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pauld123
29-11-2013, 12:57 PM
My girlfriend has started making jewelry. She loves doing it and I would lie to get her some stuff for Christmas to help her out. I would like to get her some wire so that she can use the skills she learned on a bead course. Also I want to get her some silversmithing tools because she is hoping to do that course sometime.

For wire:
1. What diameter should I get for earrings. I wish to get sterling silver and was thinking 0.8mm or 0.7mm?
2. Also should I buy it fully annealed or half hard (I was thinking fully annealed would be better due to ductility)?

For silversmithing:
1. Should the mallet be Rawhide or another material?
2. Is hard solder the better type to use?
3. For rings - Is 4mm D-wire at 2mm thickness suitable or is it too stiff to bend to a tight curve?

Thank you very much in advance for your help,
Paul

Wallace
29-11-2013, 05:13 PM
hello Paul,

lucky girlfriend!

Wire: .8mm is good for ear wires. annealed is fine as it needs to be formed and can easily be hardened in the process of being worked and also with a nylon hammer

Smithing...
.............is a long and winding road

This really depends on what your lady is looking to do. You could invest in the basic starter kit. If you are looking at helping her out to make rings (D wire at 4mm is great, 2mm thickness may be asking a lot for a starter).

Mallet wise, delrin nylon is a good option, or the rawhide. Nylon is available in different sizes and shapes.

Hard solder is good, but you need to get some sort of flux (borax, auflux, magic boric etc). Easy solder will also be very useful too.

Someone will need to invest in:


a good torch that has both a high and low flame
Pickle solution to clean the metal after heating and some way of keeping it contained and heated
a sawframe and blades to help cut the metal
a few files to help smooth the metal
some sort of forming mandrel for the rings



Have you also thought about the end of the creativity that is the finish? This will include some sort of polishing - tumbler or polishing compounds and associative mop attachments for a pendant drill or an equivalent.

the list is likely to go on. Smithing is a big and onerous journey that will have some basics that are needed

hope she enjoys whatever you decide to purchase.

Truffle & Podge
29-11-2013, 05:24 PM
Wallace knows what she is talking about. Can i just add a pendant or dremel style tool with a flexishaft is a bit of a must have & also some decent snips to cut the solder strip with (i totally over looked that one) most people will say stay away from medium solder, hard and easy will be enough and medium is evil! I would recommend strip solder, others like solder paste but while useful it is limited. Hopefully she already has some kind of bench so a bench peg is also essential and a flat stake. Its an awful lot of equipment to invest in when she doesn't know wether she will like it, so maybe the course itself could be the gift? Smithing is a totally different ball game to beading but very satisfying.
Good luck!

Dennis
29-11-2013, 08:00 PM
Dear Paul,

Unfortunately, beginners can accumulate a lot of expensive white elephants, which they never use.

Just a few of the things you list might well come to a hundred pounds with VAT, and still not be sufficient for any sort of start up, or be totally useless..

What I suggest is that you get a reputable book for beginners, which not only has a good chapter, with pictures, of the basic tools, but also a series of beginners' projects and a working description of techniques involved. I would favour Two In One Manuals Jewellery, by Madeline Coles.

This does not come to much money, so you can add an IOU, or get it early, so that you can buy some of the requirements for a set project. Cooksons will have it all on line.

If you take the second option, then I would suggest earrings, or a ring as the starting point. Regards, Dennis.

Wallace
29-11-2013, 08:25 PM
I was going to mention books, but have so many I can't remember which one I started with other than Sara MacCrae, Stephen OKeefe, and a project book. I have a library in fact... not bad for a dyslexic! hehehe

I agree with you Dennis, there are many things we get told are good, easy to use, the next best thing, time saver or something and end up putting it into a cupboard or somewhere dark after purchasing. Indeed, only the basic of tools are good starting points along with some flat sheet, a mix of wires and enthusiasm.

I do remember my first soldering experience and thought I had ruined the metal as it had gone a nasty black colour after being accidentally sat in some pickle overnight. A re-heat and re-pickle sorted it out, but I could have easily been convinced I needed to buy a particular pickle heater, when all you need is a small tea light candle, some alum in a pyrex dish over a small stand (can anyone remember the tea light pot warmers?) well, yes one of those. Some tea lights can burn for eight hours quite happily these days.

Books though, can never get enough of them. Le Sigh

Ada
29-11-2013, 09:50 PM
Hi

Lucky lady! There are so many avenues of interest to explore that it is difficult to suggest appropriate tools and materials. As Dennis suggests, if your girlfriend's creative interests take her in one direction rather than another, then equipment bought with good intent may sit unused.

Perhaps you could fund an evening class or workshop where your girlfriend can explore different techniques and find out what she enjoys and those things she would rather never do again. Alternatively, a book which focuses broadly on different techniques and includes some projects might be well received. I found these useful:

The Workbench Guide to Jewelry Techniques - Anastasia Young

Silversmithing for jewellery makers: techniques, treatments & applications for inspirational design - Elizabeth Bone

Once she gets going, it will certainly be a case of "just one more tool"!

caroleallen
29-11-2013, 10:25 PM
I would pay for a lesson for her so she can work out what she'd like to do and what equipment is needed.

medusa
30-11-2013, 05:17 PM
I would pay for a lesson for her so she can work out what she'd like to do and what equipment is needed.

^ this

and again because I need 10 characters to post.

Tabby66
30-11-2013, 10:17 PM
All as Wallace has said, plus a lesson or 2, but choose carefully what and where!!

If going for files, go for Vallorbe......cut 2 is generally a good all round cut, a cut 6 adds to versatility for a finer finish to needle files, go for a half round and triangular needle files and/or a cut 2 half round hand file!!

SOooo man choices........you can see why we're all tool-a-holics!!

CJ57
30-11-2013, 11:52 PM
I agree with Carole too. Tools are so expensive to buy before your girlfriend knows what she really wants to do. I'd let her choose the lesson too so she is going to something she really wants :)