For those of us that cut designs from sheet metal - “A bench tip to save time and material is to first measure the size of your sheet metal. Then, on your computer, make a rectangle and accordingly arrange your designs in it in a way you waste the... more
Thanks for this simple but important tip @mi.chi.mi - “When making a new design or learning a new technique I write it down in my #jewelryjournal it helps me remember how I did the design or worked the technique and sometimes I'll even tape the... more
If you are serious about making jump rings, @riogrande posted this ingenious rig for cutting them. - “The difficult part of making #jumprings for me has always been holding the coil while cutting off the individual rings. I use a saw to get the best... more
If you do a lot of sanding or polishing of small parts @lauriewelserjewelry found a great tool from wirejewelry.com - “This is a cushion clamp which can be used to hold wire to metal or a group of wires together while working on them. I find it very... more
I love how quick our little community is growing 💕Is there a jeweler out there that inspires you? Tell us about them and tag them below! Let’s spread the love! Today I’m sharing the work of @ringgoldnicole who uses fabrication techniques to mimic... more
Just want to piggyback off of my previous post. If you are concerned about your tanks leaking fill a cheap spray bottle with soap and water and keep it handy to spray your tanks. You will detect a leak right away. BOOM. #metalsmithsociety #metalsmithy... more
Over the years I’ve had many students say they felt nervous about using an acetylene or oxygen/acetylene (featured in this picture) torch system in their home or studio. I just set up my new Smith Little Torch (I had one years ago and am excited to... more
Last time I had to solder a piece with a gemstone that needed protecting I used ‘heat shield’ that I purchased @riogrande, before that I cut off a small piece of potato to cover the stone while soldering, a trick I picked up from @hnossdesign ANOTHER... more
Love this #benchtip for sawing out a design from @arrowsandstone - “When trying to get an even cutout around a design use a sharpie to draw around the design line I did with this fern. Use your saw cutting the inner or outer line. Make sure you keep... more
On the topic of cleaning sticky wax out of a file I just experimented with @googone and my wire wax brush I bought from @riogrande and it seemed to do the trick 🤔 don’t think there will be any negative repercussions from using googone on the file but... more
Important safety tip from @yearlycompany who keeps this mini extinguisher in her studio just in case something catches fire. It’s happened to all of us #amirite ?!? 🙋🏼♀️ I don’t have one and am going to go buy one! Thanks for sharing and go check her... more
What custom tools have you made? I absolutely love this mini split mandrel made by @emilythatcherjeweller - ”I often make my own tools for different jobs, one of the simplest is a skinnny split pin for papering tight corners. As my original one, which... more
Clogged files got you down? @andrewberryuk has your solution- “Push the straight edge of a piece of copper parallel across the teeth. This will easily remove the clogged up material and prolong the life of your file.” #metalsmithsociety... more
I had the opportunity to ask expert stone-setter @chrisbolanddesigns whether there was a single tool or technique he’d picked up in the past few years that significantly elevated his skills (I loved seeing his current work and then swipe to see his... more
Not sure what size bangle your customer will need? @wyckoffsmith showed us a great way to measure! - “Use a tape measure to determine the circumference of the widest part of your hand with your thumb tucked in. This mimics the motion of putting on a... more
Talented jeweler @nadinekieftjewelry shared her favorite attachment for her flexshaft. It’s a diamond drill bill that she uses to carve metal! Her gorgeous earrings (in the last pic) were carved not in wax but in metal. 😍 Thanks so much for sharing... more
