In this thread
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f56/making-accent-bands-pens-91842/
George discusses one technique for making accent bands. Those who have or want to try this will find one of the most challenging steps is finding a supply of silver tube in the diameter you want. Here's what I do.
Start out with a wax cylinder. These should be jewelers wax and are available from jewelry supply houses, ebay, etc. I usually get mine from RioGrande. I think the smallest diameter they make is 7/8" so the first thing I do is turn it between centers to about 3/4" so it will fit in one of my collets. (Note: wax can be easily turned with any tools you use to make pens- nothing special needed) If you drill on a drill press, this is not necessary, but I like to drill on the lathe. They are 6" long and I usually cut them into pieces about 2" long, but any length will do.
I try to make them somewhere between .015 and .020 thick so for what ever size you want, drill a hole in the wax about .030 to .040 smaller in diameter than what you want for an outside diameter. Thinner than that are difficult for me to make and thicker is usually a waste of metal.
I turn the outside with the drilled tube mounted on a pen mandrel with home made bushings. When the wax becomes thin, you will notice that it needs internal support, so I turn a piece of scrap on a 7mm tube that will be a snug fit in the wax tube and leave a little room on the ends for the bushings.
Now comes the easy part. Take the tubes and ship them to your favorite silver caster. I use Cranston Casting in Rhode Island and have been using them for 3-4 years. They are nice people, a small USA business, and have reasonable prices. I usually get pieces back with 2 weeks after I mail them. I think they have a minimum of about $50, but call and ask. Typically I send about 10-15 pieces of various parts at a time. They also do gold. They charge for labor and for whatever metal they use, typically in the range of $5 labor for a simple centerband, 6-12 for a clip and $15 for a complex overlay. Silver casting grain is about $35 ounce now (subject to change rapidly). You can estimate the weight of silver you will need by multiplying the wax weight by 10.
If you have scratches in the wax, you will have them in the silver. It is a very true reproduction method with a very small amount of shrinkage. The casting you will get back will have some small places of heavy silver where the sprues were attached, but these are easily filed off. The piece will also be covered with fire scale which too is easily filed or sanded off.
EXTRA: there is no reason as long as you have some wax that you can't make custom finials, threaded centerbands, clips, overlays, etc. Enjoy!
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f56/making-accent-bands-pens-91842/
George discusses one technique for making accent bands. Those who have or want to try this will find one of the most challenging steps is finding a supply of silver tube in the diameter you want. Here's what I do.
Start out with a wax cylinder. These should be jewelers wax and are available from jewelry supply houses, ebay, etc. I usually get mine from RioGrande. I think the smallest diameter they make is 7/8" so the first thing I do is turn it between centers to about 3/4" so it will fit in one of my collets. (Note: wax can be easily turned with any tools you use to make pens- nothing special needed) If you drill on a drill press, this is not necessary, but I like to drill on the lathe. They are 6" long and I usually cut them into pieces about 2" long, but any length will do.
I try to make them somewhere between .015 and .020 thick so for what ever size you want, drill a hole in the wax about .030 to .040 smaller in diameter than what you want for an outside diameter. Thinner than that are difficult for me to make and thicker is usually a waste of metal.
I turn the outside with the drilled tube mounted on a pen mandrel with home made bushings. When the wax becomes thin, you will notice that it needs internal support, so I turn a piece of scrap on a 7mm tube that will be a snug fit in the wax tube and leave a little room on the ends for the bushings.
Now comes the easy part. Take the tubes and ship them to your favorite silver caster. I use Cranston Casting in Rhode Island and have been using them for 3-4 years. They are nice people, a small USA business, and have reasonable prices. I usually get pieces back with 2 weeks after I mail them. I think they have a minimum of about $50, but call and ask. Typically I send about 10-15 pieces of various parts at a time. They also do gold. They charge for labor and for whatever metal they use, typically in the range of $5 labor for a simple centerband, 6-12 for a clip and $15 for a complex overlay. Silver casting grain is about $35 ounce now (subject to change rapidly). You can estimate the weight of silver you will need by multiplying the wax weight by 10.
If you have scratches in the wax, you will have them in the silver. It is a very true reproduction method with a very small amount of shrinkage. The casting you will get back will have some small places of heavy silver where the sprues were attached, but these are easily filed off. The piece will also be covered with fire scale which too is easily filed or sanded off.
EXTRA: there is no reason as long as you have some wax that you can't make custom finials, threaded centerbands, clips, overlays, etc. Enjoy!
