Granulated Dome with Repoussé Bail
BY WHITNEY ABRAMS
Advanced metalsmithing project

Part I of II: Making the dome and the granules.
Editor’s note: To learn more about the artist see “Chaos & Connections”, p.16 of June 2001 LJ.

Jump to Part II of the Project

A distinction of granulated jewelry is that connections are fused instead of soldered. Fusing involves raising the temperature of both the back sheet and the granules to the point at which they melt just enough so that they will adhere permanently to one another. This is a very delicate operation. If the correct temperature is not reached, the items to be fused will not hold properly, necessitating the reheating of the whole piece, in order to replace them. If the temperature gets too high too fast, meltdown can occur, which is irreversible. Therefore, lots of patience is needed and the piece needs to be brought to the appropriate temperature very slowly. Fusing occurs at a higher temperature than soldering -- it will undo any solders you have done previously on the piece. (from Granulated Silver Earrings Workshop, Oct. 98, Lapidary Journal)

Photo by Lee Dillon

STEP 1: Making the disc.
Determine the size of the dome you would like to make. (The dome shown measures 20mm.) Select the proper circle cutter for the appropriately sized disc. (For example, you would use a 23mm disc for a 20mm dome.) Use “hard” sheet in the circle cutter. Do not anneal the metal before using. If you do not have a circle cutter, use your scribe to trace a template onto the metal and saw out your disc.

Anneal the disc on a clean charcoal block. Cool on the steel block. Pickle, rinse in clean water, and let dry.

STEP 2: Making the dome.
Select the appropriately sized punch and complete one course in the dapping block. Anneal, then cool on the block. Pickle, rinse in clean water, and let dry. Decrease the punch size and continue dapping the dome. Repeat the process, including the annealing stage, until you achieve the desired height and diameter.

To level the base, sand the bottom of the dome with 400-grit sandpaper on the steel block. Use the pumice to smooth the surface of the dome. Rinse in clean water, then let dry.

STEP 3: Making the wire base of the dome.
Measure the base of your dome with the sliding mm gauge. Transfer that measurement to your ring mandrel. Anneal the 22K 20-gauge wire in the kiln or on the clean charcoal block. Cool on the steel block. Pickle, rinse, and let dry.

Form the ring on your mandrel at the line of measurement from the base of the dome. Place the wire over the dome and make sure that it rests evenly, just above the base of the dome. When you have the perfect fit (no gaps), fuse the ends of the wire together on the charcoal block. Round out the wire on the mandrel. If the seam is visible, file and sand the wire.

STEP 4: Enriching the components.
Plug in the Ultralite kiln and cover.

When the element is cherry red, place the dome and wire on the kiln element with the lid off. When the components appear blackened, remove them with clean fire tweezers and immerse in clean pickle while hot. Rinse in water, then brush the surfaces with a nickel silver, fine wire brush under water with soap as a lubricant. Rinse and let dry.

Repeat the process 2 more times. This brings the copper to the surface, allowing it to combine with oxygen and form a fire scale on the piece. The pickle removes the copper and reveals a surface of almost pure gold. Also referred to as depletion gilding, this process can be achieved using a nitric acid solution as well. The surface of your dome and wire should have a distressed appearance.

STEP 5: Making the glue.
Completely mix 2 drops of Battern’s liquid flux from an eye dropper, 12 drops of clean water from an eye dropper, and 2 drops of Titebond hide glue in a small Pyrex dish with the sable brush.

STEP 6: Fusing the ring to the dome.
Place the dome on the ceramic tile, which should be clean and cool. Place the ring over the dome until it fits evenly just above the base of the dome. Apply 2 to 3 brushstrokes of the glue mixture to hold the ring in place. Allow to dry for 5 to 10 minutes.

Place the tile on top of the covered kiln to begin the drying process. The glue mixture will begin to turn brown as it heats up. Use the spatula to move the dome to the lid of the kiln, removing the tile. The glue will now heat further and smell of burning hair.

Leave the dome on top of the kiln for 10 to 20 seconds.
Using the spatula, move the dome to the inside of the kiln, placing it on the “hot-spot” of the element. Replace the lid and allow the remainder of the glue to burn off (15-20 seconds). Remove the kiln lid and allow the piece to blacken for 1-2 minutes before fusing.

Light your #1 torch tip and adjust for a light, fluttery flame (you should not hear any “roar” from the torch). Heat the dome from the outside toward the inside. Rotate the flame in a circular motion around the dome, gradually heating to a cherry-red color.

You will see the fusion take place when the copper oxide burns off the pieces and the melting temperature is achieved. Look for a “flash” of liquid running between the 20-gauge wire and the dome. When the fusion has occurred, remove your flame immediately! When you have the metal to its melting point, you only have a fraction of a second between fusing and melting your piece. Remove the dome and fused wire from the kiln with the spatula. Pickle, rinse and let dry.

Check to see that the wire is completely attached before proceeding. If you need to refuse, repeat the process from blackening the dome.

STEP 7: Preparing the granules.
You may purchase 22K gold granules commercially in approximate measurements of small (.016"), medium (.024") and large (.032") or, make them yourself. Anneal 30-gauge, 22K wire in the kiln or on a charcoal block. Wrap wire evenly around paper clips to achieve a variety of sizes of granules. For smaller granules, use smaller clips, for larger granules use larger clips. You will also change the size of the finished granule by drawing the wire down further, or using larger wire to create the small jump rings.
Wrap in 1"-1-1/2" segments. This will make the removal, from the paper clip, very easy. Remove from the paper clip and snip the rings apart with your Lindstroms or other snips that fit into the small spiral. Clip the rings apart over a paper towel or other clean surface, making sure to keep the rings equal in size.

Using your scribe, carve a small moat around the top of the charcoal block, about 1/4" from the edge on all four sides to prevent the granules from rolling off the block when they are heated. Place jump rings about 1/2" apart on the block, creating a grid pattern.

Using the #0 torch tip and medium flame, heat the rings individually, holding the flame about 1" above the block until they spin into a granule. If you find the granules tend to roll together or off the block, move your heat a fraction of an inch higher above the block.

When your block of rings becomes a block of granules, dump them into a clean bowl of water. Continue the process until you have made all your wire into granules. Rinse your granules with fresh water and dry them on a clean paper towel.

Sort your granules by size using a series of graduated screening, or if you used uniform wire and paper clips to make them, you should be able to visually select any that may have fused together and are larger.

Store your granules in a plastic or glass container with a lid. Do not use any granules that have rolled on a dirty surface: they may be contaminated with solder or flux and ruin your piece in the final phase of fusing. Keep a record of how you created your various granule sizes so it will be easier to duplicate them in the future.

To learn how to apply the granules, attach the dome to the back sheet, make and attach the bail, and finish the piece, click to Part II of the Project.

Whitney Abrams is a New York City based jeweler, and can be contacted P.O. Box 1319, Murray Hill Station, New York, NY 10156, (212) 334-6155. Her work can be seen in the “101 Rings” exhibition in June 2001 at the Yaw Gallery, Birmingham, Michigan.

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