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<> <> <> <> <> <> <> E-BENCH <> <> <> <> <> <> <>
The E-Mail Newsletter for Bench Jewelers
August 2002
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<> <> <> <> <> TABLE OF CONTENTS <> <> <> <> <> REVERE’S TIPS FOR JEWELERS Tips for Jewelers, Who Do Repairs from Alan Revere
FEATURE ARTICLE Learn how to make your shop more profitable, a new technique, or brush up on basic skills. 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
FAVORITE TIPS Tips and Tricks to make your work on the bench a little easier
GERRY’S GEMZ Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting
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THANK YOU
We received a tremendous response to our On-Line Survey. In fact, we had such a great response on the first day that our server could not handle all the traffic. As a result, many of you received an error message when trying to submit the form.
Your input is extremely important to us. If you received an error message, we would appreciate you taking a few additional minutes to re-do our on-line survey. As traffic to our site has slowed somewhat, you should not experience any more difficulty.
We are in the process of reviewing the responses, which will definitely effect the future direction of B W Simon, and BENCH MEDIA. Watch for announcements in future issues of E-BENCH for exciting new opportunities resulting from this survey.
If you have not yet completed our survey or were unable to submit it previously go to: http://bwsimon.com/Survey.htm
Thanks again for your valuable input.
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Tips for Jewelers, Who Do Repairs from Alan Revere Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts
Avoid damaging the quality stamp when repairing an item. If you remove the stamp and replace it, you may be held responsible for its accuracy. stick, hammer, etc.
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<> <> <> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <> <> <> <>
The greatest discovery of my generation is that you can change your circumstances by changing your attitudes of mind. William James
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<> <> <> <> <> FEATURE ARTICLE <> <> <> <> <> PLATINUM WIRE FILIGREE Bradney W. Simon CMBJ
Platinum wire filigree can be easily added to an article of jewelry providing a unique design element. The filigree can be a simple scroll filling an air line to the predominant design component in the article of jewelry. Whether the platinum wire filigree is a section placed into a gold or platinum article, or the entire piece of jewelry fabricated from the filigree wire, the same techniques are applied. Learning these techniques will provide the jeweler another instrument to use in their design arsenal.
To make the filigree wire, begin with a piece of round platinum wire. The diameter of the wire depends on the opening in the jewelry to be filled with the filigree. Generally, I use between 0.6 mm to 0.8 mm wire. Next, roll the wire through a rolling mill to approximately 60% of the wire’s thickness. This will create a flat wire with rounded edges. Looking from the edge, this wire has the illusion of fine round wire needed for fine filigree work. However, being flat gives the wire extra depth, providing strength to the filigree work, and it makes soldering easier. Before rolling the wire make certain the rollers are clean and smooth. Any marks the rollers put into the wire will be difficult to remove.
Next, polish the wire. To do this use Tri-M-Ite Polishing Paper manufactured by 3M. Hold one end of the wire firmly in one hand. Fold the paper around the wire and grasp with your other hand. Then, pull your hands apart running the wire through the Polishing Paper. DO NOT RUN THE PAPER BACK AND FORTH, AS THIS WILL KINK THE WIRE. Pulling the wire through the paper 5 or 6 times for each grit will generally suffice. What grit of paper you need to begin with depends on the condition of the wire after rolling. If the wire is smooth and clean, you can start with 4000 grit paper then proceed to the 6000 grit and put on a final polish with the 8000 grit paper. These Tri-M-Ite Polishing Papers are clean and do not leave any residue behind. This allows you to move from one grit to the next without cleaning the wire between steps.
Next, cut off a section of the wire to form the scroll. The length depends on the size of the area you are filling, and how tight you want to make the scroll. Trial and error will provide the best guide - 2 to 2 ½ times the finished length is a good place to start or 3 times the length if you want a tight spiral. If you are making several identical pieces, you may want to make a pattern with round copper wire the same diameter as the thickness of the platinum wire. The copper is soft and easy to bend. Then once the pattern is established, you can straighten the wire and measure the length needed.
To cut the wire you can use a pair of cutters and then file the end flat or use a saw to cut the sections of wire. I use end cutters and have altered them by marking lines using a cut-off disk at 5 millimeter increments down the side of the cutters. This allows me to measure and cut the wire in one step.
Then use a #6 cut needle file to taper the ends of the wire to one half its thickness. This tapered end will allow you to form a tighter curl to begin the spiral. Use silicon polishing wheels in your flexible shaft to remove the file marks. A brown wheel is adequate to remove the marks and a green wheel will restore the polish. If you are forming a single scroll, you need to file only one end. However, both ends need to be tapered when forming an ‘S’ or ‘C’ scroll.
