Shop Machines


Jewelry makers may use a variety of power tools and shop machines. Learn techniques and tips for getting the most from your power equipment.

Buffing and Polishing Materials

Buffing and Polishing Materials

Almost any metal or hard plastic item can be buffed to a high polish or a satin sheen with the...
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Jeweler’s Shop Machines

About Anvils, Buffing Machines, Casting Machines, Drill Press Machines, Flexible Shafts, Hydraulic Press Machines, Rolling Mills and more...
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Laser Welding Basics – Part 1

Laser Welding Basics – Part 1

This article will run over multiple issues of Bench Magazine. I plan to start with the basics of welding and...
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The Neo Five Axis Mill

The Neo Five Axis Mill

There was a time in Ocean Rose’s life when moving to CAD/CAM would have been like "going over to the...
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Gem-Setting Tools: A Practical Guide To All The Hand Tools & Bench Supplies You’ll Need

This article lists the basic tools someone learning stonesetting might want to have around. One would of course add to...
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Laser Welding Replacing Soldering

When first starting to work with the laser welders, operators should experiment with five or six different alloys commonly used....
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CNC Milling vs. 3D Printing

For someone new to the jewelry industry, the sheer assortment of tools and equipment in the typical workshop can be...
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Hydraulic Die Press

Hydraulic Die Press

Pressing Matters by Tina Wojtkielo Snyder This month, we asked Lisa Krikawa of Tucson: If you were stranded on an...
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Gem Identification Machines

Gem Identification Machines

This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers...
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Notes on Presto-Lite Torch

We use a method for cutting down firescale when using a Presto-Lite Torch along with an acetylene B tank. The...
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Grinding Wheel Safety Rules

Besides the safety instructions that you get from a tool manufacturer in the tool manual it may be necessary for...
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Engraving Machines

Engraving Machines

This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers...
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Laser Welding Basics – Part 3

Laser Welding Basics – Part 3

Back when I was going to school, if I had known I would be writing an article about laser welding...
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Jewelers Saws Tested: A Hands-On Review Of The Knew Concepts Precision Lineup

Jewelers Saws Tested: A Hands-On Review Of The Knew Concepts Precision Lineup

I have an intimate relationship with my tool collection. Sometimes the needs of a particular jewelry project drive me to...
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Testing the PUK 2 Precision Welder

Testing the PUK 2 Precision Welder

If the thought of buying a laser welder gives the accountant in you cardiac arrest, you may have a more...
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Laser Welders Impacting the Jewelry Industry

Laser Welders Impacting the Jewelry Industry

The one tool that allows each of these jewelers to do their jobs better is a laser welder, a technological...
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Comparative Analysis of Three Welding Systems

Comparative Analysis of Three Welding Systems

AJM Magazine asked me to perform a comparative analysis of three welding systems performance in several different precious metal welding...
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Kiln Questions

First, the 'n' really is silent, at least according to the American Heritage Dictionary. There are kilns as big as...
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How to Make a Wax Injector

How to Make a Wax Injector

You will require a 5 to 6 inch by 3 inch wide brass or copper tube, silver solder a cover...
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Pat Pruitt’s Wolf Belt Sander

Pat Pruitt’s Wolf Belt Sander

Using 1 inch by 11 inch belts with a 4.25-inch working surface, this sander fits onto a flex-shaft with a...
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Laser Welding Sterling Silver

In laser welding of Sterling Silver ' lower silver bearing alloys (coin silver) we have about seven choices in laser...
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Basic Principles for Tools and Equipment

Saving some dollars on equipment can be really helpful to a shop's bottom line. Often tools and equipment from other...
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Flexible Shaft Tricks

Flexible Shaft Tricks

A good selection of burs may be had from your dentist. Dentists often throw out burrs which still have a...
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Useful Bench Tools

Useful Bench Tools

This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers...
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Casting Tools and Products

Casting Tools and Products

This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers...
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Finishing Machines

Finishing Machines

This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers...
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Benchtop Hydroflux Welders

Connections are an important part of jewelry manufacturing. We make them with suppliers, with retailers, even with the people who...
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Laser Technology

Laser Technology

This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers...
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Bench Tools for Jewelers

