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The Intricacies of Soldered Chains
In this demo-focused virtual class students will discover the intricacies of making a few different chain styles including palm trees, flat palm trees, wheat, and more. Participants will learn how to create mandrels which will allow them to form the jump rings required to construct and then solder the chain links. After putting the chains together, we will learn several different finishing processes.
If you’ve taken no-solder chain making with Matthieu previously, get ready to have some fun soldering some new styles!
Meet the instructor
Matthieu moved from Paris to New-Mexico when he was 19, where for seven years he studied Navajo, Hopi and Zuni jewelry techniques. He was immediately drawn to stamping, making concho belts and bracelets. He then moved to Mali, West-Africa and worked for a few years with the Fulani, Tuareg and Bambara jewelers.
In 1999, Matthieu settled in Montreal Canada and continued his studies by going to a jewelry school and learning a more classical part of the trade. Over the years, Matthieu has returned to Africa regularly.
In 2014, Tim McCreight and Mattheiu Cheminee created the Toolbox Initiative, a non-profit organization that helps jewelers in West Africa through the gifts of donated tools.
“I have been stamping and making stamps since the beginning and have developed a form of stamping design by creating patterns that fill the entire piece of metal. This is called “tessellation”.
Matthieu has written two books, “Legacy, jewelry techniques of West Africa“ and “The Art of Stamping”, both published at Brynmorgen Press.
Visit Matthieu's website or instagram page for more info on his work.
Materials & Tools
The following supplies will be used for course demonstrations and objectives. A suggested item and/or vendor has been provided below for reference. Click the vendor name to be redirected to a page where you can view the item. The quantities needed for each item are listed first. If ordering, please be aware that some items may come in larger quantities than needed for this class. We recommend not opening an item's packaging until the day of the workshop. Student participation during or in-between class sessions is not required - observers are welcome.
Metal/raw materials:
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12" x copper, brass, or steel 1/4" sheet - 12g
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6 feet x sterling round wire - 18g (Rio Grande)
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6 feet x 1/2 round sterling or copper wire - 16g (Rio Grande)
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6 feet x 1/2 round sterling or copper wire - 14g (Rio Grande)
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12 feet x fine silver round wire - 26g (Rio Grande)
Hand tools:
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1 x round nose pliers (Rio Grande)
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1 x chain nose pliers (Rio Grande)
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1 x flat nose pliers (Rio Grande)
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1 x snips / flush cutters (Rio Grande)
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1 x jewelers saw (Rio Grande)
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1 x pack saw blades - 2/0 (Rio Grande)
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1 x burlife / bee's wax (Rio Grande)
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1 x bench pin (Rio Grande)
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1 x half round hand file - #2 cut (Rio Grande)
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1 x rawhide / plastic mallet (Rio Grande)
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1 x sheet of sand paper - 220 to 600 grits (Rio Grande)
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1 x calipers (Rio Grande)
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1 x parallel pliers (Rio Grande)
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1 x Durston jump ring maker - optional (Rio Grande)
Torch setup:
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1 x fireproof area - steel sheet, tiles, etc. (Amazon or Home Depot)
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1 x Solderite™ pad / pan with pumice (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)
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1 x compressed charcoal block - hard (Rio Grande)
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1 x torch - Smith mini, Silversmith, or butane (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)
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1 x #0 or #1 torch tip - if getting Silversmith (Rio Grande)
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1 x striker or lighter - Silversmith system has one (Rio Grande)
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1 x soldering tweezers (Rio Grande)
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1 x soldering pick (Rio Grande)
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1 x 3rd arm (Rio Grande)
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1 x cross lock tweezers (Rio Grande)
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1 x paste flux (Rio Grande)
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1 x copper tongs - for pickle (Rio Grande)
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1 x 6” silver solder - medium (Rio Grande)
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1 x pickle - sodium bisulfate or citric acid (Rio Grande or Amazon)
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1 x crock pot or lidded glass container (Rio Grande or Amazon)
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1 x small brush - for flux
Other/miscellaneous materials:
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hard work surface
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fan and open window or ventilation system
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safety glasses
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pencil, Sharpie, notebook
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rags/towels