Basic jewelry tools

To create the jewelry in the above posts does not take a lot of tools. You may already have them. Just make sure you use quality tools. You can skimp on some things, but tools should not be one of them. Also, do not buy the mini versions. They do not work most of the time for the stuff you want to do. Some places on eBay will sell you an entire pliers kits. If you do get one of those, make sure you get a pair of chain nosed pliers without serrated jaws. Some pliers have serrations (ridges) on the inside of where you clamp. It is to give you a better grip. Most of the time, you do not want to use them on jewelry since it will scratch and dent it.

If you have a coupon, The Blue Moon round nosed and chain nosed pliers are pretty good. I like the grip on them. The chain nosed pliers are little short for some applications. You can see my red gripped ones where the jaws (or whatever you call them) are longer. The cutting pliers do not really matter. Just get a good pair from the hardware store.

The second picture is of a bench block and hammer. I own several hammers. For hammering wire flat, you need a flat head hammer. Do not use rounded or rawhide. They will not work well for flattening. You will see nice little dents in the flattened wire - desired. I bought the bench block from Volcano Arts.

If you buy the bench block from there, then get the pounding mat at the same time. You will save yourself a lot of noise and vibration. I get a lot of stuff from here for working with metal. Take a look at site before buying just the bench block. You might want to go to eBay and price shop. Just pay attention to size. Do you want one that travels with you or a larger one that you keep at home. Also, some of them are not mounted well to the piece of wood. You do not want it to separate. I have had my bench block for years now and it still works great. I buy my mini screws and nuts from here. She also carries a great oxidizing solution that does not stink like liver of sulfur. It is also on this page. Sorry, got carried away.

Email me if you have any questions.

Frames for Dremel

Here are my samples that I made up for Dremel on Monday. I brought them up with me when I went to see them in Racine, WI. I went up there to show the Dremel ladies how I did my frame so they would know what we needed to do while at CHA. I like these frames a lot more than my original samples. We did a mini workshop while I was there.

They are a lot more scrapbook-y than my usual stuff. I had to think of something that would make a good make 'n take. I wanted to use stuff that people might carry in their store. I also had to consider my audience. There are a lot of scrapbook type retailers at CHA. Of course, any mixed media artists that did the make 'n take could change it to what they wanted. That is the beauty of having a lot of embellishments.

The top frame is meant to be more male - no flowers. There are a lot of men who go to CHA and do the make 'n takes. I had quite a few men do the mah jong pendants at the last two CHA shows.

Basically, this make 'n take is Lumiere paint, drilling, using the new Dremel Driver (screws nails and screws into things), and embellishing with the Dremel glue gun. I have to tell you that the Dremel Driver is a lot of fun and very easy to use. You might have seen the battery powered screwdrivers. This is the same idea but I think easier to use. We had a Black and Decker one for a long time. It worked okay but it did not keep a charge very long. This Driver had a good charger. It's design makes it easy for me to hold in my hand. It is more like holding a gun rather than a long tube. It has a convenient button so you can go into reverse - which I do a lot. DH loves this one as well. Hey, Phil, mine!

Can you tell that I am so loving the Prima flowers? I usually don't like the paper flowers but I love these. They have the text, different pictures, and little collages on them. I don't use the pink ones that much. Beth, you can have all of those. They are amazingly durable. The words were made with the mixed mini grungeboard letters. You can buy that at skybluepink.com. I have a link in the right column.

BTW, the Dremel hot glue gun has a fine point tip for detailing and for smaller items. I used mostly found objects on these sample frames but there will be a lot of fun smaller things like Scrabble tiles, bingo tiles, little metal objects, etc...at CHA. I don't know what booth we will be at. Look for me. Come and say hi to me. You can even do the make 'n take. Hope to see you there!

chain nosed pliers

These were on sale at Michaels. You can click on the pick for a larger view. You can use these instead of flat nosed pliers. It might actually be a little bit easier for you to use if you are doing jewelry. You will notice that the end of the jaws are tapered and the inside of the jaws are smooth. You do not want serrated jaws because it will mark up/scratch what you are working with. A lot of hardware pliers have serrated jaws.

types of pliers I use for making charms

Left are the cutters, middle are flat or tapered nose. Buy the smooth jaws, not serrated. The pair on the right are round nosed pliers. Cutters for cutting the wire. The flat nosed are used for pulling something through and for closing jump rings. I would buy two pairs of flat nosed. Sometimes you need to hold both sides of the jump rings to close them.

