My First Solderless Ring

PMC, Solid Silver .999, 6mm wide





I attempted my first PMC ring last night. This morning once it was completely dry, I filed and sanded it and reworked the join with some extra slip. It dried a little warped but I left it alone knowing it could be formed (now that I have a steel ring mandrel) after being fired. I stuck it in the kiln at 1450F for 30 minutes. After it cooled, I hammered and ground on it a bit, beveled the edge, and viola!

It sure looks shiny after working with sterling. Since it is not combined with other metals it stays pure and tarnish free during the firing process. It actually comes out a bright matte white finish. I did burnish (closed the pores for light reflection) it to a shine with steel wool. See the difference in the photo I just loaded to my blog header.

I'm still trying to decide which process I enjoy more---the clay, or the sheet metal. I like both for different reasons, and feel blessed to be able to try both.