Getting Started Metalsmithing: Tool Guide

So you are interested in metalsmithing? You want to put the pedal to the metal and fire blaze your way through life. Congrats me dos, ha! Metalsmithing is not a hobby for me it's my lifes passion and occupation. This post will be for the individual looking to really invest there time and money into tools and a studio set up.  I will be providing the basics, a detailed list of everything I found helpful to have a full start. As time goes on you can build on your collection, I did not start with every tool I own I slowly accumulated and saved for my entire collection as is.I did however invest in the major tools right away, I would suggest taking classes at a local art league or school to learn the proper skills before investing your money to make sure this is something you want to pursue and avoid money down the drain. . These tools are the big kahunas, they will provide you with start to finish ability for soldering and finishing. I will go into detail about smaller detail tools that are essential as well to finish the job.  Tool needs will vary from person to person depending on what skills you are looking to apply at the bench. You can pick and choose which of these will benefit the projects you are looking to tackle. You may not need all of these but for me they all are my must haves.

Also for safety please have all power machines and torches set up by an experienced jeweler and or plumber to ensure you are properly using and maintaining equipment.

Space:

Space is number one, if you are limited in space you will have to make due with what you have. We all start somewhere, so whether you have an additional bedroom, garage or live in a studio apartment make sure you have a dedicated area you can keep clean and stocked.

Furniture/Benches:

I have a traditional jewelers bench, it was the very first thing I purchased. I purchased it from Otto Frei  (all companies mentioned are click-able links for exact products) I purchased this before I even took up metalsmithing.  I knew when I was assembling vintage jewelery that I eventually wanted to get into metalsmithing. A jewelers bench is made to accommodate tools, height, and comfort of working 12 hour days.

You can certainly shop around at various suppliers for benches. I would like to upgrade mine in the future but the one linked above works perfect for my space and needs. I would avoid particle board material make sure you are buying real wood if you are investing the money.

If you are lucky enough to know someone willing to build you a bench I would say the most important features is a catch tray, a slot for a bench pin and drawers for storage.

Other suppliers you can find jewelers benches:
Rio Grande
Otto Frei
Stuller
Contenti
FDJ Tools

Fire Baby

A torch is probably the most apprehensive purchase one will make. The thought of having gas in or near your workspace can be daunting. But in order to pursue this passion it calls for some heat in kitchen. I would look into your homeowners insurance or check with your landlord to see if you can have such gas set up in your home or workspace.
I like acetylene and air set up it burns a bit dirtier as they say (I don't notice a difference), I also learned with this set up. It is a one tank system and only requires a B tank for refills. I would recommend to save money looking on Craigslist for an empty tank or buying one from a local welding place. It will cost you less and you will never see that 169.00 brand new tank again. When you refill a B tank for around 35-45$ you will get an old crusty used filled tank in return so if you decide to buy a new one don't get attached.
Torch Tips: I would recommend a 00,0, and 1 tip (the 00 comes with the kit linked above)  Having a variety of tips will allow you to accommodate small projects and fine flames to larger cuffs and bushy flames.

Other set ups include Propane and Oxygen and Acetylene and Oxygen. Propane will burn much cleaner and give you a finer more controlled flame. Propane as you know is more readily available for refilling.
Rio Grande Torches

Flex Shaft

A flex shaft is one of my most used tools, I started out with a dremel years ago before metalsmithing. It was bulky, cheap and not as versatile as a Foredom. I invested in a Foredom SR Motor Kit. This is one of those tools that I use daily and probably 75% of my studio time. It has a forward and reverse switch and with a Foredom you can interchange the hand piece for a hammer set if you want to add a hammer set to your repertoire. Make sure to lubricate and maintain your shaft and sheath. A great video is linked here.

Make sure your flex shaft is secured to your work space by either a homemade piping or you can purchase on here. Make sure to get a flex shaft stand that can be mounted by screws to your work bench. A C clamp will eventually fall resulting in a broken flex shaft.

