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<> <> <> <> <> <> <> E-BENCH <> <> <> <> <> <> <>
The E-Mail Newsletter for Bench Jewelers
March 2003
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<> <> <> <> ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER <> <> <> <>
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E-BENCH is a BENCH MEDIA Publication BENCH MEDIA is a B W Simon Company Bradney W Simon – Publisher
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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 and more productive from Bradney W. Simon CMBJ and E-BENCH Readers.
GERRY’S GEMZ Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting
WORKSHOP SAFETY FOR JEWELERS Tips from Charles Lewton-Brian
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<> <> <> REVERE’S TIPS FOR JEWELERS <> <> <> <>
Tips for Jewelers Who Do Repairs from Alan Revere Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts
Harden earring posts, pin tongs and
clasps by rubbing with a burnisher.
Never promise to deliver a job before you are certain it will be finished.
Charge a file with chalk to prevent
clogging.
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<> <> <> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <> <> <> <>
We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true. Woodrow Wilson
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<> <> <> <> <> FEATURE ARTICLE <> <> <> <> <> Workshop Air Quality
Four areas in the jeweler’s workshop produce harmful substances that MUST be properly removed from the shop in order to maintain the jewelers' health. The toxic particles produced are generally chronic in nature. This means that immediate reaction is not apparent, but twenty or thirty years of continued exposure can lead to poor health and sometimes early death.
The four areas in the shop that produce toxic particles are:
SINK Where cleaners are used and where electro-plating is handled
WORKBENCH Where soldering is performed
POLISHING MACHINE
CASTING AREA Where investment is mixed and around the kiln where the waxes are melted out.
A standard rate of air exchange for the shop is six air changes per hour. In order to figure this, take the length of the room in feet, times the width of the room in feet, times the height of the room in feet. This will give you the cubic feet of the room. If you take this number and multiply it times six, it will give you the number of cubic feet of air needed to be moved in an hours time. Dividing this figure by sixty will give you the amount of cubic feet per minute (cfm) that needs to be removed from the shop. This number rates exhaust fans and will give you the size of fan that you need.
Length X Width X Height = Cubic Feet
However, this is a general guideline. The changes of air per hour are not nearly as important as having enough capacity to pull the fumes away from the breathing zone of the worker. For example, one jeweler working by himself in a large room does not need as many air changes per hour as would several jewelers working together in a small room. In the latter situation, six changes of air per hour may not be adequate. When you have a number of jewelers producing toxic fumes in a confined space, the air needs to be rapidly changed.
In order to determine if your ventilation is adequate, you need to determine if the fumes are pulled away from the work area. Sophisticated equipment is available to measure this; however, the jeweler can perform a simple test. Place a piece of crumpled paper on your solder pad in the area to be tested. Light the paper, then blow out the flame and watch the smoke that it produces. See if it lingers in the area or if the ventilation pulls the smoke away from you and out of the workspace. If the smoke moves out of the area, your ventilation is adequate. If not, you need to move the hood closer to the work area or increase the velocity of the airflow (cfm).
VENTILATION
Exhaust ventilation is the most popular method of removing contaminated air from the workshop. Contaminated air is captured in a hood and carried through ducts to outside the building. Ducts can be installed across the building and out a wall, or up and out the roof. When determining where to install the outlet make certain that it is not near a fresh air inlet or window that may be opened.
Fans are used to pull or push the air through the ducts. Centrifugal fans installed inside the building are designed to push air though the ducts. Propeller fans installed at the outlet are designed to pull the air through the duct. Both types do an excellent job in removing the air. However, with the propeller fan mounted outside you gain an advantage of not hearing the noise from the fan and motor in the shop.
Once outside, the contaminated air, which is hazardous inside the confinement of the shop, is diluted in the atmosphere. The amount of toxic substances produced in the average retail jewelry workshop fall within the acceptable levels set by the EPA and OSHA to be released into the atmosphere. However, these laws may change, forcing jewelry stores to change their ventilation systems at some point in the future.
A major disadvantage of ventilation systems is that for every cubic foot of contaminated air removed from the shop a cubic foot of fresh air must be replaced. If a sufficient supply of fresh air is not provided a partial vacuum is created in the shop. This reduces the efficiency of the ventilation system. This fresh air coming in from outside must be heated in the winter and cooled in the summer, adding to the overall cost of using the unit.
NEVER use Exhaust Ventilation in the polishing room or near the polishing machine. Always filter the contaminated air from polishing to recover precious metal waste. If dust is a problem in these areas, ventilation is not the answer. Better maintenance of the dust collector or a larger one is needed.
AIR PURIFYING
Air purifiers that filter toxic particles out of the air are an excellent alternative to ventilation. They are more economical to install, as long runs of ducts do not have to be installed. They are also cheaper to use as the air is returned to the shop and does not have to be heated or cooled. They also have an environmental advantage, as they do not expel toxic substances into the atmosphere.
HEPA
HEPA is an acronym for High Efficiency Particulate Air. It is an air cleaning technology first developed during the early days of atomic research. It was used to clean the air of radioactive particles that might escape and present a health hazard to researchers. True HEPA filtration is recognized as the most efficient cleaning media, capable of removing sub-micron size particles from the air. To be regarded a HEPA filter it must remove at least 99.97 percent of particles at 0.3 micron in size. A micron is one millionth of a meter. For comparison, a human hair is 75 to 100 microns in diameter.
The filtering material is made of very thin glass fibers. They are made into paper with a thickness and texture very similar to blotter paper. As particles pass through a HEPA filter, they actually run into one of the fibers and stick to it by mutual attraction.
