I have been playing with my “new” rolling mill this week, and really enjoying the resulting textures. I have a rather extensive fabric collection, and am working my way through the cloth with interesting textures to see what does will with the metal.
I am NOT an expert at rolling mills! That said, I took some photos of my process today, and they might be helpful to other beginners.
I was taught to make a “sandwich” with a piece of manilla file folder, then the material with texture, then my metal.
sandwich for the rolling mill
Above is the image of the manilla file folder cut to a bit larger than my silver, with the upholstery fabric and the silver “sandwiched” inside, ready to go through the rolling mill.
feeding the sandwich into the rolling mill
To the left you can see me feeding the “sandwich” into the rolling mill. The handle on the top of my mill adjust the distance between the two rollers, which alters how much pressure they put on the “sandwich”. You can adjust this to put more pressure and leave a stronger imprint, or less pressure for a lighter imprint. I have to remind myself to change it when I change material, as each material is a different thickness.
My rolling mill is NOT where it needs to be! I have it on a file cabinet, and it slides around terribly when I’m running things through it. I need to get it onto a wooden surface that I can bolt it to, both so it won’t move and so that I can put more pressure on it.
finished sandwich with texture
This picture show the “sandwich” after it has been run through the mill. I tried to set it so that you can see the texture the upholstery fabric imprinted on the silver. You can only use the manilla file folder piece and the fabric piece once. The process of transferring the texture squishes them ;) So just throw them away after each use. I keep a stack of manilla file folders near my rolling mill, and am creating a pile of possible texture materials to choose from as I work on new projects.
Earrings with textured silver, pearls, rohodochrosite cabs
The earrings above use sterling silver I textured using the fabric shown in the images above. I soldered the bezels onto them, set the rhodochrosite cabs, and added dangles with freshwater pearls. I think the textured background really adds to the appeal of the earrings.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
jenibuckingham 10.09.08 at 5:27 pm
How exciting that you have a rolling mill to play with! I’ve been saving up and can hardly wait to get my hands on one. Thanks for posting these pics - they’re so helpful and I’ll remember them when I get started!
~Jeni
Jamie King 10.11.08 at 2:03 am
Congratulations on your new toy. It’s sure to provide many hours of enjoyment and inspiration. For a slightly different arrangement in preparing your “sandwich,” check out –
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/paper-die.htm
Best regards, Jamie
Sally Jewett-Brocato 10.11.08 at 5:50 am
Beth-how timely! I was lucky enough to purchase a used rolling mill and just had a class on how to use it. I too have been trying various textures and just made a pair of earrings quite similar to the ones you show–mine was textured with raffia–the same stuff I use to tie up my jewelry gift boxes…it gave a lovely, natural feel to the silver. I added faceted garnets, tube set near the bottom of each rectangle.
I like the idea of upholstery fabric and will try that soon!
Jean 10.18.08 at 3:27 am
Very nice pair of ears and I think the upholstery fabric idea is tops. Keep the good stuff coming I love this new section.
Jean