Metalsmith Society

Here is a tip for positioning work while you solder from @amypetersstudio - “I try to stay away from 3rd hands when possible. They pull heat away, they can concentrate heat on what it’s holding and most tweezers don’t last long and I hate throwing... more

Here is a tip for working with gallery wire from @didirosejewelry - “I cut the gallery wire at a point where it'll look like part of the design after soldering, then solder it with a small flame. A micro torch is my go to. Then I wrap the border wire... more

Here is a soldering tip from @lucywalkerjewellery - She takes 20 gauge copper squares uses them as soldering props! In one example she keep her prongs in place and the copper squares also act as a heat sink while she solders on a jump ring. She also... more

Here are some helpful tips when you are creating BIG BEZELS from @meritmade - “1) Up the gauge. Instead of using 28 ga fine silver I use 26. The larger gauge helps to keep the shape while soldering. More than once I’ve had a thinner bezel deform... more

Here is a soldering tip from @blueberryjewelry02 - “When soldering a clasp and jump ring to the end of a chain, use an extra locking tweezer or third hand to heat sink the lobster. I clamped it toward the back of the tweezer to cover as much Of the... more

What is firescale and why is it our nemesis?!? Firescale, also called fire stain, is the purple discoloration you can see in my sterling silver piece here 👆 More often than not I don’t notice firescale is on my piece when I take it out of the pickle... more

Here is a tip for soldering or repairing a prong from @Karusade_Kreations - “Kool Jool is great for protecting solder joints. I needed to solder 4 prongs & was really nervous about melting the previous & having the whole thing come apart. Just coat... more

Here is some amazing info on determining bezel heights from @marquisjewelryacademy - “We use heavy bezels for our work and teach it to our students @marquisjewelryacademy. "Heavy bezel" is used to refer to 1mm thick rectangle wire. I stock 1x2, 1x3,... more

Buy Now

Steel 6 Inch (150mm) Ruler

Here is a technique to create smooth silver balls from @limbagal - “No one likes wrinkly silver balls!!! How to melt wire into smooth balls using an oxygen/propane torch. Light torch as usual. Melt wire until it forms into a ball. When the wire balls... more

Here is a soldering set up from @brackendesigns - “If you've been torching from below with your piece on top of a heavy steel mesh screen, you may want to consider a set up like this when possible.... no huge steel heat sink.” I do this all the time 🙌... more

#affiliate For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I wanted to show the Jump Ring Maker Kit - With 28 Coiling Dowels created by our friend @silversmithingretreat this kit is $39.95 and all you need is a variable speed power drill (to slowly wind your wire... more

For the last #tooltalktuesday of the year I wanted to give a huge thank you to the companies that have continued to support the page through sponsorship ❤️Here is a recap of the #topnine2020 for Tool Talks: 1️⃣ John Frei Custom Workbench which was... more

Here is a soldering tip from @pam_farren - Cotterpins can be bent and twisted into all kinds of clamps to hold pieces in place while soldering!” I love the curve Pam put in this pin that fits perfectly over the tubing she is holding down. Thank you... more

Here is a soldering station tip from @jinjo.spumoni - “I flipped my annealing pan over and put some pumice underneath my honeycomb. It gives you the ability to still spin if you need to, but more steady so it won't move on you. I use the larger part... more

Here is a tweezer modification from @simplee_silver - “I have a pair of tweezers that I have modified to hold a band in place on the back of a bezel cup to make soldering so much easier. Bending them into position is just a matter of using a pair of... more

Here is a sweat soldering tip from @lainebenthalljewelry - “Melt the solder to the smaller pieces first, preferably with a flat side so that it will lie flush and connect without any gaps. Once the solder is melted to the smaller part, heat the... more

Here is a technique for sizing a ring from @milestonejewelryllc - “I would like to share an easy way to size a ring larger without having to measure anything! 1️⃣ Here is the ring that needs to be sized larger. 14k yellow gold, diamonds, sapphire 2️⃣... more

Here is a tip for making uniform earring wires, every time from @spritzfireandice - “I follow a 3 part method that produces consistently reliable results when making ear wires with balled ends. I prefer 21 guage Argentium Silver as the balls I melt... more

Here is a soldering tip for when you are soldering something very small to a thicker, bigger piece of metal from @mikeca1216 - “Flow a tiny little amount of solder on each piece separately before putting them together. Then put them together so they... more

Here is a tip to prevent solder from flowing from @Abilene_Sky - “One thing that I cannot live without in my studio is yellow ochre powder. Mix with water or alcohol to create a paste and paint where you do not want solder to flow. This magical paint... more