 Polishing Machine

I love polishing it is the most time consuming and possibly frustrating parts of metalsmithing. It is the point of I am almost done but not quite, I cant wait to see the finished product part of production. Nonetheless I cannot live without my polishing machine. Sure you can use you use your flex shaft for polishing and I do this quite often for smaller hard to reach areas and pieces. But if you plan to do production work or larger pieces this really cuts your time in half.
I purchased the Durabill Polishing Kit. It comes with everything you would need to start polishing, the motor, vent, compound, and wheels. Polishing machines are great for deburring castings as well as removing the addtional backplate on a bezel. Be sure to replace your filters every 6 months to ensure that your vent is doing the best job at filtering. I have a video on my favorite polishing compounds can be found here.

Saw 

A saw is another tool that is small yet essential. This also gives you the ability to do a lot of projects with out any of the tools above. I started with an economy saw frame and upgraded this year to a GreenLion Studio saw frame. These are released in small batches they are hand crafted and in additional to looking sleek it is the most comfortable smooth operating saw. They are often sold out but you can go on an email list for them if they are. Worth the wait. I did a review on my youtube channel which can be found here.

Files

I am a big believer in investing in tools the right tools. I would rather have a few great files than a large collection of sub par ones. Reason being is they wear out faster and don't cut with precision. I think a flat bastard file is essential to every collection as well as a half round, and I personally use my triangle file the most often. I have a general link for all files at Rio Grande you will want to choose files that are right for your project. Here is a FAQ regarding saws. Needle files are essential as well for clean up on smaller spaces and pieces. Great for detailed work. Some argue getting cheap files and replacing yearly or what not, but you know where I stand invest and maintain and they will last.

Hammers

Again this will vary for your needs but I find if I had to choose one hammer I would pick my Fretz chasing hammer a great one to start with. You can shape, give a dimpled hammered band surface, and flatten with one hammer. I started with an economy chasing hammer and after about a year of everyday use it broke.

 For shaping and forming without marring the metal especially great for rings is a rawhide hammer.  I highly recommend Fretz Hammers they are built to last and have a beautiful smooth ergonomic feel.

Tumbler

This is totally a non essential for a beginner but if your looking to do production or cut down on your polishing time a tumbler is a great tool. I purchased a Durabull kit from Rio. If I knew what I know now I wouldn't repurchase this one. It constantly leaks if its not sealed super super tight and most people complain that the belt breaks. Plus it cant handle a lot of weight in it. I hear very good things on the lortone tumbler which I do not own so I cant give my personal thoughts on. But there are tons of reviews on Amazon. Different media will give different finishes on the metal, I use stainless steel shot.

Soldering Tool Essentials:

Pickle Pot - to hold the pickle solution

Pickle - Acid Solution to o clean post soldered metal (fire scale)

Copper Tongs - to remove metal from pickle you will ruin your pickle and metal if you put your stainless steel tweezers use copper tongs!

 Tweezers - for holding your pieces together and setting up pre solder

Third Hand - Really comes in handy with soldering set up for rings and various components

Charcoal Soldering Block - Great for retaining heat while heating up pieces. Get the hard block not soft lasts much longer. 

Flux -  flowing agent for soldering metals

Sheet Solder - You can get this in wire, paste, and chips depending on your preference. And in various flowing temps.

Pick - For placing solder and assistance with placement of components.

There are many other tools and surfaces you can purchase for soldering. Again I would consider these the essentials.

Tri Pod - to heat pieces from top and bottom of surface.

Other Essentials:

Ring Mandrel - To form shape, and size rings.

Vise - I like to use especially for ring setting

See my YouTube Video on this blog post~ MeShe

Weekly Update 7/2/2014

Summer is officially here, this is my favorite time of year. I love the relaxed ease of getting dressed into flowing tops, shorts and flip flops.  There is a carefree feeling that comes with the summer time. I love being by the water and starting my days with beach walks and rock digging. The past few weeks have been productive on the bench as well as personally. Happy July everyone I hope you are planning something fun for the 4th!

