Fusing fine silver jump rings

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Leah
Fusing fine silver is possibly the easiest thing that a jewelry maker can do with a torch. That is my opinion, of course, but in my experience, it's a great way to begin working with a torch. Because fine silver doesn't get firescale, and doesn't require flux, you really don't have to do any clean-up after you fuse. That also means no chemicals - no flux, no pickle - so the only fumes you have to worry about are the ones created by burning the gas in the torch. Simple instructions: Start with a soldering surface, a torch (even the small butane torches should work), and some fine silver jump rings. Make sure that you use good safety practices - use ventilation, wear goggles and a respirator, and because you are using fire, make sure there is a fire extinguisher close by just in case something other than the silver gets torched....trust me on this -- I've burned holes in rugs, scorched my workbench, and singed my hair. Luckily I've never actually started a fire, but it's better to be safe than sorry. (Speaking of hair, if you have long hair, keep it tied back when working with a torch.) Make sure the jump rings are closed tightly, so that the seams are barely visible. Light the torch, and heat a jump ring, focusing the flame back and forth near the seam. When you see the metal flash a little bit, you're done - remove the flame. Don't touch the ring - it will be hot - pick it up with tweezers, or wait a few minutes for it to cool off. And that's it! When you first start fusing, you might melt some jump rings, or remove the flame before the fusing happens. This is totally normal and part of learning the process, so keep practicing. Silver scrap can always be sent to a refiner to be made into new wire, so don't worry about melting a little bit of wire when you are learning a new technique.
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11 Responses to Fusing fine silver jump rings

  1. Ruth says:
    February 15, 2008 at 7:36 pm

    Thank you very much. The info. that I was looking for in a ‘nut shell’. I do appreciate your help.
    Thanks again and be well,
    Ruth

  2. Maria says:
    February 26, 2009 at 4:04 pm

    I have been learning how to fuse and my butane torch sometimes melts the wire but other times doesn’t. Tonight I can’t get it to melt at all. I’m frustrated. I’m using 16 gauge FS wire. Any ideas what I’m doing wrong?

  3. Leah says:
    February 26, 2009 at 10:01 pm

    Butane is a relatively cool burning fuel, and most butane torches only allow you to use a small flame – so it’s possible that your torch is just *barely* hot enough to melt 16g fine silver, and that is the problem. Have you tried fusing 18 or 20g? If you have better results with thinner wire, then the problem is mostly likely that you need a torch that burns hotter fuel (such as propane or oxy/acetylene). Another common problem is not getting the wire ends completely flush together. For metal to fuse well, it needs to be filed smooth so that you have a really good, clean join where you want it to fuse together. Also, metal should be clean where you want it to fuse. You could try using a piece of fine sandpaper to buff off any dirt or oil that may be present on the surface of your wire. Good luck!

  4. Maria says:
    February 27, 2009 at 1:26 pm

    Leah –
    I think you’re right!

    This Ronson butane torch from Wal-Mart is just not getting hot enough. Although the box says it reaches 2500F, I have my doubts. When I fused on a soldering board, I was able to get the silver to the melting point, but it took about four minutes for each ring. I think that’s too long, don’t you? Now I am trying to make head pins for the rivets for the project called More Bangle for Your Buck in the May 2008 issue of Art Jewelry Magazine and I can’t get the ends to ball up on 16 gauge FS.
    I can’t even get the 18 gauge to ball up either. The ends glow bright red but they simply won’t melt.

    Does the temperature of the room matter? I’m in my garage in Pennsylvania and it’s about 30 degrees.

    Thanks so much for your help – I really appreciate it!
    Maria

  5. Leah says:
    February 27, 2009 at 5:05 pm

    I have no idea if the room temp matters or not. But I can tell you that four minutes is WAY too long. Using my propane torch, it takes seconds to fuse fine silver jump rings, or ball ends for head pins. Thicker wire such as 16g or 14g takes a bit longer than, say, the 24g I use for pearl head pins, but it’s still seconds, not minutes.

  6. gabriele says:
    May 22, 2009 at 1:36 pm

    OMG! It is sooo hard to simply find info on what to buy to do fine silver fusing. I am reading, googling, and can’t find a simple “You need to use a [kind of white fire brick], tweezers, and dead soft wire….”. I can’t find the brick or any help in finding the stuff! Please help if you know these answers-thank you!

  7. Leah says:
    May 22, 2009 at 2:56 pm

    Gabriele, any firebrick will work. In a pinch, I once used a brick that was sitting in my parents back yard, and it worked fine. The wire doesn’t need to be dead soft – any fine silver wire will work. Cross lock tweezers & a propane plumbers torch are things you can get at a hardware store. Hope this helps!

  8. Tina says:
    September 2, 2010 at 3:02 pm

    I’ve read that you need to tumble the piece you fused with metal shot in a rock tumbler AFTER fusing to work harden your peice. Is this true? Also, would you prefer to Fuse or Solder? Do you get the same results for both or is one better than the other depending on what you are trying to accomplish?

    Thanks for you help!

  9. Leah says:
    September 8, 2010 at 10:03 am

    Hi Tina, tumbling is a good way to work harden metal. It depends what you are fusing whether or not you actually *need* to work harden it. Some things are stable enough without it. I like to use a tumbler for polishing and work hardening, but if you just need to toughen up the metal, using a rubber mallet works better. You just whack the fused rings a few times – works great, and cheaper than buying a tumbler and steel shot. As far as fusing versus soldering, if you are using regular sterling silver, soldering will be much more precise than fusing, but if you are using fine silver or argentium fusing is easier & quicker, in my opinion.

  10. Alexis says:
    October 8, 2010 at 5:20 pm

    Hi Leah…

    Thank you for posting this straightforward information. I have actually been fusing fine silver for a while now, but I have been having some challenges recently. It seems like the actual “success” I have with fusing fine silver (16g in this case) can depend on the batch of silver that I am working with. Has this been your experience? This latest batch that I am working off of doesn’t seem to have the same “attraction” at the fusing seam that I am used to… it is making my projects more challenging, and I find that I am trashing (saving the scraps, of course!) more than I’d like.

    I should also say that my process has stayed exactly the same, and I purchased my wire from the same supplier that I always use, and it is a reputable supplier.

    Thank you so much if you are able to offer any commentary/advice! :-)

    - Alexis

  11. Leah says:
    October 8, 2010 at 6:45 pm

    I have occasionally had that problem too. I suspect that the wire is slightly tarnished or dirty – maybe there is some residue left on it from the polishing process?
    My best guess is to try cleaning the wire or pickling it a bit to make sure there is no oxidation. Good luck, and maybe someone else can respond who has more experience with the problem…