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Welcome to the tools page with a listing of my favorite jewelry
hand tools, from pliers to frisbee discs, |
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propolish |
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| Flat-nose Pliers Swanstrom short-jaw flat-nose pliers are used in tandem, one in each hand, for opening and closing jump rings. Source at Rio Grande
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| Chain-nose Pliers Swanstrom short-jaw chain-nose pliers are used for bending, twisting, and tightening fine 24-gauge wire. Source at Rio Grande |
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| Round-nose Pliers Swanstrom round-nose pliers are used for bending wire with a round loop for earring backs and bead settings. Source at Rio Grande |
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Mandrel-tip Pliers I assisted Swanstrom to develop these unique pliers,
designed to bend wire at a precise inside diameter loops, for a seamless
assemble into a beaded chain pattern. For
more in-depth information on using this tool, |
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Nylon-tip Pliers Swanstrom nylon-tip (delrin) pliers are used to straighten fine 24-gauge wire to allow the addition of gemstone beads between wire wrappings. Source at Rio Grande |
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Side-cutters Swanstrom side-cutters are used for cutting wire, the smaller size is designed to cut fine wire up to 18g, and the larger size for cutting thicker wire up to 14-gauge. Source at Rio Grande |
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Beading Cable & Crimp Tubes I use 19-strand Beadalon beading cable for setting beads into chain patterns; secured with a smashed crimp tube. The cable has a .30mm thickness, while the tube
has a .75mm inside diameter; allowing two cables within. |
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A pencil-point
compass is used to find the 3 points of a triangle on a solderite
board for the 3-ring Propeller.
Look in the school-supply section, or ask a 3rd grader. A digital caliper is used to measure the inside diameter of a jump ring, or the outside diameter of a mandrel. Rio Grande catalogue # 115189 Plastic tape is ideal for measuring curved lengths of wire, and can be cut to length as needed, and easily found in the knitting section, or ask your mom. |
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Blazer Butane Torch I highly recommend the Blazer-brand butane torch for silver soldering jewelry work; as cheaper 'creme brulee' can get dangerously overheated. Note that the butane fuel refill bottles cannot be easily shipped to your home, but you can find them at your hardware store. Source at Rio Grande |
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Source at Rio Grande |
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Solderite Board The Solderite-brand board is excellent for silver soldering with a butane torch, as it reflects the heat to the metal, cools quickly, and will not burn your tabletop surface. Source at Rio Grande Solderite board # 502063 |
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Pickle Cleaning Solution This acid-water solution cleans any oxidation patina or head discoloration from the metal's surface; always neutralize the pickled metal with baking soda. Source at Rio Grande |
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Propolish Pads These pliable foam pads are impregnated with micro-abrasives that polishes away surface oxidation, and cuts through a liver-o-sulfur black patina for a two-tone look. Source at Rio Grande |
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Frisbee Golf Discs These 8-inch diameter discs hold all the findings and pliers for assembling a specific project, and each disc holds six aluminum triangular pans to organized multiple bead sizes. Source in your local sports store. |
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This 3.6-volt
electric screwdriver has a hex-base to accept a three-prong
jacob's chuck adaptor seen below. Source at your local hardware store.
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This 3-prong jacobs chuck has a hex-base to fit into a 3.6v screwdriver, with an adjustable three-prongs to hold a variety of mandrels for wrapping wire into a coil, which would be cut lengthwise into many jump rings. I have recently found a new supply source at: |
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Mandrels Knitting needle mandrels are ideal for wrapping wire |
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3M Sanding Pads Superfine (320-grit) 3M sanding pads are used to smooth the joint of each closed ring; this scuffing will polish out in the steel-shot tumbling to create visually seamless rings. Source at Rio Grande |
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Copyright © 2012 Scott David Plumlee, all rights reserved