Favourite and unusual tools

[jayneharrison]

Hi everyone,

As a beginner, I'm slowly building up a stock of tools for my own use at home and could spend hours browsing online and flicking through catalogues looking at them!

My question is - what is your favourite (or most used) tool, and why? Is it something you've made yourself, a tool used for something other than the intended purpose perhaps? I realise that answers will vary widely depending on the style and type of jewellery you create, but I'm curious to see what you all find useful.

I'm currently in love with the 3M radial bristle disks on my Dremel for finishing and have found them to be brilliant - no polish mess on the white walls at home!

[Goldsmith]

I must admit that I enjoy using a piercing saw, I can happily saw for hours and over the years I have built up quite a collection of saw frames. As for tools that I have made, then soldering clamps must rate high, at first I made them from stainless steel sheet and now I use titanium strips.






James

[Tabby66]

Grief James.......that is an impressive collection of saw frames.......love that picture

I must admit that I enjoy using a piercing saw, I can happily saw for hours and over the years I have built up quite a collection of saw frames. As for tools that I have made, then soldering clamps must rate high, at first I made them from stainless steel sheet and now I use titanium strips.






James

I find answering your question really difficult......definitely my piercing saw (along with my radio!), then really, I think it is my basics, since I can create so much with them.....files, buff stick, sievert, rolling mill, bench polisher.....definitely with menzerna polish.......I'm also with Lauren in loving my magnetic polisher!!

[Goldsmith]

I know most of the forum members make jewellery, please bear in mind that I am not and have never been a jeweller. I am a goldsmith and my tools are for smithing. I have a lot of saw frames that I have collected over the years in my early days in this trade I would be piercing all day for months, hence I actually wore out the blade grips on saw frames and in those days it was quite cheap to buy a new saw frame, if I remember correctly a standard German saw frame was 10/- or 50p in today's money.

I also have a large collection of hammers, some that I inherited from the craftsmen who taught me and some hammers that I bought cheap and changed their head shape to suit smithing jobs.

These are cheap standard hammers that I have reshaped to suit jobs.


This is my hammer collection.


James

[BarryM]

Without a doubt my Foredom pendant motor - incredibly versatile and it is used for one thing or another with nearly everything I make. I still have my Dremel 4000 but hardly ever use it now, the Foredom is so much better - the high torque at very low revs is great for use with burrs and drills.

[Dennis]

Some people are in love with gem stones and build up a large hoard. Others have a tool mania and buy everything that takes their fancy.

To me both are useless without a purpose and I recommend you only buy what you need for the project in hand. Dennis.

[caroleallen]

I think that's good advice Dennis. Once you have the basics, just buy what you need for the job.

Over the years I've "needed" a pendant motor, a rolling mill, a kiln, a super duper torch, a hydraulic press, polishing motor, a Jooltool to name but a few. The most used of all is the pendant motor, second is the polisher and third is the Jooltool.

[ps_bond]

I'm more in the latter category, although every tool purchase has to be justified - limited use tools I don't really do (for example, shaped cutters where the break-even point is way beyond what I'd actually make with them). Stones - I have some that are stock (round brilliants in the 2-3mm range) and a couple of specimen stones, but generally I only buy stones for specific projects.

Favourite tools? Airgraver, microscope, Knew Concepts saw and the laser. In no particular order.

[silverlining]

I don't have any fancy tools really. My favourite tool is always my saw because I love piercing out my shapes, it's my favourite part really and I make sure I start every day with piercing! Closely followed by my files. As long as I have them I'm happy!

Always have a stash of stones as well as discounts from Wards are fab.

It's easy to waste on tools though. I bought a disc cutter shortly after I started as the thought of piercing circles seemed taunting. However, it's pretty easy and quick and irregularities are easily filed out so my disc cutter has only been used once or twice nd I hate the thing!

[jayneharrison]

Brilliant responses and as expected, some sage advice from Dennis.

James, that's quite a saw collection! Accurate piercing is something that still eludes me, but I'll keep plugging away at it. Do you find that any particular frame is better than others, or does it depend on the job in hand? I have already charged my husband with making some clamps for me using your designs, so I'm looking forward to having a go with them. There are plenty of soldering jobs where a third hand just doesn't cut it.

I agree with you on the Foredom, Barry - I have access to one at college and am always disappointed after using it that my Dremel won't run at the same low speeds. As soon as I have some dedicated workshop space, I expect that will be my first big tool spend.

Carole - a small rolling mill and bigger torch (Sievert, I think) are also on the list for when I have some space. I definitely don't want to be using anything bigger than a micro torch when I'm restricted to working in my living room at the moment so have to save my larger solder jobs for college.