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View Full Version : The gold jewelry made from my steel die


george wilson
10-15-2010, 7:26 PM
Some have asked to see the gold heart and earrings that were made in the die.

As I mentioned,these are 22 karat gold. I coined them in a 50 ton press I made from a 50 ton bottle jack in a powerful steel framework. That jack can bend the 3" thick steel top! So,I keep a piece of precision ground steel on top of it. When the top bows 1/32",I let the pressure off. Any more bow than that may set a permanent bow into the top.

I also made a "inflated" heart die from polished brass. This is placed behind the heart,and pressed into a nylon block to puff up the flat heart.

The recipient's initials are hand engraved into the center of the pieces. I got the Master Engraver to engrave the monogram,though. Too nervous to put a chisel on the expensive gold!!
Ron Petley
10-15-2010, 8:05 PM
George, your talents run far and wide, even though you do a lot of things, I can see you do them all well.
Cheers Ron
george wilson
10-15-2010, 8:28 PM
No I don't. Ask my wife. She tells me how stupid I am every day.:) Then,she gets even madder because she has to depend upon me.:) :) :)
Phil Thien
10-15-2010, 10:05 PM
No I don't. Ask my wife. She tells me how stupid I am every day.:) Then,she gets even madder because she has to depend upon me.:) :) :)

She can't be THAT bad, my wife frowns on my giving jewelry to other women.

Awesome work!
george wilson
10-15-2010, 10:13 PM
Been taking her abuse for 26 years!!:) :) :)
David Weaver
10-16-2010, 7:54 AM
Very nice, nice crisp detail george. Doesn't look like the commodity stuff that appears to have had whatever detail there ever was on it run completely off with a buffing wheel.

You may have said it in another post, but I don't remember ...are you using 22k because it flows well? It has a really nice tone (the color) and looks like very high quality antique jewelry that has some personality.
george wilson
10-16-2010, 9:04 AM
22k. because it has a nice color. Jon made several silver hearts for his own use. I've made some,too.

I KNOW exactly what you mean by buffed to death. Too often happens,doesn't it? There is a "it must be good,it's shiny" bunch.

These pieces are not buffed at all. Just as from being coined in the die.