04/26 Adding Gold: Overlay and Other Surface Additions

Saturday, April 26, 2025
10:00 am - 1:00 pm, PDT 

Instructor: Jennifer Stenhouse

The addition of gold can add value and a color option to your work while still remaining affordable. This workshop will focus on an introduction of gold accents through soldered overlay and surface treatments while discussing essential metalworking techniques, tools, and designs used to create jewelry.  Students can work with scrap gold jewelry and gold-filled metal to keep experimenting on a budget! Instruction will include information that will familiarize you with how gold and gold-fill are made, alloys, plating options, and how it is similar and different when working with gold or sterling. Students will learn through instruction, demonstration, and practice the techniques using wire, sheet, and findings to construct pieces that can be used for all kinds of jewelry & wearable art. The focus will be on the essentials of surface treatments using gold and gold-filled materials. Also, the proper use of tools and equipment, studio safety, and finishing techniques. Project demos will include making sheet samples with gold accents and finishing. 

All Levels

All classes include the video recording, which you will have access to for 60 days after the class. The Zoom link, handouts, video(s), and other important information can be found by clicking on the individual class link on the "My Courses" page. The Zoom link and handout (if any) will be available 24 hours before the class starts.

You also get 1 free session of Open Studio Access (OSA) in the month following your class, the Zoom link can be found on the course video access page.

The class supply list is below and contains links to buy the supplies you need.

Supply List for Students

The links below will take you to RioGrande.com or other suppliers. To see prices for precious metal items, you need a free Rio Grande account. Students in the Rio for Schools program enjoy wholesale benefits for six months (instructor code = RFSLMF). This site may contain Amazon and other affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, at no cost to you, we may receive a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Recommended Materials

Ordering an inch or two of gold wire or bezel will give you plenty to experiment with. Alternatively, if you have scrap or old gold jewelry, this can be a fun way to reuse the material to create marvelous new designs. You can check out pawn shops or goodwill to find scrap or old jewelry too!

• 26-20 gauge single-clad gold-filled sheet. You may need to be logged into your Rio Grande account to view this link.
• A variety of wire gauges in gold-fill can be also be used
• 20-16 gauge sterling sheet is a good base to work on. I’d recommend a few inches at least to work with

There are several findings also available in gold-fill to compliment your designs. If you want to stretch out with other gauges, findings, and wire profiles, order a few of them so you can work, learn and play in a way that fits your style!

Materials I will be using

• Gold-filled sheet, wires, etc.
• Gold-filled wires
• Gold-filled sheet
• 14k gold solder, 1 inch or so of each easy, medium
• Yellow silver paste solder
• Silver paste solder, easy

Options For the Flux

• Boric Acid based flux. This is flammable. Safety when working with this is important. You will need:
  • A bottle of Boric acid powder from the drugstore like Bartell’s. This is essential to making the flux for gold-filled soldering.
  • And Denatured alcohol from your local hardware store.
• Stop-Ox II from Rio Grande. This is water-soluble and non-flammable. I have a small spray bottle from the drug store I use to spray it onto the items before soldering.
  
• Both. I use both when working with sheet and flat stampings to protect it and prevent fire scale.
• Paste Flux or Borax and water-based flux

Recommended Tools

These tools are available from Rio Grande and other suppliers local and online for your convenience. But, if you have your own tools or want to add to your kit, this is what we will be using.

• Jeweler saw & 4/0 blades
• Small hammer
• Small rawhide mallet
• Drill of some kind, pendant drill, flex-shaft, hand drill
• Center punch/scribe
• Small tweezers
• Small tweezers, anti-magnetic
• Hand drill, Dremel or flexshaft
• Ring mandrel
• Bezel mandrel
• Forming pliers
• Bench pin
• Needle files
• 6" half-round file
• Flush wire cutters
• Magnifiers
• Torch and soldering set up. (If you don’t have a torch and set up, check out the starter set from Seattle Findings! Use the code ME20 for a 10% student discount when ordering from Seattle Findings!). They also have some good starter kits for students
• Here’s a good basic student kit from Rio

Additional Tools

• Denatured alcohol
• Small spray bottle
• Emery paper, 200/400/600 or emery boards
• Small pack of drill bits
• Small hammer
• Center punch/scribe
• Safety glasses