Here is a wax working tip from @littleoscilla - “✿ How I finish my waxes for casting ✿ After you remove your build-lines and fill your bubbles, I recommend using nylon stockings/tights to achieve a nice finish on your waxes. When you use the nylons,... more
For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I put together this video on how to condition your rawhide mallet. Conditioning will prevent marring of your metal and takes less than 15 minutes! Thank you for tuning in and I hope you find this helpful!... more
Here is a stamping tip from @colorfieldsjewelry - “From my pile of sterling scrap I sort out some bigger pieces and anneal a bunch of them. I keep this stash by my stamps. When I want to try out a stamping idea, I grab a pre-annealed scrap and test it... more
It seems appropriate that my biggest seller this year has been this Society Face Cover. With 50% of the proceeds going to @unicef on a monthly basis I’ve donated over $1100 to date. You can find them on my home page (along with a shirt benefiting the... more
Here is a soldering tip from @hattie.eshleman - “I would love that! Here is a caption- “Use binding wire (or any steel wire) to make a nest and elevate your piece so that you can get heat underneath. Great alternative to having to buy a tripod rig!” 🙌... more
Here is a soldering tip from @pyrus_designs - “When making a piece or several pieces that require consistent and specific angles or symmetry, use the flat side of a honeycomb block to create a grid. Use a ruler and fine point sharpie to draw the grid... more
Here are some of my tube setting tips! I start with tubing that is at least 0.5mm (1/64 in.) larger than the gemstone I plan to set and I prefer to work with “heavy” walled tubing. First I use my miter jig to make the top of the tubing flush and then... more
Here is a tip for polishing tiny bezels from @isabelasopkova - “I would like to share my tip for cleaning small bezels after soldering, it is perfect for white gold especially. I use a interdental brush with polishing paste and it works very good :))”... more
Here is a tip for your brand new tools from @lucywalkerjewellery - “This bezel rocker, like many cheaper tools, didn’t come in a ready to use state - the edges were super sharp and even though it’s made from brass, it could still take a serious chunky... more
#affiliate For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I wanted to show off wheels you can use to remove the hammered texture from your bezels available from @ottofrei1930 the Italian Silicone Polishing Kit (Item #110.619 ) This kit contains a sampling of... more
Here is a tip for holding little items while sanding from @hausofmonarch - “Today I was getting frustrated with the mobility of double sided tape and how often I needed to change it while sanding. So I decided to try something new! I warmed a piece of... more
Here is a polishing tip from @earth_and_fire_designs - “I use a polishing cloth in a split mandrel for final polishing. I’ve found it doesn’t hurt stones but be careful with prong settings as it can catch!” Love this! Would be nice for the inside of a... more
Did you know that every year Metalsmith Society gets a fresh design? The 2020 Panther design was created by @butterystudio and is only available through 12/31 ⚡️ on 1/1/21 a brand new design will drop! It has been fun to see which items have been... more
Here is a tip to hold and store your ring mandrels from @sterling_perch - “I was tired of my ring mandrels rolling around on and in my bench! These grip clips work great!” I mean 😁 this is awesome. What a fun solution (and we all love a satisfying... more
#sponsored These tips on creating rectangular (or square) shaped settings are sponsored by @turquoise_moose they sell a wide variety of gorgeous, high quality turquoise and are offering our community $10 off your order with code METALSMITHSOCIETY... more
Here is a technique to saw out duplicate shapes from @hanamadenz - “I have a really simple tip to share that has changed my life since I was told it by another jeweller a couple (how I didn't figure it out by myself I don't know) If piercing two of... 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
#affiliate For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I wanted to show off my sanding sticks from @excelblades I featured them almost two years ago and I still find I’m using them on a regular basis and wanted to share with the 100,000 of you that weren’t... more
Here is a sanding tip from @8thfloor_studio - ““When I need to work on a piece of jewelry that has very narrow spaces in its shape (and regular sanding sticks can't get in there) l use the average metal nail fail as a sanding tool! It's great because... more
Here is a tip to protect your fingers from @mariannejenningsstudio - “When I’m using my flex shaft to polish or sand a small piece I wear these finger booties from Rio so when the metal heats up I can still hold onto the piece and finish... more
