For the month of September the #metalsmithchallenge theme was HINGES I’m so stoked to share these works because they truly embody the spirit of the challenge - to design something new, push yourself outside of your comfort zone and have fun! Video... more
This community truly amazes me, we started in February and have grown daily ever since. The talented smiths that generously share their knowledge, ask thought provoking questions and help one another is what makes this Society so outstanding. When I... more
Here is a wonderful tip you can use when photographing your work from @bearandtheadelaide - “Canned air before photographing to get the dust specs off especially when using a macro lens. And a few blows before boxing up your jewelry for shipment so it... more
Here is a solution for marking your pieces if stamping is not an option from @sinead_cleary_jewelry- “When I can’t stamp my piece prior to forming, I mark them with micro engraving pens. Which are cheap and quick. They take practice to get comfortable... more
Here is a tip for reducing fire scale/stain from @khdjewellery - “My tip for fire scale reduction is using a Boric acid and methylated spirit solution (a.k.a denatured alcohol). I have a plastic vitamin bottle on my bench and toss what I want to... more
Here is a tip for cleaning your pieces if your stones can’t go in an ultrasonic or if you don’t have an ultrasonic 🙋♀️ from @callirrhoejewellery - she uses this electronic toothbrush! You can use some mild soap and apply gentle pressure. Love this so... more
Here is a genius tip for all you wax carvers out there from @un_x_marked - “I use copper wire wrapped around the tip of my hot pen to get in to small details of my carvings or repair bubbles in wax’s that may happen during the injection process. It is... more
For this #tooltalktuesday I wanted to discuss a fantastic time saver that recently came into my life 💕 the @pepetools_usa Combination Disc Cutter 😍 if you design with circular elements you need one of these. First you want to create a shim, you can... more
Here is a tip for holding a tiny coil of jump rings while you saw them from @maridesignjewelry -“I found an easier way to cut jump rings. I always had a hard time holding the wire coils while sawing them (especially when cutting only a few) and tried... more
It’s the weekend and this tip makes me smile - If you want to play around with stone placement use play doh like @elisamelegarijewelry 😂 but seriously this is awesome because the play doh will hold the stones easily while you visualize the layout and... more
Here is a solution for holding small objects while filing and polishing from @annie.lesperance - “I use a clothes pin and tie an elastic to the end of it. It creates a tiny ring clamp with just enough tension to hold tiny pieces securely. I use this... more
Here is a simple, but game changing organizational tip from @bearandtheadelaide - I started using Jessie's method of hanging clipboards on my studio wall and now have my custom orders, supply order list and to-do list all at glance. How I used to do... more
When you are sanding a piece flat you need to ensure your sandpaper is on a flat surface @nokitchensink shared her awesome technique - “I use highly polished stone tiles to put sandpaper on to make sure I'm sanding on a super flat surface. I also... more
I love this solution for hanging your flexshaft from @splatboombang -“I thought I’d share my make-shift flex shaft holder, a cast iron hanging plant hook. Perfect because I can move it where I want it & push it out of the way when not in use.“ Love... more
For today’s #tooltalktuesday we are talking about ultrasonics! Shoutouts to @estherweinbergjewellery for these fab images and for sharing her experience - “This is the Elma Ultrasonic .8. Uses - CLEANS LIKE A MOFO! Ring rack is probably THE most... more
If you’d like to create a gorgeous rounded edge on a ring use this tip from @petercat_jewelry - “I was introduced to this tool in a printmaking class, where we used it to bevel the edges of our plates. It occurred to me I could do this with the thick... more
Here is a fabulous tip from @fairbankandperry if you are making a stepped bezel - “For smaller stones, like this 6x4mm citrine, we often make both the seat and the outer bezel from one tall piece of bezel strip. Once the bezel is made, it is cut... more
Since this month our #metalsmithchallenge theme is hinges, I wanted to share this tip for cutting tubing - you can place your tube cutting jig in a vise to make it a bit easier to hold the tubing and hold down the jigs arm! Can’t wait to see what... more
For all you stone-setters out there, you need a wax stick! Thank you @twinklebird for showing us yours! 🙏🏻 “Tip for a wax stick: I use simple bees wax (a sheet which you can use to make candles). Just roll a tiny bit onto a nail, soften and shape it... more
If you want to be able to see your work a little better when using a sanding disc try this modification - cut off about 1/4 of the disc. Then when you are sanding it allows you to see your piece a bit better and make sure you aren’t accidentally... more
