06/17/2026
✨I’m going to start teaching metalsmithing soon, and I keep finding myself having to actually think about what I’m doing, why I’m doing it and why it’s happening so that I can teach it. Such a fun mindset shift as I get ready to finally pass this knowledge down.
✨The star and moon appear copper in this video but are actually made out of brass. Once I polish them the way I have the eagles, they will shine bright and brassy just like the eagles.
✨What’s happening here? I have taken a torch to the star and moon so that I could solder the silver embellishments, the heat brought a thin layer of concentrated copper to the top of the brass. Brass is a metal alloy made up of copper and zinc, and this thin layer of copper is easily buffed off using sandpaper or a polishing wheel and will shine right up just like the eagles.
✨Do you have any metalsmithing curiosities? I’d love to answer them in the comments!