Air cannot pass through the filter easily, so a very large area of filter must be used. To fit a large surface area into a filter the material is pleated, creating an extended surface. To keep them from clogging, they are often used with a fabric pre-filter to filter out larger particles from the air.
True HEPA filters are recommended for the workshop, due to their high efficiency in removing sub-micron size toxic particles from the air.
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<> <> <> <> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <> <> <> <>
However, 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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<> <> <> <> <> STEWART'S BENCH TIPS <> <> <> <> <> Bench Tips from Stewart’s International School for Jewelers http://www.stewartsintlschool.com/ By Jim Stewart
To recover gold from the ultrasonic tank, pour the solution through a paper coffee filter that is inside a strainer. The solution then runs into a large can or bowl. Next, use a paper towel to wipe the sludge out of the tank. Place the coffee filter and paper towel inside a plastic trash bag and when full send it to a refinery. The used solution may be poured back into the ultrasonic tank, then add a little non-ammoniated concentrate.
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<> <> <> <> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <> <> <> <>
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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SIMON SEZ SEMINARS
Bradney W. Simon is a JA Certified Master Bench Jeweler with over 26 years experience on the bench. He is the Editor and Publisher of E-BENCH, BENCH Magazine, and BENCH ROM, and 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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April 21 – 24 Kindall College of Art August 15 - 17 JDN Conference
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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
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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Dreams plus desire to achieve them equals success. Robbie Romieser
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If You Like E-Bench YOU WILL LOVE BENCH MAGAZINE
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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.
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BENCH and E-BENCH - Training Jewelers Worldwide
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<> <> <> <> <> <> FAVORITE TIPS <> <> <> <> <> <> When shaping gravers on a grinding wheel hold the graver in contact with the grinding wheel for only a second or two. Then, lift the graver slightly. The airflow from the spinning grinding wheel will help keep the graver cool. Do this a few times then dip in water and repeat the process.
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Always
weigh stones when loose and mark the weight on the envelope even if an
appraisal hasn’t been requested. The
customer may ask for one later. With a
record of the weights, the appraiser will have them later when doing the
appraisal. In addition, in the event of a theft, there will be an accurate
record of what the customer owned.
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Old earring
screw posts make great posts for gluing pearls.
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Sometimes
it is difficult to see where the stone’s pavilion is hitting the inside of the
crown. To help in determining where the
stone touches the crown, dust the inside of the crown with powder. Then, carefully place the stone in the crown
and press down gently. Carefully lift
the stone from the crown and examine the pavilion. Powder will remain on the stone at the points of contact with the
crown, allowing you to know where extra metal needs to be removed before
setting the stone.
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To keep a
coin from turning in a coin frame with tabs, take a piece of wire and roll it
through a rolling mill. Then cut pieces
to wedge between the coin and frame. Place one piece under each tab. The length and thickness of the piece depends on how loose the coin is,
but they should be at least three times the width of the tab. Then push the tab over with a prong
pusher. A brass pusher works well, but
if you were concerned with slipping off and marring the coin, a wooden dowel
rod in a graver handle would work or make a pusher from the plastic handle from
a toothbrush.
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When taking
in jewelry for retipping, do not just write Retip Prongs. Be specific – state how many and which ones.
Make a
simple sketch of the jewelry with the prongs marked that need to be
retipped. 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. In this example, 10 prongs would
be retipped. Notice the karat stamp
written in. This helps to align the
ring correctly.
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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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<> <> <> <> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <> <> <> <>
When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before. Jacob Riis
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“The Jeweler’s Tool of Choice” Jewelry LaserStar Workstations
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 bench jeweler 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 the USA and comply with all FDA (CDRH), CSA, UL, 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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<> <> <> <> <> GERRY’S GEMZ <> <> <> <> <>
Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting http://www.gemzdiamondsetting.com/index.html 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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<> <> <> <> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <> <> <> <>
Luke, there is no try. There is only DO or NOT DO. Yoda
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At the Bench: New Book from MJSA/AJM Press
Featuring more than 200 full-color photographs, this essential bench resource offers step-by-step guides to common—and not so common—repair and fabrication techniques for gold and silver jewelry. It also offers basic bench preparation and practices (including tips for organizing tools and prioritizing work flow), a guide to taking in repairs, and step-by-step projects ranging from resizing two-tone rings to setting fancy shapes, from building a bracelet hinge to basic chasing and repoussé. Published by MJSA/AJM Press, a division of Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America.
Visit http://www.ajm-magazine.com/atb/index.htm for a preview.
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<> <> <> WORKSHOP SAFETY FOR JEWELERS <> <> <>
Workshop Safety Tips
From Charles Lewton-Brian
We use our hands so much in a craft shop that they are exposed to all kinds of chemicals, material residues and dusts, quite apart from the physical stresses on them. It is very important to develop a hand-washing habit to reduce contamination of yourself (mouth touching, eating etc.). Washing your hands regularly during the day, and washing them thoroughly before leaving, as part of your "shutting down the shop" ritual, can help reduce your overall exposure to chemicals significantly. Use a mild, pH-balanced soap to wash with. Some suggest avoiding bactericidal soaps to avoid breeding bacteria resistant to bactericides. Do not bite your nails, and wash under them with a short, stiff-bristled brush. Many people also use hand lotions of various kinds after rinsing. Waller suggests that you apply a hand lotion twice a day to replace skin oils that have been removed, even if you were only dipping your hands in water.
For more information on Workshop safety
log onto: http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/safety.htm
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<> <> <> <> <> Thank You for Reading <> <> <> <> <>
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Information provided in this document is provided ‘As Is’
without
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For editorial suggestions, comments, ideas or requests,
Copyrighted, 2003, BENCH MEDIA. All rights reserved.
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