 

 It was a dear friends 30th birthday a few weeks ago, what better way to celebrate than going on a booze cruise around the city. It was the perfect night, warm, no humidity, just a slight breeze, water was clear and not choppy. The skyline was incredible, lots of dancing, cheers, dollar store party favors, and throwing a message in a bottle overboard. Maybe It will come back to me one day :)

 It doesn't matter how many times you see the Statue of Liberty or any significant landmark.  It always looks beautiful on a serene night with people you love.

This image was perfection, freedom tower, sailboat, and sunset.

 

As we circled around the sun had set on Manhattan. Enough said.

Just a few designs that were shipped out all made to order all available on my website From left to right: Amazonite, Amethyst, Norwegian Moonstone, Labradorite, Man in The Moonstone.

Man in the moonstone earrings shipped out, all of my post earrings come on my circle business cards. These I can remake in a lighter grey or peach. I don't have them listed but they are available upon request.

 I recently did a blog post of all the new gems I purchased within the last month.  If you would like to check that out click here.

 Beautiful new strawberry quartz, I only have two sizes left you can check this link for availability.

 

 A beautiful rose cut emerald set in a gallery design on a thick half round band.  This is fit for a queen.

 

 I have this oval druzy on sale for 45.00 free shipping within the US if your interested email meshedesigns@yahoo.com.

 I am apart of a very amazing group of talented women who are all jewelers. My sweet friend Tynessa sent me a beautiful peach necklace. Isnt is the sweetest thing!! I love it.

Me setting up to shoot pictures for my website. I really cherish each and every one of you that take the time to comment, like, and purchase from me. This is my dream and you all allow me to express, create, and live it.

Tynessa also sent me some awesome temporary tattoos so I just had to....

 .

Pre setting stage for some made to order pieces, the purple chalcedony collections, and a labradorites.

 I shared all the finished purple chalcedony pieces on my Facebook and Instagram but this ring is my favorite of the collection.

 Another one of a kind piece headed out to the UK. Rainbow Obsidian.

 These are my most popular post earrings, vintage fire opal glass. I acquired a whole vintage lot at a vintage warehouse. They are set in sterling with a sterling post.

New addition coral post earrings, simple sweet and the perfect salmon coral.

 Went rock collecting for a good friend who uses beach rocks for some of her designs. Her work speaks for itself she puts so much heart and soul into her collections. You can find her Facebook page here.

More blue labradorite because I cant resist when It comes to stones.  All four are available for customs.

 

Starting my day good morning rocky beach.

 And a little fruit parfait. I love berries on the beach.

 I created this custom piece for a lovely customer of mine in Texas. She is a warrior spirit and was immediately drawn to the purple labradorite stone. This design just came very natural from start to finish. It felt like it was hers from the moment I started sawing the metal. Every piece is made with love but this especially is a spirit piece.  It has so much positive energy radiating from the neckline.

 I paired it with a thick sterling chain and purple amethyst on the bail.

 Look at my Little Pirate, Wally is winking at you ;)

 Another shot of the vintage opal earrings , rose quartz ring, and recycled flat set.

 I got a whole strand of quartz points in. I will be making more vintage point necklaces soon!!

 Tigers eye ring, and Norwegian Moonstone
each metal order receives a card with a special code on it :)

 This is a super luxurious ring just launched. Beautiful blue labradorite with a beaded band bezel.

New projects for the week freshly soldered and pickled. Now ready for some clean up time.

All the pieces above, cleaned up, soldered, set and polished. All pieces are available on my website.

 

Kayaking just around the river bend.

 

 I am ending my weekly update with my after work kayaking adventure. I hope you all are having a great week! Stay tuned for more updates shortly. If you have any questions please dont hesitate to contact me anytime!

