1. Mallets

If you are looking to bend your metal without marking it, make use of mallets – nylon and rawhide are very suitable. Mallets are flat shaped and used in forming ring shanks and bangles.

How to make a ring shank

To shape your metal into a wire or band rings use a mandrel and a mallet. Use a vice to secure the mandrel and place your metal horizontally across it – a third of the way up the vice’s end. It is easier to start bending the metal to a smaller diameter than needed as it is easier to extend the diameter than to decrease its size. Use the mallet to hit the wire where it stops making contact with the mandrel. This will curve the wire. Continue this by moving the wire forward across the mandrel and remember to always keep the straight portion horizontally. Bend a third of the length and turn the piece around to bend the other end.

To adjust the form, place your piece on a wooden surface and tap with the mallet. Solder your piece before adjusting it into a perfectly round ring shape.

2. Hammers

Steel hammers can be used in a similar way to bend your metal and make the process a lot quicker than mallets. They will however stretch your design and make it thinner. Unless you are using a texturing hammer, using a hammer to bend your metal will leave marks that need to be removed.

3. Triblets, mandrels and stakes

These are tools that will also help you shape your metal. They are usually made from steel, but you will also find wood and nylon tools.

Note: keeping these tools in a good condition is essential to avoid damaging your metal.

DO regularly anneal and clean the entire surface of the metal that you are working on.

DO NOT: use a stake that has been hit with a steel hammer as this will mark it. The mark will be transferred onto your metal.

Use water or acid on steel tools as they can be easily damaged and repairing this is an extensive process.

4. Pliers

These are used for bending wire, strips and sheet metal and holding small items you are working with. There are a few types of pliers, which will help you fulfil different tasks. Use your pliers carefully as they can easily damage soft metals. By using nylon jaw pliers you can decrease the change of this happening; or simply wrap masking tape around your pliers’ jaws.

Depending on what you are trying to achieve you will also need: round-nose, flat-nose and parallel pliers. They will help you give different shapes to your metal, adjust shapes or straighten and increase curves. Parallel pliers are particularly useful when making fine adjustments to forms (e.g. bending angles) but most type of pliers will provide good leverage.

For thick wire use a mallet. It is difficult to bend using pliers without causing damage even if the wire has been annealed beforehand.

If at the end you are not completely satisfied with your forming, you can flatten and straighten your material and start again. For best results, you should anneal your pieces. In order to do this, a rawhide mallet should be used on a steel surface and any textured surfaces should be protected with masking tape.

With the convex curve uppermost, you need to place the metal on the block. You then need to mallet inwards from the edges, continuing to do so until the sheet is flat again and repeat if required. In some cases,you will need to pass the sheet through the rolling mill several times.

Annealed wire can be straightened between two flat steel plates, or tapped with a mallet. If your wire is lengthy, use a vice and pull hard on the end with pliers or use draw plates.

In case this is not reason enough to order, we hope to entice you with some of our great offers:

• Gemstone Extravaganza: 10% off selected stones. We have over 400 gems in a beautiful multitude of sizes and shapes – you’re sure to get your eyes on something!
• 25% OFF Top 20 Essentials: some of you are going back to school and some of you will only look to renew your tools, kits & accessories collection, in any case the bigger this is, the better! We have great prices on our Hand Torch, the Student Starter Kit, Starter Soldering Unit and Solder Block, PMC, Silver Chains and more!
• Our NEW Reflections Collection:  our great NEW Silver alloy, which we think it might even inspire you for your new piece! In case you need help with it, our team is there to guide you so just try something new!
• Moreover, there are new products in our Art Clay and Creative Metals at Cooksongold and always a great variety of over 11,000 jewellery making products. Just one stop and your jewellery will get the best treatment!! You’ll get fabulous prices and FREE POST!! Free Post ends on the 3rd of October at midnight, but don’t forget you can claim it more than once: make the most of it!! Click here to check out some of the products we thought you’ like!

We’d love to hear what you thought or what you bought so don’t forget to leave a comment!

We’ve just launched the 32-page Jewellery Guide for those of you who are going back to work, starting work or just looking for new pieces to buy for your workshop!!  It contains the essential products to every jewellery maker’s workshop: machinery, clay, starter kits, books, chains and bullion are amongst the many products you will find in this useful catalogue.  Our Top 20 Essentials at discounted prices -UP TO 25% OFF – will most likely catch your eye too! It’s sure you’ll find something you love or need for you next piece!!

and the best part…COOKSON TECHNICAL INFORMATION BOOKLET

What makes this guide even better is the booklet inside, which you can download here or order for FREE here (where you get the whole mini catalogue for a change). The booklet includes useful data sheets and answers frequently asked question on various techniques like soldering and polishing. It provides you with the best hints &tips you’ll want to know before starting to make an art piece.

