When you solder a bail and there is a little excess solder I like these sanding sticks from @gesswein.jewelry they come in three sizes and various grits! Economical and versatile, they can reach some of those hard to reach areas. Using the appropriate... more
If you are using @grstools Thermoloc to secure a small bezel for hammer setting you can keep your piece in there while you carefully polish your bezel. I find it gives me something to hold on to! The wheel I use is from @ottofrei1930 it’s their... more
Here's a tip for protecting a stone while soldering From @e_milio_draws Wrap it with a wet paper towel and set it in a small puddle of water while soldering! Thank you for sharing this Emilio! It should be mentioned that this type of technique should... more
Here is a tool organizing tip from @lisajdesigns - “I saw this brush holder at my local Dollar Tree and immediately thought of it for a tool holder! Mainly for my small bezel mandrels, files, tweezers, silver tubing, or wire.. basically whatever fits!... more
For this #tooltalktuesday I’m promoting my book!!! My goal was to create a fantastic resource for anyone interested in jewelry making, if you are self taught, if you have been doing this for years and want to deepen your knowledge. There is a huge... more
Here is a tip for securing components during soldering from @mdtc_handmade_jewelry Alex uses clay. That is the green material you can see in this video that is used to secure the individual prongs of the setting. Then plaster is poured over that. The... more
This is a little soldering tip I put together this morning for you! Many of my stud earrings will not sit flat on a file ring surface so I like to press them into my Kaiser Lee Board (shared by @thewildpine awhile back 🙌) this is also a useful... more
Here is a flex shaft bit organizing tip from @jewelryinstructor - “Some months ago, @therealtonyadavidson posted about how she organizes her flexshaft accessories and I was instantly envious. So while I was in Tucson, I suggested that getting my stuff... more
I have a little promo for you all! Use code REPRESENT10 to save 10% off in the Society Shop. Wearing a shirt helps spread the word about our community and sparks conversations with strangers about jewelry making! I’ll be out and about and people are... more
Have you ever bent an earring post while hammer setting a piece in thermoloc?? 🙋♀️ This was happening to me because I wasn’t using enough thermoloc and I didn’t have my post fully supported. @marquisjewelryacademy stopped by my studio and showed me... more
Here is a soldering tip from @allieperrydesigns - ““I love using a third hand to support small findings for soldering, because it not only frees up both of my hands for torch and pick work, it keeps the jewelry up off of my soldering pad. This creates... more
Here is a jump ring making tip from @lierreworks - ““Nylon jaw pliers are a great tool to have around the studio. One of my favorite things to use them for is to help me get really smooth, and tight coils with my @pepetools_usa jumpring maker. I get... more
For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I am showing the AGILO Diamond Grinding Wheel from our friends @ottofrei1930 (part 110.101) this is a really handy wheel to use with your flex shaft that lets you grind and shape all types of carbide, HSS and steel... more
Here is a bezel wire storage tip from @blueskyblackbird - “A creative hack to keep your bezel wire in place and untangled while you are using it to wrap stones. Take your used floss container, pop out or cut the metal tab, remove the flip lid and now... more
Here is a flex shaft bit organization tip from @isis_taki_ve_aksesuar - Line a drawer with foam, you can recycle it from shipping materials or packing and it creates a nice surface to stick your bits inside a drawer! I love this because it also... more
Here is a Moleskin tip from @sterling_perch - “I loooove Moleskin!! It keeps my jewelry from getting scratched and gives a little padding to my tools. Here are just some of the ways I use it in my studio… Moleskin vice to keep items secure Moleskin... more
Here is a tumbling tip from @theresaapplegatejewelry - “This method for tumbling chain is similar to other suggestions I found on the tip search page at metalsmith society. I used medicine cups from my junk drawer but you could use a sturdy plastic... more
Here is a tip for making multiple bezel pieces from @kaivijewelry - “When i’m working on a handful of pieces at one time I label each stone with a number and set it aside. Then I take a small ball burr and etch the according number on the inside of... more
Today’s video is from @gerardi_setting_school showing an engraving technique. - “This technique is a traditional setting technique, revisited with the pneumatic burin, I used a carbide ongellette n.4, to a neophyte i suggest to draw a cross, pierce... more
