num_pages: 198
description: Over the past forty years of teaching and 100s of classes with 1000s of students, I, Don Norris, have heard many, many myths associated and taught about Silversmithing. I have made a list of 50 of these “smyths “and then bust them in hopes that it will help you with your Silversmithing adventures. I have been asked many times by my students, after taking my Beginning Silversmithing Class, “Why do so many teachers, and books, continue to teach these out dated methods that do not even make common sense.” I have to ask myself this too. My only real answer to this question is that Silversmithing has been taught as an art class and a hobby. There was no real interest in teaching it as a metals class and teaching it so that students could even do it at home, and for sure, there was no attempt to teach Silversmith so students could do it to make a living. Unfortunately, this all means that the emphasis is placed on the “art” and not the methods, processes and craftsmanship.Another reason that the same old bad methods and myths of Silversmithing is being taught is that most teachers, are only teaching “how” to do things, and not “why” things need to be done correctly. In most cases these teachers are teaching “how” to do things in the way they do, because they do not know of any other methods to do to it. They were taught to do things one way and continue to do it that way, without any thought as to “why”. They have no idea of “why” they are doing things they teach. I believe that the “whys” of doing any skill is more important than the “hows” to do the skill. Another reason that I hear from some of these teachers is that they believe they are teaching the “traditional” methods of Silversmithing. As if it was the right way to do things 100 years ago, it must still be the right way now. I once had an author tell me, “We should all teach Silversmithing the way you do, especially with using only hard solder for every solder joint, but my readers and students expect me to teach them the traditional methods of Silversmithing.” My reply was that my readers, and students, expect me teach them the very best methods, using the very best tools and supplies to make the very best pieces of jewelry in the least amount of time. He had no response to my reply. This is why I will give you five reasons to use the methods, tools and supplies that I teach. Most teachers and authors cannot give you one reason for doing what they teach. Unless you know why you are doing something, you should not be doing it. If you know why you are doing something then you can repeat it and rely on that information when new circumstances come up. Many of the students have come to my classes after taking Silversmithing Classes, and even college classes from other teachers. They come to me because they learned how to make a project in the other classes, but not how to do Silversmithing. Most could not even make the same project that they had just made in those classes. They are so frustrated with not being able to do the simplest of soldering techniques that they were going to give up Silversmithing altogether. They come to my class as the last hope of learning how to solder.This unfortunately brings up another reason that some teachers teach as they do. I have had more than one teacher tell me that they do not want all their students to be successful. After all, their students are the competition. As if the more people that know how to do Silversmithing, the less of their own pieces they could sell. I found that the more people selling Sterling Silver jewelry, the more I can sell. It drives up more interest in Sterling Silver jewelry and creates more customers. 
language: English
title: Silversmyths, the 50 Myths of Silversmithing
publisher: 9 Lives Publishing