We’ve been in the jewellery industry for quite a while and now you can benefit from Cooksongold’s resourcefulness even further by login onto http://www.cooksongold.com/technical/. Here you’ll find the jargon used in the trade explained, even more data sheets and instant conversion calculations. Our knowledge base is easily accessible: you can search specific words and you  can almost instantly view “Hot topics”, “Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions” or “Latest articles” .

If you have a question that hasn’t been answered already (or to which you simply cannot find the answer) you can always opt for “ask a question” and you’ll quickly receive a personal response!

So what do you think of it? Have you used it already? If so, is there anything else you would’ve wanted to see in it?

Friday 4th December – 35% OFF Starter Bench Pack
Saturday 5th December – 30% OFF Small Tool Box
Sunday 6th December – 10% OFF Disc Cutting Set
Monday 7th December – 25% OFF ALL Swarovski Crystal Bead Packs
Tuesday 8th December – 10% OFF ALL Pliers and Cutters
Wednesday 9th December – 10% OFF ALL Storage
Thursday 10th December – 10% OFF Barrelling Unit
Friday 11th Decmber – SURPRISE!!!
Saturday 12th – Christmas – Remember to keep checking back to the site to find out more!
(Please note the displayed offers expire 11/12 Midnight)

Forming metal is an essential part of jewellery making, and as a process the level of skill involved is often overlooked.  Forming refers to any process that maneuvers metal into the desired shape or design. Unlike many other skills in jewellery making forming is more a combination of a range of techniques that change an objects shape, rather than one particular process. 

Under the heading of forming are processes such as bending, chasing, repousse, sinking, hammering, using stamps/dies and forging.  These processes will affect the pieces shape, thickness and often the texture of the metal being worked on.

Forming Tools
The range of forming tools available is as wide and varied as the different processes contained within the skill.  The key forming tools available are:

Mallets
The simple mallet allows the craftsman to apply direct force without stretching or damaging the metal.  The head of the mallet is softer that the metal so not to mark the surface.

Mandrels or Triblets
Mandrels or Triblets are used for forming shapes, and are most associated with rings or bangles.  Mandrels are available in a variety size and shapes, and in both steel & wood.

Hammers
Hammers can complete a variety of jobs from stretching the metal, polish/smoothing or adding texture. Jobbing hammers are ideal for general use and metal forming. The planishing hammer is used for smoothing, shaping and polishing metal.  Riveting hammers are designed with a small head for detailed rivet work. Raising, bossing and chasing hammers are used in the different stages of forming.

Doming Blocks & Punches
Doming blocks & punches are the ideal way of shaping metal and making domed, shaped pieces or hollow beads. Pieces of circular metal/discs are place over the hollows of a doming block, and then using punches and a hammer the metal is formed into a shape. 

Steel Blocks
Steel blocks provide the ideal flat surface for working, flattening sheet or wire or to support work as it is raised or forged, riveted or textured.

Swage Blocks
Rather like doming blocks, Swage blocks help form metal into tubes, curves and channels.  Different blocks will allow different shapes and sizes to be formed.

Sandbag / Grit filled Cushion
These bags provided support whilst you work and form your piece. They help keep your work firm and in place whilst working.

Pliers
Pliers have a multitude of uses but they are the most basic tool for holding/gripping, forming and shaping wire.  Having a basic selection of needle nose, round nose, flat nose, half round and a pair of parallel action pliers, will give the jeweller the flexibility to complete most jobs.

Stakes
Often used by silversmiths, the metal is placed over the stakes (usually clamped independently into a vice) and hammered to achieve the shape required. Various shapes can be achieved by using different stakes.

Files
Files are essential for removing excess material, and fine tuning and shaping your piece.  The different sizes available allow the jeweller to work large areas or at a more intricate level. To start with buy a selection of shapes containing round, square, triangular, half round and warding.  Plus consider the cut ranging from 0 the coarsest, to 6 the finest.

Draw plates
Draw plates are most commonly used to reduce the size or change shape of wire. Each plate has a series of holes through which the wire is passed through, this then changes the size of the wire. The holes in the plate are of decreasing size allowing you to continue draw down the wire to the required size.

