Steel bench block or planishing stake?

[SarahF]

Hi this is my first post although have been a forum "stalker" for some time. Hello to everyone.
I have been making silver jewellery for 5 or so years, slowly improving and constantly updating tools and methods. I have so far used a steel bench block for a hammered finish to bangles but wonder if I should shell out for a Planishing flat stake which is much more expensive? I am finding that despite working in a heated room the steel bench blocks rust up and marks always transferred to the silver. Am I doing something wrong or should I just invest in a better stake? Any advice much appreciated. Thanks so much. Sarah

[Nick martin]

Hi Sarah,

My 'mancave' is essentially my garage converted into my workshop, and I have no built-in heating other than a Delonghi heater that I'll occassionally fire up in winter.

For items like planishing blocks, stakes, doming punches, hammers and the like, its really easy to keep them in decent condition with a little maintenance.

If you've got rust spots forming, simply do this:

1. Gently sand using a fine grade sandpaper.

2. Once the rust spots are gone, polish the planishing block like you would any finished item of jewellery. I.E. go through the tripoli stage, then maybe a pre-polish compound, then the final polish. In my case I use lathe mops and 4 different Menzerna compounds to achieve a high gloss finish.

3. Wipe on a small amount of oil and spread it with your fingers to create a barrier on the metal thats resistant to moisture in the air. Some sprays like WD40 or silicone lube also have the water dispersing qualities and work too.

Doing this and some occassional maintenance will keep them in great condition for many years.

Nick

[Dennis]

At the mention of bangles, anticlasic stakes come to mind, to give a slight side to side curvature and they can be made of delrin, to avoid the rust problem.

To add to Nick's post, for bench blocks it is useful to have quite a large one, with one curved edge. This avoids a nasty ding if the metal inadvertently creeps to the edge when hammering. Dennis.

[SarahF]

Thanks so much. I think I will clean mine up and see how I get on.