Here is a tip for laying out your work prior to soldering from @adornedsmithingco -“I use clear packing tape! I will cut off enough for the piece and lay it sticky side up on my bench. Then I fold one corner over so I have something to hold on to. I... more
Here is a tool maintenance tip and some excellent advice from @purifiedbill -“Gotta keep those pushers clean! just like hammers, if you have dings or scratches on your bezel pushers, you will get dings and scratches on your bezels! I use 1200 grit... more
Here is a tip for creating a split shank ring from @la_soucique_studio - “I have always had trouble getting split shanks symmetrical. Until a few months ago when I ordered a thicker double half-round wire. Gotta use it, right? It makes split shank... more
Here is a tip for helping you form your small bezels from @elizaschmuck - “When I make small round bezels I hammer them through a wire drawing plate (first with a flat surface until it’s on one level with the plate and then with the dapping tool. The... more
Here is some solid advice on setting bezels from @annperryjeweller - If you're hammer setting start on the "North" side of the stone and, holding the tool as shown in your non-dominant hand, gently tap the end of it with your hammer in a series of... more
Here is a tip for making your bezel rocker extra special from @anna.maria.designs - “I cut the leather (from a pair of gloves) and hold it tight over the rocker and tape around the bottom to hold it on. I use painters tape so it’s easy to remove when... more
Here is a technique for securing your work while stone setting from @alwaysaleda - “The t-plate from GRS is a Godsend. I haven’t got a ball-vise, (or the room for one at the moment!) so I use this in their ring clamp for setting stones in flat or... more
Here is a step by step on how to create a basket setting from @sinead_cleary_jewelry - “Start by forming two circles out of wire. I prefer 18g. Argentium, sterling or fine silver all work. One circle should be smaller than the other, the larger circle... more
Here is a tip for calculating the cost of materials while working on a one of a kind or production prototype - for this 18k yellow gold pendant I took out my mini digital scale and weighed the metal I had cut from sheet. I then calculated the weight... more
Here is another storage solution for your gemstones and findings 😍 from @love_beyond_the_moon -“I love these acrylic makeup drawers for easy access when working on a collection because I can easily see all of my stones, there's even room for points or... more
In this week’s @pepetools_usa Rolling Mill Mini Series post, I want to discuss some of the main uses and benefits of having a rolling mill in your studio (besides texturing sheet which I promise to cover in greater depth in a future post!) If you have... more
Here is a wonderful technique to sand your bezels from @dreamlandcreations “Tape some sandpaper down to your work surface. Apply light but even pressure on your bezel (you don't want to squish it!) and move in a figure 8 motion. This creates a flush... more
Here is a technique for soldering your bezels or smaller details to a piece without melting - focus your torch flame on your base and heat from below! You can even try a sweat solder (melt solder onto your base, pickle, sand slightly and then place... more
For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I’m extremely excited to show off my new @whaleystudios sliding hammer 🔥 this was my first time setting with it (I probably should have waited a few weeks until I got really good at it so I could impress you all 😂)... more
For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I want to talk about the @grstools Benchmate System (I have the Encore QCX) I often get asked about mine and I wanted to give those interested an opportunity to ask questions! I invested in mine years ago and have... more
For this week’s #tooltalktuesday we are going to build off of last week and discuss the @grstools pin vise attachment for the Benchmate, thank you @nurdleintherough for sharing your videos and thoughts! 🙌 - “ The GRS pin vise attachment for the bench... more
For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I wanted to show the Foredom® H.15D hammer handpiece. This model includes the “duplex spring” which provides extra flexibility, there is also the H.15 model but I have never used it so I can’t compare the two. I do... more
Here is a tip for making your own burnishers to cut silver (like the inside/outside of a bezel) from @jewelrymonk - “I took an inexpensive steel wax probe, or awl, and trimmed, sharpened, and polished it. One is a point and the other is sharpened to... more
If you need to make jump rings of all different sizes use this tip from @goudsmederijlamoon - “My knitting needles..Here are some of them, various sizes and materials. Bought from a thrift shop. I use both plastic and metal! I made a little video of... more