Bench Tools for Jewelers

This article lists the following useful bench tools for jewelers including contact information where they can be purchased or ordered....
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Laser Welding Basics – Part 2

In my last article I wrote about the various adjustable parameters, and the effects of changing those parameters. In this...
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Machine Tool Technology: An Aesthetic Application

Machine Tool Technology: An Aesthetic Application

This paper is initiated with the reference that one selects process because of aesthetic need. The premise of technology as...
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The RinGenie Marking Tool

The RinGenie Marking Tool

Jewelers are constantly in search of tools that make them more productive. It helps to shop trade shows where tools...
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Equipment Maintenance Guidelines

  You pride yourself on your pristine shop. Your equipment is laid out for maximum efficiency, your tools are stored...
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Tips for Modifying Vises

Tips for Modifying Vises

A good vise is a vital piece of equipment for any goldsmith because it can act as a third hand,...
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Warrior Power Tool System

Warrior Power Tool System

New patented Warrior Power Tool System kit provides a revolutionary proficiency advantage for bench jewelers and jewelry manufacturers for split-lap...
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Etype Automated Wax Injection System

Etype Automated Wax Injection System

Racine and his son, Ittai, a physicist by profession but a top engineer, passed on purchasing the dated facility and...
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Pumice Finishing and Brass Wire Brushing

Pumice Finishing and Brass Wire Brushing

The first time I saw a machine for pumice finishing and brass wire brushing was at the School for American...
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Beam Path Check

Beam Path Check

With the Nd:Yag Micro Laser Welders, being used by the jewelry, and other industrial manufacturing / repair industries, there is...
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Pulse Shaping: Energy Over Time

Pulse Shaping: Energy Over Time

Laser technology is still so new to 
our industry and there is still so much 
to discover. Fortunately, I believe...
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Cardboard Disc Sander Tool

A cardboard disc sander is a very useful tool. One uses the side or large flap of a fairly rigid...
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Rules for Tools

While it is clearly impossible to give a set of rules for each tool and procedure that goldsmiths use, this...
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Gold Alloys Using X-ray Fluorescence

Gold Alloys Using X-ray Fluorescence

Gold alloys can be analyzed quickly and without being destroyed with the help of X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The advantages compared...
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Testing the Wolf Adjustable Trimmer

Testing the Wolf Adjustable Trimmer

In my 25 years of working as a goldsmith, I have always looked for tools that make my life easier...
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Ronda Coryell’s Foredom Micromotor K.1050

Ronda Coryell’s Foredom Micromotor K.1050

If you’re a bench jeweler who loves her flex-shaft, you may consider adding a micromotor to your toolbox. That’s what...
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Thai Chaser Tool Tricks

Thai Chaser Tool Tricks

I was recently in Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand, where I spent a month visiting silversmiths and chasers...
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Foredom TX Flexshaft

Foredom TX Flexshaft

When manufacturing and repairing jewelry products, rotary equipment is essential to the process. Nothing is more frustrating or potentially damaging...
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The PUK Fine Welding Devices

For two years now, the manufacturer Lampert has been cooperating with the Laboratory for Welding Technology and Thermal Treatment at...
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How to Handle the Flexshaft

In the course of my 30 years in the jewelry industry, I can recall many instances of damaged equipment and...
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Faster, More Efficient Laser Welders

Faster, More Efficient Laser Welders

Since their introduction to the jewelry industry, laser welders have been lauded for their speed, accuracy, and convenience of use....
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Pulse Shaping: Variable Constants

Pulse Shaping: Variable Constants

In my last article about welding nickel white gold, (Ni WG),I said I would weld the same Ni WG shank...
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Pollution Control / Metal Recovery

Pollution Control / Metal Recovery

This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers...
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Tool and Equipment Checkpoints

Maybe you’re shopping for the latest technologies—the newest developments in CAD/CAM to produce life-like renderings, a laser to engrave your...
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Best Air Compressor Reviews (2023): Our Top Picks For Jewelry & Metalworking

Best Air Compressor Reviews (2023): Our Top Picks For Jewelry & Metalworking

Air tools can be game-changers in the jewelry workshop. From sandblasting to engraving, harnessing air power can give you nearly...
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