More silver bracelets....

[Jim Small]

Engraved bracelets seem to be the topic here on the forum lately. This one is wide and big. 16 gage Sterling and almost 1 ¾ inches wide. This time of the year young ladies need nice graduation presents…that’s what this one is for. I normally use low dome wire on most projects but as you can see this one is flat. Forming the bracelet does not deform the engraving….I have probably been asked this question a thousand times.
Jack in a previous forum used a Bonny Doon Press…Nice!...gotta get one.
All of the engraving is done, of course, with my two Lindsay Engravers….
Jim

[Andrew Biggs]

Jim

As always that is beautiful.

Do you make the actual bracelet or do you buy it pre-made?

Best regards
Andrew Biggs

[RBSlaughter]

I sure like these Jim.. These are gifts that get treasured, and worn, not just tossed in a drawer..Beautiful work as usual... I want a belt buckle done like this one of these days... Best, Rich

[ChrisB]

Hi Jim,
Great Work!!! Beautifull Scrollwork !!
The one bracelet how did you remove the background, it looks like is has been done with a bur.?
I must really try that Border effect ! it really looks nice.
Stay Sharp,
ChrisB.

[jack]

Bracelets are great. You will like the Bonny Donn. The new ones went up a lot in price. I was luckey to get one just before they changed. For what we do the old ones at 20 tons work great. There are a lot of them out there not being used,and you might find one. They do not wear out. Again great work. Jack

[Steve Lindsay]

Beautiful Jim! What is the weight of bracelets like this? Looks like they
would be very expensive if made from gold with what gold prices have been doing lately. Steve

[Jim Small]

Chris the background was removed with a 120 Lindsay point and then punched flat with a flat point tool. I re-cut the engraving inside where the stippleing is and then clean up where necessary. When the bracelet is finished it will be all bright cut and shinny. One of the best tools in my shop is the ulta-sonic cleaner....does a great job of cleaning compound out of all those bright cuts.

Steve...this one weighs nearly 4oz's...and your wright...if it was gold it would be out of sight. I was told if you have any scrap gold...Ha Ha!, you might think about selling it or at least placeing a credit against your next purchase.

Thanks....any more questions...just ask.
Jim

[Harold]

That is awesome to look at.

[G. Dee Milligan]

Hello everyone!! Howdy Jim,
The braclets are killer. I have a couple of questions: 1. Is the silver precut blanks and if so where can I buy them? 2. Would you consider taking a top down picture so that I/we could use your engraving as a pattern to practice with?
Thanx,
GDee

[Jim Small]

GDee
Send me your address via e-mail and I will send you a smoke print...the one in the photo. I think this would be the easiest for you and me. I am glad to do it....
The flat blanks are cut from sheet silver...I buy my silver and gold from Hoover and Strong...do a Google search. This bracelet is 1 1/2 inches wide by 6 3/4 inches long....and 16 gage thick. It's heavy...but that's what mom wanted for her daughter. I will be glad to answer any more questions...just let me know.
Thanks for the comment.
Jim

[G. Dee Milligan]

Jim, I e-mailed my address let me know if it doesn't come.

[Jim Small]

G. Dee
It's on the way with a bunch more requests.... Any more and they will have to be scanned copies.
Thanks to all
Jim

[Steve Ellsworth]

Can you throw in a litle information about the technique you use to form the piece to fit the owners wrist.

I remembr making a few southwest style bracelets back in the 70's and at that time it involved a fair amount of work to get the silver into shape.

So it begs the question: how do you keep from screwing up all that wonderful engraving work when wrap it around a mandrel and smack it with a hammer.

thanks

[Brian]

I suppose you could wrap it around a mandrel and smack it with a rawhide or leather covered mallet, but using an arbor or hydraulic press is much easier and less likely to harm the engraving.

Most of our bracelet formers use Delrin, urethane or both in combination... for example - we have a ball shaped piece of Delrin on the end of an "L". This ball shape presses from the inside of the bracelet. The outside of the bracelet (where the engraving is) is cushioned by the urethane. You work your way down the length of the bracelet, curving and doming as you go. This can be done with either the arbor or the hydraulic press.

Another method, which is a bit more complicated - uses a 2 piece Delrin die held together by retaining rings. The bracelet is rolled up and put inside the die and then a round section of urethane about half again as tall as the bracelet is put in the center. The whole assembly goes into the hydraulic press and the round section of urethane is squashed - pressing the bracelet outwards and into the concave cavity machined into the Delrin rings. The die is removed from the press, the retaining rings knocked off, the two part die opens and the finished, domed and curved bracelet falls out...

Then there are "H" frame bracelet benders. The "H" is mounted by the two bottom legs to one end of a hardwood 2" x 4" so that it pivots. The center of the "H" has a 2" or bigger "bead" on it. The bead can be made of brass, aluminum, steel, Delrin, or whatever's handy. The hardwood has a carved depression right under where the bead meets the surface. Weld or bolt a bar across the top of the "H" for your handle. Put the bracelet blank lengthwise (engraving side down) on the wood and start pressing.

You may have to build this gadget pretty stout - depending on the gauge of material you have to form. You simply press and move along, press again - until the blank has acquired an even dome and has rolled up into more or less the form of a bracelet...

Kinda hard to describe some of this in a way that you might all understand...

I can think of about 5 other ways to form bracelets without damaging the engraving, but I have to get back to my chores.

Besides, I TEACH this stuff - come take a workshop and learn how to make dies, cut, and form lots of other stuff - not just bracelets!

Brian P. Marshall
Stockton Jewelry Arts School
Stockton, CA USA
209-477-0550
instructor@jewelryartschool.com

Two last tips - don't forget that, unless you are using hydraulic press (and even then, most times) - you MUST anneal the material to be formed! Dead soft!

IJS used to sell a bracelet domer that you hammered into a wood block. Crude, but it works if you're careful and cover the steel with leather. Easiest tool to make yourself...

[Jim Small]

Steve
Bryan has the right stuff as he mentioned. I bend these flat around a bracelet mandrel covered in soft leather. The hammer is raw hide covered in the same soft leather. I buy dead soft Sterling from the supplier....I don't have to anneal it when forming it. This bracelet is thick and takes a good deal of hammer force...but it did form nicely as have all the rest I have done. One of these days I will break down and get one of those presses and forming tools.
Jim

[Steve Ellsworth]

I never fail to be amazed at some of the stuff you guys come up with.
Thanks for all the info. Way more than I had expected, Quite a process.
Thanks for the invite Brian, when you coming to my coin carving class? If I charge you double what I am worth I could take that money give it back to you and take an hour or two of your class)

[G. Dee Milligan]

Jim I have a question. How much would a braclet like this cost to buy one from you?
Thanks
GDee