Stage 1 This is one of the forms that silver is traded wholesale in; wire.
Stage 2 First of all I beat the ends of the wire with a hammer.
Stage 3 By beating the metal in stage 2, the metal becomes ‘work hardened’ this is due the regular and organized molecular structure of metal in general, becoming disorganized. When it is beaten or bent, on a micro level the uniformly regimented structure of metal gets mangled and intermeshed, as a result it hardens and becomes brittle. If it gets bent about at this stage it can brake or split. By heating or ‘annealing’ the metal it returns to it’s earlier uniformed structure.
Stage 4 After annealing the metal can be bent easily.
Stage 5 This is a barking wheel on a micro-motor, used for shaping metal.
Stage 6 ... Any questions?
Stage 7 This is the finished piece, all shiny. you can check out the completed design here.