Modify a pair of chain nose pliers by rounding the inside edges of the jaws. This prevents nicking the wire while bending. In addition, thin one jaw by grinding the outside of the jaw. This allows you to form a tighter spiral around it. After grinding, smooth with emery paper and polish. Any nicks or abrasions in the pliers’ jaws are transferred to the platinum wire while bending.
For most of the bending you can hold the wire with your pliers and bend the wire using your fingers. However, sometimes it is necessary to use two pairs of pliers, especially to touch up and even out the scroll. For the second pair of pliers use a pair of bent nose pliers. Hold the scroll with the first pair from underneath and use the bent nose pliers from the top. The bent nose pliers allow you to keep the body of the pliers and your hand out of your line of sight. This makes it easier to see the adjustments you are making and to observe your progress.
There are three basic shapes you can make:
Numerous variations can be made from these three basic shapes. For example, bending a point in the curved backside of a C spiral will form a heart shaped scroll. Combining several scrolls together allows different patterns to be developed.
An interesting pattern is made by adding several single spirals to flow outward from an S scroll. First, file a taper on the outside end of the single spirals. This will help create the illusion that the spiral is flowing out from the center stem. Then solder in place with at least 1500 solder. The higher melting point solders are needed at this point to help keep the solder joint from showing.
To hold the parts in position while soldering use a product called ‘Place-It 2’. Place-It 2 is a thick paste that you smear on your solder pad. Then place the parts to be soldered into the paste. The paste will harden as it is heated and it will hold the parts in position while soldering. Place-It 2 will withstand the high temperatures needed for platinum soldering. Although 1700 solder can be used, I prefer the 1500 or 1600 solders. The Place-It 2 paste acts as a heat sink, and it is easy to melt the platinum wire while trying to melt the higher temperature solder. If you are making just this single section, use 1500 solder. If however, you will be soldering this section to others, use 1600 solder at this point, then use 1300 solder for the subsequent joints. Be certain to use a minimum amount of solder, as removing excess solder is difficult and will leave an undesirable appearance.
Next, use a #6 needle file to blend the wires together and to remove any excess solder if present. Use a light touch and do not over file. Remove the file marks with a brown silicone wheel in your flexible shaft and restore the polish to the area you filed with a green wheel. Silicone wheels are hard enough to keep from drawing solder out of the seams yet will provide a good polish on the platinum.
The last step in making the filigree sections is to apply the final polish. To do this use a bristle brush mounted on a flexible shaft mandrel using platinum tripoli. On solder joints between sections where 1300 solder was used, polish WITH the solder seam. This will cause some of the solder to ‘pull’ from the seam. Generally, this is an undesirable situation. However in this case we are using this property of platinum solder to our advantage. By allowing the solder to drag from the seam, it will look from the surface as if there is no solder present. The remaining solder will hold the pieces together. When finished with the tripoli, clean the platinum in your ultrasonic cleaner and polish with rouge using a soft bristle brush mounted in your flexible shaft. There are a number of good platinum rouges available today and the choice is entirely personal preference. I favor the final color of the platinum obtained from using carrot rouge.
Once the platinum wire filigree is polished and cleaned, you are ready to solder it to the article of jewelry. To solder it to a gold item use cadmium free solder matching the karat and color of the gold. For platinum, use 1400 solder. When attaching the filigree to a platinum article you may solder it first, and then do the final polishing of the filigree. However, I prefer to always pre-polish the filigree before attaching it to the jewelry.
Making Platinum Wire Filigree in this manner is not difficult to accomplish. Once you have mastered the techniques involved, you will be able to add interesting design elements to your jewelry easily and quickly.
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Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. Ecclesiastes 11:1,6
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If You Like E-Bench YOU WILL LOVE BENCH MAGAZINE
BENCH Magazine, a 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.
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 will learn tricks of the trade from the magazine staff and jewelers around the world.
Subscriptions are free to jewelers in the USA and Canada, and only $40 per year for overseas delivery.
To subscribe go to http://www.BWSimon.com/BENCH
BENCH and E-BENCH - Training Jewelers Worldwide
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<> <> <> <> <> STEWART'S BENCH TIPS <> <> <> <> <>
Bench Tips from Stewart’s International School for Jewelers http://www.stewartsintlschool.com/
BEAD SETTING By Jim Stewart
After drilling your holes in the plate for bead setting, taper the hole from the backside with a bud bur and then use a bullet lap to polish the tapered hole. You can also use a graver to cut a tapered triangle or square. If you are doing a wax model, it is a lot easier to make the cuts with a modified X-acto blade. This is called an AZURE, meaning clear blue sky. Do not forget to rhodium plate white gold.
