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<=> <=> <=> <=> E-BENCH <=> <=> <=> <=>
The E-Mail Newsletter
for Bench Jewelers
February 2005
Volume 6 Issue 2 circulation over 3,500
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<=> <=> ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER <=> <=>
E-BENCH is a FREE monthly newsletter for Retail
Jewelry Store Owners, Shop Managers, Bench
Jewelers and Anyone Else That Is Interested.
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E-BENCH is a BENCH MEDIA Publication
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<=> <=> <=> TABLE OF CONTENTS <=> <=> <=>
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
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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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
2nd Annual Bench Jewelers Conference & Expo
More Seminars, More Variety, plus Round Table Discussion Groups highlight this year’s Educational Conference. Seating is limited so REGISTER EARLY to guarantee your seat. The Supplier’s Expo features New Exhibitors and Larger Displays by many companies.
RESTERATION DEADLINE MARCH 15th Seminars Are Filling Up Fast Don’t Delay Register Today
Conference Hotel:
Special Room Rates of $85 per night FREE Shuttle between the airport and hotel. Self-Parking is FREE to registered guest at the Marriott Hotel and $6 per day for other attendees. Valet Parking is available for an additional cost.
For More Information log onto: www.BWSimon.com/Conference
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<=> <=>
Tips for Jewelers Who Do Repairs
from Alan Revere
To reduce the likelihood of losing little stones, findings, jump rings, and pieces of precious metal make a recessed dish in the top of your bench pin. Simply draw a rectangle about 15 mm by 30 mm, near the back. Wearing goggles and a dust mask, use a coarse cut round bur to carve down about 3 mm within the rectangle. It is important to frequently measure the depth while carving to ensure a flat floor.
Now you have a convenient little trough for holding pieces and parts. Because it is recessed, you can even lay a piece of sheet or other large items right on your bench pin, without fear of disturbing the small items hidden below.
This Tip is from “101 Bench Tips for Jewelers" written by Alan Revere and published by MJSA/AJM Press.
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
Only in growth, reform and change, paradoxically enough, is true security to be found. Anne Morrow Lindbergh
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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
CALL FOR
ENTRIES
The first Bench Jewelers Passion Award Design
Competition will be held in conjunction with
the Bench Jewelers Conference &
Expo April 22 –
24 in
per category in up to three
categories in both
the Finished Jewelry and CAD
Rendering
Divisions. Deadline for submissions is March
15, 2005.
For details Contest Rules and to enter log
onto: www.BWSimon.com/DesignContest
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<=> <=> <=> FEATURE ARTICLE <=> <=> <=>
CHAIN REACTION
By Bradney W. Simon CMBJ
Repairing broken chains is one of the two most often performed jobs in the shop. (Sizing rings is the other.) The difficulty of chain repair lies in the fact that the chain is made up of fine wires. These wires heat up quickly when trying to melt the solder.
Two problems can develop. The first is if the wire link gets too hot, it will quickly melt as you are trying to solder. When a link melts it forms a small ball of gold fused onto the next link. This of course melts forming a larger ball on the next link. This then melts forming a larger ball, etc., creating a chain
reaction.
The other problem is, if too long of a section of chain is heated, the solder will flow from one link to the next. From there the solder will flow to the next link on down the chain. It is that chain reaction thing again. This will cause several links to solder together forming a stiff place in the chain.
Both of these reactions by the chain result in an unsatisfactory repair.
Jewelers have devised many ways to over-come these problems. They include coating the chain with an anti-flux such as yellow ocher or white out, and covering the chain with a heat sink such as a washer, razor blade, or coins. My preferred method is to use paste solder and to master the art of torch control.
The method to repair a chain using paste solder is as follows.
Inspect the Chain
Look over the chain to ascertain how the links are put together. In order to re-assemble the chain where it is broken you must know how the links are assembled. At this point look for other areas in the chain that need repairs. Although the salesperson taking in the repair should have already done this, it is a good idea to double-check their work.
Remove Damaged Links
Trim off any damaged links from the broken ends of the chain.
Cut End Links
The end link needs to be cut in order to re- assemble the chain. Some chains require you to cut one or two links on each side. The number depends on how the chain is assembled. You can cut the links with a fine saw blade, small end cutters, or a cut-off wheel in your
flex shaft.
Re-Assemble the Chain
Lay the chain on a clean ceramic soldering board. Using your tweezers fit the two ends of the chain back together. Then squeeze the links closed. Once assembled it is often difficult to find the break in the chain. To help you find the break, mark the broken links with a felt tip marker before assembly. On some chains, like rope chains, you can add the solder to the broken link before
assembly.
