Metalsmith Society Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tips

Ever wondered how chain is actually made? This mesmerizing video from @rivaprecision shows the fascinating process in action! ๐Ÿคฏ๐Ÿ’ฅโฃ โฃ โ€œOur ice lathe machine takes an ordinary chain and transforms it into a brilliant, light-catching piece with precision... more

โœจ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ โ€œ๐—Ÿ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐˜†โ€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—œโ€™๐—น๐—น ๐——๐—  ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ธ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ป ๐˜‚๐—ฝ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐— ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜€๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐˜†! Hereโ€™s a glimpse at one of @lucywalkerjewelry tutorials: creating a bezel for a princess cut stone ๐Ÿ’Ž Filing that V-notch before bending the corners is crucial, and using... more

I love this jewelry studio organization tip from @henjewellery โ€œI saw this idea of the boxes, for storing silver from @therealtoynadavidson & I ran with it. They are for storing photos, I found them on Amazon. Size 7ยผโ€ x 5ยฝโ€ approx (itโ€™s mm here๐Ÿ˜) I... more

Comment โ€œGarfieldโ€ to get your refining bucket today! I truly could NOT believe my dirty sweep bucketโ€”after just over a yearโ€”was worth $1400. Seriously. Itโ€™s a wild time to cash in those shop sweeps while gold prices are high. Hereโ€™s the scoop: When... more

Love this tutorial on making your own sanding sticks from @arvidvantornoutโฃ โฃ โ€œVoor alle studenten (en misschien ook collegaโ€™s hier ;)):โฃ Zelf schuurlatten maken ๐Ÿคฉโ€โฃ โฃ โ€œFor all students (and maybe also colleagues here ;)):โฃ Making sanding slats... more

Whenever Iโ€™m soldering a chainโ€”or soldering to a chainโ€”I take a few extra moments to paint on either Ronda Coryellโ€™s Masking Mud or good olโ€™ Yellow Ochre. It helps protect the links I donโ€™t want to solder and gives me a little peace of mind.โฃ โฃ Want... more

Itโ€™s easy to forget that earring posts need work hardening tooโ€”but donโ€™t skip it or you risk a wobbly post that bends way too easily ๐Ÿ’ซโฃ โฃ Here are two ways to work harden them:โฃ 1๏ธโƒฃ Use flat pliers to gently twist the postโ€”first one way, then the... more

๐‘ช๐’๐’Ž๐’Ž๐’†๐’๐’• โ€œ ๐‘ณ๐‘ผ๐‘ช๐’€ โ€œ๐Ÿ‘Š๐Ÿผ โฃ Friends!! You NEED to know โ€” my girl Lucy Walker just relaunched her Metalsmith Academy and itโ€™s absolutely insane (in the best way). ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿผโฃ โฃ ๐’๐ก๐žโ€™๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐š $๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐š๐ฅ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ ๐๐š๐ฒ๐ฌ โ€” yup, two bucks โ€” and throwing a massive launch party... more

Want all of my top safety tips for jewelers? ๐Ÿงค ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ โ€œ๐’๐€๐…๐„โ€ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ˆโ€™๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐Œ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐š๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐š๐Ÿ๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ ๐›๐ฅ๐จ๐  ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ! This post is sponsored by @gesswein.jewelry โ€” weโ€™ve teamed up to create a curated collection of every single tool Iโ€™ve recommended over the... more

Here is a hinge tip from @endeisjewelry for a video she created for @riogrande โฃโฃ โฃโฃ โ€œThereโ€™s something so satisfying about creating hingesโ€”adding both function and an edgy touch to these solitaire pendants. โฃโฃ โฃ Once I ball one end of my sterling... more

Hey friends, I love this community so much. Many of you have been with me from the start when my youngest was only 7 months old (he is turning 8 this summer!) I want to introduce you to Winnie! This is my first dog EVER. I know a lot of us smiths have... more

Great tip for wax work from @metalbonesjewellery โฃ โฃ โ€œI wrap masking tape around the mandrel because wax sticks to it well. It also lets me mark out the ring size and design before sculpting. Once the wax is ready, I use a craft knife to carefully... more

3 AMAZING TIPS IN ONE POST from @theschoolofjewellery.ie โฃ โฃ โ€œStruggling to solder a cabochon setting onto a D-shape ring shank? โฃ โฃ Try these tips: โฃ โฃ Mitre Block Magic โ€“ Get a perfectly flat surface for a seamless fit. โฃ โฃ Tweezers Trick โ€“ Secure... more

Cool sand casting video from @roadkillgems โฃthat shows an awesome technique and tool! โฃ โ€œHere is a quick tutorial on Craig Dablerโ€™s core casting system. This technique is a little different from a traditional sand casting kit because you can cast... more

Here is a tip for anyone that struggles with balls ๐Ÿซข from @shayne.suttie.jewelleryโฃโฃ โฃโฃ โ€œI am using a steel trivet for enamel work as a heat sink to ball the ends of multiple wires.โ€โฃโฃ โฃโฃ I love this because you get the exact same size ball, great for... more

Here is a tip for straightening and work hardening wires from @mijouxjewellery โฃ โฃ โ€œItโ€™s amazing how easily wire can get kinked or bent so this is a really useful way of straightening it out again.โฃ โฃ Iโ€™m using a planishing hammer here which has a... more

Tip for holding rings in a vise for engraving or stone setting from @master.engraver ๐Ÿ’กโœจ During the @stullerbenchjeweler Bench Jeweler event, I was reunited with my first engraving teacher, Sam! I needed to hold rings for my stone setting demo, and he... more

Just got back from my first ever @stullerbenchjeweler Bench Jeweler Workshop, and WOWโ€”what an experience! ๐Ÿคฏ I canโ€™t believe this was the 21st year of this eventโ€”how have I never gone before?! I must be living under a rock! ๐Ÿ˜‚ From demo-ing stone... more

Tip for setting bezel corners on triangles, heart points, squares, rectanges... from @sarahweberpurves โฃ โฃ โ€œA lot of smiths are intimidated by sharp corners. The key is to have a properly shaped bezel, making sure to trim the bezel down the top of... more

Create your own tool for opening a bezel with this tip from @areteadorned โฃ โฃ โฃ โ€œAnytime Iโ€™ve found in the final stages of setting a stone that I needed to remove the stone for a repair, Iโ€™ve struggled with removing the stone without damaging the... more