Rolling mills
These larger machines often seen in jewellers’ workshops are ideal to reduce the thickness of sheet, or help decorate sheet. If used with Square and D shape sections rolling mills can be used to form or shape wire. 

This selection of forming tools & equipment allow jewellers, and metalsmiths to create any number of shapes, textures and patterns.  As with all jewellery projects the range of forming tools jewellers have will start with the basic i.e. pliers, hammer and perhaps a doming set, and then expand as their projects demand.

Forming Tools

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Making jewellery doesn’t require a large space or big pieces of equipment or even furniture. A selection of key workshop pieces combined with basic hand tools provides everything for the first workshop. Cooksongold.com provides a full range of jewellery tools - everything from basic hand tools, pre-packed tool kits, consumables, larger machinery right through to the professional jewellers bench.

Your first workshop
Often the beginner or student will start making jewellery on ‘normal’ desk, worktop or even kitchen table!  Adapting the table can be easily be achieved by clamping a G clamp bench vice or anvil.  The jewellers peg/pin can then be held in place securely giving a simple, yet sturdy place to work.

Work Benches - Click here

The peg is perhaps the most vital part of any setup allowing the jeweller to work quickly and efficiently. This wedge or triangle of wood supports the piece, holding it in a notch or v shape insert. This holds the piece rigid, allowing the jeweller to saw, cut, & file. 

If adapting an existing desk, the desk should be elevated, so that the working area is at mid chest level when the jeweller is sat upright, thus allowing maximum control of your tools and metals.

Let there be light and ventilation

Although normal desks can be adapted, two factors must be in place when setting up your ‘bench’ – light and ventilation. The work area needs to well ventilated to ensure a safe working environment combined with good bright and direct lighting. Natural light can be complemented by adjustable lamps ensuring that no shadow falls over your piece from the jeweller or the equipment.

Workshop lighting - Click here

The professional jeweller’s bench

The traditional jeweller’s bench is a purposed designed and provides the perfect working area for any project. Often mistakenly seen as expensive luxury, a good bench will last you a lifetime and most importantly will help in improving your technique. Benches are higher than a normal desk (mid chest level if the jeweller is sitting uptight) ensuring that the jeweller does not stoop to work. Most benches have the semi circle cut out ensuring that you can sit close to the to the work, and with the aid of a bench skin collects scrap and protect the jeweller from hot or sharp objects.

Organising jewellery tools  

Keeping a workshop tidy, and the tools organised will help the jeweller when working, creating an efficient working environment. Both tools & materials should ideally be kept close to the bench, with the aim of trying to keep all materials within arms reach. Practically many of the basic jewellers tools will be actually left on the bench – Pliers, files, cutters, tweezers are used so often that they can be left on the work top for immediate access. 

As a large part of jewellery making involves heat often a section of the bench will be dedicated to the equipment needed for soldering. Often the soldering area will be based around the placement of a torch, with the soldering block placed alongside a borax cone and dish.

For other materials such as jewellery findings, settings, and metal, storage containers should be used. These ideally have sliding draws to allow you to split different carats, sizes or types of findings.

Storage - Click here

Once the workshop is established all that remains to be added is the essential basic selection of popular jewellery tools such as files, saw & saw blades, emery & polishing sticks, pliers, cutters, verneirs along with forming tools and heating/soldering equipment.

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Whether you are just starting out in the trade or are seasoned jeweller your bench pliers will always be close at hand.  There is now an almost bewildering range of pliers available, all with their own character, and use.  With all these types available, we thought it would be worth  reviewing the most popular types – particularly as this month we have 10% off our best selling pliers !

Round Nose Pliers

Round nose pliers have round tapered jaws and are ideal for shaping wire into loops curves and bends, and are probably most often used for making circles or jump rings.   

Round Nose Pliers - 10% off!

Half Round or Ring Pliers

Half round pliers are commonly used for working with rings, bending wire/sheet into a circle without leaving marks.  The flat jaw enables the jeweller to hold the outside of the curve whilst the D shape jaw is used to form the curve on the inside. 

Half Round Pliers - 10% off!

Snipe Nose or Chain Nose Pliers

Snipe or Chain nose pliers are ideal for those detailed jobs.  The flat tapered jaws means they are perfect for manoeuvring pieces into place, attaching jump rings, and fine wire work.  For those who are keen beaders snipe nose pliers can also be used for closing crimps and attaching bead caps.  In addition Snipe Nose pliers are  ideal for making angled bends.

