[TheForge] some experiementing has nice results.

[terry l. ridder]

hello;

inspired by jim carother's braid ii iforge demo i have been experiementing
with different material and size rods. this evening, i have been braiding
1/16" brass and bronze rods together. after a few false starts do to
oversized torch i broke down and purchased a bernzomatic butane micro-torch.
a jeweler's torch such as the "little torch" made by smith equipment would
be a better choice. anyway, of all the materials i have experiemented with
so far this one looks the "best". nice contrast, the yellow brass gives just
the right touch to the softer bronze tone.

i experiemented further and have been braiding a brass and bronze cross necklace
to give to my daughters for christmas. using the folded cross as the base idea, i
have been braiding the top and bottom members. the top member is 6 braids and the
bottom member is 10 braids. ( counting the half torus on one side of the braid )
between the top and bottom members i have 4 brass rods and 4 bronze rods. i take
one brass and one bronze from each of the top and bottom members and braid the left
and right cross members. to end the braid i heat the tips of the left and right
cross members just enough to get them to "bond" together. a little filing and the
braiding is done. a little time with the dremel tool and buffing compound the
braid cross looks very nice.

thank you to jim carothers for the inspiration.

(the iforge demo may be found at:
http://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/tutor/colonel_2/top_index.htm
)

-- 
Terry L. Ridder ><>