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

Tips

Here is a tip for when you need something lined up when soldering from @ckmetaldesigns - “After I file a spot in the ring shank flat, I mark the sides of the ring with Sharpie at the flat part. Then when I am placing it on the bezel plate to solder, I... more

Here is a tip for polishing some of those hard to reach spots: Dedeco Midgets! I received a few of these in last month’s @benchtooljunkies box and liked them so much I went ahead and bought enough to make a set! These polishing bits come in a wide... more

Here is a tip to keep your bezel settings and stones organized from @indigenousjewels - “This week I made a bunch of settings for stones I'm planning to use soon, but to keep them all safe and organized I just took a piece of cardboard, added some... more

For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I wanted to (finally) chat about magnetic tumblers 😄🔥 I often get asked about them and I thought it would be a great topic to discuss! There are many options on the market, but I wanted to show the Arbe KMT-15V... more

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Here is a tip to protect your piece while bezel setting from @brackendesigns - “I use my vinyl shape template to protect my pendant during stone setting.” We’ve shared a few methods for protecting your piece from a slip, I love this idea if your stone... more

Here is a great tip for shaping your bezels from @estona_sieraden - “I use 0.6 mm (22g) sterling silver for my bezel wire. After annealing the silver I stick my stone to my workbench. You can do this with a piece of tape (sticky side up). The silver... more

Here is an organization tip for smaller items in your studio from @shannonrusselljewelry - “I hung steel sheets on the wall and bought magnetic containers used for storing spices. The lids are see through and plexiglass, so it’s easy to spot... more

Here is a brilliant tip to keep patina from getting into certain areas from @drifting_gypsy_designs - “I tried rubber cement one day to prevent a patina in the silver bezel under a transparent stone. To my surprise it worked amazing! A couple layers... more

Here is a quick way to even out the bottom of your bezels prior to soldering from @persimmonpearl - “I use an Emory board! The grit takes off more metal than my fine sandpaper board, so it’s great when I’ve really got to get a bezel down to size. 😊” 🙌... more

Here is a tip for organizing your drawers from @lsdjewellery - “I bought Magnetic Strip (Neodymium). You can buy it by the meter from hardware stores or online. it’s not great for heavy tools but great for small files, small hammers, burrs, saw... more

For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I wanted to show the extremely versatile Bench Anvil Ultimate Kit from @seattlefindings. This kit gives you two bench pins, a small flat anvil area for stamping, two bracelet mandrels (oval + circle), a standard ring... more

Here is a bezel setting tip from @fashionablyadorned - “An easy way for me to not mar my metal when setting is to wrap the end of my steel pusher in masking tape. I’m pretty detail oriented so finishing work for me is my struggle and this has helped a... more

For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I wanted to show off my Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors and talk about how I have found them useful in the studio. When I need to trim bezel wire or a thin backplate, these are my go-to scissors for the job! I have also... more

#sponsored Today is America Recycles Day! In honor of that I wanted to talk about something we can do in our jewelry making to help the environment, choosing to work with 100% recycled metals! At @stullerinc you can not only find recycled sheet, but... more

Here is a tip for those that want to experiment with tumbling a piece with a stone set from @kjs_heart -“ I tumbled this pendant and after tumbling I set the stone. Although I used some tape on my tools to protect the bezel it got a bit damaged by... more

For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I’m showing off my #topnine2019 tool talk posts for this year! For a quick reference head over to my blog on metalsmithsociety.com where I linked all the original posts and places to purchase the items! 1️⃣ Luxi... more

Here is another use for alligator tape while setting bezels from @flameandstone - “Ok so the alligator tape trick is nice because it protects both the metal and the stone. It also provides a bit of slip resistance. I had leather on there but it... more

Here is tip for setting tall bezels from @anna.maria.designs - “One of my most favorite tools 🛠 is an agate burnisher. It helps me to smooth out and push down my bezels when setting stones that require a high bezel to come over the sides like the... more

Here is a fun way to lubricate your sawframe from @coloradocenterformetalarts - “If you eat Baby Bell cheeses, save the little wax wrappers. These make great saw lube and you can also use them to hold the stone while forming a bezel. They will stick... more

Here is another material to keep on hand to prevent your stone from getting stuck from @jpsrollingstones - “I had the floss break on a piece I was working on and couldn't get the stone out. 😥 A fisherman friend of mine said ‘why don't you use braided... more