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We discuss tools on a regular basis on the Metalsmith Society page, if you are looking for a break down of some basic tools to get started be sure to check out my blog article "WHAT TOOLS TO BUY TO GET STARTED MAKING JEWELRY" If you are interested in torch options check out "HOW TO CHOOSE A TORCH FOR JEWELRY MAKING". This page is dedicated to tools we covered during #tooltalktuesday or that were shared by other members of the community as a tip. We always try to recommend things that people have had success with, but these are by no means the only options! I will include some links to shop. I always encourage supporting local whenever you can, I am working towards transitioning more of my links directly to small businesses. However if you are planning to shop on Amazon anyhow you can support the page in a big way when purchasing through my links or using the Amazon Storefront and the stores I have linked are also small businesses operating on Amazon.

TOOLS

Foredom SR Flexshaft With H.30 Hand Piece

If you are just starting to research purchasing a rotary tool, check out my Flexshaft Mini Series for some helpful information!

4" Guillotine Shear

This shear from Pepetools is made in the USA and was featured during #tooltalktuesday, you can see that post here.

 

Pepetools Disc Cutter

We have shown off the circle and oval cutter during #tooltalktuesday. If you want to cut circles in seconds, this tool is a must have.

Super Finish 2QT Ultrasonic From ARBE Machine

This ultrasonic cleaner doesn’t take up too much space and has plenty of room for my pieces! It has an optional heating element which heats to 149 degrees F (65 degree C) and a timer which goes up to 30 minutes. A heating element in an ultrasonic is a great feature because the heat helps break up the dirt and debris! Ultrasonics can be prone to having problems (largely due to the dirty and wet environment they are in) so some design features were considered to make this unit long lasting including: a water proof on/off switch for the heating unit, fiberglass in between the transducers and tank (this shields any potential drips or leaks that may get inside the unit 👌) and covering the internal circuit board to protect it against condensation damage. It comes with a 1 year warranty and after that if yours does need repair, call ARBE up and they can have yours repaired and back out to you within days so you can get back to work! To order you call ARBE ‪1-631-756-2477‬ they retail for $300.

Spider Hold Down And Spider Mini

The Spider Hold Down is a tool developed to assist in placement of embellishments that are sometimes difficult to position while soldering. It currently comes in two sizes, the Original and the Mini. You can see my #tooltalktuesday post here, to read more about it. The creator David is generously offering our community 10% off when you shop through our link.

Soldering Board With Grid

This is another tool from David, a soldering board that comes with lines to help keep you from soldering things off center. The creator David is generously offering our community 10% off when you shop through our link.

DiamondPA Sharpening Device

This patented device works in a simple, innovative way: you place your dull beading tool into you flexshaft, insert the beading tool into the device and then rotate at 50-200 rpm. The sharpener is made of stainless steel, and its sharpening element of the whole diamond and it is suitable for all sizes of beads from No. 0 to No. 20. Available here.

KERF™ Jewelry Saw Blade Organizer

This 3D printed organizer is made out of PLA, a biodegradable plastic made out of corn. It has a total of 18 compartments: 1 closed compartment - 1 for mixed blades (“mystery” blades as I like to call them) or wax blades - and 16 compartments allowing you to organize the blades from sizes 8/0 to #8 (8/0 - 7/0 - 6/0 - 5/0 - 4/0 - 3/0 - 2/0 - 1/0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8). The open oval holes in the device allow you to look and see if there are any blades in a glance and then you turn the dial to the desired blade size and tap a blade out! What I love about this organizer is the additional info printed on the outside, at a glance you can see the blade thickness in millimeter, the suggested gauge (US gauge system) that could be used with that blade size AND lastly, the size drill bit to use. Available from Otto Frei (use code MMSOF to save 5%) and also available here.

 

Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors

Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors are so useful in the studio! When I need to trim bezel wire or a thin backplate, these are my go-to scissors for the job! I have also used them to cut bits of solder or other wires. They are extremely sharp! I found out while researching this post it is due to the carbon content in the steel, it is double or even triple the amount compared to normal stainless steel scissors. They are also formulated to be corrosion resistant! People use these scissors for cutting things like bones and branches 💪I personally would not go thicker than 22g sheet when cutting with these!

Whaley Sliding Hammer

The Whaley Sliding Hammer is an ingenius tool designed to hammer set bezels with control! You can also use it for riveting! You can get yours at Otto Frei and use code MMSOF to save 5% off your entire order!

GRS Benchmate System

The GRS Benchmate system includes a mounting plate with interchangeable tools to help you secure your work. We discussed the Benchmate Encore QCX, the Bench Pin (featured in the image below) and the Vise. For more info you can visit the original post. 

