The 'cut' of a file is a term that refers to how fine the cutting teeth are. Running in order of roughest to smoothest, they are: ro...
Monday, 15 October 2012
Friday, 12 October 2012
How to use a File
Accurate filing is an essential skill for final shaping and removing imperfections or fire scale prior to finishing a piece of work. When fi...
Caring for Files
High quality files are a real investment, and should be treated with respect equal to any other tool. If the files are stored together or si...
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Buying Files
In a general metal workshop, newer files are reserved for quality work; whereas older dulled files will be used for rough work. This is due ...
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Shapes of File
Equalling This rectangular file is intended for filing slots and interior corners; the wide, flat cutting surface also makes it ideal as a g...
Types of File
Full Size (Engineer's) These coarsest files have a cutting length of about 8", and are useful for the initial shaping of larger pie...
Monday, 8 October 2012
The Bench Peg
A bench peg is a wedge shaped block of wood that is mounted on the front edge of the jeweller's workbench. It is a multi functional rest...
Silver Soldering - Assembling the Components
When all components are cleaned and fluxed, they can then be soldered. All the pieces need to be arranged in such a way that they will not m...
Silver Soldering - Heating
Preheating Using a soft blue flame, move the torch evenly across the surface of the entire article. Work broadly and keep the flame moving, ...
Silver Soldering - Types of Flux
Borax cone The traditional jeweller’s flux, borax is usually supplied as a hard cone. This is ground with a little water on a slate tile or ...
Silver Soldering - Applying Flux
Flux is a chemical solution that is applied to the area of an article to be soldered prior to heating. An even coating of flux will protect ...
Filing Tips
Select the right size file for the job. A file has to be large enough to give an even finish, but if it is too large it could easily remove ...
Burs
Burs come in a multitude of different shapes. When starting out, try to buy just a few of the basic shapes as it is easy to buy too many and...
Drilling
A standard power drill has too much power and is too large for delicate jewellery work. Instead, specialist drills such as hand drills, pin ...
Using a Piercing Saw
Accurate sawing is one of the core skills of a good jeweller. Given sufficient practice, designs can be reproduced rapidly as the amount of ...
Friday, 5 October 2012
Silver Soldering - Cleaning
Impurities such as grease from fingers can ruin the integrity of a solder joint. Make sure that the components are clean at every stage of t...
Silver Soldering - Joint Design
Silver solder flows via capillary action, unlike soft lead solder it cannot be used to fill gaps. Careful measuring and placement has to be ...
Silver Soldering - Choosing the Correct grade of Solder
Hard, medium and soft are all relative terms; and the precise definition of the melting point will vary between manufacturers. If in any dou...
Silver Soldering - Planning
When joining multiple pieces of silver, it is crucial to plan out the sequence in which the pieces will be joined. If several joints need to...
Silver Soldering - An Introduction
Silver soldering is a process where two or more pieces of silver are joined together permanently with an alloy of silver. To fuse the compon...
Removing Firestain
Pickling Mild surface fire stain can be removed during pickling. Even a stubborn fire stain can often be removed by repeatedly pickling. How...
Fire Safety
General guidelines Do not smoke in the workshop. Wear fire resistant clothing, natural fibres such as cotton or wool are preferable...
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Solder - Recommended uses
Silver Solder Extra Easy - The lowest melting point of all solders, only used where there are a lot of closely spaced solder joins. Easy - ...
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