Real Time Mallet Raising A Small Silver Bowl Start to Finish

The video shows the full process of raising a silver bowl. Then only parts that have been removed are pickling and cleaning between courses, and any interruptions. Following the process as described in 'Silversmithing' by Robert Goodden & Philip Popham, Pages 30-40. ISBN 0 19 289915 5 The main tool used is a homemade Delrin mallet on a rattan handle. (A hammer could have been employed). The first stake is boxwood. The rest of the work is done on a standard cow’s tongue stake modified with a piece of making tape, to give effect of a wooden stake. Silver is Ag958. 0:00 Marking 1:34 Blocking 2:11 Begin first course raising 3:40 Finishing first course in the blocking hollow 4:30 1st annealing 5:47 Begin 2nd course raising, one step in from first course 7:33 Finishing 2nd course in the blocking hollow 8:17 2nd annealing 9:18 Marking 3rd course raising. MARKS / WORK STARTS ONE STEP IN FROM PREVIOUS COURSE 10:22 I am putting masking tape on the steel stake because I want it to replicate a wooden stake. The tiny cushion of tape achieves the result 10:32 3rd course raising, one step in from first course 12:58 Finishing 3rd course in the blocking hollow 13:38 Caulking the edge using a raising hammer 15:47 Marking 4th course raising. MARKS / WORK STARTS ONE STEP IN FROM PREVIOUS COURSE 16:36 4th course raising. 20:00 Caulking after 4th course 22:41 Beginning 5th course. This course I am raising towards my self not away 25:59 Finishing 5th course. Using a mallet does not smooth out all the gathering wrinkles at the top edge of the raising. So one brief gentle round with a planishing hammer does the smoothing and no cracks can form. 29:20 Begin 6th course. As with every previous course the first row of malleting is one step closer to the Centre of the bowl. 32:04 6th course. Raising towards myself then smoothing edge with a hammer 35:40 7th course begins 43:14 Briefly knocking the base down, then beginning 8th course. Please notice how the metal’s surface is only softly textured. The mallet is gentle 49:30 9th and last course, beginning with modifying the base. The last bit of this is using the mallet to sort of planish. If I had wanted I could have used a planishing hammer and from this stage very quickly removed all the soft mallet texture. Filmed and edited by Adam Hope