MeShe xx

Weekly Update 5/29

A picture update of the last few weeks here at MeShe. As always its been a busy few weeks. In am currently cleaning up my shops on Etsy.  I have put most items in my Vintage Etsy Store on clearance, as these listings sell and expire I will move over all my "cheaper" items into  New Shop where almost everything will be under $20.00.   So now I will have three shops total the last being my Metal Line.  I will really be cleaning up my original vintage line with higher quality items, crystals and more boho with a vintage twist.

Love these new Buddha Crystal necklaces, featuring a Vintage Buddha, Moonstone, Iolite, and Aura Quartz.

I purchased these vintage Intaglios from a retired jeweler.  These are black onyx warrior intaglios, he traveled all around the world collecting and buying throughout his career.  I was lucky enough to pick through some of his collection and purchase these amazing materials.

A Morrocan Agate, this was hand cut and polished by a local lapidary artist.  I am in love with the striping in this stone. I am happy I did not make this in my size, I would have kept it :)  

I have a big dipper necklace that is similar in style to the prototype above.  I am currently making a whole zodiac series, each zodiac sign will have a constellation pendant similar to the above picture.  Which is still not completed but you get the idea.  

 I picked up the Happy Herbivore Light and Lean cookbook.  Every recipe I made tasted delicious was easy to prepare.  I am not someone who likes to cook by any stretch of the imagination so these recipes were very easy to follow and didn't feel like I was slaving all day to make a meal. This was one of my favorite,  Peanut Soba Noodles.

 Just sold this vintage ivory inspired piece with a piece of faceted labradorite.

 I launched this little Jelly Bean ring, I set a chrysoprase on a hammered band. Great for everyday wear. or stacking.

I went to see David Gray in concert in Manhattan and it was hands down the best show I have ever seen.  I love live music and have seen some great shows, but the acoustics, instruments, overall experience was very personal and engaging. If you haven't heard any of his music I highly recommend you look into him.

I have had my nose pierced for years and I always wanted to make nose rings.  I finally got around to making small recycled sterling silver studs. Available now.

Beautiful weather, loved this little boat just hanging by the water.  

I used these tigers eye beads to make handmade earrings in sterling silver.  Would you like to see more stones available in this style?

Was feeling my tribal look.  Backpack I got at a market in London near Brick Lane, and the shoes were by Topshop.

New pink opal! Just launched this stone made to order.  I have a very limited quantity.  This was a custom order that I now offer in the shop.  Set on a very thick luxurious band.

Also I shared these on my IG and Facebook.  All new man in the moonstone styles have launched.  The peach moonstone is such a rare large size, again same band is used for the peach as above pink opal. Click photos for pricing.

I have some plans for these vintage bows.  Will be launched in a few weeks.

Currently reading #Girlboss and it rocks if you can see in the middle I also posted a photo of my new business cards :)

A photo of my moonstone moon stackers in the oxidized finish. I also just did a behind the scenes video for these rings.  Click photo for the video.

I have lots of swarovski crystals available if you are interested email meshedesigns@yahoo.com they are not listed on my sites yet.

Beautiful large vintage Czechoslovakian crystals, I even have the original packaging!

All new pieces launching this weekend in my vintage collection :)

Lots of customs being prepared and a few new rose quartz posts, multi color sapphire ring, and coral post earrings will hit my metal shop this weekend as well.

A clean soldering station, where most of the magic happens!  I bought new tiles for my soldering bench.  It is so nice to have a clean work space.  It doesn't last long with orders being prepared and filled.

A closer shot of soldered post earrings, this is pre pickled (pickling - removes fire scale from the heat of the flame).

 I am redoing the setting for this ring.  It will be a bit magical and mystical, I can't wait to launch.  I am in the process of building the prototype.

Leaving this weeks blog post off with two pictures.  One of my best friend and Quattro the smallest cutest Jack Russell Ever, and Quattro and I.  A beautiful day for a hike at the beach.  Summer is finally here!