Email me if you have any questions.

Dremel - tools and attachments - jewelry tool series

The first pict is the driver - it is basically a screw driver. I like it because it is easy to use. I don't have one but hope I will get one soon.

The second one is their glue gun. I like this one a lot because it has a light trigger. I cannot always squeeze the cheapie glue gun triggers with my arthritis.

The third one is their workstation. It would be the equivalent of a drill press. I have two of these. It is not the easiest to put together. I will have to do a video on how to do it. Once you get it set up though, it is great. Your Dremel tool is stationary on the work station. You lower it to drill something. It is so easy! I used it on dominoes at CHA. People loved it. You can put a piece of cardboard or mat board on the work station so smaller pieces will not fall through.

The last thing is the multi-vise. It will clamp onto your table. The bottom piece is removable so you can just hold onto the vise part and use your other hand for something else. I use it a lot with keys. When I cut them, I use one hand and hold it with the multi-vise and I have the Dremel tool in my other hand. It was also good for cutting smaller pieces of the yardsticks.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section. You can get Dremel stuff at any hardware store. I would try Walmart and Menards first - pricing more competitive.

Dremel Tools - jewelry tool series

http://www.dremel.com/en-US All the images are from their website. If you go there, they have a lot of information and have stuff you can download.

This post will be about their tools. These are the ones I own or want to own.

The top one is the 10.8v cordless. This is a little heavy on the backside but works great. It really holds a charge. I used it a lot while at CHA to cut apart keys and yard stick pieces. It is a great tool. I used it with the multi-vise.

The 2nd one from the top is the 300 series. This is a great beginner rotary tool. It has everything you need. You should always look for variable speed when you get a Dremel.

The 3rd one from the top is the 400 XPR. That is one to get if you are serious about your tools. I have one. I don't use a lot of the attachments though. It has a sleek body which makes it easy for my small hands to hold.

The 4th one from the top is the Stylus. I got it as a gift. Actually, I got it twice. It is cordless. I don't use it a lot except for engraving, polishing, sanding, etc... I am not crazy about this one. It is nice to have though if I am doing multi-step things. I can have a tool for each thing and not have to change out accessories.

The bottom one is the first Dremel I ever bought. It is the 395. It is a workhorse. If you find it somewhere, it is a great first Dremel to get. It was basically replaced by the 300 series.

Hammers, hammers, hammers

I use every single one of these several times a week.

From left to right:

Big, black one is a rubber mallet that you can get at the hardware store. One end has hot glue gun dots on there for texture when I pound metal sheet. Way cool texture. The other end is smooth. It is great for bottle caps and pounding things that you don't want to get marks into. If your piece is larger than the hammer head, then a metal hammer head can mark it up.

The rawhide mallet is next to it. I got that off eBay. I use that all the time for shaping because it also will not mark up your metal.

The silver double headed one is a tack iron and I got that at the hardware store. I use it for pounding in nails and for pounding wire flat.

The one that is second from the right is a riveting hammer. See the sharp end? That is the end I use for making rivets. The other side is slightly rounded so that your end will spread out in a flowering shape and finish the rivet. It is important that you get a riveting hammr with a smaller, thinner sharp end for smaller rivets. If you get a riveting hammer with the sharp end too thick, then it is not as easy to split the ends of your wire to start the rivet.

Email me if you want to know how to make a rivet from a piece of wire. I will eventually do a youtube video on how to do it.

