Janet Evans - Silver Jewelry Making: An Easy & Complete Step by Step Guide

Asyoull soon discover there are certain specialist tools needed for makingjewelry from silver you wouldnt need for making other items of jewelry. Notonly do we take a look at these but also the other general tools required formaking not only silver jewelry but general items of jewelry as well.

Tool1 Pliers

Thereare several different types of pliers needed to make silver jewelry.

FlatNose or Chain Nose Pliers

Theseare pliers you need for holding pieces with as well as for bending and formingthe silver into a variety of different shapes and styles.

RoundNose Pliers

Withoutthese pliers you will find it very difficult to create curves or circles. Pluslike the flat nose pliers these can be used for bending wire.

HalfRound Pliers

Thesepliers also help you to bend silver, but do so without them causing an outsidecurve to be created.

SerratedEdge Pliers

Thesepliers wouldnt normally be used when for actually making the piece of jewelrybut used more for pulling wire through the jewelry or to straighten it out. Butyou need to be careful when using these as they can leave marks on the silver.

Tool2 Jewelers Saw

Itsimportant you purchase the best quality saw you can. Youll notice that theblades come with blades of varying sizes. However initially Id recommend youstart with a saw thats fitted with a 1, 0 or 0/1 grade blade. You should onlyconsider using saws with blades of grade 2 and upwards when youve been makingsilver jewelry for a while.

Tool3 Files

Justas with pliers there are several different types of files youll need to helpensure you create and make some wonderful pieces of jewelry. The kinds of filesyoull need to purchase are as follows:

NeedleFile

Thereare several different types of needle files youll need to purchase. The mainones you will have to buy are for when you make a piece of jewelry thats flat,half round, oval and triangular.

LargeFlat File

Withoutthis type of file in your toolbox youre going to find removing solder fromyour pieces of silver jewelry difficult.

LargeHalf Round File

Youllfind this file extremely useful when you need to clean and smooth the inside ofany silver ring shank.

Tool4 Ball Peen Hammer

Thisis an essential tool to have as it can be used for making jewelry in a varietyof different ways. Without this tapping (peening) silver pins, narrow joints orrivets into shape will be difficult.

Tool5 Soldering Torch

Whenyoure selecting a soldering torch, make sure you go for a one that can beeasily adjusted so it can produce either a wide or narrow flame. However itsworth considering purchasing two soldering torches, as there is certain jewelrymaking tasks such as reticulation, which needs two torches to complete it. Ifyoure going to purchase two torches then you should go for one thats handheld and the other that remains in a fixed position so the heat of the flamewill also be directed towards the soldering block.

Tool6 Charcoal Block

Youllneed this for putting your pieces of jewelry on when carrying out any solderingwork. By placing the piece of jewelry on this block you ensure any excess flameis actually being directed away from the surface of your work area.

Tool7 Dish and Borax Cone

Whenit comes to soldering pieces of silver together its important you use a flux. Themost cost effective and easiest way to produce flux is through rubbing a boraxcone in some water in a dish thats been specifically designed for thispurpose.

Tool8 Binding Wire

Ifyou need to solder two or more pieces of silver jewelry together then youllfind this wire proves extremely useful. It enables you to free up both hands tocarry out the work, as it holds the two pieces together whilst youresoldering. Its also great for casting.

Tool9 Titanium Soldering Stick

Thereare plenty of books and guides about making silver jewelry but most fail toinclude this tool in their list. You need this tool to help position the itemyoure going to be soldering or annealing. As titanium has a much higherheating point compared to silver youll need to have one of these sticks asitll help to ensure not only is soldering trouble free but will also help toensure the finished solder is smooth.

Tool10 Insulated Tweezers

Youllfind this tool extremely useful when youre using the soldering stick above asitll allow you to hold pieces of silver together as you solder them.

Tool11 Vice

Thisis another essential tool youll need. A small one you can easily attach toyour workbench or surface will suffice. Not only does it help to make the taskof bending silver much easier but you can also use it for other purposes aswell as holding the piece of jewelry in place whilst youre filing.

Tool12 Safety Goggles

Youmay not consider these to be an essential tool for making silver jewelry, buttheyll help to keep you safe by protecting your eyes. Theyll help to ensureyour safety when youre soldering, cutting or filing the silver down.