Here are the different stages of making a bronze brooch adorned with a natural stone.
The raw material we use is bronze plates on which are welded wires of the same metal at its melting temperature. The delicate point of this operation carried out with a blowtorch whose sting heats beyond 800° consists in not melting everything at the same time 😕
This is the decorative part on which the stone will be set.
The two circular parts were cut with shears.
They are now decorated with punches,
and hammered into a hollow in an oak trunk.
Here is the assembly by welding of the different elements of the spindle.
A bail is added to be able to wear the brooch as a pendant.
Once the welds are complete, the pins are immersed in a bath of nitric acid to eliminate traces of oxidation due to the flame.
The spindle mechanism is welded to the back with soft solder.
Here is the pin after setting the stone.
And the finished models after polishing.
You can find the brooch and its different variations by following the link >>>