The last hammer is a ball peen hammer. It is also called a chasing hammer. It has a slightly rounded end for rivets. I use the rounded end if I want to split the rivet more - if my hole is slightly too large. I use the other end for pounding stuff out on the bench block. The round end is also good for when I want to make metal disks on the dapping block. Mine is from Volcano Arts. I really like the feel of the handle and it has a good weight to it for an easy swing.

Sometimes, it is better to get the smaller hammers if you will be working on smaller pieces of jewelry. It is also easier to handle. Sometimes cheaper is not better with hammers. You need to check to make sure the head is securely on the handle. Sometimes, the cheaper ones are not one very well and will come off or wobble. That can ruin your piece.

More Tools

The little ziplock bags on the right shows 1/16" eyelets and screws. You can get them from several places, but I get mine from Volcano Arts. I also got the 1/16th eyelet setter there. The Fiskars spring action 1/16th eyelet setter works, too. The big thing on the right punches holes, sets eyelets, and snaps. It does 1/8 and 3/16th. It works great punching through mat board, game boards, and thin metal. It is one of my best finds.

Jewelry Tool Series continued

The thing on the right is a ring mandrel. I prefer the smooth one to the grooved ones because it is easier for me to pound metal with a hammer and not get little grooves in it. The thing on the left is a metal punch. I got mine from outsidethemargins.com. I use the side that is 1/16". It is a hole punch for metal.

pliers

The top picts are of flat nosed pliers. I use these two pairs the most. You need to find ones that are comfortable for you to use. Also, for jewelry, make sure there are no grooves on the jaws or it will mark up your jewelry. It should have smooth jaws.

The middle pict is of my round nosed pliers. The one with the red handle is supposed to make wire loops more easily. Someone gave it to me but I never use it . I use the blue handled ones to make smaller loops and paint brush handles for larger wire loops. I have an example of a wire loop in the pict. The loop itself is pounded flat using a hammer and bench block. Flattening the wire strengthens it.

The last pict is of wire cutters. You will need to sharpen them once in awhile or just get new ones. This one in the pict is pretty well used and not as sharp as it should be.

The gold object above the green handled wire cutters is a center punch. You push down on it and it gives you a dink in metal. This way you can drill and it will not skirt around. If you are not confident about drilling into metal or don't want to ruin your surface with a skipped line, then you can use this center punch. Using a hammer and a nail will give you the same dink. I like the center punch because I do a lot of drilling. I generally do not need to use the center punch because I drill so much, but I do once in awhile if my jewelry surface is pristine and not oxidized.
If you are interested in a center punch, I got mine from Volcano Arts

Misc tools - jewelry tools series

Top left is a mini anvil. I use it to flatten and smooth out small pieces. This is good for rings since it has the area places where I can fit the rings on to work on it.


The one to the right of the anvil is a hand vise. That will hold any small thing you want that you need to grip to work on. Just push the wedge into the hand vise and it will hold any small thing you have that you need to file, drill, sand, etc... You can see a small found object at the end of the vise.


The wood block with circular indentations is called a dapping block. Buy metal if you can afford it. It will last longer. I am already getting dinks from hammering the metal in the wood ones I have. You start out with a piece of circular sheet metal. Use a hammer to hammer the edges first, then insert it into the largest circle and hammer the metal disc into a circular form. I will get into what type of hammer to use later. If you want more of a circle, then go to the next smaller sized circle. Always work from the largest circle to the smallest one you want. That will help to shape your sheet metal and not distort it. BTW, I sand the edges before I get started. You will get some interesting textures depending on what the head of the hammer is like. I have two copper examples above the dapping block to show you. You can click on the pict to make the pict bigger.

At the bottom is an Irwin clamp. I use it to clamp things down that I don't want to move. It is a quick and easy thing to use. It comes in several sizes. My dh bought be a big, honking one. The small one works well for me. I use the big honking one to clamp down books and stuff like that. The hand lever - black and blue at the bottom is what releases the clamp. You clamp them both together to raise the clamp up and down until it gets hold of what you want to clamp down on the table. You pump the little lever over the hand lever to tighten the clamp. It is so easy when I don't need my Dremel clamp.

