25 General Industry Tips

Yigal Sharaby

<div class="jnlc-container" id="jnlc-container"> 25 tips for industry professionals 1. How to repair a broken hollow chain: Take time to clean the chain because of the oils and hairspray that get inside the hollow links. You may have to clean the chain using a tablespoon of Red Devil Lye to a few cups of water at 180F. You need ventilation. You can cut through link one on both sides using an ultra thin cutoff disc or you can unsolder the links using a small reducing flame and twist the link a little using soldering tweezers. Now weave link one into link two and solder together using paste solder. Then weave the other link one into link two and solder the same way. Paste solder is not necessary but it is a little faster. 2. How to recover gold from the ultrasonic tank: Pour the solution through a paper coffee filter that is inside a strainer. The solution then runs into a large can or bowl. Next use a paper towel to wipe the sludge out of the tank. Place the coffee filter and paper towel inside a plastic trash bag and when full send it to a refinery. The used solution can be poured back into the ultrasonic tank, then add a little non-ammoniated concentrate. 3. How to keep tools from rusting: Spray your steel tools regularly with CRC formula 6-56 multi-purpose lubricant. It removes rust and protects against corrosion, then wipe with a clean cloth. You can buy it at Marine or Electrical supply stores. Don't use WD-40, stands for War Development 1940, because the rust will come back. 4. What do I use to cut the links in a gold chain: Lay the gold chain down on a flat piece of copper. Cut the links with an X-ACTO knife. It is less costly to replace an X-ACTO blade than a flush side cutting pliers. 5. How to remove a dent from hollow jewelry: There are many ways, but if you can pour water into an opening, filling to the top. Next, put tape over the end and put in your freezer. The water will expand when frozen. You may have to do this more than once. This will also work in removing dents from candle stick holders. 6. How to remove Mecury from a gold ring: The minute Mecury touches a gold ring it penetrates into the Base Metal (non-precious). This causes the ring to break or crack at a pressure point or solder joint. Don't remove Mecury from gold because it is extremely dangerous to your health. The damage to the gold and base metal cannot be reversed. 7. How to prevent getting a bur on the piece of ring sizing stock that has been removed from the ring: Change to a sawblade that has more teeth per inch (TPI). Example: 2/0 sawblade has 62 TPI, 3/0 sawblade has 66 TPI. Also lubricate the back of the sawblade with bees wax and lighten up on your touch, let the sawblade do the work. 8. How do I remove bead set diamonds from a gold brooch without chipping or losing them: Clean and firecoat the gold brooch. Place in a hollowed out charcoal block or ceramic crucible. Heat with a torch using a reducing flame until the gold melts into a ball. The diamonds will come to the top. When it cools remove the diamonds. Fire coat protects a diamond up to 180 degrees F. 9. Is there an easier way to remove the white gold settings from the yellow gold shank besides sawing them out: Clean and firecoat the two-tone ring mountings. Set them in a ceramic crucible. Heat with a torch using a reducing flame. The yellow gold melts first leaving behind the white gold settings. Flick out the white gold settings with a carbon stirring rod. 10. What is the difference between soldering and welding: When soldering a ring you use SOLDER. Solder is an alloy designed to flow at a lower temperature than the ring. When welding a ring you use a FILLER MATERIAL. Filler Material is the same material as the ring and you must hammer it thin (0.2mm) so it flows easily. 11. How do I tighten a diamond when the prongs spring back: Tighten the diamond VECTORALLY. Use non-serrated pointed nose pliers and bend the adjacent prongs a little, below the girdle, towards each other and go all the way around the diamond. 12. Why do I sometimes see the joint when I weld a platinum ring using pure platinum: Some platinum rings are lightly Rhodium plated and when you weld, the Rhodium is absorbed into the joint and causes discoloration. I recommend you emery off the Rhodium plating on the shank before you weld. Also, when sizing down, cut a small piece from the ring sizing stock because it will be the same metal as the ring. Hammer thin and make sure the face of your hammer is clean. Use this thin piece as FILLER MATERIAL when welding your platinum ring. 13. How can I size a fancy wedding band, with no stones, up one size: Anneal the ring first and then you can stretch the ring up only a half size. Next, file the inside of the ring to bring it out another half size. Don't file away the quality mark. 14. When I do a bead setting, my diamonds don't sparkle, why: After drilling your holes you should taper the hole from the backside with a bud bur and then use a bullet lap to polish the tapered hole. You can also use a graver to cut a tapered triangle or square. If you are doing a wax model, it is a lot easier to make the cuts with a modified X-acto blade. This is called an AZURE setting meaning clear blue sky. And don't forget to Rhodium Plate. 15. How many times can I roll gold through a Rolling Mill before I have to Anneal: If you are rolling it through by hand you can tap the gold each time it passes through on the steel roller. The pitch will get higher each time you pass it through. You can tell by the sound when it is ready to be annealed. 16. How do I protect a stone when sizeing a Silver ring: Removing the stone is the safest measure. If you leave the stone in the mounting, cover the stone with a commercial thermal shield paste. You can also cover the stone with a sand moistened with water. Cover the stone but don't cover half of the ring. Don't use tweezers as a heat sink. 17. How do I polish Platinum: Use 600 grit silicon carbide paper and then 1000 grit. Next, polish with Tripoli on separate stiched green muslin buffs using GRAY 800, then WHITE 1500 and then WHITE 8000. Next, Buff on a loose green muslin buff charged with Carrot or Blue Rouge. A faster method to polish platinum is to use a CUT-and-COLOR compound (One-Step). We recommend Tripoli WHITE 6000. 18. Why do I see lines on the surface of platinum after sizing: You must CRISS-CROSS when you use your #6 cut file, emery paper and polishing. If you do all these things and you are still getting lines it is because your buff is contaminated with a build-up of polishing compound and metal which is scratching lines in the ring. You must clean this build-up off regularly using a coarse dressing stone while the buff is spinning. 19. When working with Platinum, what is the most important thing to do: A clean work area with separate files, emery and buffs used only on platinum is the most important thing to keep in mind when working with platinum. 20. How can you tell weather your shears are RIGHT handed or LEFT handed: Draw a straight line on a piece of paper and hold it in front of you. Take the Shears in your right hand and cut along the line. If you can see the line where you are cutting you have RIGHT hand shears. If you can't see the line because the jaw is in the way you have LEFT hand shears. If you are right handed and want to buy shears to cut sheet solder, buy LEFT hand shears. 21. How do you "SQUARE OFF" a diamond in a four prong setting: The prong should rest on the upper girdle facet (Split Facet) with the tip of the prong to the lower edge of the Star Facet. Place the prongs at the corners of either square. 22. What type of lighting do you recommend for diamonds and gold jewelry in my show cases: Metal Halide lights are recommended to make your jewelry appear more beautiful. 23. How do I reduce the risk of UV from my fluorescent light: Install a UV Filter to reduce the amount of UV contamination that may be emitted from fluorescent lighting. 24. How can I counteract the adverse affects of fluorescent lighting that can cause eye fatigue or headaches at the workbench: Install a Magnetic Ballast. An Electronic Ballast could improve the situation and ease the strain on your eyes. 25. Why does a ring (karat gold) turn my finger or fabric BLACK: There are a number of reasons for this occurrence. Cosmetics that contain oxides (very fine abrasives) will rub away at the karat gold jewelry and cause the finger or fabric to turn black. Medication can change body chemistry. Chemicals found in swimming pools (chlorine), hot tubs (bromine) and laundry products can also cause blackness. <a href="/pages/other-techniques"><img src='http://static1.shopify.com/s/files/1/0014/5692/files/Back1.png' alt='' /></a> </div>

