#sponsored For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I’m excited to show off a magnification option that is affordable, made in the USA and has multiple magnifications all-in-one. The Magnivisor by @excelblades is an alternative to the Optivisor but where it... more
Here is a tip for making one side of your file “safe” while working from @makestuffwithyourhands - “A simple trick to 'safe' one edge of a file without actually grinding the teeth off the file - lay a strip of painters tape over the teeth. It keeps... more
Here is a tip for organizing/keeping track of solder while you work from @lisepomeroy - “I use a piece of kiln block with the letter “E” to identify that there are Easy solder chips on it. I like how I can dump a bit of pre cut solder out to pick... more
Here is a tip for those without a catch drawer from @atelier32jewellery - “A tip for those starting out or who maybe can't afford a "proper" jewellers bench. Get yourself a kitchen bench or butchers block from IKEA or even better, second hand. Attach... more
Here is a tip for when you are using binding wire from @andrewberryuk - “When holding together a bangle or something similar you usually use binding wire. If you raise up the binding wire as it passes over the joint it will stop the solder from... more
Here is a great set up and some tips on drilling from @emilymarquisdesigns - “ I set a spare bench pin set up with a bit of bees wax. By melting the wax to the end, I can easily access with my drill bit. My first and foremost tip on drilling small(and... more
For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I wanted to show off my Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors and talk about how I have found them useful in the studio. When I need to trim bezel wire or a thin backplate, these are my go-to scissors for the job! I have also... more
Here is a bezel setting tip from @fashionablyadorned - “An easy way for me to not mar my metal when setting is to wrap the end of my steel pusher in masking tape. I’m pretty detail oriented so finishing work for me is my struggle and this has helped a... more
Here is a tip for those that pour their own ingots from @andrewberryuk - “When you don’t have enough metal to fill the mold, soak small pieces of tissue paper in water and wring out the excess water. Place in your ingot mold making the tissue paper... more
Here is a tip for those that may not have a hole in their bench to hold a mandrel from - @rsalley - “Clamp a PVC T-connector to the table/bench and slide in the mandrel!” This is such a neat and inexpensive solution! Thank you for sharing with us!!... more
Here is a tip for soldering prongs to a bezel from @sharonzjewelry - “I love the convo of bezels and prongs combined in one setting. But soldering prongs to the outside of a bezel can be tricky, especially when trying to keep even heat above and... more
I love this tip for those with a limited budget for tools from @hausofmonarch - “f you have a one sided dapping block, just flip it over and use the back! It’s a bit smaller but will get the job done for stamping, work hardening and texturing! I... more
Here is a technique for safely drilling multiple items from @mothersonthemountainjewelry - “When I have a lot of pieces to drill holes in and don’t want to take all day-I use a square of scrap wood and tape them down to drill them one after another... more
#sponsored For this week's #tooltalktuesday, I am showing off my BurLife® Lubricant Portable Base from @riogrande. I love this because it's perfect for keeping near my bench pin while I saw, drill, set stones, or any other job requiring lubricant. In... more
Here is a different technique for tumbling those chains without getting them tangled from @mgdcasualjewelry - “I use plastic cards for embroidery floss. I tumbled over 20 necklaces within an hour and NO TANGLES!!! One thing I wanted to suggest is to... more
Here is a tip for soldering chain or small elements from @pickleypear “When I have something small to solder that is an addition to a larger piece or have to solder chains, I like to use a compressed charcoal block as a heat sink. The block works... more
Here is an awesome ultrasonic tip from @fsgmetal - “You can raise the work a little bit by screwing the vinyl coated hook into the side of the champagne cork. A regular cork does not have enough buoyancy to hold up large rings” 😄 Love this!! Thank you... more
Here is another use for those pipe deburing tools 😍 from @mi.chi.mi - “I use the deburring tool for any circle cutout in metal. In this case I cut out circles in a wide cuff with my saw. The deburring tool makes cleaning the edges faster than using... more
Here's an inexpensive solution for making your needle files comfortable to hold without investing in a variety of handles. This Comfort Grip Needle File Handle (Item #114849) is from @riogrande and I love that it has an adjustable collet, which allows... more
