Sawing Silver Sheet Metal

Part 4 of volume 1.

Sawing silver sheet metal.

Use coarser blades for the best outcome when cutting straight lines. The cutting motion comes from the elbow not the wrist. From elizabeth bone s book silversmithing for jewelry makers. Brace the piece that you are sawing on a bench pin that clamps to your worktable so you have a stable surface to work on.

For 24 gauge sheet and thinner i jump down to 4 0. The finer teeth of the 4 0 blade make cutting thin metal much easier. Sterling silver sheet metal is excellent for making special handcrafted jewelry pieces. I default to size 2 0 saw blades for 22 gauge metal sheet and higher.

These blades are suitable for use with sheet metal ranging from a 0 6mm to a 0 8mm thickness. Mail order phone center mon. Hold the saw frame between 90 and 45 degrees to your metal and start sawing. For less precise cuts metal shears cut sterling silver quickly.

Learn how to saw metal sheet. There are a variey of ways to cut silver. Use shears to cut a small piece of silver from a larger sheet for cutting with a jeweler s saw for cutting templates from a thin sheet of metal or for chain cutting. Ingots are cut using metal cutting band saws while large pieces are cut using metal cutting reciprocating saws.

Japanese pattern earrings from the revere on goldsmithing dvd series. While both of these methods work for cutting larger bulk pieces of silver cutting smaller pieces requires a different type of saw. Lean over a master s shoulder and watch as alan revere demonstrates dozens. Choosing jeweler s saw blades.

Always check the tension of your blade as a loose blade is more likely to break. Choose from 16 gauge thick to 28 gauge thin silver sheet for piercing and sawing into custom shapes dapping doming soldering forming into bracelet cuffs and other fine craft applications. 24 gauge and thinner sheet is very useful for metal stamping and embossing. Metal shears may resemble scissors or they may look more like small gardening shears.

Start out with 2 0 jeweller s saw blades. Smaller pieces are mainly used for making jewelry and the best way to cut silver in this instance is with a jewelry saw. Less wobbling easier sawing. If you saw with too much force or try too hard you ll probably break a blade.

Supporting the metal on both sides of the blade keeps it from wobbling.