Hardening wire

[Shirley]

I've just made a fibula using 0.8mm Sterling silver wire. I could do with hardening the pin part so I was wondering would hammering it with a nylon hammer do the trick? I don't want to mark or squish it.

Thanks

[mizgeorge]

It will help a bit. Better still, grasp the end nearest the coil with one pair of pliers, and then grab the remaining end and twist vigorously. This is the most effective way to harden wire by far.

Once you've shaped the pin, it is worth forging it very gently to help make sure it doesn't bend out of shape in use. Use a light touch, and aim to flatten very slightly along the entire length. If you work carefully, and have a well prepared hammer (make sure the edges are smoothed off), you shouldn't mark the wire at all.

[Shirley]

Thank you, George, I was hoping you might be around . I'll give it a go tomorrow. I have a brand new, unused hammer that should do the job of forging it.

[mizgeorge]

If it is brand new Shirley, before you use it, make sure the face is really well polished, and most important of all sand or grind off any sharp edges. Micromesh is a very quick and easy way to do this if you have some, but wet and dry or polishing papers will do otherwise. It's inevitably the edges that mark the metal, not the face.

Have fun