Cutting my own metal discs/shapes

[DaisyDaisy]

I go through a huge amount of silver discs (varying sizes from 10mm up to 32mm in diameter) and I'm wondering if it would be worth my while and less expensive if I were to buy sheets of silver and cut my own discs?

I'd also then have the option, I guess, of cutting different shapes which aren't readily available to purchase and also cutting shapes from other metals such as aluminium. If anyone can point me in the right direction/give advice for disc cutters, saws, other equipment needed etc I'd be most grateful as it's something I know absolutely zilch about!

Thanks very much

[caroleallen]

Most of us would recommend the Swanstrom one Daisy.

[Goldsmith]

I go through a huge amount of silver discs (varying sizes from 10mm up to 32mm in diameter) and I'm wondering if it would be worth my while and less expensive if I were to buy sheets of silver and cut my own discs?

I'd also then have the option, I guess, of cutting different shapes which aren't readily available to purchase and also cutting shapes from other metals such as aluminium. If anyone can point me in the right direction/give advice for disc cutters, saws, other equipment needed etc I'd be most grateful as it's something I know absolutely zilch about!

Thanks very much

It sound like you should seek some saw piercing experience if you want to cut shapes other than discs. A saw piercing bench peg is quite cheap;http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...prcode-999-082
And a cheap starters piercing saw;http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...rcode-999-3059 with some saw blades which come in sizes to suit what you intend cutting.
Cookson also sell some all in tool kits if you have a bench peg; http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...rcode-997-1001
Or there is this workbench tool kit, which is good value;http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...rcode-997-1003

James

[Dennis]

Most of us would recommend the Swanstrom one Daisy.

This is undoubtedly the king of disk cutters and is described more fully here: http://www.guildofjewellerydesigners...d=30&Itemid=49.

However it is only available from Rio Grande and with freight and charges will cost you around £400-£450. so you have to decide whether this is better than buying ready cut disks. One selling point is that you can buy optional centering cones to make washers, which can be converted by a tedious process of bashing, into rings. On the whole it is better to learn to solder metal strip and skip making washers.

Many other disk cutters look glamorous, but sometimes even quite expensive ones and are virtually useless. There is a Durston one which came out recently, for which I have read a number of complaints.

One alternative is to go on buying ready made disks, but only resort to cutting your own if a size is not available. In that case I would suggest a reliable one such as the Cookson 999 772. Which I have used for years. However cutting disks with these is hardly speedy, as having whacked the cutter to create a disk you still have to tap the cutter through the hole in your sheet with the aid of a punch. You will also have a number of failures where you overlap the last hole giving you a disk with a notch. Dennis.

[DaisyDaisy]

Oh blimey, lots to consider then

Most of my work involves hand stamping sterling silver discs and washers so on a busy week I can go through 20+ blanks for customer orders. I get most of my supplies from the States (apart from Cooksons I've yet to find anywhere with a great selection of blank disc/washer sizes....perhaps someone can suggest somewhere in the UK?) and hate to having to wait on packages arriving so I though the "easiest" option would be to create my own, possibly not such an easy option!

Thanks, everyone, for the help and advice so far, much appreciated.

[mizgeorge]

I actually think Cooksons discs are rubbish - they're almost always scratched and I wouldn't dream of recommending them. There are other, better places to source them in the UK, though usually only in 0.5 or 1mm gauges.

Cutting your own is only cost effective if you make a lot (I cut hundreds of discs every week, and it still took time for my Swanstrom to pay for itself), not least because you have to factor in the wastage involved in of cutting circles from sheet.

There are other cutters though. There's an Indian made Swanstrom copy available on ebay that costs around the £100 mark, which, with a bit of tidying up, does a reasonable job. Or you could simply teach yourself to pierce the circles, which isn't hard with a circle template.

The other think to bear in mind is the sizes you need. Disc cutters only produce a range of fixed sizes, where you can usually buy them in 1mm increments.

[DaisyDaisy]

Have to say I agree with you about the discs, George, as most of the time if I use Cooksons discs I spend an age getting rid of scratches and flaws from them.