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Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. William Jennings Bryan
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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/
GOLD CONTAMINATION IN PLATINUM
contaminate the platinum with other metals. Some filings, or solder chips on a soldering surface, or any other metal on the bench can be melted into platinum thus contaminating the area. With a ball burr, grind out the contamination; similar to the way a dentist cleans a cavity. Now 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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SIMON SEZ SEMINARS Bradney W. Simon is an accomplished platform speaker, providing Keynote Speeches, and Educational Seminars. Topics include:
For information on having him speak for your organization log onto; http://www.BWSimon.com/SimonSez Seminars
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<> <> <> <> <> <> FAVORITE TIPS <> <> <> <> <> <> To quickly and easily set diamonds in a flat surface, use an automatic center punch (a watchmakers tool) to raise the beads. The spring on this tool is adjustable from very light, for small, shallow beads, to very heavy, for deeper beads. The tip can be sharpened to a fine or blunt point.
Cut the seat to the appropriate size, seat the diamond (using bee's wax to keep it in place), and place the point of the tool at the same spot that you would if you were using a graver to raise the bead. Place your fingernail over the stone to keep it steady and apply downward pressure with the tool until it strikes. Rotate the workpiece and repeat the procedure until all beads have been raised. Finish the beads with a beading tool.
Rebecca Harris
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When setting several graduated melee in a ring, I use the same Sharpie markers I use for color coding solder, to color code each size stone. It is much easier to distinguish a 1.5mm from a 1.7mm when they are different colors, especially if they are "moved" when you are still laying them out. Simply dip the finished ring in alcohol and the color is gone.
Theresa Murphy, CMBJ
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I have screwed a screw into the side of my bench pin. I use it to open jump rings when I attach them to a charm or a lobster claw or bracelet. It works like the rings they sell for you to wear with the screw attached, but you always know where this is.
Theresa Murphy, CMBJ
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I never thought I would EVER use superglue at the bench. Then came the laser welder, and it didn't take long to re-think superglue. Viewing parts under 22 power magnification can distort. When making a multi-piece model into a piece of jewelry, I will use any metal object I can find with the shape I want for the jewelry piece. I have a large selection of these "backings" including flat plates, dapping punches, tubes, marbles, ring mandrels, old jewelry - anything. The production pieces are attached to the "shapes" with SMALL amounts of superglue. After all or some parts of the pieces are in line, I weld them in a couple of places. After final inspection and adjusting, the pieces are removed from the "backing" with a little heat from the torch, and then put into the laser for final welding. It makes building new pieces a snap. Models can be held together with a minimum (just a smear) of superglue. If everything fits, they can be welded with the glue in place. It smuts up a little, but I keep a soft toothbrush in the machine for that.
Jerry Thornton
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Suspend a small jelly or baby food jar in the corner of your ultrasonic cleaner. Use it as you would use a pickle-pot. You get both the heat and the ultrasonic action. It cleans fast. Use a similar set-up in the other corner for your rhodium plating. The ultrasonic action helps get into spots that are missed with a dip into a normal beaker.
Craig Bienfang
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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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I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession , a duty. John D. Rockefeller
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<> <> <> <> <> GERRY’S GEMZ <> <> <> <> <>
Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting http://www.gemzdiamondsetting.com/index.html
By Gerald N. Lewy
A problem in bead setting stones is that after the very first bead, you might find the stone starting to lean over, and away from that bead. So what in blazes do you do?
Just cut the seat using a hart burr, and make an undercut seat for the stone. DO NOT CUT THE SEAT TOO LARGE - MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE STONES FIT TIGHT IN THE SEAT. Push the stone down into place using a copper or a brass pusher (do not use a steel pusher). Then in no way will this stone slip around after the first bead is raised. Why? The stone is now lodged and tight against the inner step of the gold hole.
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Bench jewelers worldwide have found AJM is the Authority on Jewelry Manufacturing. This award-winning monthly trade magazine, published by Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America, offers the latest bench tips and tools, time-saving production techniques, and business strategies for large and small shops alike. From setting and sizing tricks to methods for maximizing metal recovery or purchasing the proper tools, AJM ensures you have the information you need to succeed. To order a free sample copy, visit www.ajm-magazine.com. Also check out our new books, At the Bench (for gold and silver work) and The Platinum Bench.
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Jewelry Dealers World Trade Network http://www.JewelryDealersNetwork.com/
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<> <> <> <> <> Thank You for Reading <> <> <> <> <>
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