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Home , Draw plate, Piercing saw

RECOMMENDED TOOLS FOR TRAINING

Setting up your workshop for Advanced Jewellery Training.

The JTS Advanced courses & Apprentice training caters for students who have basic jewellery making skills ac- quired from either our beginner courses or from face to face classes that you may have previously completed. Check the tool list to make sure you have the necessary tools for the project & for training. To find the specialized tools locally, Google search; ‘jewellery tool supplies’ or for US students; jewelry

For international supplies go to; www.riogrande.com

There is of course one more important addition to the list. A strategically positioned media player to view the JTS lessons.

SAFETY FIRST PIERCING & CUTTING TOOLS HAND & NEEDLE FILES

You can start your collection of files The most important thing in your work- Every jewellers best friend is the pierc- with a flat and a half round file. shop is your health and safety. Make sure ing saw. 4/0 and 5/0 blades will get you There are different cutting grades, so you have the necessary safety gear on through most advanced lessons.. I rec- start with a number 2 cut then add ‘0’ hand. Wear safely goggles at all times, ommend that you practice saw piercing cut files later. so that you limit the amount of blade wear a dust mask when using your drill, breakages. Other cutting tools to add Needle files are cheaper to buy by the and extraction or ventilation should be in to your list are shears & a pair of end set, with all shapes included. use over and pickle areas. or side cutters. BURS & DRILLS DRILLING MACHINE

The list for burs and drills could be a really long one so just make sure your There are three main drilling machine collection includes; 1mm 1.2mm & Just about all JTS projects require options available for jewellery students, 1.5mm drills & 1.2mm 2mm & 2.5mm the use of specialised pliers. the cheapest being a Dremel rotary tool. round burs. This will get you started. Don’t be tempted with this as it will not Then later add hart burs bud burs, cup To start with you will need; round burs & tapered burs for more adven- nose, half round, chain nose cope with the advanced classes. turous projects. You can also perform (sometimes called snipe nose) and I recommend a good quality micro motor most of your jewellery finishing with Parallel pliers. or a Foredom drill. (Search on discs & mops. I recommend a Split Later you can add a pair of soft jaw Ebay) , a snap on mandrel (& Moors (nylon) pliers for minimising tool Just be aware that some of the cheap discs) Silicone carbide rubber polish- damage. micromotors may lack the necessary ers, Goats hair brush mops & cotton torque (power). mops. This can be expanded on later. Page 2

MARKING TOOLS MEASURING DEVICES EMERY BUFF STICKS

These are something you can make Accuracy is the key to good jewellery yourself quite easily. Wooden or For hobby courses is not making. Traditionally jewellers would MDF off cuts should cost you next to too important, but to develop your generally use a steel Vernier or caliper skills you need to have marking tools but there are other options such nothing. Make sure you find a piece such as a steel rule, scribe set as leverage gauge or spring gauge. Con- of doweling too for finishing inside and protractor for working out angles. sider getting the digital or dial type ver- rings. There is a free video on mak- It is really important to use good quali- nier for easy use. They are not that ing buff sticks. Type into the search expensive, your local hardware may ty dividers for marking arcs and circles. bar ‘emery’ I also value a scalpel for marking have them. You will also need a ring size stick and finger gauge if you are straight lines. The following emery paper grades making rings, will get you started. P400 P800 P2000 BLOCK & MANDREL Note; Some steel have finger size markings. HALLMARK PUNCHES BLOCKS

If you live in a country that al- I recommend a steel ring mandrel and a lows self stamping then you will chasing hammer for shaping and sizing need to collect the hallmark rings, and for general I use a panel Making settings becomes so much easi- stamps or use the plier . beaters hammer and a flat stake into er once you add collet blocks to the You could also have a personal my bench vice. An is good to have if list. Start with a 17 degree round block initial stamp made to identify your you can find one. & punch. You can add to the collection work. A steel bench block is good for some shap- later. ing tasks. All jewellers have a raw hide or nylon mallet for metal without marking it. SOLDERING EQUIPMENT Not all JTS projects require soldering, but you will eventually need to invest in soldering equipment. Hobby jewellers generally start out with a butane or a gas only torch and the results can be great. However it is extremely difficult to control the heat and perform precision soldering. If you intend to advance fur- ther to commercial jewellery making then the torch of choice is ‘The Little Torch’ This requires an oxygen bottle as well as a gas bottle. Discuss your needs with your local gas supplier. You will also need a heat resistant surface to solder on such as a charcoal block or a ceramic soldering board. You will also need soldering tweezers a third hand for setting up operation and flux. A popular flux for jewellers is called Tenacity 4A flux paste. The traditional method is a borax cone and dish. To remove the oxides use warm sodium bisulfate & neutralize the acid with sodium bicarbonate all in well ventilated area. Page 3

INGOT MAKING TOOLS DAPPING/DOMING SET ROLL MILL

This is not essential for training but once you have a crucible and ingot mold you can salvage your scrap There are lots to choose from. Just The roll mill is a big investment so metal and reduce the need to keep make sure they are good quality from a make sure that you purchase good buying stock gauge precious metals. reputable tool supplier otherwise you quality not the cheapest. Having reduc- This set up is only applicable if you will be replacing them when they start tion gears is not essential, but having have an oxy/gas set up. denting. It will save you money if you the combination and sheet mill is. can buy a set that includes other form- Even better if you have the half round ing shapes such as the swage blocks (as rolls too. There are quite a few training DRAW PLATES above) They will come in handy for tutorials that do not involve the roll more advanced projects. mill so you can start training before you commit to buy. SETTING TOOLS POLISHING MOTOR

Start off with a round draw plate 0.5mm-3mm, this will cover most projects, I rarely use anything else. You can use good gripping pliers to pull the wire through, but hand draw make the task easier. I use the You can spend a fortune on a motor & bench vice to hold the draw plate. extractor combination. But you can get For ease you might prefer to make It is essential that you are a competent jewellery maker before you specialize by with a standard 2800 RPM 1/5 HP or buy a draw bench. in setting. The advanced level motor (a slight variation is fine) Just make RING BENDER sometimes includes demonstrations on sure iyou can fit tapered spindles to fit how to finish the piece and stone set the mops to. Also be aware that a lot of the projects. You will also be advised dust is generated, so mask up. My com- along the way on what tools are need- pound of choice is Hyfin for cutting and ed and how to make some of the tools. Rouge for finishing. The Dremel electric engraver is a fa- vorite tool of mine and not expensive. ULTRASONIC & TUMBLER It will make riveting and setting a lot easier. I also find that burnishers come in handy for hardening surfaces and apply- In some lessons I demonstrate how ing a bright finish to metal without re- to form thick rings without a ring moving any. bender but I do use my ring bender A good quality ring holder saves wear a lot, so put one on your wish list. Its nice to have an Ultrasonic cleaner & a and tear on your fingers, and a Bench- The type I use are hard to find but Tumbler for finishing your jewellery, but Mate is a great tool to add to your wish there are a few choices including the you can get by without them until you list. plier type. Ensure you buy quality. can afford to add them to your wish list.