Tips

Here is a tip for positioning work while you solder from @amypetersstudio - “I try to stay away from 3rd hands when possible. They pull heat away, they can concentrate heat on what it’s holding and most tweezers don’t last long and I hate throwing... more

Here is a tip for working with gallery wire from @didirosejewelry - “I cut the gallery wire at a point where it'll look like part of the design after soldering, then solder it with a small flame. A micro torch is my go to. Then I wrap the border wire... more

Here is a soldering tip from @lucywalkerjewellery - She takes 20 gauge copper squares uses them as soldering props! In one example she keep her prongs in place and the copper squares also act as a heat sink while she solders on a jump ring. She also... more

Here are some helpful tips when you are creating BIG BEZELS from @meritmade - “1) Up the gauge. Instead of using 28 ga fine silver I use 26. The larger gauge helps to keep the shape while soldering. More than once I’ve had a thinner bezel deform... more

Here is a soldering tip from @blueberryjewelry02 - “When soldering a clasp and jump ring to the end of a chain, use an extra locking tweezer or third hand to heat sink the lobster. I clamped it toward the back of the tweezer to cover as much Of the... more

What is firescale and why is it our nemesis?!? Firescale, also called fire stain, is the purple discoloration you can see in my sterling silver piece here 👆 More often than not I don’t notice firescale is on my piece when I take it out of the pickle... more

Here is a tip for soldering or repairing a prong from @Karusade_Kreations - “Kool Jool is great for protecting solder joints. I needed to solder 4 prongs & was really nervous about melting the previous & having the whole thing come apart. Just coat... more

Here is some amazing info on determining bezel heights from @marquisjewelryacademy - “We use heavy bezels for our work and teach it to our students @marquisjewelryacademy. "Heavy bezel" is used to refer to 1mm thick rectangle wire. I stock 1x2, 1x3,... more

Here is a technique to create smooth silver balls from @limbagal - “No one likes wrinkly silver balls!!! How to melt wire into smooth balls using an oxygen/propane torch. Light torch as usual. Melt wire until it forms into a ball. When the wire balls... more

Here is a soldering set up from @brackendesigns - “If you've been torching from below with your piece on top of a heavy steel mesh screen, you may want to consider a set up like this when possible.... no huge steel heat sink.” I do this all the time 🙌... more

#affiliate For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I wanted to show the Jump Ring Maker Kit - With 28 Coiling Dowels created by our friend @silversmithingretreat this kit is $39.95 and all you need is a variable speed power drill (to slowly wind your wire... more

For the last #tooltalktuesday of the year I wanted to give a huge thank you to the companies that have continued to support the page through sponsorship ❤️Here is a recap of the #topnine2020 for Tool Talks: 1️⃣ John Frei Custom Workbench which was... more

Here is a soldering tip from @pam_farren - Cotterpins can be bent and twisted into all kinds of clamps to hold pieces in place while soldering!” I love the curve Pam put in this pin that fits perfectly over the tubing she is holding down. Thank you... more

Here is a soldering station tip from @jinjo.spumoni - “I flipped my annealing pan over and put some pumice underneath my honeycomb. It gives you the ability to still spin if you need to, but more steady so it won't move on you. I use the larger part... more

Here is a tweezer modification from @simplee_silver - “I have a pair of tweezers that I have modified to hold a band in place on the back of a bezel cup to make soldering so much easier. Bending them into position is just a matter of using a pair of... more

Here is a sweat soldering tip from @lainebenthalljewelry - “Melt the solder to the smaller pieces first, preferably with a flat side so that it will lie flush and connect without any gaps. Once the solder is melted to the smaller part, heat the... more

Here is a technique for sizing a ring from @milestonejewelryllc - “I would like to share an easy way to size a ring larger without having to measure anything! 1️⃣ Here is the ring that needs to be sized larger. 14k yellow gold, diamonds, sapphire 2️⃣... more

Here is a tip for making uniform earring wires, every time from @spritzfireandice - “I follow a 3 part method that produces consistently reliable results when making ear wires with balled ends. I prefer 21 guage Argentium Silver as the balls I melt... more

Here is a soldering tip for when you are soldering something very small to a thicker, bigger piece of metal from @mikeca1216 - “Flow a tiny little amount of solder on each piece separately before putting them together. Then put them together so they... more

Here is a tip to prevent solder from flowing from @Abilene_Sky - “One thing that I cannot live without in my studio is yellow ochre powder. Mix with water or alcohol to create a paste and paint where you do not want solder to flow. This magical paint... more