Scrap Melt

by Judy Larson

At least once a year during the early fall, I get together with some friends to melt down my scrap silver. They each end up taking home some unique water, salt, and broom cast pieces to work with during the winter. This year, even though we worked for several hours, I still had quite a bit of scrap left. Yes, I could have kept adding to it for another year, but I thought it might be easier to store as well as be more usable if I melted it down.

Instructions

Before the weather turned too cold for me to work comfortably in the garage, I knew I needed to get busy. I decided to fill a large can half full with cold water. When the metal was molten enough to pour, the water in the can was swirled (like a water tornado) with a paint stick and the silver was poured, not dumped, into the water.

At this point in the past, I could never contain myself and had to pick through the treasures. I kept telling myself I was just making the metal easier to store. I was not going to look. I did not even break down and take photos until I was almost done.

Several ice cubes were added to the can. The crucible was loaded again with silver and melted. The water was again swirled and the molten metal poured.

Judy Larson's Scrap Melt - , General Education, Butane Torch, Soldering, Solder, scrap melt

This process was kept up until all my scrap was water cast. When I finally looked in the can, I could hardly contain myself. I am pretty sure that keeping the water cold and swirling it before the pour were the reasons I now had so many smaller cups, which I always wanted but never ended up with more than a few. Note: Since I work mostly with Argentium silver, the metal pieces are usually bright white.

Every time I pick up a handful of pieces from this pour my mind is swimming with possibilities for all these little organic looking pieces. In each handful, I found more pieces to use alone or marry together-first and second photos. I couldn't help myself the morning after the melt. After pulling out two old straw cast pieces, it only took a few hours to put together eleven small pendants. I love recycling silver this way and am going to have so much fun this winter creating with all the rest of the bits and pieces!

Materials

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Tools

Handy Flame II Propane Torch

SOL-330.00

SOL-330.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $74.95
Gold Club Price: $56.21

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Whip, Wire Handled Instrument for Pouring, Large with 2 Crucibles

CAS-250.20

CAS-250.20
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $24.95
Gold Club Price: $18.71

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Category: General Education
Technique(s): Butane Torch Techniques

Reviews

Judy Larson

My philosophy has always been "I will never live long enough to learn everything I want to learn, go everywhere I want to go and see everything I want to see!" So, what I make and how I create it is always changing and evolving. I was born shortly after WWII to parents who grew up during the Depression. They always had a "we can do it, we can make it" attitude which rubbed off on my two younger brothers and me. My brothers are amazing and can make and do ANYTHING! When I was a little girl, my mother gave me an old carved cigar box, which I cherish, filled with pop beads, wooden beads and yarn for stringing. That was the beginning of my jewelry making journey.

On a visit to the Grand Canyon when I was a young woman, I was fortunate enough to help a Native American silversmith sand cast my first silver bracelet and bezel set a large turquoise nugget on top. I was in love, hook, line and sinker! While working full time and having a family here in northern Minnesota, my artistic endeavors slowed down but never stopped. I am an artist, scrapbooker, seamstress, woodworker and jewelry artisan. Now that I am retired, I am able to indulge in all my hobbies. However, there just never seems to be enough time in the day to do it all, but I try!

I have been teaching community education beginner and intermediate jewelry making classes since my retirement. Many of my students have been bitten so hard by the jewelry making bug that they say I have turned them into monsters-they just can't get enough. Making jewelry, seeing something take shape from small bits and pieces, is so rewarding that I hope it brings out the "monster" in you, too!

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