Another method to help you locate the break in the chain is to cut a line down the center of a ceramic soldering board using a cut-off wheel in your flex-shaft or with the edge of a diamond file. Then, lay the chain on the soldering board placing the broken link over this line. With this method you can lay out several chains about 1" apart. Then start at one end of the solder board and solder the first chain, and then proceed to the next one. With all the chains laid out, you can quickly solder each one and the line shows you where to solder, with no time wasted trying to find the correct link.
Add the Solder
Apply a small amount of paste solder to the joint. Do not coat the chain with boric acid. The flux in the paste solder is all that is needed for the solder to flow. The slight oxidation on the chain from the heat will help keep the solder from flowing to the other links.
Heat the Chain
With a small pointed (oxidizing) flame heat the ceramic soldering pad next to the joint in the chain. Do not use a bushy (reducing) flame as you will heat too much of the chain. On most chains, you will not need to place the flame directly on the chain. Place the flame on the solder pad and let the reflected heat melt the solder. This will help keep you from melting the chain. On larger chains, heat the solder pad on one side of the chain, then quickly move the flame across the chain to the other side. Heat the pad on this side and then move back across the chain. Repeat the process if the solder has not completely flowed. However never direct the flame on the chain for any length of time. Move it quickly across the joint and heat the solder pad allowing the reflected heat to melt the solder.
Clean the Chain
When cool, hold the joint of the chain on your bench pin and clean off all flux and oxidation with a scratch brush. A brass brush or a small satin finish brush in your flex-shaft works well. The new 3M Radial Bristle Discs are excellent for this purpose. I prefer the blue wheels and stack 4 to 6 on my mandrel at one time. Pickling the chain before doing this can help, but is often not necessary.
Polish the Chain
DO NOT Polish Chains On A Polishing Machine. I do not know of any other procedure in the shop that has cut and broken more fingers than a chain that becomes tangled around a polishing wheel (not to mention the expense of replacing a customer’s chain). Polishing machines love chains. They eat them up. Come near a polishing machine with a chain and it will snatch it right out of your hand and wrap it around its wheel and arbor.
To polish, lay the chain across your bench pin. Then hold the chain down tight with your thumb and index finger. With a bristle brush in your flex shaft polish at a medium speed the area of chain between your thumb and finger. Polish the chain little by little in this manner. It is a safe and efficient means to accomplish the task.
If properly repaired, your customer will return with a different chain for you to repair, and then a third. Eventually they will return to purchase jewelry. Now, that is a chain reaction we can all live with.
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
There is more to life than to increase its speed. Mohandas Gandhi
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<=> <=> STEWART'S BENCH TIPS <=> <=>
Bench Tips from Stewart’s
for Jewelers http://www.stewartsintlschool.com/
Sometimes when trying to tighten a diamond the prongs spring back up. To tighten the diamond in these situations you need to tighten the diamond VECTORALLY. Using a non-serrated, pointed nose pliers bend the adjacent prongs slightly, just below the girdle, towards each other and go all the way around the diamond.
To "SQUARE OFF" a diamond in a four prong setting, the prong should rest on the upper girdle facet (Split Facet) with the tip of the prong to the lower edge of the Star Facet. Place the prongs at the corners of either square.
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
He who every morning plans the transactions of the day and follows out that plan carries a thread that will guide him through the labyrinth of the most busy life. The orderly arrangement of his time is like a ray of life which darts itself through all his occupations. But where no plan is laid, where the disposal of time is surrendered merely to the chance of incidents, chaos will soon reign. Victor Higo
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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
The Ganoksin Project
www.ganoksin.com
The Gem and Jewelry Pre-Eminent Online Resources. Open to the public
Free of Charge.
A substantial library of articles,
publications, reports, and technical
data on
gem and jewelry related topics; as
well as a
sizable collection of art and jewelry
galleries, for both the casual visitor
and the
professional, also host the popular
Orchid
online forums for jewelers.
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<=> <=> AT THE PLATINUM BENCH <=> <=>
Tips that working with Platinum or working at
the bench in general - easier from
Jurgen J. Maerz CMBJ,
Director of Technical Education
for Platinum Guild International
http://www.pgi-platinum-tech.com
To cast platinum your torch should have a multiport or rosebud tip that’s screwed on rather than soldered. Solder could melt in the platinum’s reflected heat, causing the tip to fall into the molten metal and splash
platinum.
In addition, your torch must have a built-in flashback arrestor, to prevent gas from flowing back into the tank in case of a pressure change. This is an important safety
feature.
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1
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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
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what it took others years to
learn?
YOU CAN!
Learn how to Set Stones, and Create Custom Made
Jewelry, PLUS numerous tips to make your work
at the bench easier, and more
efficient from
Certified Master Bench Jeweler Bradney W.
Simon. Each Bench View
CD Rom contains
approximately 50 minutes of video you
can watch
on your computer plus articles you
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Only $24.95 each or All 5 for $100
For more information or to order log onto:
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<=> <=> <=> FAVORITE TIPS <=> <=> <=>
A bench mounted ring shank
bender is almost a
necessity to curve the gold stock needed to
size a heavy gents ring up or to form a 1/2
shank.
