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Arthur F. Payne · Public domain (1914)
Teaspoon Sawn Short from Silver Sheet, Then Hammered Out (Payne 1914)
Saw the spoon out of flat silver smaller than it will end up: shorter, narrower in the bowl and thicker in the shank. Hammering then stretches it to full size. Arthur Payne said this method was used largely for silver teaspoons.
Source: A. F. Payne, Art Metalwork with Inexpensive Equipment (1914), pp. 180–184; annealing from his chapter XI. The millimetre figure is ours. Picture: Payne's Fig. 155, the blank and the finished spoon.
Intermediate
1 day
Instructions
1
1
Saw out the short blank
Saw out the short blank
Mark out and saw the blank from 15-gauge sterling silver (about 1.45 mm; our conversion): 5 in long, the bowl 1⅛ in wide and the shank 5⁄16 in wide. The finished spoon will be 6 in long with a bowl 1⅝ in wide.
Materials for this step:
Sterling Silver Sheet1 piece 15 gauge, enough for the 5 in blankTools needed:
Scriber
Jeweler's Saw2
2
Stretch the bowl wider
Stretch the bowl wider
Hammer the bowl on a flat anvil with the ball-pein hammer, held at a slight angle towards the side you want it to grow. This makes the bowl thinner and wider.
Tools needed:
Anvil
Ball Peen Hammer3
3
Narrow the shank with the neck hammer
Narrow the shank with the neck hammer
Hold the spoon on edge on a rounded convex stake and hammer the shank narrower with the neck hammer. This lengthens the spoon and makes the shank narrower and thicker. Widen the tip of the handle the same way as the bowl.
Tools needed:
Stake
Neck HammerBall Peen Hammer4
4
Anneal and repeat
Anneal and repeat
When the silver gets hard, heat it to a dull red and plunge it into water, or let it cool. Repeat the hammering and annealing until the spoon is roughly to shape.
Materials for this step:
Water1 as requiredTools needed:
Bunsen Burner
Tongs
Glass Vessel5
5
File and planish
File and planish
File the rough edges smooth, then planish the whole spoon carefully.
Tools needed:
Files (Hand File)
Planishing HammerStake6
6
Polish out the file marks
Polish out the file marks
Rub out all the scratches and file marks with emery cloth.
Tools needed:
Emery Cloth7
7
Anneal to even the fire scale
Anneal to even the fire scale
Anneal the spoon thoroughly once more. Heated silver grows a thin white skin, the fire scale, and this brings it back over the spots where filing and polishing took it off, so the colour is even.
Materials for this step:
Water1 as requiredTools needed:
Bunsen BurnerTongsGlass Vessel8
8
Planish with smooth hammers
Planish with smooth hammers
Planish the spoon on smooth tools with smooth, bright hammers. This makes it stiff again after the annealing.
Tools needed:
Planishing HammerAnvilStake9
9
Final polish with rouge
Final polish with rouge
Polish it lightly with a soft cotton flannel and a little red rouge.
Tools needed:
Jewelry Polishing Cloth
Jeweler's RougeMaterials
2- 1 piece 15 gauge, enough for the 5 in blankPlaceholder
- 2 as requiredPlaceholder
Tools Required
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