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| Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips |
2015-04-07, 11:43pm
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Junior Member
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Join Date: Mar 11, 2015
Posts: 7
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Fine Silver Wire
Help! - Just playing with fine silver wire for the first time. I watched youtube tutorial...wind glass around bead, encase with clear, heat and get beautiful little silver bubbles! Only, when I tried it, I couldn't get silver to melt! I heated bead to point of almost falling off mandrel, and no melt. Did I encase it too thickly? I am on Hothead...could that be the problem? 
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2015-04-08, 6:23am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jul 14, 2006
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 2,366
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What gauge wire did you use?
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2015-04-08, 10:02pm
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needs to be 28 or 30 gauge to melt easily, especially if you are encasing it first. I'm not sure whether or not you use an HH makes a difference.
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2015-04-09, 1:44am
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Junior Member
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Join Date: Mar 11, 2015
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Thanks -- not sure what gauge wire it was...it was a gift. But I think probably thicker than 28-30. Will check that out, thank you!
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2015-04-09, 4:39am
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Melody of Glass
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Join Date: Apr 08, 2012
Location: Canada
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I didn't knkw you could encase it first and then melt it. Has anyone done that? I would melt it in carefully until you get it to ball up and then encase.
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2015-04-09, 5:07am
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hmm, know that you can do it with brass wire or shavings, but those are golden bubbles I think. Good point though, thinking about it. Encasing baking soda might be the easiest (and cheapest) way to go. 
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2015-04-09, 6:45am
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Student!
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Join Date: Jun 16, 2011
Location: Northern Michigan
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I have added it, encased and then melted it. I don't remember it being overly difficult with the lighter gauge wire I use.
It beads up nicely. I usually use 26 or 28 gauge wire.
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Cheryl
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2015-04-09, 10:13am
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Phill
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Join Date: Mar 21, 2009
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I have seen a youtube video of it done.
A pretty girl in the UK I think.
She stressed that it had to be fine silver, 99% I think. She kind of heated a spot and stuck the wire in and wrapped it around the bead then laid a layer of clear over that all the way round then heated that to melt over the whole surface and that was when the wire melted into separated silver balls.
She was not using a hot head but it should be hot enough to do the job.
Are you working at the hottest part of the flame? I think that's the inch mark past the tip of the blue cone but I haven't worked a HH in some five years so I'm working with my memory which is not to be trusted past .... squirrel?
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2015-04-09, 2:17pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Feb 12, 2007
Location: Lancaster, PA
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I always wrap the fine silver wire by spot heating then wrapping, then melting off when I've wrapped enough to my liking. I usually booger it up the first few times I try to get it to stick, and I almost ALWAYS burn it off too soon and have to repeat the spot heat/stick it and wrap cycle. After it's on I usually pop it into the flame for a second or two and it melts and curls up into little balls. THEN I encase it, if that's what I want to do. That's what I did here:
On this one I just melted it and left it that way, no encasement.
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2015-04-09, 10:32pm
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Pretty!
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2015-04-10, 3:23am
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Melody of Glass
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clh
I have added it, encased and then melted it. I don't remember it being overly difficult with the lighter gauge wire I use.
It beads up nicely. I usually use 26 or 28 gauge wire.
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Fascinating! I am intrigued to try now.
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