Jewelers Files

Can I get an amen on how easy it is to become obsessed with jewelers files! There are so many too choose from its simply amazing. I know its the tool I use the most and I am assuming you guys put a lot of file time in too.

In the beginning I was really into fine cut files, as high a number as I could get them. My local jewelry supply shop only sells Grobet files and so that's what I bought. The smoothest files I could get from them was a flat hand file in 3 and a half round (not half round ring) in a 4. I had high hopes of using that Grobet flat hand #3 file a lot but as it turned out, I rarely used it at all. That particular file lost its edgy cut feel right away and I was really disappointed. You know what I mean, that brand new sharp and crisp feel they have? I didn't know what happened but I didn't like it.

I then found the company that I have bought the most files from, Friedrich Dick. Their files retain that sharp, crisp feel that I love for a long time, in fact, they still have it. I know over time files wear down depending on frequency of use, how you use it and where you store it. Don't store them near your pickle or anything that can rust or damage them. Also, don't put pressure on the back stroke, it pushes the teeth over and can hinder the cut. I know with wood files it cleans the wood out of the teeth, but don't do it with metal files.

I recently bought a Friedrich Dick Half Round Ring File in a #3 cut and I find myself using it a lot, but not really for the inside of rings. Do you use a half round ring file on the inside of rings much? I find myself using sandpaper cartridges with my flex shaft and not the file. I am looking to buy a half round needle file, a quality one, not those garbage ones we know so well. If an entire set cost $12.00, its not good. :)

As my filing adventures continue, I will write more, thank you!

My Jewelers Torch Setup

Finally! For over two years I have been using a plumbers torch, I attached a picture of it. While it did work well for me, I always wanted a real jewelers torch. The plumbers torch doesn't get hot enough to size a ring that you are using thermo gel on or any type of cooling system. Almost a year ago I bought a Hoke torch and O2 tank from a retiring jeweler for $30.00. It came with no regulators and it took me 8 months to get a propane regulator, the bbq tank 20lb type. It was a lot of driving and blank stares from people, it was more difficult to get that propane regulator than I thought it would be.

I went to a place called Mutual Propane and bought a nice little red regulator, image also attached. The attachments to the Hoke torch are friction type and hose clamp as you know. I ended up having to fill the O2 tank and after all the planets aligned, I had a working usable torch! The Hoke torch, although heavy, puts a really nice flame out. My joy quickly subsided when I realized a flashback could happen and if it did, I wasn't at all protected from it.

Two weeks ago that same retiring jeweler called me from his home and said he had more stuff to sell and I was glad to hear from him after all this time. I ended up buying a used smith little torch with two replacement hoses and a bunch of gravers for $70.00. Its an honor to have tools in my bench that a real jeweler used, I am still so enamored by this trade. I finally had in my hands a smith little torch, it was joyous indeed. Those torches and hoses are so light!

I ended up putting the new hoses on the smith little torch and I ordered a proper propane regulator from a notable jewelry supply shop with two flashback arrestors! There is plenty of information out there on what happens when a flashback occurs on the second floor of your house with your wife, dog and cat nearby, none of it is pretty.

I highly recommend using flashback arrestors, they are cheap compared to what could happen. I will upload a picture of the new setup tomorrow.

 Taking your time to get set up correctly is definitely worth the safety and piece of mind. You can do so much more with an oxygen and fuel torch system, its hotter and has much better heat accuracy.

Making Gold Jewelry

I very much like working with gold, it has different properties and characteristics than silver. I find it easier to work with than silver. Its a bit harder to shape and bend but its easier to sand, blend and polish, at least that's what I have found.

Soldering gold is a bit shocking at first as the solder is initially really yellow in color, dont worry you didnt ruin your piece. :) It cleans up like a champ and turns into a warm and lustrous glow after you polish it. It turns a glowy red when you are soldering it, unlike silver. Its a fun and frightening endeavor, but one that is so rewarding! My advice is to go slow, think about what you are putting your torch too and if stones are in it, how are you protecting them. If there are stones in the ring, don't quench it, just let it air cool so you dont shock anything into cracking, been there, done that.