 

 

Foredom H.15D Hammer Handpiece

The Foredom H.15D is a hammer hand piece you use with your Foredom flexshaft. It's super useful for setting bezels and pushing down prongs and you can even texture with it! There is an additional set of anvil points you can also purchase!

 

 

Pipe Deburring Tool (for rounding edges) 

The use of a pipe deburring tool to create a comfort fit on the inside of a ring was shown to us by @petercat_jewelry, this tip has become an absolute hit within our community! 

 

 

 Refillable Watercolor Brushes (for patina application)

These refillable watercolor brushes can be filled with patina (and even some fluxes) to make your application precise. 

 

Center Finder Tool

We discussed this handy Center Finder Tool during one tool talk. I find it so useful when I quickly want to a find the center on a piece of circular metal, you just slide the metal in and mark with your scribe.

 

 

Watchmaker's Knife

We discussed this knife to help set bezels with tight spots. For example if you have a casting soldered close to your bezel and you need to get inbetween to push the bezel down! The original tip can be found within this blog article of stone setting tips.

 

POLISHING

Excel Blades Sanding Sticks

I absolutely love these sanding sticks. Excel sent me one in every grit to try and they have become something I reach for every time I'm at the bench. The sandpaper belts are replaceable and come in grits 600-80. You can save 15% off your order with code METALSMITHSOCIETY. 

 

3M Radial Bristle Discs

Available at most jewelry tool suppliers, 3M Radial Bristle Discs are fabulous for polishing with a dremel or flexshaft. Prior to this year I used them almost exclusively for polishing. You will want to invest in a kit of different grits because like sandpaper you want to start at a grit that will remove whatever scratch you are working on and then work through every grit until you achieve a smooth finish.

 

3M Polishing Papers

Available at most jewelry tool suppliers, 3M Polishing Cloths are fabulous for sanding and polishing a wide variety of surfaces. I love their flexibility and strength. They are especially great for use on rounded surfaces.

 

SOLDERING TOOLS

Electric Torch Lighter

I absolutely adore my electric torch lighter! It saves time and you can basically light your torch hands free. You can get this one at Otto Frei and save 5% with code MMSOF.

ORGANIZATION

Wooden Drawers

This wooden box was shown to us by @dangbravegirl it features shallow wooden drawers that are perfect for organizing cabochons and unfinished/finished pieces of jewelry.

 

 

Acrylic Organizer

Another drawer was recommended by @love_beyond_the_moon this acrylic container has the benefit of being transparent for those that want to see their collection at a glance! 

 

Storage Bags  

Hands down the most popular organization tip in 2018 came from @rek.inc who shared her binder solution for storing her metals. Since then hundreds of people have placed their sheet, wire and bezels in three ring binders, I liked these zip storage bags that @druzytrades shared because they are more heavy duty and close securely so your metal doesn't fall out!

 

 

SAFETY

Quatro Fume + Dust Collector

The Quatro Gold Vault Extra INFINITY Dust Collector ( item  147.608HD  110V) I use it with Quatro Bench Suction Pin (item 113.335 ) more on that later :) This powerful, but relatively quiet machine collects dust, particles, AND fumes. It works in three stages: a bag filter (which you can ultimately refine when it get’s filled) then a fume and odor charcoal filter and lastly a HEPA filter! I love the variable speed pin this but often work with it at full suction. I also appreciate how compact this machine is. It fits very nicely right next to my bench. You can also purchase an additional fume hood and use at your solder station. The Suction Pin is pretty minimalistic in that it doesn’t have a shield and is simplistic and at first I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. Here is my opinion now: there are no parts on it to break, or get scratched. The suction is strong enough to suck things down and I can really use the pin to work on like I normally would with my regular pin. I can modify the pin a bit if I like, and it is inexpensive. I may explore other options in the future but this definitely works well :) It’s nice to know every time I sand or polish I can collect all that dust and minimize airborne particles I could be breathing. This is so easy to use with GRS backplate I just quickly switch out my bench pins so I never get lazy and do a quick sand without this additional safety. Available from Otto Frei (use code MMSOF to save 5%)

3m Respirator

To help protect yourself from the inhalation of fumes and particles while working in your studio, I use this respirator from 3M. I personally ordered a small.

 

 

3M Respirator Filters 

These are the corresponding filters for the 3M respirator! I spoke with 3M  and they recommend storing them in a sealed plastic bag when not in use to keep them clean. They also said they should minimally be replaced on an annual basis but this is dependent on how frequently you work and how much the filter is being taxed. For some they may need to replace more frequently! Everyone should create their own schedule for replacing their filters.

