Learn how to make the most from your rolling mill from usage tips and tricks to how to care for it. Investing in a rolling mill will allow you to prepare and form metal with ease, both of which are essential for serious jewelers. Included is a PDF…
This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers and designers in their quest to create their masterpieces. In this article we talk about Pollution Control / Metal…
This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers and designers in their quest to create their masterpieces. In this article we talk about Laser Technology. See related…
This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers and designers in their quest to create their masterpieces. In this article we talk about Gem Identification Machines.…
This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers and designers in their quest to create their masterpieces. In this article we talk about Finishing Machines. See…
This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers and designers in their quest to create their masterpieces. In this article we talk about Engraving Machines. See…
This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers and designers in their quest to create their masterpieces. In this article we talk about Casting Tools and Products.…
This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers and designers in their quest to create their masterpieces. In this article we talk about Bench Tools. See related…
Every month MJSA choose new products that they feature on their monthly publication. Here are the three MJSA July 2017 New Products. Tune Up Kits Designed for use with the Foredom flex shaft, these 32-piece Tune-Up Kits allow users to install…
Every month MJSA choose new products that they feature on their monthly publication. Here are the three MJSA June 2017 New Products. Foredom Mobile Work Station Developed for use in small or crowded workspaces, the Foredom Mobile Work Station…
Gold alloys can be analyzed quickly and without being destroyed with the help of X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The advantages compared to destructive measurement methods mean that XRF is predestined for application on valuable specimens (fig.…
You pride yourself on your pristine shop. Your equipment is laid out for maximum efficiency, your tools are stored in a logical, user-friendly manner, and you can monitor workflow effectively because you are so organized. But when…
The first time I saw a machine for pumice finishing and brass wire brushing was at the School for American Craftsmen. I don’t know if it is available as a ready-to-use product as I have never seen it in a supplier’s catalog. However,…
Harold O’Connor’s latest book is both logical and well laid out and will be a valuable reference to anyone using the flexshaft machine for either production work or experimentation. The tool, the flexshaft machine, is not glorified…
Maybe you’re shopping for the latest technologies—the newest developments in CAD/CAM to produce life-like renderings, a laser to engrave your rings, or a casting machine engineered to maximize fills. Or maybe you want to upgrade your…
A good vise is a vital piece of equipment for any goldsmith because it can act as a third hand, securely holding onto a piece while the goldsmith uses both free hands to work on it. Given their usefulness, it’s no surprise that many jewelers keep…
For someone new to the jewelry industry, the sheer assortment of tools and equipment in the typical workshop can be overwhelming. That’s especially true when it comes to technology, which changes so rapidly. If you’ve invested…
There was a time in Ocean Rose’s life when moving to CAD/CAM would have been like “going over to the dark side,” as she put it. An independent designer based in Tucson, Arizona, she eventually succumbed and invested in ArtCAM…
I have an intimate relationship with my tool collection. Sometimes the needs of a particular jewelry project drive me to purchase a new tool, while other times I’m compelled to add a tool to my collection simply because of its “Wow!” factor.…
For the past 10 years, MJSA has recognized the technological advances and products that are making a difference in the jewelry industry today and as we move into the future. The honorees are selected with the guidance of the esteemed experts…
This article lists the following useful bench tools for jewelers including contact information where they can be purchased or ordered. Grobet USA LED Bench Lamp Suitable for use at the bench or on the sales floor, the Grobet USA LED Bench…
If you’re a bench jeweler who loves her flex-shaft, you may consider adding a micromotor to your toolbox. That’s what San Francisco–based jewelry artist and Revere Academy instructor Ronda Coryell did recently when she purchased…
I was recently in Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand, where I spent a month visiting silversmiths and chasers to document their work. The city is teeming with chasers, and there are whole temples covered in metalwork. The chasers work mostly…
Jewelers are constantly in search of tools that make them more productive. It helps to shop trade shows where tools are on display to try out, but it’s really difficult to gauge whether the tool improves efficiency or accuracy without…
With the Nd:Yag Micro Laser Welders, being used by the jewelry, and other industrial manufacturing / repair industries, there is a very simple test that can provide a lot of information regarding the integrity of the laser beam. In the world…
In my last article about welding nickel white gold, (Ni WG),I said I would weld the same Ni WG shank by using pulse shaping, (PS). I have since realized that I need to write more about pulse shaping before I can accurately describe what I’m…
In my last article I wrote about the various adjustable parameters, and the effects of changing those parameters. In this article I hope to explain, in better detail, how laser beam energy is focused. I will likely be referring to some terms…
Back when I was going to school, if I had known I would be writing an article about laser welding geometry I would have paid more attention in all my math classes, not to mention my English composition classes. We aren’t going to be figuring…
Laser technology is still so new to our industry and there is still so much to discover. Fortunately, I believe that as jewelers, we are the ones left to do a lot of the discovering. My only intention with this article is to…
This article will run over multiple issues of Bench Magazine. I plan to start with the basics of welding and write about the characteristics of the beam and how we use those characteristics to weld. It is important to understand how the beam is…
We use a method for cutting down firescale when using a Presto-Lite Torch along with an acetylene B tank. The torch tips are engineered to take in so much gas through the gas orifice and so much air through the air inlet ventura so they burn to their…
About Anvils, Buffing Machines, Casting Machines, Drill Press Machines, Flexible Shafts, Hydraulic Press Machines, Rolling Mills and more…
You will require a 5 to 6 inch by 3 inch wide brass or copper tube, silver solder a cover on both ends a thicker one or double up for the base to retain the heat. Ideally the tube and top plate should be 1/8th inch thick with the base plate being.
