Do hardware stores sell jewellery equipment? => 12 photos

  I was walking through our local hardware store and captured 12 pieces of equipment that could be used on our benches. I always keep my iPhone with me just in case something appeals to me. WOW, was this opportunity fruitful?

As we live in a bilingual country, Canada. The packaging is printed in two languages, French & English. Plus, we also use the metric system where possible.

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 These brushes could be used extensively in sweeping away any precious & now expensive metals from your benches. 

  This brush came with plastic gloves, which could be used liberally. This is when using your bench grinder to prevent metal shards from getting into your fingers.

  In case you keep brushes for gold and another for silver, then these brushes will be great when cleaning the polishing hoods of those machines.

 I once worked for a manufacturer who had a polisher who demanded that he have 'double brushes' and 'cloth wheels', as well. He didn't want to contaminate one metal with the other.

 I have one pair of these pliers at my bench; these prices were less expensive than what I paid for.

 Instead of cutting the jaws of the pliers as I've doing, these pliers came with the serrated jaws.

 What is this? Here are two instruments in one package, still at a very reasonable price.

How often would you use 'binding wire' in your assembly work?

 Hello watchmakers et al! Here are screwdrivers to suit your needs.

 Let's just say that you drop something under your bench, and the item is somewhere behind. You can now locate it with the help of this little mirror. Great idea?

 Not sure if these wire brushes are good for 'us', but sometimes using them just once makes it worth the investment.

 Wire brushes are great for cleaning your large tooth files. These are also great for cleaning wax from the teeth of your 'wax files'. 

 I saw this small hammer, and I would buy it just because of its relatively small size.

 Just having some of these items in your possession makes your inventory so essential. How can you set stones or make your jewellery, if you don't have the correct tools?

 In closing on this essay, just make a trip to your local hardware store and see what they have. The variety will amaze you, as it did with me. (any comments?)

Which bur will you use "HSS", or "156c" ? => 18 photos

  "HSS" bur is another correct name for "High Speed Steel".

 The letter 'C' in "156C" refers to the softer Carbide steel. I've mentioned this reference name a few times in previous essays.  

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  These '156C burs' are also named 'bearing cutters'. In which the angles of the cutting edges are 45degrees instead of the regular 90degrees.

  Not like the "HSS" burs, can these be repaired if they get worn down? The teeth of the "156C" are in close proximity to each other, which does not allow any opportunity to be repaired.

 These burs, under 'normal situations', will last for months. They can be repaired by resharpening the teeth on a regular basis.

There are an estimated 45 burs to a 'full set'. This is for preparing claws of various sizes of gemstones. The sizes of burs start at 0.03 mm and go up to 10.00 mm (or larger)!

 Here in this photo are two burs of two pavilion depths, each of which has multiple uses. 

 Hence the difference in proportions. The thin bur is used just for 'bearing cutting', the thicker bur prepares the Pavilion Facet.

 In this remarkable upclose photo, you can see the extreme edges of the teeth, which are getting 'rounded' by constant metal cutting. I use a 'Separating Disk'  to cut into the teeth, one at a time.

  As these teeth look the same, I will use a 'dark, marking pen' this will distinguish one tooth from the other.

 The cutting disk will recut each of the teeth. This process will rejuvenate the longevity of the bur.

As each bur tooth is being reshaped, it is reclaiming the 'cutting life' of this bur.

  Here is a wide assortment of 156C burs of 'medium-sized' burs. As many of these burs are showing signs of wear, they cannot be repaired. The reason why is that the teeth are too close to each other. The only solution is to discard the bur, plus the teeth are not as deep as the HSS bur, 'goodbye'.

 The price of these 156C burs is not as expensiveas the HSS burs, trust me!

 These burs should be immediately discarded if and when the teeth get badly worn and become useless.

 The only minor problem is that after every tooth repair, the size of the HSS diminishes slightly.

 Examine the width of the teeth from the large size bur to the smaller bur.

 I KEEP ALL OF THE 'HSS' BURS IN THEIR SEPARATE DISPLAY BOXES. I have 4 boxes for my (expensive) burs, each box determines where these different sizes will be kept.

 These are the boxes of 156C burs for my inventory. I keep them from touching each other and maintain the sizes in these plastic boxes.

  This HSS bur is a good candidate for reclaiming, asap. Every tooth has become 'rounded' and can no longer cut metal.

 From this 156C bur to the above HSS bur, you can now see the difference in both the tooth depth and size.