 My first experience with gold was Shannons wedding ring. The original jeweler who sized it didn't use enough solder and the seam just broke one day while she was wearing it. She handed it to me and so I bought some 14K yellow gold solder from Rio and got to it. I wimped out the first 5 attempts because I was afraid of ruining the entire ring. Gold turns orange at soldering temp and it scared me :) I ended up soldering it and it wasn't pretty. I used too much solder and didn't want to file it too much as to wear away the design on the back. Its actually pretty straightforward and there is nothing to be afraid of, just go for it!

I am slowly adding gold to our Etsy shop and I just love working with it. It is a quite a bit more expensive than silver, thats just something we need to deal with. On the flip side you can make some decent profit on gold items and gold is such an honorable metal, isn't it?

My New Ultrasonic!

Well its new to me anyway :) I have been in the market for an industry respected ultrasonic and I came to the conclusion that they are expensive! Harbor Freight sells one for $86.00 on sale but from what I have learned, they don't last very long. Do you buy the cheaper version, baby it and hope it holds up? Or do you invest your money in something that is tried and true to work well and last?

The ultrasonic I was using was one of those home use jewelry spa types, you know the type. While it did vibrate and have heat, it was small, old, cracked and didn't do what I needed it to. I always had to toothbrush the polishing compound out of the recesses of my rings and pendants and it kind of defeats the whole purpose of having an ultrasonic in the first place.

I went on Craigslist and did my search and a Quantrex LR140 came up for $150.00. I ended up getting it for $125.00 and I feel like I got a good deal because its almost new. It has the basket and lid, but I am going to do away with the basket and use the little bar that goes across the top of it. I think the basket absorbs too much of the vibration.

I find myself needlessly polishing just so I can test it out. :) I am glad I didnt settle for a cheaper ultrasonic, not that they cant do an awesome job, just I have never had any luck with cheaper vibrating machines.

I Learned a Valuable Soldering Lesson.

I will start this post out with  *Sigh*. You know they kind of sigh when you already knew the correct way, then strayed away then came back to it? Too me, soldering is a lot like poker, you can learn how to do it in an hour but it takes a lifetime to become good at it.

It all started with the wide rings I make and sell on Etsy. These rings are up to 1 and 1/4" wide, beastly right? I usually make them around the 3/4" width but sometimes I get custom requests. One of the wide rings I make is a gigantic half round ring shank with the middle being 2mm thick. The only way you are forming that into a ring is with pliers, there is not a lot of manipulation to be done with your hands. So I get the seam closed and almost light tight, then run a saw blade through it like we all do. You have to be very careful that your saw blade doesn't stray off course or you will be doing a lot of filing to fix it and downsizing the ring inadvertently.

I should have been soldering the seam like I always had been, with the correct amount of hard solder. I used to only use hard solder because it has the highest silver content and keeps its color the longest. What do I do instead of chip soldering the right amount? I stick solder easy flow and flood the seam with enough solder to fill any gaps that I was unable to file flat. Its so disappointing that I went that route instead of doing it right.

The problem with easy flow solder is it turns black way before the sterling does and you can see the seam in as early as a week or two I recently found out. I know this because a lady sent one back to be re-sized and I was horrified and embarrassed when I opened the return shipment. Not only was I able to see my line where I soldered it, I also saw little black pools of where I left solder on the ring. I couldn't see it at the time because I used 400 grit sandpaper then took it to the polishing wheel. Everything looked perfectly shiny when I sent it off. I am grateful that I hadn't been doing that wrong technique on very many rings. I know better than that, that's the worst part.

This whole experience made me think, can we use Argentium solder on sterling silver to prevent the seam from showing up eventually? Its not a problem on regular sized rings but for these wide bands, everything shows up. Or if I am soldering and sanding, polishing and buffing properly, should a line never show up no matter how much time passes?