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January Sale
Bench Media's New Year Sale.
This is Bench Media's 11th year of helping bench jewelers become more professional at their craft and we are celebrating with our biggest sale ever.
Go to BenchJewelersNetwork.com/store and check out this month's special. |
Tips for Jewelers Who
Do Repairs
By Alan Revere |
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PAINT JOB:
Polishing Up On Tool Organization
Do you have a drawer full of loose needle files? Do you find it frustrating to paw through the pile of files, looking for just the right one? Not only is this a waste of time, but it is also poor maintenance of your files, which aren’t benefiting from being rubbed up against each other all the time. Here’s a tip that will make it easy for you to spot just the right file for every job.
Go to any store that sells cosmetics and pick out half a dozen colors of nail polish. Get bright, primary colors: red, blue, orange, black, yellow, green, etc. When you get back to the shop, assign each color to a different file shape and paint the handles of the files accordingly. For instance, paint the ends of the round files red, triangle files turquoise, and so on. When painting, use stripes of color to indicate the cut. For example, paint two stripes for cut #2, four stripes for cut #4, and so on. (You will probably need to apply more than one coat of nail polish to get bright clear stripes of color.) And to remind you which color goes with which shape, paint a “key” around the base of your file can; for example, paint a red circle to represent the round files.
This system can also be used for larger “hand” files as well as gravers. Assign colors to different shapes, and paint dots of color on the handle to indicate the width of the tool. Start with one dot for the narrowest and add dots as they get wider. This makes it a snap to pick out the right tool, whether your gravers are spread out on your bench or neatly stacked in a rack.
By color-coding and sorting your small tools, you can save time and avoid unnecessary frustration. It is amazing how quickly you learn to spot your colorful new tools.
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
"You must have long term goals to keep you
from being frustrated by short term failures."
Charles C. Noble
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Favorite Bench Tips
By Brad Simon
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PLATINUM FINISHING
3M Wet or Dry Tri-M-Ite Polishing Papers, which are available from most jewelry industry tool suppliers are my personal favorite for finishing platinum. These polishing papers come in six different grits ranging from 400 to 8,000 which are ideally suited for preparing platinum for polishing using up to the 1200 grit, or using all the way up to the 8,000 and polishing your platinum jewelry without any polishing compounds. The following bench made tools help in making it easier to use these polishing papers.
Sanding Stick
Using a paper cutter, cut the 3M polishing papers into 1 inch strips 12 inches long (the length of the sheets). Stack the strips in order with the finest grit on the bottom and the coarsest on top. Place the stack on top of a wooden paint stirring stick (obtained from any paint or hardware store) with half the length extending past the end of the stick. Using a stapler, fasten the end of the stack of polishing papers to the stick. You may need to cut off the end of the paint stir before applying the stack of polishing papers if it is extra long. Fold the loose ends of the polishing papers over the end and down the back side of the paint stir.
To use the sanding stick hold it, using your index finger, to hold the loose ends down tightly and sand using the side of the stick that is stapled down. As you finish sanding with the coarsest grit fold it down out of the way exposing the next grit paper. Continue in this manner until you reach the desired finish on your platinum. When the papers are worn out on the stapled side, remove the staple holding the papers and turn the papers around. Re-staple the good end of the papers to the paint stir and wrap the worn out section over the end to be held by your index finger.
This sanding stick is useful for sanding any flat surface or the outside of curved sections.
Sanding Drums
Cut the 3M polishing papers into strips one half inch wide and 6 to 8 inches long using a paper cutter. Tape one end of the strip to the rubber drum of a 1/2 inch rubber sanding drum mandrel made to use in your flex-shaft. Wrap the remainder of the strip around the rubber drum. Use a different rubber sanding drum for each of the different grits of polishing papers.
Place the sanding drum in your flex-shaft or micro-motor to clean and polish the inside of curves or holes in your platinum jewelry. Different size strips of polishing papers can be cut and used on different sizes of rubber sanding drums for a variety of sanding applications.
This is particularly useful for cleaning up and polishing the inside of ring shanks. Using these sanding drums in your flex-shaft which can reach or exceed 15,000 RPM or a micro-motor which can reach 35,000 RPM is much more efficient than using the inside ring buff on a polishing motor which only reaches speeds of 3,400 RPM.
For more articles, tips, and videos on Custom Jewelry Manufacturing visit http://www.GuideToJewelryMaking.com
For more tips on Stonesetting visit our Stonesetting Blog at: http://BenchMedia.typepad.com
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Quote Worth Re-Quoting
"Happy people plan actions,
they don't plan results."
Denis Waitley
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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.
Visit us at www.ganoskin.com |
Handling
Colored Stones
from
Gemstone Cutter
Wayne Emery |
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DIOPSIDE
Diopside generally occurs as a brown to blackish mineral, some of which displays an excellent star when cut in the cabochon style. These are often sold in Asia to tourists as black star sapphires, but star diopside exhibits only four rays, not the six rays of star sapphire. Nevertheless, it is a fairly durable stone and a great choice for pendants or earrings. Diopside is somewhat heat sensitive, and certainly will not withstand the heat of re-tipping with a torch.
The green variety, colored by the element chromium, is found in rural mountains, can be faceted, and was covered earlier. It gets very dark as the size increases, and it is very difficult to polish and quite brittle. While it can be pretty, it does not really fit the classical definition of a gemstone, which requires rarity, beauty and durability. However, it is becoming increasingly common and you need to be aware that it needs to be treated as a heat sensitive fragile material. It is not suitable for rings.
Interestingly, although the Russian source is claimed to be in the Urals, no one that I know has ever seen a piece, or even a picture of a piece, in its host rock; only loose crystal fragments, which has caused some to theorize that it may actually be a lab grown product.
You can contact Wayne Emery at wayne_emery@msn.com
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Quote Worth Re-Quoting
"Progress always involves risk;
you can't steal second base and
keep your foot on first."
Frederick Wilcox
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Sales of Your Custom Jewelry Down this Year?
Looking for New Markets to Sell Your Jewelry?
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This is THE reference book for every jewelry designer who has ever set up, or is considering setting up, a booth at a retail event. Everything you need to know about selling jewelry at fairs and markets is in this book. If you follow even just a few of the tips and suggestions you will be more successful!
http://www.JewelryBoothSales.com |
Working with Platinum
Jurgen J. Maerz CMBJ |
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Director of Technical Education
for Platinum Guild International
http://www.platinumguild.com
PLATINUM ALLOYS, FEATURES AND BENEFITS
Part 3
CASTING WITH A COBALT ALLOY
Pt950/Co was specifically designed for casting. Cobalt acts as a grain refiner, which makes this alloy fine-grained and capable of producing fine and detailed castings. Pt950/Co is slightly magnetic and also oxidizes, which is unique for a platinum alloy. As such, many bench jewelers resist working with it.
Ninety-five per cent precious, Pt950/Co has an annealed hardness of 135 HV and can work-harden to 185 HV. This alloy has good mechanical properties and fluidity for fill of fine sections, which allows for hard and scratch-resistant castings. Pt950/Co has few or no metal-to-mold reactions, polishes easily due to its hardness, and its small grain sizes makes for dense castings. Since it oxidizes, this alloy is not suited for hand fabrication. It develops patina in time through wear and handling.
For more Tip to Working on Platinum Jewelry from Jurgen Maerz visit our Platinum Blog at: http://BenchMedia.typepad.com/platinumguru |
Quote Worth Re-Quoting
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your heart be troubled
and do not be afraid."
John 14:27
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Receive Year Round or Monthly Access
Bench Television
Annual Membership regularly $170.00 Now Only $102.
Bench Television provides TV style How To training videos for Bench Jewelers. Membership to this site allows you unlimited access to all the channels and shows any time of the day or week. You can watch shows over and over as many times as you need.
All the video training from all of Bench Media's DVDs are included on Bench Television, PLUS addition videos not published on DVD.
Bench Jewelers Network
Annual Membership regularly $240.00 Now Only $145.
Monthly Membership $10 (reg. $24) first month then $24 each 30 days.
The Bench Jewelers Network is an Online Community of Professional Bench Jewelers, Students, and Serious Hobbyist. Here you can learn all about Jewelry Repair, Stone Setting, Jewelry Fabrication & Casting, Shop Management, and Much More. Our vast Resource Library Contains Articles and Videos on everything related to Bench Jewelers. Plus you can ask questions, share tips & tricks, and show off your latest creations in our Members Only Forum.
The Bench Jewelers Network contains all the Training Videos on Bench Television
PLUS:
> Written Articles from Bench Magazine, eBench Newsletter and More
> A Memberss Only Discussion Froum
> All Back Issues of Bench Magazine
> Free download of Fee to Shining Fee Pricing Software
> Free Download of Run Your Shop Without It Running You and other eBooks
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| Winter Special: |
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Join Bench Jewelers Network for Only $145 annual fee (reg. $240)
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| Join Now - To Sign Up go to: BWSimon.com/JewelersNetwork |
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Workshop Tips
by Charles Lewton-Brain |
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ANNEALING
I'd like to say a couple of words about annealing. Due to the fact that some books say that metal should be heated to red hot when annealed, many people do this. However, the truth is it can seriously damage the crystal structure of the metal if there is any further extended deformation (drawing, rolling, chasing, raising, forging, etc.) that is going to happen to it. Overheating causes grain enlargement which may eventually lead to cracking in the metal. This will not really matter if the work is only being used for construction or is at the end of its plastic working.
The descriptions of glowing red come from the days when there were no electric lights and the soldering area was in the darkest part of the shop which consisted of a forge. The actual color is the red you see in Concord grapes, barely red at all. If you see any visible red light coming off a piece of metal under normal room conditions today it is already overheated.
Because of this we need other indicators for when the metal is annealed. Here are several:
- Temple sticks and crayons are waxy materials used by welders. If the Temple stick melts you have hit a certain temperature. These are messy to clean off.
- Borax flux goes glassy but then you have to clean it off.
- Blue carpenters chalk turns white.
- A bamboo skewer or piece of wood leaves a trace like drawn charcoal.
- A permanent marker will disappear.
My favorite method is to watch the flame color. It will turn distinctly yellowish-orange the moment that the metal surface hits about 800 degrees F. This is the temperature at which carbon particles glow incandescent and it means that unburned carbon particles in the flame are hitting a surface with that temperature regardless of what material that surface is made of.
This is however below the 900 degrees F that is called 'black body heat' which is the temperature at which materials begin to give off visible light. In practice by the time you have recognized the yellow flame and reacted to it the temperature will have risen somewhat and you will be at about the right temperature for all the metals that we are concerned with. (Yes I know they all have different annealing temperatures but given the need for average accuracy and speed of working this is a good approach).
A nice trick for annealing a coil of wire (which depending upon one's heat source can sometime run the risk of being overheated or even melted) is to coil it up in a tin can and then heat the can. It functions like a little temporary kiln and keeps any direct flame off the wire thus preventing it from being melted. I've heard of annealing on a hot plate for the same reason.
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/safety.htm |
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Quote Worth Re-Quoting
"Many receive advice,
only the wise profit from it."
Syrus
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RUN YOUR SHOP WITHOUT
IT
RUNNING YOU
by Brad Simon |
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LOCAL SEARCH MARKETING
Even though it is still in its infancy, Local Search is shaping up to be one of the dominant players in Internet marketing.
Local businesses are at an extreme advantage if they learn how to leverage Local Search! The growth potential for Local Search is staggeringly high, and the impact on your business could be enormous!
Simply put, Local Search will soon dominate the brick-n-mortar world of marketing. Ready or not, Local Search is here and getting stronger! If you are not optimizing your search presence for local search, you are making a BIG mistake.
The fact is most retail businesses are not making local search optimization a priority yet, so there is still time to get in the game, but your window of opportunity is closing fast.
Optimizing your Internet marketing efforts for Local Search is fairly simple and straight forward. And in spite of the billions of dollars being spent on local search, most small businesses can make a big difference in a few hours of work.
The most important factor is having information on your website that relates to your local geographic area. The search engines cannot list your website in a local search if they don’t know your store is located in that geographical area.
The following information needs to be on every page of your website, in text that is easy for search engine spiders to read.
Address
Include your street, city, state and zip code. Spell out your state name in most places, but use the two letter abbreviation as well in different places on the page.
Do NOT use a PO Box. List your street address so that the search engines can pin point your location on a map.
Do not list multiple businesses with the same address—you could get banned for spamming. If you are in a strip mall or shopping center where other business have the same address be certain to use your suite number to differentiate your business.
Phone Number
List your local business phone number (not an 800 number) including area code on all your pages. If you have multiple business locations, make sure they all have their own phone number. Listing the same phone number for different business addresses is a proven way to kill local search rankings.
Local Nicknames or Neighborhood Names
If the area your business is located in is known to all the locals by some name other than your city name, this name needs to be on every page of your website as well. Your potential customers will more likely use this name in a search and the search engines will not know to list you unless you include it on your webpages.
Business Hours
This doesn't have to be on every page, but you should list this information somewhere on your website, as users and search engines both look for it.
All the above information needs to be typed out in the body text of the webpage. Also, it is helpful to include it in your page titles. Page titles are very important. At the very least, have your city, state and zip code in the page title of your homepage, your Contact Us page and your About Us page.
For more information on marketing your store on the Internet, getting higher search engine rankings, or using the Internet to keep in touch with your existing customers go to: www.Internet4Jewelers.com or email Brad Simon at Brad@Internet4Jewelers.com |
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