In this week’s mini series post we are going to discuss how to get rolling 🙊😂 now that my equipment is safely secured my next step is to create a “sandwich” which is used when texturing metal and protects my mill (my precious 😂). I created mine with 22g copper, (brass works great too) You can also use a slightly heavier gauge if that’s what you have on hand. I cut my pieces so they fit within the flat aspect of my rollers. If you have a flat mill you can make your sandwich much wider. I took the time to sand so the edges aren’t too sharp while I’m handling it. Now I’m ready to texture my metal! As you can see in the video, the sandwich protects my rollers from the steel screen which would destroy my rollers if it made direct contact! So for this reason, this is your next step. Keep in mind an impression is created on the sandwich as well and these marks will transfer onto subsequent pieces of metal, so you will remake your sandwich in time. Here are some other rules/considerations for successful rolling of your metal whether you are texturing or just thinning out a piece of sheet: 1️⃣ ANNEAL (only time you don’t need to anneal is the first time you roll dead soft materials) 2️⃣ Always roll the metal in the same direction in between anneals. This avoids splintering and fracturing of your metal. 3️⃣ Roll 2-4 times (max) before annealing again (this depends on how stressed the metal becomes!) 4️⃣ If you do get splintering, file it before you roll again. 5️⃣ Always turn the T-bar in 1/3 - 1/2 turns to avoid over tightening and deforming metal. 6️⃣ Never go straight to silver (practice on inexpensive metals in the same gauge). 7️⃣ You don’t need to concern yourself too much with the dial gauges however to reset them close the rollers until they touch and then set both gauges to zero. 😄 Questions? Comments? Concerns? I will do my best to answer all questions with the help of our community 🙏🏻 If you are interested in purchasing @aajewelrysupply is offering us an awesome deal on this @pepetools_usa mill with code METALSMITH ($525 for this 130 combo mill or $495 for the 130 flat, shipping included) 💃🏼⚡️😁 #sponsored #metalsmithsocietyminiseries