Metalwork in jewelry making is one of the core skills in creating beautiful accessories. Whether you are creating a ring, a necklace, or a bracelet, mastering the properties of the metal and the techniques of working with it is crucial. If you happen to be interested in jewelry making, then the art of metalwork is an area of knowledge you can't afford to miss. Today, let's introduce some of the metalwork to the novice jewelry maker.
What should be in your toolbox?
Generally, professional jewelry artisans have many different kinds of tools. However, beginners don't need to refer to those jewelry artisans with years of experience to buy tools, because tools suitable for veterans may not necessarily be suitable for newbies. Here are a few tools that are often used by novices, which you can use as a reference when you buy tools for the first time.
- Bench Pin: The purpose of this tool is to hold the metal that you are going to work on and handle. You can attach it to a corner of the table top, which will increase the stability of this tool. Why is this tool a must? Because generally speaking the tools used to process metal are relatively sharp, once there is a slippery situation, it is likely to hurt your hand.
- Jewelry Saw: In the process of processing jewelry, there are many times when you need to make simple cuts in the metal. This is when a professional jewelry saw becomes very important. A good jewelry saw can cut the metal perfectly without deforming it. A jewelry saw can be divided into two parts, one is the blade and the other is the frame. You can change different types of saw blades for different situations.
- Beeswax: It was mentioned above that a jewelry saw is an essential tool for the novice live bar maker. Then to go along with the jewelry saw is a lubricant. Beeswax is a great material to use to rub the blade of your saw. If you think that beeswax is just too hard for you to find, then you can go to the seller where you bought your jewelry saw and purchase some other kind of saw blade lubricant.
- Pliers:The types of pliers used specifically for jewelry making are actually many. I'll name a few of the more common types here, such as sharp-nosed pliers, round-nosed pliers, etc. These are the pliers that are more commonly used by jewelers.
- Jewelry runt: The purpose of a jewelry thwart is mainly to smooth out the rough edges of jewelry. Generally speaking, one file is not enough, because many times the shape of the jewelry you are dealing with is different. So, accordingly, jewelry thwarts come in many different shapes, such as round, square and other shapes. Therefore, when you are buying jewelry thwarts, it is best to buy sets of them.
Finally, if your budget is large enough, you can absolutely purchase a pneumatic engraver to engrave jewelry. Pneumatic engraving machines are one of the most popular types of engraving machines out there, and they are very novice friendly and can be operated quickly with a little training.
What do I need to prepare if I want to perform a welding operation?
- Solder: What is solder? Solder is the material used to fill in the gaps. Solder can be classified as soft, medium or hard depending on its texture. The shape of the solder can also be categorized into sheets and wires. If you are using sheet solder, you will need to divide the solder into smaller pieces that are more suitable for subsequent soldering. Of course, there are also different materials, and the melting point of different solder is also different, so you need to consider the actual situation according to the classification.
- Flux: When soldering, some flux needs to be placed on the metal. The flux serves two purposes, one is to help the solder adhere better to the metal and the other is to prevent the metal from being further oxidized.
- Small Brush: You will need a brush to apply the flux to the metal. You can choose a small paint brush to use as your tool.
- Spray gun: Since we are going to solder, we need to have a tool to heat the metal. If you are working with jewelry, a small spray gun will suffice. You can go to a hardware store and purchase a spray gun. Most spray guns on the market will have a small propane tank attached to them for fuel.
- Pickling solution and suitable containers: During the process of welding, the metal needs to be cleaned properly. And the solution that is used for this cleaning is a solution that is known as a pickling solution. While cleaning the metal, you just need to clean it with the acid wash solution in a suitable sized container, you can choose a small clay pot as the cleaning container.
What are some other metal tools you may need to use?
- Vise: The purpose of a vise is to hold the material you are working with. If you have the means, you can also purchase a ball vise. A ball vise will be more specialized and can hold very small metal parts.
- Ring Mandrel: The purpose of a ring mandrel is to adjust the size of the ring as well as the shape of the ring. Here I suggest that you should preferably buy a metal mandrel rather than a plastic one. Plastic mandrels can break when they are struck.
- Rawhide Hammers: Rawhide hammers can be used to shape rings, which is used in conjunction with the ring mandrels mentioned above. Additionally, a rawhide hammer can be used to flatten pieces of metal. Rawhide hammers are called rawhide hammers because they have a layer of rawhide on them. The surface of the rawhide hammer is soft enough to be used as a hammer, but heavy enough to be used as a hammer. So it can flatten the metal while ensuring that the surface of the metal will not leave hammer marks.
Article Summary
This article describes metalwork in jewelry making, including basic tools, necessary materials for soldering, and advanced equipment. The ultimate goal is to provide practical advice for beginners and to acquire basic skills in jewelry making.
