Artisan Series Blanks Bring
a new dimension to your designs with our Artisan Series. Each blank is
individually cast resulting in a hand-wrought quality. These pieces
differ from regular die cut blanks in several ways:
Gauge: Most of these blanks are approximately 19-gauge thick resulting in a solid pendant that has a substantial feel to it.
Surface: Due to the nature of cast objects, there are slight variations
in the surface of the blanks. They are not smooth like our die-cut
sheet metal blanks. To restore the original shine after oxidizing, they
can be polished by hand or in a tumbler after stamping.
Material: The copper-colored blanks are an alloy called “Red Bronze”.
It is casting material made up of copper, tin, and other deoxidizing
metals and is a standard in the jewelry industry. The majority of the
alloy is copper and the blanks can be soldered and enameled like pure
copper. The silver colored blanks are sterling silver. The gold colored
blanks are brass.
Oxidation: The brass and red bronze blanks do
have a tendency to tarnish more rapidly than sterling silver. To slow
down the tarnishing process after you have stamped, oxidized and
polished the blank, you can apply a thin spray coating of an acrylic
fixative to the surfaces. As an alternative, you can also apply a small
amount of household wax (such as Johnson’s Floor Wax) to the surface
and buff away the remainder using a soft cloth.