A good selection of burs may be had from your dentist. Dentists often throw out burrs which still have a reasonable life left in them for a jeweller. The same goes for the probes and other tools. Some dentists are nervous about giving tools away.…
Saving some dollars on equipment can be really helpful to a shop’s bottom line. Often tools and equipment from other industries prove useful, and are sometimes cheaper than regular tool suppliers. I think this behavior used to be called ‘scrounging’.…
A cardboard disc sander is a very useful tool. One uses the side or large flap of a fairly rigid corrugated cardboard box. Make sure it has not been bent or creased to damage its rigidity. Make sure one side is smooth.
Almost any metal or hard plastic item can be buffed to a high polish or a satin sheen with the correct buffing wheel and the proper polishing compound. This includes copper pots, doorknobs, golf clubs and switch plates, to name a few common items.…
While it is clearly impossible to give a set of rules for each tool and procedure that goldsmiths use, this section gives some examples of the kinds of rules that may be helpful to review when using powered equipment. hand tools and processes…
Besides the safety instructions that you get from a tool manufacturer in the tool manual it may be necessary for you to write your own sets of rules up to keep you out of trouble. This is especially important with employees. What follows is an example…
The one tool that allows each of these jewelers to do their jobs better is a laser welder, a technological advancement that is becoming increasingly common in trade shops and manufacturing facilities. By using a sharply focused beam of light…
Since their introduction to the jewelry industry, laser welders have been lauded for their speed, accuracy, and convenience of use. Retail stores and job shops have made sizable investments in these machines, which are guaranteed to simplify…
Connections are an important part of jewelry manufacturing. We make them with suppliers, with retailers, even with the people who buy and wear our jewelry. But some of the most important connections are those we make between metals. Whether…
This article lists the basic tools someone learning stonesetting might want to have around. One would of course add to this list..
When manufacturing and repairing jewelry products, rotary equipment is essential to the process. Nothing is more frustrating or potentially damaging to the task than equipment that offers less than smooth, reliable and strong performance.…
New patented Warrior Power Tool System kit provides a revolutionary proficiency advantage for bench jewelers and jewelry manufacturers for split-lap abrasive pre-finishing, finishing and polishing.
If the thought of buying a laser welder gives the accountant in you cardiac arrest, you may have a more affordable option. The PUK 2 by Lampert Tools Inc. in Chicago is a spot welder that performs many of the same tasks that a laser welder can, such…
First, the ‘n’ really is silent, at least according to the American Heritage Dictionary. There are kilns as big as your house, used for cooking everything from grain to stone, but we don’t need to concern ourselves with those. Even in the sub-sub-category…
This paper is initiated with the reference that one selects process because of aesthetic need. The premise of technology as an end in itself insures the triumph of the means (process) over the ends (aesthetic). Only ones aesthetic ends deserve…
When first starting to work with the laser welders, operators should experiment with five or six different alloys commonly used. It is also recommended to source different types of alloys in casting and strip/stamping form. This gives the…
AJM Magazine asked me to perform a comparative analysis of three welding systems performance in several different precious metal welding applications. I was to analyze the PUK 2 spot welder, which was developed by Lampert Tools USA Inc. and…
For two years now, the manufacturer Lampert has been cooperating with the Laboratory for Welding Technology and Thermal Treatment at the Polytechnic College in Wrzburg-Schweinfurt. Test series and fundamental scientific research is…
In laser welding of Sterling Silver ‘ lower silver bearing alloys (coin silver) we have about seven choices in laser wire.
Using 1 inch by 11 inch belts with a 4.25-inch working surface, this sander fits onto a flex-shaft with a quick-release collar. It can be clamped onto a table or bench and is adjustable to many angles. An optional mounting attachment is available…
Pressing Matters by Tina Wojtkielo Snyder This month, we asked Lisa Krikawa of Tucson: If you were stranded on an island (that just happened to have a bench in the middle and some metal hanging around), what tool would you want to have that allows…
In my 25 years of working as a goldsmith, I have always looked for tools that make my life easier — tools that make me more efficient and therefore more profitable. And I’m not an easy sell. Although I have embraced CAD/CAM in the past few years…
Racine and his son, Ittai, a physicist by profession but a top engineer, passed on purchasing the dated facility and equipment, instead opening a new tech-savvy casting workshop. It was here that they designed the Etype automated wax injection…
In the course of my 30 years in the jewelry industry, I can recall many instances of damaged equipment and potentially dangerous situations caused by how the handpiece is connected to the flexshaft. Here are a few observations that can make…