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Joining Tip for Jewelry & Crowns

There are many ways to attach bits of jewelry and metal. The most traditional way, but also the most complex is to solder. Different types of glues will work. Also, wire rings and wraps can be used.

For solder information, head over the to "real" section. There we have multiple pages that explain the basics of what solder is and tips on using it.

Gluing the Metal Joins

J B Kwik works very well, though you must completely envelop the wire. I am mixing very small amounts at a time and applying with a toothpick. I think this will hold enough that if I accidentally dropped it, it would not come apart.

Even though this is working beautifully, the JB Kwik is a very dark grey, and I will have to apply silver paint over it.

==Bonnie

Painting the Metal

Before applying the paint, clean both the wire and glue surfaces. You don't want any drebre or oil on your surface. If you've got tarnish, also remove that. If a previous paint has not stuck, sand it off before applying a new paint or you inherit all the problems of an older layer of paint.

== Cat

Question: I'm using steel pieces for the front, sides, and back. This steel discolors when touched, so I've been painting it to keep it nice-looking (and to cover up the unsightly JB Kwik blobs). However, I've noticed that the paint tends to come off on the skin. I've tried all sorts of spray paint, but nothing seems to be perfect. I need gold and silver, and it needs to have a smooth finish but be completely waterproof and not come off on skin no matter how much one sweats.

Try Ultra Gloss Metallics by DecoArt. It's an air dry enamel you brush on and just clean the brushes with water.

An other good choice would be the Pebo cold enamel paints. They are made for metals. You have to seal them, otherwise they remain sticky. They are harder to find and more expensive. They are also smelly and not migraine friendly when being applied. That's why I use the DecoArt paint. It doesn't make me sick, also I have heated it in the oven and never had it scrape off after the heat treatment. (Follow paint instructions for heat treatment.)

Without the heat it still stays where it belongs but isn't 100 percent scratch resistant like after heating. The only place there would be any scraping would be where the beads are attached.

Seal it with an extra thin coat of varnish in those areas.

Johanna

This page was last updated 04/22/08