Jewelry Making with Brad Simon

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

Jewelry Making: The Final Finish

The Final Finish

Jeffrey Connolly

Friday April 25th & Saturday April 26th

Less than one hundred years ago jewelry was burnished by hand using steel tools to create a highly polished finish.  But what about today – has technology made a modern bench jeweler’s life that much easier or less complicated.  Are the new polishing compounds as good as or better than old ones?  Does the new finishing or polishing machines really warrant the investment?  In this seminar you’ll learn the answers to these questions and more.  Additional topics covered include Rhodium plating techniques, multiple methods to apply textures and finishes, and a critical look at traditional finishing methods and new and evolving polishing and finishing procedures

This seminar sponsored by Jewelers of America, 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.

MJSA Expo New York

MJSA’s annual Expo will be held in New York April 10-15, 2008 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

MJSA Expo New York is the largest and oldest trade show in the United States dedicated to the design and manufacturing of jewelry.  The show features nearly 400 exhibits of some of the latest and most innovative tools, supplies, machinery, components, services, and finished products all under one roof.

MJSA Expo New York also features a full roster of educational seminars by some of the industry’s most renowned experts, and a cocktail party where our exhibitors and attendees can network with colleagues from all around the world.

For more information and to register log onto: http://www.mjsatradeshows.org/expoNY.php

Jewelry Making: Custom Manufacturing Discussion Group

Custom Manufacturing

an Un-Moderated Discussion Group

Thursday April 24th

Do you have questions about CAD-CAM, Fabrication, Casting or have tips you’re willing to share?  This round table discussion is all about Custom Jewelry Manufacturing.  Find solutions to your jewelry manufacturing problems and learn new tips.  Discuss with your pears how you have made Custom Jewelry Manufacturing easier and more profitable.

In this un-moderated discussion attendees will have the opportunity to speak their minds in an energetic discussion of pressing topics affecting bench jewelers today.  Bring your opinions, your notepads, and your throat lozenges!

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.

Brad

Jewelry Making: Casting for the Small Shop

Casting for the Small Shop

with Tom Weishaar CMBJ

Saturday April 26th & Sunday April 27th

With the dramatic increase in demand for custom design work, bench jewelers need to develop new and affordable techniques to enhance their casting skills.  With casting at the foundation of custom design, learning to increase the quality of your cast pieces while reducing the time required to complete a casting job offers tremendous benefits and savings.  This seminar is a guide to solving the most common casting problems. 

This seminar sponsored by Jewelers of America, 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.

Brad

Soldering Platinum & Gold Together

When soldering platinum to gold always use cadmium free gold solder.  For health reasons, this is the only solder you should be using anyway.  However, for platinum it is especially important.  Cadmium can migrate into the grain structure and cause brittleness.

Before joining platinum and gold together ALWAYS finish and polish the platinum piece.  Platinum requires a longer polishing time than gold.  If they are polished after joining the gold would wear away before a final polish could be applied to the platinum.  As platinum does not oxidize when heated, the polished finish will remain after soldering.

Platinum and gold contract while cooling at different rates.  Because of this, if you have a long solder seam between gold and platinum the seam may crack as it cools.  To minimize this try to design your jewelry creations with a short seam where the gold and platinum touch.  If a long seam cannot be avoided, after soldering cover the piece to allow it to cool slower.  A used tuna fish can make an ideal cover.  After soldering place the can over the item you soldered and warm with your torch, then allow to air cool slowly.

Brad

Jewelry Making: Creative Platinum Fabrication

Creative Platinum Fabrication

with Jurgen Maerz CMBJ

Thursday April 24th, Friday April 25th & Sunday April 27th

Learn cutting-edge techniques and insights for fabricating intricate platinum jewelry.  Acclaimed platinumsmith Jurgen Maerz will provide instruction on a variety of platinum fabrication procedures using a torch to do traditional soldering and welding and innovative new techniques using a Laser Welder.  Revolutionize your platinum techniques and expand your design capabilities by learning platinum’s unique properties to create jewelry.

This seminar sponsored by Platinum Guild International, 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.

Brad

Filing

Because the file is such a simple looking tool, most people are fooled into thinking that there is no right way to use it.  However, this is not true.  Proper filing is essential in jewelry work.  An efficient stroke of the file is a very important operation that is often neglected by beginners.  Filing incorrectly wastes time and causes unnecessary work.  Careless filing waste precious metals, the jeweler should always strive to conserve the maximum amount of metal.  Proper filing to a large extent, determines whether the finished jewelry will look professional or amateurish.

In all filing, keep the hand and forearm in one straight line.  From this position roll the wrist from side to side for rounded surfaces.  Do Not bend the hand down at an angle to the forearm.  Putting pressure on the wrist in this bent position over time will develop corporal tunnel syndrome.  Whenever exerting forward pressure on the hand, keep the wrist straight as possible.

All files are designed to cut on the forward or push stroke.  The backward or pull stroke does no cutting, it only returns the file to the start position, ready for the next cutting stroke.  An efficient file stroke is smooth, steady, and even, using the full length of the file.  Use just enough pressure to keep the file cutting during the entire stroke.  Many jewelers develop the habit of lifting the file from the metal surface for the return stroke.  Others leave the file in contact, but allow it to lightly slide back to the tip.  Pressure is then again applied on the cutting stroke.  As with all techniques, each jeweler gradually develops an individual way of filing.  Regardless of how one eventually develops the filing stroke, the important thing to realize is that the tool is designed to cut only on the forward movement.

When working in areas of critical fit or precise edges, it is wise to lift the file on the back stroke and take careful, deliberate cutting strokes.  This technique permits constant visual evaluation as the desired surface or shape develops.

Hold the work steady and move only the file, paying attention to the angle of which you are holding the file.  Work with steady, even, long strokes.  Frantic aggressive filing or short, broken, "fiddley” strokes will produce in-accurate results.

Brad

Wax Carving File

Take a piece of a spiral saw blade and place in a pin vice leaving about 2 ½ to 3 inches protruding, and file the end to a point.  This makes great file for wax carving as it gets into corners and other areas that are not accessible with other tools.  It can be left in the pin vice or mounted in a wood handle.

Brad