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Melting With Purpose: Torch Fusing Techniques
Unlock the magic of controlled chaos in Melting With Purpose, a hands-on virtual class devoted to the art of torch fusing! This exciting technique allows you to join and texture metal without solder. Using the heat of your torch to selectively melt and fuse surfaces, you can create rich, organic textures perfect for one-of-a-kind jewelry and small metalwork.
Working with Argentium silver (940), a highly fuse-friendly alloy known for its clean joins and ease of use, you’ll learn how to coax metal to the edge of melting—without going too far. We’ll cover a range of texturing methods and explore how heat control, timing, and torch placement are key to mastering this delicate balance.
You’ll leave the class with a variety of samples, a toolkit of surface techniques, and the confidence to keep fusing on your own. If you love texture, spontaneity, and a little fire, this course is for you!
Meet the instructor
Kristin Mitsu Shiga (she/they) is a maker, educator and small business owner with more than 30 years of experience currently living and working in rural Oregon.
Throughout her career, Kristin’s desire to balance her individual studio practice and working as part of a larger team allowed her to build an unusual skill set that includes everything from nonprofit arts administration and bookkeeping to armature-building for stop-motion animation studios. From a long line of educators, Kristin is passionate about teaching and has shared her knowledge with students at venues all over the US including Penland, Arrowmont and Haystack Mountain schools of craft, along with programs she established in New York, Oregon and Hawai’i.
Kristin believes that service is a crucial component of any career and has served in a variety of volunteer roles and on numerous nonprofit boards since 2001. She currently serves on the boards of the Hawai'i Artist Collaboration and Frogwood Artist Collaboration, and is in her second term as Secretary of the Board of Directors of the American Craft Council (ACC).
Kristin has shown her work internationally, and is included in several notable collections, including the Kamm Artful Teapot Collection and the Permanent Collection of the White House. You will find her work published in numerous books and magazines, including Art Jewelry Today, The Art of Enameling, Metalsmith’s 2017 Exhibition in Print, and several of Lark’s 500 Series books. Learn more about Kristin’s past work on Oregon Artbeat (segment originally aired in 2010).
Materials & Tools
The following supplies will be used for course demonstrations and objectives. A suggested item and/or vendor has been provided below for reference. Click the vendor name to be redirected to a page where you can view the item. The quantities needed for each item are listed first. If ordering, please be aware that some items may come in larger quantities than needed for this class. We recommend not opening an item's packaging until the day of the workshop. Student participation during or in-between class sessions is not required - observers are welcome.
The following supplies will be used for course demonstrations and objectives. Students are not required to have these supplies during the course - observers are welcome.
Raw Materials/Consumables:
- 1 x 3ft Argentium 940, square wire, 16ga, dead-soft (RioGrande)
- 1 x 3ft Argentium 940, square wire, 12ga, dead-soft (RioGrande)
- 1 x 3ft Argentium 940, round wire, 16ga, dead-soft (RioGrande)
- 1 x 3ft Argentium 940, round wire, 20ga, dead-soft (RioGrande)
- 1 x 6x1inches Argentium 940 sheet, 24ga, dead-soft (RioGrande)
- 1 x 3ft Argentium 940 strip (3/16"), 24ga, dead-soft (RioGrande)
- 1 x Ronda Coryell Purple Flux (RioGrande)
Additional Tools:
- 1 x 1.5mm Square hole punching pliers (Contenti)
- 1 x 1.8mm Round hole punching pliers (Contenti)
- 1 x 6x6inch Solderite pad, hard (RioGrande)
- 1 x Stainless steel straight tweezers with fiber-grip dandles (RioGrande)
- 1 x Blunt needle tip applicator bottle set (amazon)
- 1 x Large European compressed charcoal block (OttoFrei)
Hand tools:
- 1 x snips / flush cutters (RioGrande)
- 1 x jewelers saw (RioGrande)
- 1 x pack saw blades - 2/0 (RioGrande)
- 1 x burlife / bee's wax (RioGrande)
- 1 x bench pin (RioGrande)
- 1 x half round hand file - #2 cut (RioGrande)
Basic Soldering/Torch Set-up:
- 1 x fireproof area - steel sheet, tiles, etc. (Amazon or Home Depot)
- 1 x Solderite™ pad / pan with pumice (RioGrande or RioGrande)
- 1 x torch - Smith mini, Silversmith, or butane (RioGrande or RioGrande)
- 1 x #0 or #1 torch tip - if getting Silversmith (RioGrande)
- 1 x striker or lighter - Silversmith system has one (RioGrande)
- 1 x copper tongs - for pickle (RioGrande)
- 1 x pickle - sodium bisulfate or citric acid (RioGrande or Amazon)
- 1 x brass bristle brush (RioGrande)
- 1 x crock pot or lidded glass container (RioGrande or Amazon)
- 1 x tempered glass container or sink - for quenching and rinsing
- 1 x small brush - for flux
- Any Argentium or Fine Silver scrap you may have