 

Benchtop Fume Extractor 

This benchtop fume extractor was originally recommended by @melissa_gisele it's a great, affordable option for extracting fumes right next to your solder station!

 

HAKKO Fume Extractor System

If you are looking to upgrade your fume extraction I recommend the Hakko Fume Extractor System ( FA-430 with Duct & Rectangular Nozzle) this lightweight, quiet, powerful machine has three speeds and a HEPA filter. it's going to capture dangerous solder fumes along with any other chemical, wax, or patina fumes. You can purchase directly from Amazon.

 3M Ear Muffs

If you are using a tool like a disc-cutter in your studio or you hammer a ton, do yourself a favor and protect your ears! I absolutely love these 3M ear muffs, they were originally recommended by @amywingdesigns I immediately got on Amazon and bought them and never go without now. Protect your precious ears!

 

STUDIO

Ergonomic Saddle Chair

While chairs are subjective and everyone will have their personal preference this saddle chair came recommended by @petersonmade who liked it so much she purchased two!

 

PHOTOGRAPHY

Elviros Light Box

I've had great success photographing my jewelry inside the Elviros Light Box. I purchased the 16" x 16" x 16" and I think its a wonderful size. It has LED lights inside and metallic walls to help reflect light. It did come with some backdrops but I prefer these acrylic ones, they are easy to clean and fit right inside. I also have placed decorative paper, books, ceramic items and other props inside to photograph.

 

GEM ZOOM U 10X Macro Lens

If you want to take amazing Macro photos with your cellphone or iPad you can check out the GEM ZOOM U 10X Macro Lens from Otto Frei. This clip on lens takes close up shots or videos to show off the details of your jewelry or gemstones. It has adjustable LED lights that can really help showcase the facets in a stone. However it does not capture larger pieces in their entirety because the object must be quite close to take the picture. So as I mentioned in my Instagram post, this may not be the lens you use to take the main picture of a piece of jewelry for your website but its awesome for those detailed close-up shots. It does come with an additional lens which does allow you to take pictures of your entire piece but I didn't find that lens did anything different than what my iPhone X is capable of, if you have a different phone it might enhance what your phone camera can do! Be sure to use code MMSOF to save 5%.

PACKAGING

PRINTED MATERIALS FROM MOO

I absolutely love getting my printed materials for both Corkie Bolton Jewelry and Metalsmith Society from Moo. The quality and customer service are excellent. I use them for marketing materials, postcards and business cards. You can save 25% off your first order with this link.

Custom Printed Stickers

I have had such a wonderful experience having stickers made with Sticker Mule, they are fast and the quality is fantastic. They also create a wide variety of other products including magnets, buttons and custom packaging. You can get $10 towards your first order with this link.

Custom Klean Karat® Polishing Cloths

I include a custom polishing cloth with every online order of my jewelry. This small gesture gives my customer a solution for keeping their piece looking fantastic! These gorgeous 4” x 4” cloths are treated with ingredients that fight tarnish and inhibit new tarnish from occurring! You can order them from Stuller, they are the only company that customizes this brand of cloth.

 EcoEnclose Eco-Friendly Shipping

I love this company and use their rigid mailers and bubble mailers. They also have box options I will be looking into when it's time for me to reorder. You can order a sample kit to get started and it's definitely worth it, they have all types of recycled and recyclable options to make your shipping more eco-friendly.

OTHER STUFF

Label Printer

This label printer was a GAME CHANGER for me. Absolutely worth every penny. I use it to print all my shipping labels (it easily hooks up to Shopify and Etsy and other platforms) and I also print jewelry labels for shows with it! It's versatile and I've found it easy to use. It's thermal so you aren't dealing with replacing ink, you just have to purchase labels. Highly recommend!

 

 

Custom Apparel

For most of the merchandise available from the Society Shop I use Printful. They are a drop-ship company that produces custom apparel with no minimums and ships directly to your customer. There are definitely some pros + cons using a drop shipper. You have no inventory so therefore you have no ability to exchange sizes. Each order is essentially a custom, however this allows you to offer a wide variety of colors and sizing options. You don't see the orders prior to them shipping out and sometimes mistakes are made but all in all I've been really pleased with working with Printful. If you decide to sign up, please use my link. If you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out!

INTERNATIONAL

I know many members of our community are located outside of the United States! Therefore I wanted to create a list of tool recommendations which can be purchased from suppliers located outside the US.

Studio Furniture

I own and love this adjustable stool from Durston. The price point is great for this well made stool. I roll all around my studio on it and it's great! Durston is located in the United Kingdom and you can order the stool here.