Tutorial on Filigree Ronghua and Wire Inlay Ronghua

The basic steps for making Ronghua(velvet flowers) using the Wire Inlay Technology are quite similar to those using Filigree Craft. Therefore, we’ll combine the tutorials for both types without separate explanations.

Filigree Ronghua Basic Steps:

1.Materials Needed for Filigree Ronghua:

• Filigree Ronghua are typically made using:
  • Gold wire (24K pure gold wire)
  • Silver wire (pure silver, Miao silver, 925 silver)
  • Copper wire (H65)
• Gold and silver wires have good flexibility, so they can be directly twisted using a wire board. Copper wire requires annealing, but annealed copper wire may lose some luster. Therefore, an electric wire twister is recommended for copper wire to avoid annealing.
• Note: For Wire Inlay Ronghua, you don’t need to twist the wire. You can directly use copper or silver wire. When choosing copper wire, thickness is not critical because Wire Inlay Ronghua uses a single strand of copper wire, so you can select a slightly thicker one.

2.Wire Twisting (Skip this step for Wire Inlay Ronghua):

• Cut an appropriate length of copper wire and fold it in half. Twist the wire using a wire board or an electric wire twister (detailed steps are covered in previous article).

3.Pinch the Wire:

• The Pinching step is essential for both Wire Inlay Ronghua and Filigree Ronghua. The methods are similar, and I will write a separate article to explain the specific differences.
• Experienced artisans can directly pinch the desired shapes using hand pliers or specialized tweezers, without relying on other tools or patterns. (I will cover various pinching methods for beginners in a separate article to tell you some methods for Pinching.)

4.Handling the Velvet Strips:

• First, pass the velvet strip through a clamp board.
• Apply setting wliquid to the velvet strip and let it dry.
• Pass the velvet strip through the clamp board again and gently flatten it (avoid excessive force to prevent copper wire marks). 

5.Applying Glue:

• Apply an appropriate amount of glue to the prepared pinched wire frame, as shown in the image below.

• Note: Use transparent jewelry glue if possible. Jewelry glue has a finer dispensing tip, resulting in less noticeable glue marks on the finished product. Beginners should avoid using white glue in this step, as improper dosage can leave heavy glue marks.

6.Attaching:

• Place the glue-coated wire frame onto the prepared velvet piece.

• Gently press using the wire board to ensure better adhesion.

7.Pass Through the Clamp Board:

• After applying glue, let it sit for about 20 minutes. Heat the clamp board and place the velvet piece inside. Gently press.

8.Trimming the Shape:

• Trim the shape along the edge of the copper wire. After trimming, use tweezers to gently remove any remaining glue residue.

Note: When making flat clamped style Ronghua, especially Wire Inlay Ronghua and Filigree Ronghua, try to use less silk threads when making the velvet row. If the threads are too dense, the finished flat clamped style Ronghua may appear overly thick and prone to fraying.

Click here to see the video version tutorial.