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Old 09-01-2007, 11:03 AM
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Barry Lee Hands Barry Lee Hands is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Bigfork, Montana
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Default Re: Damascening an Elk with an Artisan

The gold in the Perrazzi is only $100 or so. It costs about $2 per inch for wire of that size, so it is very inexpensive.
You can use copper for practice, from telephone wire, or fine silver 999fine, it is very soft and cheap.
I have always used gold, I never really practiced much, just do it.
I save the big pieces of gold scrap, the little pieces land on the floor and are thrown away, hehe. I remelt the large ones, small wire scraps, and roll them out with a mill to the thickness required.
I never pull wire, I just buy it.
I would guess there might be $100 dollars of raw gold in the Elk at the very most. The value is in the work.
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"Critics gather, they discuss aesthetics, Artists gather, they discuss turpentine. . ."- Pablo Picasso
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