Here is a tip for soldering cuff links from @Lydia.tucci - “When soldering the hinged one-piece backs of cufflinks, I use a heat shield such as Kool Tool to protect the mechanism. Going in and out as quickly as possible with the flame. It rinses off... more
Here is a tip for your soldering area from @allieperrydesigns - “Sound on for this one. 👂 Here’s a handy habit to prevent burns: if you rest your tools on the side of your soldering board it’s pretty much guaranteed that you will end up burning the... more
I would love to add to this list of tip requests! You can comment below, you can email me at corkie@metalsmithsociety.com. Thank you so much for tuning in and for sharing with us!!
What is firescale and why is it our nemesis?!? Firescale, also called fire stain, is the purple discoloration you can see in my sterling silver piece here 👆 More often than not I don’t notice firescale is on my piece when I take it out of the pickle... more
Here are two steps to achieve a perfect tapered bezel from @lucywalkerjewellery - “File them flat while they’re still in the bezel block, then you can use the top as a guide to scribe a line around the base and ensure that’s level too! I used a little... more
For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I wanted to talk about Bezel Setting Punches. I bought this economy set for myself years ago after having worked for a jeweler that used them in their studio. The idea is you use this tool to set tube settings with a... more
Here is a tip for if you accidentally bend a round bezel (swipe to the next video 😄) from @malianakaidesigns - “Here is a crushed round bezel cup. I selected a dapping punch a few sizes larger than my cup and gave it a gentle twist. This made it... more
Here is another technique for oxidizing your work but preventing your bezel from getting patina in it from @ascendant.jewelry - “ oxidize much of my work by dunking it in liver of sulfur. I also bezel set a lot of stones that are transparent with... more
Holographic Stickers! In stock, and ready to ship. The stunning one on the right was created by small business @towerpress they do all types of business cards, branding, enamel pins and stickers. This isn’t an ad, I just love the ladies that run this... more
Here is a tip for working with a customer on their ring size if you can’t meet in person from @beaverstreetgoods - “When working remotely with a customer on a ring to get the correct ring size I have my customer order this ring sizer from Amazon. It’s... more
Here is a #diy dust collecting container to work in from @cornerhousejewellery - “I use these acrylic sheets I purchased from amazon to make a dust collector. I took the lazy route and just taped 3 pieces together In a triangular shape but you can... more
Just wanted to talk about our monthly challenge for those that are new to the page! I apologize for no captions but this was a live. Basically on the first of the month we vote (in my stories) on a theme and within that month if you produce a piece... more
Here is a tip for if you get a stone stuck in a bezel and need to get it out from @exilejewelry - "I use poster tack on my bench top and really sink the stone in, try to rip the setting off like a bandaid. Some people use dop (dop is what lapidary... more
Love this idea for storing rings (and a bonus tip on making multiple rings at once 😄) @nurdleintherough - “I thought I’d show you all a little tool I made myself this morning. I’ve been pouring my energy into making parts and pieces like ring bands... more
For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I wanted to share a game changing organizer for your drill bits and burs from @grstools prior to this Jura Organizer I just have burs everywhere, all over my bench, in random boxes throughout my studio. As mentioned in... more
Here is a tip for organizing your burs from @meszarosjohn - “I like to use different coloured heat shrink on my drills and burs to help find the right bit at a glance , some you can add the size with a fine maker pen 🤓” Thank you for sharing this!... more
Here is a awesome mandrel modification from @lucywalkerjewellery - “Using a modified rubber wheel to clean up a 16 gauge sterling silver chain link. I love this trick as it keeps the wire round 🙌” I love doing this! It’s also great for French wires... more
Here is a method of storing your finished work and preventing tarnish from @agambroult - “I store my finished pieces in a case. Each piece is in a (biodegradable) plastic bag with an anti-tarnish strip.” Coming up with a system for storing your work... more
Here is a tip for your pickle pot from @thewildpine - “ I work with a lot of tiny components and found that I was spending entirely too much time digging around in my murky pickle pot trying to pull every little piece out one by one with my... more
Here is a #diy tool for those hard to reach rivets from @8thfloor_studio - “I needed to make hinges in a difficult angle, so I made my own hammer. First I made a hole in a wooden hammer with a regular home drill, and inserted a dapping tool that fits... more
