More Texturing Talk, How to Texture with a Flat Graver

Yesterday I showed a texturing process with a small 0.5mm Ball Bur and it got me excited about texturing and contrasting looks in silver, so I will show another texturing procedure today that you might just fall in love with, I know it is one of my favorite ways to add texture to a piece, and in the right instance, it looks amazing. I call it “Walking a Flat Graver”.

I have a Silver Hoop Earring that is smooth, with a separating line on each side, which makes a great border for segmenting the piece. Let’s see if we can “jazz” this up.

In this instance, I am going to be using a #45 Flat Graver to add the finish, you can use smaller or larger blades according to the width of the piece you are working with.

I am going to polish the edge of the blade so it will leave a little more of a “shiny” texture. If you want a “duller” finish, you can skip this process. Take a piece of Yellow Rouge and rub it on a piece of scratch paper. This will leave a thin layer of rouge on the paper and we will use this to polish the graver. Polish the graver by rubbing the graver as flat as possible on the rouge covered paper.

Once the graver is polished, take the piece that you are going to be adding the texture to and support it somehow. With this piece, I can hold it with my fingers, but if it is smaller, you can hold it with Dop Wax, or with Jett Sett. Next take the graver and place the edge of the graver along the bordered edge. Start to “Walk” the blade back and forth, lightly cutting into the silver and rotating the blade from one end of the blade to the other, at the same time, moving forward. After you make one “pass” with the blade, repeat the same process, overlapping the first cuts, so they blend together.

Repeat going over the area until you are happy with how it all blends together, being very careful not to accidently touch the edge of the blade past the border. This texture is a great contrast with smooth, polished areas.

There you have it, one more way to texture your pieces, this way takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, you will enjoy the process and the look. Go find some scrap pieces and practice, and if you make something cool, go ahead and post it on the JewelryMonk facebook page. www.facebook.com/JewelryMonk

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Thanks again for joining me on this journey, now get out there and “rough something up”…..

Doug