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<> <> <> <> <> <> <> E-BENCH <> <> <> <> <> <> <>
The E-Mail Newsletter for Bench Jewelers
October 2001
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<> <> <> <> <> TABLE OF CONTENTS <> <> <> <> <> REVERE FINDING TIPS Useful tips to help you find things in the studio from Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts
TRADE SECRETS Tips and Tricks to make your work on the bench a little easier
SIMON SEZ SEMINARS See and hear Bradney W. Simon in person
STEWART'S BENCH TIPS Bench Tips from Stewart’s International School for Jewelers
AT THE PLATINUM BENCH Tips for working on Platinum from Platinum Guild International
FEATURE ARTICLE Learn how to make you shop more profitable, a new technique, or brush up on basic skills. LASER LESSON Tips and tricks to make using a Laser Welder easier from
GERRY’S GEMZ Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting
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Here are some useful tips to help you find things in the studio
FINDING THE RIGHT SANDING STICK By Alan Revere
After wrapping abrasive paper around a paint stick or piece of wooden molding, use a permanent marker to put dots on both ends of the wood to indicate the grit; oo for 220 paper, ooo for 320 paper oooo for 400.
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<> <> <> <> <> <> GOLD SPONSOR <> <> <> <> <> <>
Crafford - LaserStar Technologies designs and manufacturers a complete range of Nd: YAG pulse laser systems for retail and manufacturing jewelers. LaserStar® Workstations are 50 watt/class 1 systems ranging in power from 85 – 120 joules and are ideal for a wide range of jewelry design, manufacturing, and repair applications in gold, silver, and platinum. Crafford’s team of highly trained direct sales and applications specialists are always available to review new applications, share technical expertise, and provide service and technical support from our Providence, RI USA manufacturing facility. All LaserStar Workstations are Made In USA and comply with all FDA (CDRH) and CE certification guidelines for safety. Four models of the LaserStar Workstation are available to the jewelry marketplace. For more information please reference our web site at www.laserstar.net or www.crafford.com
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<> <> <> <> <> TRADE SECRETS <> <> <> <> <>
After coiling wire around a mandrel, thread your saw blade through the coil to cut the jump rings apart, and saw from the inside out. This makes sawing the coil easier as your blade tends to slide when starting to cut from the outside of the coil.
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Cut a line down the center of a ceramic soldering board using a cut-off wheel in your flex-shaft. When repairing chains, place the break in the chain over this line. It will then be easier to locate the break when you go to solder.
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Attach a sponge lightly saturated with oil to your rolling mill. Place one sponge above the top roller and one sponge below the bottom roller. As you use the mill, the sponges will keep the rollers clean and the oil will keep them from rusting. Before you use it, turn the rollers one complete turn to clean any dust or debris that has accumulated on the rollers. You can keep the sponges in place with binding wire. Just make sure you keep everything away from the gears.
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All cutting tools must be kept sharp. Dull cutting edges are dangerous to use as they have a tendency to slip off the metal rather than bite into it. Burs that slip can cut or pierce your fingers. Dull cutting edges take longer to perform the work resulting in lower productivity. They cause excessive heat buildup that could damage some jewelry or the tools themselves. Dull cutting edges produce poorer quality work. They leave more burs on the metal rather than cutting cleanly. In addition, they do not always cut true, resulting in off centered holes, and uneven or untrue cutting.
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After cutting the seat, clean the burs off the prongs before placing the stone into the crown. Use a graver to cut the burs away, or scrape them off with your tweezers. Then, polish the inside of the crown before continuing the setting process. It's that kind of little "extra" that makes the ordinary into extraordinary.
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I have never liked wearing a mask when I am using my flexible shaft. I have always held my breath and blown out. Though I seem to have survived, I still think I am breathing some dust from rubber wheels, and have wanted to find a way to breathe clean air when grinding. My solution: I wear a snorkel and breathe through my mouth while grinding. I find it so much easier than a mask, and the air is clean! David Clarkson
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Talc is an inorganic substance that will collect in your lungs and cannot be removed by natural body functions. In other words, you could get black lung disease. I suggest using cornstarch as a talc replacement both as a dusting agent for settings and for molds when wax injecting. In a career of, hopefully 25 to 50 years, even the small contaminations can add up. Frank Goss
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If you have a tip you would like to share with our readers send it in an e-mail to mailto:Brad@BWSimon.com
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If you like Trade Secrets then you’ll love Trade Secret of the Day a bench tip provided daily Monday through Friday on various Internet web sites including: http://www.jewelrydealersnetwork.com/ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/orchid.htm
If you know of a jewelers’ bulletin board or discussion channel that you would like to see Trade Secret of the Day posted on, have the administrator contact me at Brad@BWSimon.com
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<> <> <> <> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <> <> <> <>
We all have possibilities we don't know about. We can do things we don't even dream we can do. Dale Carnegie
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<> <> <> <> <> SIMON SEZ SEMINARS <> <> <> <> <>
Bradney W. Simon is an accomplished platform speaker; providing Keynote Speeches, and Educational Seminars. onto; http://www.BWSimon.com/SimonSez Seminars
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TRADE SECRETS - TUCSON Tucson AZ February 7, 2002 This one-day seminar coincides with the Tucson Gem Shows and is the day before Catalog in Motion.