What is a "CUP BUR"? => 14 photos

 The official name for this bur is a "77B". This bur is meant to do just one thing: create a spherical shape on the claw tips.

  As you can see clearly, the bur teeth are inside the 'cup'.

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 With the common bur, the teeth are on the outside to cut into the metal. But in this case, the teeth are INSIDE to change the shape of the claw tip.

 After a few bur rotations, the tips of the claws will be reshaped into a ball as shown here in the cluster pendant.

  As with all metal shaping tools and instruments, keep these burs WELL LUBRICATED.

In this photo, you can see the teeth inside the "77B-Cup Bur".

 Here is a good example of 'rounding of the claws' before stone setting.

Get those centre claws rounded before setting. If you have a chance, you can polish the tips and round the claws before proceeding with the setting of gemstones.

 I always trim the claw tips before the stone setting commences.

 Don't let the edge of the Cup bur make contact with the soft stone. What I do is to 'rotate' the cup around the top of the claw.

 Before you set any cluster top stones, make sure that the height of the claws is uniform and is also polished. 

Then all that is remaining is to set the stones.

 What I do most of the time is to round all of the claws before stone setting.WHY? This will prevent the '77B Cup' bur from touching any soft stone, such as in an Amethyst or Emerald.

 You have an option for this ring; either you can trim the claw tips and create square tops.

 Or the next step is to use your "Cup Bur" and make all of the claw tips ROUNDED.

In this cluster pendant, all of the claws are uniform!

 

How are these mini-beads created? =>19 photos

 This is not a computer creation. The Rate of Difficulty is 12, on "The 10 Scale", as this technique needs much practice to be completely proficient at it.

 

WHAT TOOLS DO 'WE' NEED and when?

  There are only two tools (gravers) required for this technique. The most important will be a thin #1 Onglette, along with the secondary tool, which will be a highly polished engraving #2 Onglette.

 

  Under some circumstances, I will use a #40 FLAT graver with a fine cutting point (as shown). The new Onglette blade is shown as well in this photo.

                                   
 What we are aiming for is seen in the photograph seen below. The lateral line will be created with a small round bur. Don't improvise with any other bur.

  There are two cutting lines seen here with a "before & after" view. There is a pattern of 2 lines intersecting each other; these two lines will be where the new beads will be located.

 I added a 'decorative touch' to these lines by running a MILGRAIN wheel over the edges. 

(The blank area is where the beads will be.) The Milgrain effect accentuates the lines that were just created & shaped.

 When these lines were just cut, I preferred to cut my lines again, but this time much DEEPER. 

 This will give me more opportunities to use my Onglette #2 graver, putting more emphasis on a "DEEP" cut. A "casual line" in cutting is not in our vocabulary.

 These three photos display how the hand envelopes the graver & handle.

 There is much emphasis on keeping the lines straight and not curved, as this sometimes occurs naturally.

 I use a specially created Onglette #3 Beading Tool. This blade has a rounded front point. I will dig into the metal just behind each of these mini-pins and subsequently move the bead-claw OVER the Girdle of the stone....but not against it!

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 The line of cutting must remain PRISTINE and should have no contact with any burs.

 This particular process takes many months of practice; consider this technique a skill all by itself. 

 All of the metal carving should be completed at this point; the last step that should be done is to bead-set the gemstones.

  I used a mini-round bur to give each line of cutting a wider line to prepare for more Onglette cutting. 

Once the line has been created, then I'd use my Onglette graver to cut DEEP. Then I'd do this...... AGAIN.

 Here is the round bur actually doing the 'line preparation'. Don't destroy or ruin the inner row of BEADS. Don't use your graver to cut in between the holes.

A graver is meant to cut only a line along the edges of the holes.

 I will use my BUD-BUR to keep my line straight, as a round bur won't give that option. The BUD-BUR will give me a LONG & Deep CUT.

  A narrow BUD bur should cut DEEP that will establish and clean a new row of 'mini beads'.

 Start to use your round bur from the 'lines of cutting' until it reaches the centre section. Thus, exposing a line of newly formed BEADS. Don't let your burs touch the 2 lines of Onglette cutting.

  Those newly formed beads can now be 'Bead Burnished' with no effort. 

 All of the decorative 'beads' should be burnished at this point. When the gemstones are inserted into the holes, the whole process will then be completed. 

 BTW, a gemstone that has been inserted; then and only then can the beads around each hole be used in securing the stone.