subsubpage=teapot

Superb mokume gane book.

I recently received as a gift a book about mokume gane by Ian Ferguson. I highly recommend it (after having already read it twice). It is comprehensive and particularly informative on the old and newer technology on making mokume gane (i.e. liquid phase vs solid state diffusion bonding). It also offers tons of information on all sorts of metals, as well as patinas. I do not get any commission from the author, it is just that despite what I think I know already, I was humbled by the vastness of the subject.

Workshop moved.

Crisis time here in Greece, and everybody is cutting down on expenses. For me that was a good thing, as  I am moving my office together with another 5 architects friends for a cheaper rent and closer to home. The added benefit was a spare room in the back of the office, that I turned into a workshop. 

All my stuff from my 50 m2 workshop fit nicely into 10 m2, and is looking real nice. 

So now, at 10 min walk from home (instead of 30 min drive) I have no excuse to not work, and finally finish up the tanto and wakizashi, as well as some more mokume.

More posts on the latter later on, but this time it will be in the electric kiln using some really precious metals for a change (and a challenge).

Shibuichi diamond ring

Haven't been to the worshop lately, except to pack, as I am in the process of moving to a place with cheaper rent and closer to home.

But I have not been completely inactive.

Here is an engagement ring (yes, you guessed right) with a top quality 0.12 carat diamond set in a cast 25% shibuichi ring. The gray of the shibuichi is much better at bringing out the white light of the diamond instead of the usual white metals, silver and platinum, in my opinion at least.

The ring was cast, so that after patination no seam line would be visible, and the stone was set by a professional, then the whole thing patinated with Baldwin's patina and rubbed with Rennaisance wax.

It might have looked even better in black shakudo... but I'm saving that for the actual wedding rings ;-)

The burner to end all burners... and mokume twists

I haven't been to the workshop for about a month now. Those of you who have been reading international news know that Greece is under turmoil, and that is an understatement...

Over here it feels a bit like being caught in the downward spiral that drives the shit down the toilet.

Anyway, about a month ago I spotted a professional welders' supply store and had them make me a really powerful, proper burner. It runs off  a propane tank (at around 2 bar) and an air compressor (at around 7 bar), so it's a cheaper and safer alternative to a propane-oxygen torch. Really controllable too.

I, or rather we, got our first order for a pair of silver-copper mokume wedding rings, so here are a couple of pics from the twisting process.

Remember to anneal often. When in doubt anneal. Anneal till you get dead bored of it. This way you can make sure no harm comes to your mokume (and no, that is not a fissure in the right hand side of the picture above).

Lastly, remember to forge only after the silver mokume has dropped down to black heat, and you are set.

Until next time, or until this country implodes...

Japanese alloy mokume pendant and silver-copper ring.

Just finished this silver-shibuichi-shakudo pendant. Should make a fitting Mother's Day gift!

The patina was made with diluted Baldwin's Patina from Reactive Metals, so the shibuichi and shakudo have slightly brownish colors instead of grey and black.

Also I just made (together with a jeweler friend of mine) a silver-copper twisted mokume ring.

Brief update - patterning mokume billet, etc

Brief update on what I'm doing: 

Thermal cycling the wootz ingot, 950C, 600C, 900C, 600C, 850C, 600C...

Patterning the silver-shibuichi-shakudo billet with a small drill

Test patination of above billet, once again the shibuichi and shakudo colors are exquisite

Twisting silver-copper bar to form a ring

Better photos when the last two are finished will be posted on my Etsy shop.

Etsy shop!

I finally got around to set up my Etsy shop. You can find ready made billets for sale there, and I will be adding patterned billets, and maybe finished pieces later on. The first two, are a nickel silver, copper, brass billet and a sterling silver, copper billet. Thanks!

http://www.etsy.com/people/BioMetals

UPDATE: Etsy shop is dead as it saw little traffic. If you want to buy mokume billets or finished pieces, just contact me through the comments below and I will respond with direct email.

First wootz melt!

Yesterday, March 25th 2011, marks the 190 year anniversary for Greek independence day, so I thought it would be an auspicious date to make some true damascus - wootz steel.

And I did!

Into the crucible went 800gr of mostly wrought iron, 570 gr of GG40 cast iron, and 10gr of Vanadis10 steel to add roughly a gram of vanadium. Some organic matter and a broken beer bottle for glass, and fire it up!

Below you see the setup for the melt. I used my huge forced air propane burner, and managed to melt it all in less than an hour. I have to get some protective dark glasses to be able to see what's going on inside the furnace, as at 1500 or 1600 C it's a bit like looking into the sun.

Anyway, here a closeup of the surface. I believe I can see some really fine dendrites! 

I'll cut up a couple of pieces and try to forge them out. Wish me luck.

