Frank Turley Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 A guy wants to film me pouring silver into an old fashioned tufa mold, as the early Navajo smiths did. Do you have any suggestions as to what type of crucible, fluxing, getting rid of dross, when to pour? The size of pour would be for a bracelet, maybe 1/8" thick x 5.5 to 6" long. Then,after cleaning and decorating, the blank would be bent probably cold, into a bracelet shape. I am familiar with sparex for quenching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian.pierson Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 Frank, I have done some silver castings in the past. I used 20 mule for the flux. You can use a carbon rod or a simple branch for skimming dross. Make sure it is dried out. The silver had a bright shiney look to it. Almost like mercury but with a red tint to it after the dross was skimmed. I have never poured into tufa so I can't offer much advice. I have poured into soapstone and I preheated the mold to make sure there was no moisture. I don't know what a Navajo silversmith would have used for a crucible. Good luck with your project. Brian Pierson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 The book "Metal Techniques For Craftsman" by Oppi Untracht covers the whole process. Pages 334 to 337. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 The book "Metal Techniques For Craftsman" by Oppi Untracht covers the whole process. Pages 334 to 337. Hey! I have that book. Thanks, Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pault17 Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 Frank, be sure and let us know how it goes. pics, video.... all would be great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tran Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Here is another book it is from Gutenberg NAVAJO SILVERSMITHS. by Dr. WASHINGTON MATTHEWS, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17275/17275-h/17275-h.htm#xviii Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Hey! I have that book. Thanks, Tim. I thought you might. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted January 27, 2013 Author Share Posted January 27, 2013 Thanks to Brian, Tran, and Tim. Gregory Schaaf is a Santa Fe author who has written extensively about Native American silversmithing, and he approached me about this silver-pour project. He is not a smith, so that is why he came to me. The filming may be part of an Indian Pueblo Cultural Center museum [http://www.indianpueblo.org] exhibition next year in Albuquerque. We know that the Navajo did tufa casting, but Van Schaf found that some of the southern Pueblo Indians also did the same. Nowadays, it is not often done in the Pueblos, and he wanted to show some of the early techniques. The silversmithing exhibition is an attempt to show young Native Americans that they can learn the old and new ways of silversmithing and that making jewelry can become a means of livelihood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Frank, Be sure to warm and dry the tufa in the oven before you pour the silver into the mould or you will end up sparing molten silver all over the shop and yourself, not a fun thing to do. You would be surprised how much territory that silver will cover if the mould is not warm and dry, WOW! I think that Indian Jewelry Supply in Gallup, NM still sells tufa stone and maybe Thunderbird Jewelry Supply in Albuquerque, NM, I have purchased from both in the past(20 years or so ago for TJS and 8 years ago for IJS). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Are they asking for the entire process to be historically accurate? if they dont mind using modern equipment outside of the mold itself i have had no trouble casting sterling with one of these http://www.fdjtool.com/ProductInfo/22.2E_791.aspx i have not used a tufa mold myself, but the first thing i thought of was to make the depression of the mold deeper than you need it to be and control the thickness of the pour by premeasuring the quantity of metal in the melt, i would be edgy trying to pour into a 1/8" deep mold without slop, especially if i had to pour it 6 or so inches long. you also never mentioned the intended width of the piece, but assuming its not some ungodly wide wrist shingle you shouldnt need a terribly large crucible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Frank; I use a stainless steel creamer as my crucible. It does thin with use so I make sure it's a reducing fire with plenty of coke under it and a "volcano" firelay around it. (with a heavy walled one I once got 4 1+ oz pours---not bad for a fleamarket $1 crucible) Borax as flux, but stir with a DRY charcoal rod to help deoxidize it before pouring---can also skim any dross with the charcoal rod Might hunt around for some of the oldstyle crucibles used for testing silver and gold ores. Some of them look much like the primitive ones used in earlier times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atexascowboy Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Make a small test mold, smoke it as well as preheat it. Acetyline, alcohol lamp or a kerosene lamp for the smoke. Configure your cuts so as not to create a void/air pocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Hey Frank, How'd it turn out? Got any pictures of it and you doing it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 Hey Frank, How'd it turn out? Got any pictures of it and you doing it? It's on molasses hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Sorry to hear that, I thought the thaw has come to Santa Fe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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