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<> <> <> <> <> STEWART'S BENCH TIPS <> <> <> <> <>
Bench Tips from Stewart’s International School for Jewelers http://www.stewartsintlschool.com/
REMOVEING A DENT FROM HOLLOW JEWELRY By Jim Stewart
There are many ways to accomplish this. One method is to pour water into an opening, filling it to the top. Next, put tape over the end and put in your freezer. The water will expand when frozen pushing out on the dent. You may have to do this more than once to completely remove the dent. This also works in removing dents from candlestick holders.
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Give me a stock clerk with a goal, and I will give you a man who will make history. Give me a man without a goal, and I will give you a stock clerk. J. C. Penney
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<> <> <> <> AT THE PLATINUM BENCH <> <> <> <>
Tips for working on Platinum from Jurgen J. Maerz CMBJ director of technical education for Platinum Guild International http://www.pgi-platinum-tech.com/
Sometimes when annealing platinum it is possible to contaminate the platinum with other metals. Some filings or some solder chips on a soldering surface or any other metal on the bench can be melted into platinum, thus contaminating the area. To repair, grind the contamination away with a ball burr leaving a hole that can be filled. Next, take a small piece of the same platinum alloy the object is made of and weld it to fill the hole. Filing the excess metal away, you create an invisible repair. To prevent this contamination from happening in the first place, soak your platinum in a 10% solution of Nitric acid for about 10 minutes, before annealing, welding or soldering.
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<> <> <> <> <> <> GOLD SPONSOR <> <> <> <> <> <>
If You Like E-Bench
YOU WILL LOVE BENCH
A New Print Magazine For Bench Jewelers
BENCH Magazine, a new quarterly publication from B W Simon, is Written BY Bench Jewelers FOR Bench Jewelers. Each issue is filled with high-quality instructional articles by working jewelers who are masters of their craft; enhanced by line drawings, color renderings, or photographs. From Basic Techniques to Advanced Applications - Advancements, BENCH Magazine provides accurate informative instruction from Professional Bench Jewelers. In addition, each issue contains a Bench Tip section where you can learn tricks of the trade from the magazine staff and jewelers around the world. Subscriptions are free to jewelers in the USA and Canada,
To subscribe go to http://www.BWSimon.com/BENCH
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<> <> <> <> <> FEATURE ARTICLE <> <> <> <> <>
TAKE-IN NOT TAKEN - Part 3 By Bradney W. Simon CMBJ
Go into your store and gather all of the job envelopes with customer’s jewelry. All the envelopes in the shop waiting to be worked on, and all the envelopes with the jobs finished waiting to be picked up by the customer. Then get a large box. Place all the jewelry from the envelopes into the box and shake it up. Not too much, you do not want to damage any of the jewelry! Next, take the jewelry out of the box and return it to its correct envelope.
I really do not want you to do this, but I want you to think about this. If you did do it, could you get the jewelry back into the right envelope? If you can not do it from the description you wrote on the envelope, how do you expect your jeweler to do it?
Your jeweler does this everyday. They work on the jewelry, and place it into the cleaner. Then with the description written on the envelope they have to place it back into the correct envelope. Your jeweler may work on 20 to 30 pieces of jewelry a day, and it is impossible to put the jewelry back into the correct envelope without an accurate description on the envelope.
Your description should include: Jewelry (Type) In general terms describe the piece of jewelry: ladies or gents, ring, chain, bracelet, earrings, pin, pendant, or watch.
Metal Describe metal by referencing its color only (e.g. write yellow, not gold), noting the presence, and wording of any quality stamps (e.g. write stamped 14k, not 14k gold). If you identify an item as gold-filled or plated, notify the customer, and if they want the repair to proceed, write test as gold-filled or test as plated.
Stones Describe a stone by Color, Size, Shape, and Condition only; NEVER write what you think the name of the stone is on the envelope. However, identify items on the envelope that test as lower quality than what they represent. When, for example you identify a cubic zirconia, write on the envelope: test as CZ not clear stone. If your tests show the stone to be synthetic or imitation and the customer agrees to the repair, state your findings on the envelope. Otherwise, follow standard industry procedures and limit the description to color, shape, and size.
Note any chips, abrasions, and/or inclusions. To further identify large or expensive stones, stamp the back of the envelope and the receipt with a rubber stamp of the shape of the stone. Plot on the diagram all inclusions and chips.
