Jewelry Tutorial: copper soldering pendant Butterfly wing

You need:

1. Agate cabochon 13x18 cm
2. Copper bead 3 mm
3. Copper wire 16 gauge - 55 cm
4. Copper wire 18 gauge - 30 cm
5. Copper wire 28 gauge - 150 cm
6. Chain nose pliers
7. Round nose pliers
8. Wire cutters
9. Hammer
10. Miniature Horn Anvil
11. File
12. Butane torch
13. Board for soldering
14. Copper-phosphorus solder Felder 94
15. Maas Polishing Creme and Polishing pads
16. Citric acid
17. Liver of sulfur
18. Rustins laquer for metal

 For first make the sketch or download my file:

Take 30 cm of 16-gauge wire and make a circle at the end of this wire.

Follow to the sketch and make the shape of butterfly wing. Pay attention to one point: the cabochon should be located in the center of the pendant, opposite the bail.

Use the chain nose pliers to make clear and sharp angle.

Use the hammer to flatten the wire. Make some places wider, and some narrower. It looks more picturesque. Like the art of calligraphy. After working with a hammer, the shape of the pendant changes a little. Heat the copper and fix this.

Place the solder at key points. Be careful - the parts have to fit tightly to each other. Otherwise the solder will not be able to connect them.

Make the soldering. And now we have to prepare other places for soldering.
Use the file for this. We have to clean the copper from the scum.

Place three pieces of solder and make the soldering. Be careful, you do not have to melt copper, only heat to the desired temperature. Otherwise, the solder will change its color to silver.

Take 3 cm of 16-gauge wire flatten it by hammer and warm by butane torch.
This make the copper soft and we can bend it easy.

Make the bail and connect it with pendant.

Place the piece of solder near the bail and solder it.

Use the file to remove excess solder and clear the pendant in a warm solution
of citric acid.

Beat the pendant by a hammer. This is to make the copper solid again. Take 25 cm of 16-gauge wire and bend it like on the pictures bellow to fix the cabochon.

Smoth the end of wire and fix it temporarily to base.

Take the 18-gauge wire and meke another piece of pattern.

Take 40 cm of 28 gauge wire and connect all parts around the cabochon.

Continiue the weaving to fix the wire pattern.

Take 60 cm of 28-gauge wire, bend it in half and make the weaving on the top of pendant.

You can add one small bead here.

Use another one piece to fix the last part.

I prefer to cover the jewelry by patina. Immerse the pendant into the warm solution of sulfuric liver and wait a few minutes. Use polishing pads and cream to make the copper shine.

A copper becomes dim from moisture. To keep its shine, cover jewelry with a special varnish for metal. I advise varnishing outside only to the body touched pure copper.

More about copper soldering: