Jewelry Making with Brad Simon

Using a Jeweler's Saw

To begin cutting with a jeweler’s saw, place the metal on the bench pin.  Hold it firmly; if the metal slips the blade will break.  Rest the saw blade against its edge; gently draw the blade downward.  The blade should begin to cut.  If it doesn’t check the blade.  It maybe the wrong size for the metal being cut, or it maybe installed upside down.  The teeth should point down towards the handle, cutting on the down stroke.  If the teeth point upwards, remove the blade and turn it around.

Saw in front of your body and in a forward direction.  Some jewelers keep the saw in one forward position and move the metal into the saw.  Others hold the metal steady, and move the saw in the desired direction.  Still others move both the metal and saw as necessary.  With a little practice, you will develop the most natural method for you.

Sawing is most efficient when remaining relaxed while sawing.  Tensing muscles in the hand, arm or shoulders cause fatigue and cramping.  In addition, un-satisfactory sawing will result.  The arm and shoulder should be loose and the hand remaining relaxed.  If necessary, adjust your chair or body position in order to be comfortable and relaxed while sawing.

Brad

Jewelry Making: Adventures at the Bench

Adventures at the Bench

Jurgen Maerz

Friday April 25th & Sunday April 27th

Based on his best selling book, this seminar offers a potpourri of useful information and tricks to overcome a jeweler’s daily challenges.  This seminar is full of innovative tips, tricks, shortcuts, and homemade tools to help jewelers work smarter, by being more efficient and economical.  Jurgen’s tales of his earliest days as an apprentice are sprinkled throughout.  These gems are especially revealing and instructive, offering important advice and stresses the importance of communication, planning, and working smarter.

This seminar is part of the program at the Bench Jewelers Conference & Expo, April 24 – 27, 2008 in Los Angeles.  For details on all the seminars offered, more conference & expo information, and to register go to: www.BenchConference.com.

Let The Light Shine

To hollow out wax patterns it is best to judge thickness of wax by holding up to a light and judging the color of the wax.  The deeper the color the thicker the wax.  The lighter the color the thinner the wax.  To assist you while carving buy a light box from an art supply store or crafts store.  These are used for tracing drawings.  By holding the wax on this you can judge the thickness of the wax while you are carving.  (It also comes in handy when making sketches for customers)

An alternative to the light box is to use a small florescent light fixture made to mount under a shelf.  Lay the light on your workbench with the light shining up and use the diffuser as your work surface.  To cut down on the glare from the light cover the diffuser with a shop towel leaving an opening for your work area.

Brad

Practice Does Not Make Perfect

We have all heard “practice makes perfect.”  However, that statement does not take into consideration what is being practiced.  Practice makes permanent.  If you practice the wrong things or methods, after time it will not take any effort at all to do lousy work.  It takes perfect practice to make perfect.  That is where education comes in.  Knowledge alone will not make you a Master Jeweler.  However, without it you will not know how to develop the skills or how to execute the skills necessary to become a Master Jeweler.  Learn the fundamental skills and the proper mechanics of executing these skills, so that when practiced, the skills can be mastered allowing you to become, in time, a Master Jeweler.

Brad