 

Again, for those who have no idea of what I'm talking about, let's say that wootz steel in the true damascus steel, a technique that was lost somewhere around the 19th century, and only now being rediscovered around the world. 

Related posts:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MrDimenickel#p/a/u/0/9NevtCb6pms

http://dark.unitz.ca/~gthomas/myweb4/replication_of_wootz.htm

and my previous post on the subject with a good Scientific American piece on true damascus steel

http://gaijinto.blogspot.com/2010/10/on-different-note-mystery-of-true.html

Mokume billets for sale

It has been some time since the last post, and it was mostly work-work-work. 

Today I sold my first mokume billets to a local jeweler! 

I 've decided to offer three types of billets, a more expensive 15 layer silver, shibuichi, shakudo combination, a common 15 layer silver-copper combination, and a more economical 19 layer copper, brass, nickel silver, brass combination, shown below. 

Dimensions are 45mm x 45mm, and thickness 7.5mm, 8mm, and 10mm respectively. Prices are per gram, and are as follows: 0.5 Euros/gr for the non-precious metal combinations, 2 Euros/gr for the silver-copper, and 4 Euros/gr for the Japanese alloys. These are about the same prices that the only European commerial mokume producer quotes. Due to the roughly 1.4 exchange rate between Euro and USD, they do seem pricey in USD, so I've decided (in the off chance that I get a client from the US) to keep the same prices in USD, so US customers roughly get a 30% discount.

Anyway enough with money and such. I have also worked both liquid state diffusion where the metals slightly melt before bonding, and solid state diffusion where the metals bond without melting. Of course, the Japanese swordsmiths of yore used only the liquid state diffusion process. For more technical details read the excellent Santa Fe paper below.

http://www.mokume-gane.com/documents/SantaFePaper.pdf

It's interesting how the modern approach relies on advanced technology, and really long bonding times but requires very little experience and care, while the old process is really quick but requires intimate contact with the material, a watchful eye and good timing. In the modern process you are guaranteed good results, but you have to wait, while in the old way you can do it in a pinch, but can easily ruin the whole billet if you are careless for a few seconds! Says a lot about the old masters...

Can't really say which technique I prefer, for the time being I do both, and time will tell. I am also twisting and flattening pieces to see how well they hold up, but more on that (with photos, I promise) later on.

UPDATE: I am still offering mokume billets for sale, just not through the Etsy shop. Just contact me below and I will respond directly through email, so we can work out what you need.

Workshop FINALLY finished!

Ok, here is a picture of the completed workshop. I have been working on it for some serious time now.

In order of appearance (well some are covered or can barely be seen), from left to right:

Desk

Working table

155 cm Belt grinder

Electric kiln

Buffer, circular grinder

Three propane forges (one for steel making, one upright forging, and one all purpose horizontal, with needed hood)

Japanese style anvil

20ton air over hydraulic press (under cover, see previous post)

Huge, old rolling mill (see previous post)

Jeweler's precision table saw

Smaller belt grinder (behind curtain)

The staircase leads up to a smaller area (this is a loft kinda space), where I will be building a togidai, and moving all work that requires extra clean space (like final polishing and woodwork).

I know this a tool gloat post, but it has taken me plenty of time and effort to set all this up. 

Not to mention some cash, and a lot of friends' assistance (especially an electrician friend from Switzerland who set up the inverter, the temp control panel for the kiln, and a proper switchboard for the rolling mill).

Ok, lastly here is a pic of the finished rolling mill, 

with new paint job, proper switchboard and safety accessories fitted.

Japanese alloys rule!

Got to hand it to the Japanese. They never cease to amaze me with their exquisite taste.

I just finished a silver-shibuichi-shakudo mokume gane plate, and the colors that came out after patinating itare gorgeous. 

The photo does not do them justice...

The silver appears almost white in contrast tto the alloys, and the alloys themselves display such warm colors, its amazing. 

By the way, this is a completely self-made piece, 

I alloyed and rolled the 15% shibuichi, and 2,5% shakudo. 

Anyway, I'm just going to cut it up, twist it and give it to a jeweler friend of mine to make a few seamless rings. Feeling I've reached a good point at mokume gane technique, I guess I can now relax back into some swordsmithing...

New (actually pretty old) machines.

This post could also have the title "Buying used machinery in a recession". The recession that is hitting my, IMF and ECB stricken, country is so severe, that several jewelry workshops are going out of business. Their old machinery, being too heavy to ship elsewhere, and not wanted by other struggling professionals, end up in scrap heaps. 

That is where I found the ones shown here. I am ashamed to quote the price I got them for. 

Suffice it to say that basically they were bought by scrap iron weight.

A huge powered rolling mill. First thing I need to do is install some finger protection...

Water-cooled precision table saw, and old electric kiln.

Basically all the heavy machinery needed to make mokume gane professionally, 

for the price of a few crates of beer...