Customize Your Tools
Sometimes jewelry makers need to make adjustments to standard tools to finish unique pieces. Our articles will help you customize your tools.
HomeCustomize Your Tools
Make Your Own DIY Rotary Burr
Make your own high quality rotary burr from an inexpensive disposable lighter. By master goldsmith Charles Lewton-Brain. Filmed in full...
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How to Harden and Temper Tool Steel
Learn to harden and temper your own custom-shaped jewelry tools. By master goldsmith Charles Lewton-Brain. Filmed in full HD 1080p....
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Other Uses for a Pencil in Jewelry Making
Two surprising uses for a pencil as a tool in jewelry making. (1) Gain extreme control over the burr on...
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Make Your Own Cardboard Disc Sander
Handy trick to make a useful cardboard disc sander which master goldsmith Charles Lewton-Brain learned about at a factory in...
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Method to Quickly Identify Tool Steel
Learn to be able to quickly identify what quality of steel a tool is made of and whether it's low...
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Preparing a Hammer for Foldforming
One of the most frequent foldforming questions Charles Lewton-Brain gets is that someone's forging hammer isn't working well for them....
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Debunking Three Myths About Sawing
In thinking about the daily tasks that I undertake at the bench, I realized how easy it is to fall...
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How to Make a Riffle File
Every now and then when you are fabricating a piece or polishing a casting, a hole or hollow will pop...
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Giving New Life to Old Burs
By Old burs can serve a number of useful purposes in daily bench work. Here are two tips from jewelers...
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Grinding and Shaping Onglette Gravers
This article contains the following detailed steps to give you a better understanding why grinding and shaping onglette gravers are...
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Recycling High Speed Steel Burs
When I buy my high speed steel, 90 degree, under-cutting burs I always think of the words, "waste not, want...
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How to Customize Short Insulated Tweezers
Customize a standard insulated tweezers to easily hold small objects much tighter...
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Optimized Saw Blade for Cutting Wax
While many jewelers work directly in precious metals, many also work with wax, carving models for casting in silver and...
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Tips for Modifying Vises
A good vise is a vital piece of equipment for any goldsmith because it can act as a third hand,...
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The Art of Tool Making
There are two properties which distinguish a good tool from a bad one. The tool must have the correct shape...
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How to Make Prong Notching Pliers
These pliers notch round prongs easily to a given depth and replace a bur for the job. They are made...
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How to Modify Cross-Lock Tweezers
Often when soldering, it is necessary to use cross-lock tweezers to hold or steady the piece(s) being soldered. The pressure...
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Modified Split Mandrel for Finishing Round Bezels
A bench jeweler typically uses a split mandrel to sand and finish the inside of a ring. Various grits of...
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Homemade Flex-Shaft Guard
Homemade flex-shaft guard using a soft drink plastic bottle, a solution to the annoying and potentially hazardous problem of breathing...
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Modified Super Tools
Down on your bench, look: It’s a file. It’s a bur. It’s Super Tool! At first it seemed so ordinary....
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Reusing Broken Saw Blades
Traditionally trained jewelers often scoff at the idea of using glue as a joining method. However, there are times when...
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Overcoming Tool Limitations
True tales of how jewelers overcame out-of-the-box limitations - Most people who work with their hands become tool mad, and...
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Tool Alterations
This article describes the different tool alterations that any bench man needs to know and learn as guidance for their...
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Thai Chaser Tool Tricks
I was recently in Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand, where I spent a month visiting silversmiths and chasers...
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How to Modify a Goldsmith Hammer
Jewelers and metalsmiths have had to make their own tools throughout the ages to accomplish different tasks at the jeweler's...
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Customized Robo Grip Pliers
Steve Satow shares his procedure for customized robo grip pliers to add parallel action and more leverage to standard bow...
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Half-Ground Round Bur
There are times during the setters workday where there is a need for a specific tool, but there nothing is...
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Customized Head Polishing Pliers
This article describes a step by step procedure of a pair of simple pliers to become a pair of customized...
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Customized Steamer Bucket Enclosure
The purpose of this steamer bucket enclosure is to prevent stones from being blown out by the steamer and flying...
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Customized Ultrasonic Sediment Bucket
This article by Steve Satow shares a step by step procedure on how t o make a customized ultrasonic sediment...
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Customized Mini Clamp Tool
I like to hold small pieces of metal with a clamp that allows me to file hands free. I feel...
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Customized Earring Setting Pliers
Steve Satow shows the procedure for a customized earring setting pliers using a normal setting pliers.
Normal setting pliers can...
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How to Modify Prong Pushers
Many stone setters would agree that one of the most challenging aspects of prong setting is getting the prongs down...
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Remembering Lee Marshall, 1935-2017
Founder of both Bonny Doon Engineering and Knew Concepts, Lee Marshall—who passed away June 25 at the age of 81...
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Accessories for Small Part Pickling
Ever spent way too much time trying to retrieve tiny jump rings, links, or other small parts out of a...
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Modified Split Mandrel to Bezel-Set Round Stones
This jewelry bench tip is a follow-up to "Modified Split Mandrel for Finishing Round Bezels," which showed you how to...
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How to Modify Separating Tweezers
Steve Satow shows how to modify Standard insulated tweezers to become effective ring separating tweezers.
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Customized Beading Tool Retipper, Trays & Polisher
Steve Satow shares his procedure on how to customize bench tools like a beading tool retipper, small parts trays and ...
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How to Make Straight Wire Holders
Stuller had the foresight to offer straight wire that we don't have to remove the bend from before we use...
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Customized Solder Holder, Jet Sett, Blast Shield
Steve Satow shares his procedure for customized solder holder and blast shield, and how to make using a Jet Sett...
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Customized Stone Laser Shield for Jewelry Making
I have found this to be a most useful tool to use when rebuilding a bezel using a Laser Welder....
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Customized Turntable Tool Rack
Find a turntable that
is size appropriate for
your bench. In this case
mine is 18 inches wide.
If possible...
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Customized Light Box & Bench Shelf
Steve Satow shares his procedure for customized light box for your jewelry photography projects and customized bench shelf for more...
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How to Modify Wooden Ring Clamps
One persistent daily challenge a bench jeweler faces is trying to figure out the best way to hold onto tiny,...
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Buffer System & Ultrasonic Basket Replacement
Buffer System & Ultrasonic Basket Replacement
When we replaced our vacuum tubes for the buffer system I chose to run...
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Customized Hanging Tool Shelf
I made a hanging tool shelf between my setting and soldering bench. With it off the floor it allows easy...
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Channel Setting Bezels with Customized Pulling Pliers
These pliers are used to pull back bezels on channel set rings. This allows you to drop in the stones...
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Creating a Whip Burnisher
A worn-out bristle brush can easily be recycled into a useful tool called a whip burnisher or rotary hammer to...
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Customized Peg Head Holder & Stone Holder
Steve Satow shares his procedure on customized bench tools such as 3 prong or peg head holder & wax stone...
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Green Bench Tips – Part 2
This is the second in a two-part series on green bench tips shared by jewelers who are taking another approach...
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Customized Loose Head Holder
With these pliers you can pre polish platinum and gold peg heads of any shape. Remove any nicks one prong...
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Modified Setting Bur with Safe Edge Tool
Here iss a nice little tool that makes use of an old setting bur. If you take the bottom teeth...
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How to Customize Curved Tip Melee Tweezers
These tweezers are great for gripping melee when straight tips don't give you enough clearance. They allow you to slide...
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How to Customize Fine Tip Melee Tweezers
These tweezers are great for gripping melee when you slide then into position in continuous channel setting jobs. Here you...
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