Author
Alan Revere
Website: https://www.ganoksin.com/kosana/revere
Articles and Videos by Alan Revere:
German Jewelry: Freedom Through Precision
Mention German craftsmanship, and we think of diligent Black Forest elves making precision cameras and automobiles. Ordinarily, “precision” connotes accuracy, quality and attention to detail. Precision need not constrict creativity. In fact, as demonstrated by the outstanding exhibition of German…
Book Review – The Complete Metalsmith
Many fine books have recently been published for the serious student of metalsmithing. Tim McCreight’s new book is a tasty smorgasbord of diverse and varied metalsmithing skills. At first glance, the book is clearly an important new achievement in metalsmithing…
Optimized Saw Blade for Cutting Wax
While many jewelers work directly in precious metals, many also work with wax, carving models for casting in silver and gold. Working with wax often requires tools specialized for carving, sawing, filing, and finishing material that is softer than metal….
Selecting the Correct Saw Blade
This article provides and describes the useful tips for selecting the correct saw blade by Alan Revere including some important things to consider for blade selection. Sawing is a fast and easy way to cut and separate a piece of metal…
Reducing to Half-Size
At the counter, you remove the tape with a sharp blade and then slide the ring up a man-drel. Next, you measure Mrs. Moder’s finger with a set of ring sizers. Comparing her finger, size 5 1 / 2, to the ring, size 6, confirms that the ring should be brought down one half-size. Examine the ring closely. It is marked 14k and you have no reason to.
Evenly Heating Pieces for Soldering
One of the most difficult aspects of soldering is to heat the piece properly so that the solder will flow. For jobs involving small items, such as soldering the seam on a jump ring, this entails concentrated heating in a localized area, Most times, though, you must heat the entire piece of metal, especially when working on silver.
Avoiding Melting Soldered Seams
Soldering is a delicate and sometimes difficult process especially when you need to solder very close to a previous solder seam. Without extra care, you can easily melt that prior seam and dislodge the parts. One solution is to drop down a temperature level for the second seam.
Color Coding Solder Chips
Let’s face it, not every snippet of solder winds up in your work. Some pieces fly away during clipping, while others jump on the floor or fall into your catch pan, never to be found again. You might even accidentally spill one tray of solder snippets into another, mixing two different grades and creating a useless chaos. (After all, unless you are 100 percent sure which grade of solder snippet you have, you cannot use it.) To make your life easy…
Cluster Ring Assembly
One of the most difficult types of construction in jewelry is assembling a cluster of settings supported by a wire cage or basket. In this project, a marquis shaped center stone is surrounded by twenty two diamond melee with a total weight of 1 carat. The assembly is complicated because the stones are different sizes and mounted at different levels in the ring.
Installing an Adjustable Shank
This ring has become so hard to get on and off, but when it is on, it is loose and spins around my finger. My knuckles have gotten so big – another of your middle-aged customers with the same complaint…The fact is that as we age, our hands and fingers change shape, as do other parts of our anatomy. Whether due to injury, arthritis or just getting older, knuckles usually become larger which makes rings more difficult to get on and off. Suppliers offer several different mechanisms designed specifically for this type of situation…
Hollow Ring Project
One of metal’s unique qualities is its ability to be shaped and formed without breaking – its malleability. The hollow ring project demonstrates the fabrication of a shell structure, a type of construction used frequently in goldsmithing and silversmithing. A template is used to lay out the main pattern of this shell structure. The blank is then pierced and formed with hammers. A tube and other components are added to complete the ring. The project employs such skills as hollow forming, filing, fitting, and soldering. The construction is completed by adding a setting for a round cabachon stone. After fabricating such a ring once, the maker will understand how to modify the pattern to accommodate different finger sizes and designs.
Installing Sizing Beads
Arthritis is a common malady which affects many people as they age. People with arthritis often have enlarged knuckles which make it difficult to wear rings. A ring that barely squeezes over an arthritic knuckle may be so loose on the finger that it slips around and around. The simplest solution is often to add two beads of metal on the inside of the ring. This basic approach works by effectively tightening the ring when it is on the finger. Yet the space between the beads permits the ring to be turned as it is slipped over the knuckle. Another situation justifying the addition of sizing beads is when a top-heavy ring spins.
Curb and Cable Chains Project
There are hundreds of different types of chains, each with its own system of assembly. Most chains are assembled from individual links. In some chains, such as the foxtail, the links are individually soldered closed and then assembled. In other chains, such as the mesh and rope chains, the links are assembled and then they all are soldered at one time. Chains like the curb and cable patterns shown here repeat alternating steps of soldering and assembly. The following procedures describe two distinct chain patterns that can be created by treating the same assembly in different ways.
Box Clasp Fabrication
One of the most important types of closures used in jewelry is the box clasp. This clasp and its many variations are usually built into jewelry such as bracelets, necklaces, and chains. However, as an exercise, this project demonstrates the fabrication of a sample clasp as an independent unit..
Repairing a Silver Shank
Your customer brings in a silver colored ring marked 925 with a broken shank for repair. You measure the customer finger as size 6.5 and assure her that the ring will look ‘greatly improved’ when she returns to pick it up in a few days. Back in the shop you begin with a pair of half-round pliers to.
Book Review – Making the Most of Your Flex-Shaft
A welcome addition to the literature now coming out for bench jewelers, Making the Most of Your Flex-shaft by Karen Christians is an informative compilation of material for anyone who takes tools seriously. Everyone with a flex-shaft understands what a valuable tool this is. Here is a chance to learn more about it in order to maximize its effectiveness, efficiency and longevity, whether you are a beginner or advanced flex-shaft user.