Sheet metal cutters - jewelry tools series

I bought these at the hardware store. I use them for cutting thicker wire and for cutting sheet metal. You can use scissors for thin metal sheets like the ones for metal embossing. If you use scissors for thicker sheet metal, it will work but it will ruin your scissor blades. There will be a rougher edge using sheet metal cutters. I use a sanding block and smooth the edges.

Files - jewelry tools series

I have regular jewelry files and mini ones for smaller pieces. I got them from eBay. You use them to smooth out rough edges. I also find that a sanding block works well with a lot of my jewelry. I use these files all the time. I actually buy them in sets of two because I use them so much.

Copper sheet metal and sheet metal gauge - jewelry tools series

I get my copper sheet from basiccopper.com. I have a link to them in the right column. They have an eBay store where you can buy scraps of copper in different gauges. That should be enought to get you started with a few pieces of jewelry. You can also contact her with special needs you might have.

If you work with a lot of sheet metal and wire, then you might want to get a sheet metal gauge. Mine has two sides, one is for wire. This helps me to know what gauge I am working with when I am writing instructions out for workshops and for publication. If it is for myself, I don't bother. People will ask me what gauge I used. I have to use this gauge to tell them.

Why? Sheet metal comes in different gauges. Some are softer and can be used for things like metal embossing. I use the lower gauges for jewelry. They are more stiff and will not bend when I wear it. I use about an 18 gauge when I make rings. Any higher and it might cut into my finger. Sheet metal is like wire - thicker as the number goes down. Thinner or small diameter in wire as the number goes up.

I usually use 20 gauge wire for jewelry. I use 18 if I want it to be a little more sturdy. 16 is too hard to work with for me.

Jeweler's saw - jewelry tool series

Here is what a jeweler's saw looks like. I got mine from eBay. I do suggest that you get one with a deep "C". Do you see the metal area that looks like a C? You want it to be a large "C" - farther rather than closer to the saw blade. The reason being you can cut into a large piece of sheet metal when you have it on the bench pin. You do not need beeswax or anything on the blade. If you are doing it correctly, there will not be a lot of sound and the motion will be pretty smooth. Just keep it pretty vertical. I cannot explain it any better. I would have to show you. I will try to do a video on it at a later date.

http://www.volcanoarts.biz/cart/metalsmithing/gallery/index.htm#StringBlade Volcano Arts has a tutorial on how to string it.

The blades break a lot. Most of the blades used by mixed media arts are #2.

Universal bench pin - jewelry tools series

This is mounted to your table. You use this with a jeweler's saw to cut sheet metal to the size and shape that you want it. I bought mine off eBay but I am showing you the link at Volcano Arts so you can see what it looks like when mounted to a table. You can also buy it there.

http://volcanoarts.biz/cart/metalsmithing/index.htm You will find it near the end of the page. You need to remember to keep the blade as vertical as possible. Pay attention to where you are sawing or you will cut into the bench pin. Yes, I have done that.

bench block - jewelry tools series

Yes, I know that I am supposed to keep it clean. I will need to clean it off since I now see how yucky it is. This is 4" square bench block and mat. I got mine from Volcano Arts.biz. http://volcanoarts.biz/cart/metalsmithing/index.htm It is about 1/3 of the way down on the page. The bottom is wood. I do suggest you get the mat or something else that is thick that will help muffle the sound. This is basically used for flattening metal. I use it all the time to flatter wire and to smooth out copper pieces that get a little warped from me working it. I use it several times a week, so I have a spot for it on my art table. You should not get it wet, so the wood part will not warp. I clean it with a little water and a towel. I will oil the block once in awhile and wipe off the excess. You will get little knicks in it. It will still work fine. It is rather heavy.

Gizmo - jewelry tool series

This device can be found at any craft store like Hobby Lobby, Joann's etc...What it does is it coils wire for you. If you click on the pict, then you can see the wire coiled around my copper pendant. I did that with the gizmo. You can use a paint brush handle to do the same thing. What I like about it is that I can get tight, uniform coils when I need to.