Sawing Silver Sheet Metal

For less precise cuts metal shears cut sterling silver quickly.

Sawing silver sheet metal. For 24 gauge sheet and thinner i jump down to 4 0. Japanese pattern earrings from the revere on goldsmithing dvd series. Mail order phone center mon. Metal shears may resemble scissors or they may look more like small gardening shears.

Start out with 2 0 jeweller s saw blades. Hold your metal in place on the bench pin with your non dominant hand. Sterling silver sheet metal is excellent for making special handcrafted jewelry pieces. Less wobbling easier sawing.

Choosing jeweler s saw blades. 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. The finer teeth of the 4 0 blade make cutting thin metal much easier. Supporting the metal on both sides of the blade keeps it from wobbling.

If you saw with too much force or try too hard you ll probably break a blade. The cutting motion comes from the elbow not the wrist. Always check the tension of your blade as a loose blade is more likely to break. Smaller pieces are mainly used for making jewelry and the best way to cut silver in this instance is with a jewelry saw.

From elizabeth bone s book silversmithing for jewelry makers. 8am 5 30pm mst 800 545 7968. Pick up some finer blades when you want to tackle more intricate curved work. Hold the saw frame between 90 and 45 degrees to your metal and start sawing.

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. Use coarser blades for the best outcome when cutting straight lines. 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. I default to size 2 0 saw blades for 22 gauge metal sheet and higher.

Lean over a master s shoulder and watch as alan revere demonstrates dozens. Ingots are cut using metal cutting band saws while large pieces are cut using metal cutting reciprocating saws. There are a variey of ways to cut silver. Learn how to saw metal sheet.

24 gauge and thinner sheet is very useful for metal stamping and embossing.