Snipe Nose Pliers - 10% off!

Flat Nose Pliers
Flat nosed pliers are available in a range of sizes and are used to bend sharp corners in wire and sheet, plus are ideal for holding items flat, straightening wire and can be used to open and close jump rings.

Crimping Pliers

Crimping pliers are designed specifically for securing crimp beads. Some jewellers will simply use a pair of snipe or flat-nosed pliers to flatten & close the bead.  However crimping pliers make this job easier and give a more professional, smooth and unobtrusive finish.

Side Cutters / Top Cutters

Side cutters & top cutters are used for cutting wire and sheet in restricted areas. 

Split Ring Pliers

These pliers are used to open split rings easily and quickly.  Simply place the bent nose in the centre of the ring and add pressure. The split ring will then easily slide apart.

Parallel-Action Pliers

The unique box joint on the pliers keep the jaws parallel as they open and close. Parallel pliers are ideal for all forming work e.g. straightening sheet and thick wire.  Choose parallel-action pliers when you need to hold an object securely whilst applying pressure.

Savings on our best selling pliers at cooksongold.com

Our range of red handled pliers offer good quality at a great price and many types are  now discount  - click here to view our latest low prices.

Got a question about pliers, or have you got your own favourite not covered here ?  Why not post a comment.  Click here

Essential Jewellers Tools

Body

Perhaps the most important decision jewellers have to make when starting is the selection of there first set of jewellery making tools – the backbone to their trade.  The basic hand tools needed for Jewellery making have not changed in decades and Cookson provides a full range of Jewellery tools, covering every thing detailed in this article. Everything from basic hand tools, pre packed tool kits, consumables, larger machinery right through to the professional jewellers bench.

A place to work

A jewellers workshop requires only a small area – a spare room is ideal, but it is essential that it is well lit, and has good ventilation. Professional jewellers usually invest in study purpose built workbench, however a normal working desk or work top can be adapted, simply by adding a G clamp bench vice or anvil. The Jewellers Peg/pin can then be held in place securely giving a simple, yet study place to work. 

Hand tool essentials

The range of jewellers tools to choose from can initially be overwhelming, however once the basics are in place, additional tools can be added as the jewellers skill improves or their projects demand.  

Saws (frames and blades) allow the jeweller to make small and intricate cuts. Frames are either fixed or adjustable.  Selecting which grade of saw blade you require is key, the most popular is grade 2/0 which is relatively fine but is still robust, where as grade 6/0 is used for very fine work but is less robust. 

Hand drills are less used with the prevalence of powered pendant or hobby drills. However the more traditional hand drill, Archimedes or Bow drill still provides a simple & effect way of drill holes.

Files are essential for removing excess material, with the different sizes available for working large areas or at a more intricate level. To start with buy a selection of shapes containing round, square, triangular, half round and warding.  Plus consider the cut ranging from 0 the coarsest, to 6 the finest. For cleaning up your piece after filing or soldering, jewellers tend to use sand paper, emery sticks, or wet & dry paper with a range of grades allowing them to achieve different finishing effects.

Polishing your piece is essential but again a few selected tools & polishing compounds will allow you to achieve good initial results.  Polishing sticks (made of felt or leather) when combined with compounds such as Tripoli or rouge will help create a polished finished looking piece.

Pliers allow jewellers to tackle most jobs and work with a wide variety of materials, and are particular useful in wirework.  They allow the jeweller to hold, form and shape and it is essential that you have snipe nose, flat, round nosed pliers in your tool box.

Ensuring accuracy in finely detailed work is essential in jewellery making, but marking and measuring tools are often overlooked. Investing in a metal rule, a set of good vernier calipers plus a scriber and punch ensure you can mark and measure accurately and easily.

Jewellery Making

Although this list is not exhaustive, these tools will ensure that a jeweller will have the basic tools to start their first project.  But as jewellery making is such a wide subject very quickly other equipment will be required.. The next step will invariable mean that a  heat source is required – such as a hand torch complete with soldering block.  As the metal is worked you will need forming equipment – hammers and mandrels, plus as the jewellers skills develop they will have a need for improved and quicker finishing, requiring  will mean the introduction of a polishing motor & mops. All this combined with a wider range of other hand tools and other equipment such as files, tweezers, glues, setting & soldering equipment.