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To increase productivity at
the bench, place
tools used most often within your primary
reach. Place other tools within
your secondary
reach.
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A sign in my dentist office
reads “You don’t
have to brush and floss all your teeth. Only
the ones you want to keep!
The same applies to
take-ins. You don’t have
to check every stone. Just
the ones you don’t
want to replace!
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When filing, hold the work steady and move only the file, paying attention to the angle at which you are holding the file. Work with steady, even, long strokes. Frantic aggressive filing or short, broken, "fiddly” strokes will produce inaccurate results.
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On finer jewelry, you will
want to cut a square
or triangle shaped azure. This
results in a
look like bright cutting on the back side of
the jewelry. To begin, cut a
tapered hole with
a bud bur. Then, using a
hart bur held
sideways cut your corners in each hole. Next,
use a small wheel bur to clean away the metal
between the corners. Then use a
polished flat
graver to clean up and polish your cuts.
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If you have a tip you would like to share with
our readers send it in an e-mail to
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
The thing with which I lose patience most is the clock. Its hands move too fast. Thomas Edison
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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
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<=> Bench Jeweler
Discussion Channel <=> >
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<=> <=> <=> GERRY’S GEMZ <=> <=> <=>
Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting
http://www.gemzdiamondsetting.com/index.html
by Gerald N. Lewy
When you secure stones in settings use a soft metal pusher. I suggest a copper or brass pusher. This will prevent making deep marks in the prongs, which can be difficult to remove later.
I use flat-edge and tapered-edge pumice wheels of #180 grit on all of my setting items. It’s not because of being rough on my work but because it’s a mark of a “careful, high quality setter”. I remove all of the plier marks, graver slipping, and just the general rough edges left by the ‘casting house’. I don’t want my polishing sub-contractor, to grind away more than he has to in finishing my setting work.
Just before you remove a diamond or any precious gemstone, observe any inclusions or defects in the stone. Always keep your 10X ‘Triplet Loupe’ at your side. Take note and record any inclusions or have the client view the inclusions themselves. I speak from experience. If you are in doubt about a stone, DON’T SET IT. Being an overly cautious setter is far more rewarding than paying for a stone replacement.
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
Failing to plan is a plan to fail. Effie Jones
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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
New from
MJSA/AJM Press
The AJM Guide to
Lost-Wax Casting
Learn from the masters how to achieve smooth,
porosity-free castings! The AJM Guide to Lost-
Wax Casting offers an abundance of best
practices, handy tips, and
troubleshooting
techniques. How to create trouble-free master
models to proper breakout procedures.
Contributing experts include:
Charles Lewton-Brain, Jurgen J. Maerz,
Gregg Todd, Michael Bondanza,
and many more.
For sample chapters and more information, go to
http://www.ajm-magazine.com/pub_press.php
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<=> <=> WORKSHOP SAFETY
FOR JEWELERS <=> <=>
Workshop Safety Tips From Charles Lewton-Brian
The main exposure routes for chemicals are by breathing them in (inhalation), eating and drinking materials (ingestion)-which can also happen when large particles are breathed in, brought into the throat by lung clearing mechanisms and swallowed, and by touching things (absorption). Do not eat or drink in the workshop. If you have to have a drink use the kind of containers with a cap on the end of a straw - this may reduce your potential chemical contact. A friend had his vitamins in the studio, accidentally downed a ruby instead and searched all over for the stone before realizing where it was.
For more information on Workshop safety from
Charles Lewton-Brian log onto:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/safety.htm
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<=> <=> Thank You for
We are on the World Wide Web.
Visit us at http://www.BWSimon.com
A complete archive of back issues of E-BENCH is
located there.
Visit often, as we will be making changes to
our site, adding additional useful
information
for bench jewelers.
<=> <=> SUBSCRIPTION
INFORMATION <=> <=>
We value every subscriber and respect your
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disclose our list of subscribers for
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To subscribe, log onto:
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If you do not wish to continue receiving this
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If you change your e-mail address, PLEASE let
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you notify
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Information provided in this document is
provided ‘As Is’ without warranty of
any kind,
either expressed or implied. This publication
is designed to provide accurate and
authoritative information concerning
the
subject matter covered. It is provided with
the understanding that the author or
publisher
is not engaged in rendering legal,
accounting,
or other professional services. If legal
advice or other expert assistance is
required,
the services of a competent
professional person
should be sought.
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< < < <> > > > > >
For editorial suggestions, comments, ideas
or requests, please send an E-Mail to Bradney W. Simon mailto:Brad@BWSimon.com
Copyrighted, 2005, BENCH MEDIA.
All rights reserved.
BENCH MEDIA
864 - 680 – 4416
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