Condition Based on your inspection, note the condition of the item: wear, damage, prior repairs, and all factors that affect the value of the item; the potential for damage claims; and the ability to repair it successfully.
In addition, list any unusual features or factors the bench jeweler should know or the record should show. If, for example, you have recommended a repair (retipping worn prongs, for example) and the customer declines that recommendation, write it here. If the customer then returns demanding a new stone because the stone fell out of the mounting you repaired, you have proof that you saw worn prongs, warned of the danger, and repair options were declined.
Instructions Clearly, specifically, and completely write the repair instructions in terms the bench jeweler understands. You want to eliminate confusing, incomplete, or inaccurate instructions and with them the chance of unacceptable or unwanted repairs. Do not write Please Fix or Solder. State exactly what the customer wants repaired.
Ring Sizing When recording sizing instructions, also measure and record the shank’s width and thickness to the tenth of a millimeter. For example, shank 1.6mm thick, 2.7mm wide. This protects you if the customer says that sizing thinned the shank too much; you can measure the shank and show it is the same size as when taken in.
Retipping When taking in jewelry for re-tipping, do not just write “Retip Prongs”. Be specific, state the number of prongs to be retipped and designate them on a simply drawn diagram. Draw a sketch of circles for the stones and a line for the prongs that need to be retipped. Do not draw any prongs that do not need work.
Chain Repair When taking in a broken chain for repair, first measure and record to the nearest eighth of an inch the total length of all pieces of the chain. If its length is only 10 or 12 inches, you know and should tell the customer that a piece of chain is missing.
Next, measure (again to the nearest eighth of an inch) and record the length from the clasp of the chain to the break. If the customer brings the chain in again, this record shows if the chain has broken in the repaired spot, or if it is a new break.
Estimates Always give the customer an estimate of routine repair work when the jewelry is left. This allows the customer to decide whether or not to have the repair done before you begin doing it. If the price is to high, you can work with the customer to modify the amount of work to be done until it meets their budget.
For common repairs, all salespeople performing take-ins should know how to use the store’s price sheet to calculate total estimates.
On unusual repairs, make a notation for an estimate on the envelope. All salespeople need to use the same procedure. Then the bench jeweler will not overlook the notation. A good practice is to use a red pen and write out the word ESTIMATE across the top of the envelope. Prepare the estimate and notify the customer with the estimate as soon as possible.
A story is told about a young couple who had their first baby. Soon after the baby was born, the father stayed home with the baby by himself. When the mother returned she was greeted at the door of their house with a horrendous odor. “Could you not change the baby’s diaper,” she demanded of her husband. He assured her that he had thought he should, and even started to do it. “But” he explained, “The box states that the diaper holds up to 12 pounds!”
Often a bench jeweler feels the same frustration trying to understand instructions on the job envelopes, as this new father experienced reading the diaper box.
Do not let this happen to you! Properly examining the jewelry and filling out the envelope will make your shop more efficient. Your Bench Jewelers will become more productive and the store’s liability will be decreased. In addition, your image as a professional jeweler will be enhanced.
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In order to succeed, you must know what you are doing, like what you are doing, and believe in what you are doing. Will Rogers
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<> <> <> <> <> LASER LESSON <> <> <> <> <>
Provided by B. Staley, Goldsmiths/Precision Laser Welding bstaley2@bellsouth.net 1.877.535.9938
HOLDING SMALL PARTS by Bob Staley
Use a piece of bee’s wax to hold small parts when Laser Welding.
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Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31
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<> <> <> <> <> GERRY’S GEMZ <> <> <> <> <>
Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting http://www.gemzdiamondsetting.com/index.html
CHANNEL SETTING by Gerald N. Lewy
If I have to hammer secure a channel-set stone, I do not do the hammering while holding the ring in a wooden clamp. I find that the wooden holder absorbs the downward force. A better approach is to place the ring on a steel mandrel. On the steel mandrel, the hammering is total and the movement of the gold onto the diamond/stone is more definite. You can apply more downward force with less repetitive hammering motions.
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<> <> <> <> <> SILVER SPONSORS <> <> <> <> <>
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Jewelry Dealers World Trade Network http://www.JewelryDealersNetwork.com/
<> <> <> Bench Jeweler Discussion Channel <> <> <> Ask questions, share tips, and take part in the on going discussions, or just read and take in all the advice from many Excellent Jewelers from around the world. Membership includes: Many topical Discussion Channels, Plus you may buy, sell and trade on the Buy/Sell Channels, Plus Much More. List B W Simon as your sponsor on the membership application and you will receive: ** ** 30 DAYS FREE MEMBERSHIP ** **
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<> <> <> <> <> Thank You for Reading <> <> <> <> <>
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Copyrighted, 2001, B W Simon. All rights reserved.
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