Pewter Casting

1
Pewter Casting Step by Step

1. Collect the cuttlefish and sandpaper. You will
   need to sand the cuttlefish until it is perfectly
   flat. Any impurities in the surface will lead to
   an unsuccessful casting. To check how flat the
   surface is place a piece of plywood on the
   surface and hold it up to light if there is no
   light shining through it is flat
2. Using a needle file / scriber, carve into the
   cuttlefish remember not to go too deep and
   remember to place a funnel at the top so that the
   pewter can be poured into. Remember ALL bumps
   in the surfaces will show up, so take care when
   carving
3. Using binding wire tie a piece of plywood to the
   cuttlefish as tightly as possible, ensuring that
   the design on the cuttlefish is covered, and the
   funnel is at the top of the wood.
4. Place cuttlefish and wood into a bucket of sand,
   make sure this is secure and wont tip over. Turn
   the blowtorch on, put safety equipment on. Have
   the pewter metal in the ladle and place over the
   flame it will take about 3 minutes to melt.
5. When pewter has melted pour into the funnel of
   the cuttlefish the pewter should be in a ball
   shape and the surface appears to roll.
6. Leave to stand for 5 minutes to cool down, untie
   the wire, remove and file and polish to make an
   effective casting.

2
Enamelling Step by Step

1. Collect the materials and equipment, piercing
   saw, v-block, copper, tin snips. Use the tin
   snips to roughly cut the shape of your jewellery
   piece. Then place the v-block in the vice and use
   the piercing saw to accurately cut your shape.
2. Once the shape has been cut you must finish the
   edges. This can be done with a needle file and
   wet and dry paper. You NEED to clean the surface
   of the copper so that the enamel sticks to the
   metal and doesnt rub off easily.
3. Place a piece of paper with a fold down the
   middle on your table, then put your copper piece
   on the gauze support (the wire tray). Using the
   little sieve, carefully apply the colour that you
   want over the area. Ensure that all waste
   enamel is collected on the paper so it can be
   poured back into the pots
4. Make sure that the kiln is hot enough, then using
   the firing fork carry the tray into the kiln,
   removing the fork immediately and closing the
   door.
5. Keep a constant watch through the kiln window,
   watch for the enamel starting to darken and then
   glaze over. Once it has reached this stage you
   must remove it quickly.
6. Place outside the oven on the tray for 5 minutes.
   The reaction with the natural air will harden the
   enamel and also let it cool down. DONT TOUCH IT
   IMMEDIATELY AFTER COMING OUT OF THE OVEN