2008-10-10T19:46:27-04:00

25-general-industry-tips 498122

2008-10-10T19:46:27-04:00

145692

25 General Industry Tips 2008-11-04T11:53:10-05:00 <notextile> <div class="jnlc-container" id="jnlc-container"> 25 tips for industry professionals 1. How to repair a broken hollow chain: Take time to clean the chain because of the oils and hairspray that get inside the hollow links. You may have to clean the chain using a tablespoon of Red Devil Lye to a few cups of water at 180F. You need ventilation. You can cut through link one on both sides using an ultra thin cutoff disc or you can unsolder the links using a small reducing flame and twist the link a little using soldering tweezers. Now weave link one into link two and solder together using paste solder. Then weave the other link one into link two and solder the same way. Paste solder is not necessary but it is a little faster. 2. How to recover gold from the ultrasonic tank: Pour the solution through a paper coffee filter that is inside a strainer. The solution then runs into a large can or bowl. Next use a paper towel to wipe the sludge out of the tank. Place the coffee filter and paper towel inside a plastic trash bag and when full send it to a refinery. The used solution can be poured back into the ultrasonic tank, then add a little non-ammoniated concentrate. 3. How to keep tools from rusting: Spray your steel tools regularly with CRC formula 6-56 multi-purpose lubricant. It removes rust and protects against corrosion, then wipe with a clean cloth. You can buy it at Marine or Electrical supply stores. Don't use WD-40, stands for War Development 1940, because the rust will come back. 4. What do I use to cut the links in a gold chain: Lay the gold chain down on a flat piece of copper. Cut the links with an X-ACTO knife. It is less costly to replace an X-ACTO blade than a flush side cutting pliers. 5. How to remove a dent from hollow jewelry: There are many ways, but if you can pour water into an opening, filling to the top. Next, put tape over the end and put in your freezer. The water will expand when frozen. You may have to do this more than once. This will also work in removing dents from candle stick holders. 6. How to remove Mecury from a gold ring: The minute Mecury touches a gold ring it penetrates into the Base Metal (non-precious). This causes the ring to break or crack at a pressure point or solder joint. Don't remove Mecury from gold because it is extremely dangerous to your health. The damage to the gold and base metal cannot be reversed. 7. How to prevent getting a bur on the piece of ring sizing stock that has been removed from the ring: Change to a sawblade that has more teeth per inch (TPI). Example: 2/0 sawblade has 62 TPI, 3/0 sawblade has 66 TPI. Also lubricate the back of the sawblade with bees wax and lighten up on your touch, let the sawblade do the work. 8. How do I remove bead set diamonds from a gold brooch without chipping or losing them: Clean and firecoat the gold brooch. Place in a hollowed out charcoal block or ceramic crucible. Heat with a torch using a reducing flame until the gold melts into a ball. The diamonds will come to the top. When it cools remove the diamonds. Fire coat protects a diamond up to 180 degrees F. 9. Is there an easier way to remove the white gold settings from the yellow gold shank besides sawing them out: Clean and firecoat the two-tone ring mountings. Set them in a ceramic crucible. Heat with a torch using a reducing flame. The yellow gold melts first leaving behind the white gold settings. Flick out the white gold settings with a carbon stirring rod. 10. What is the difference between soldering and welding: When soldering a ring you use SOLDER. Solder is an alloy designed to flow at a lower temperature than the ring. When welding a ring you use a FILLER MATERIAL. Filler Material is the same material as the ring and you must hammer it thin (0.2mm) so it flows easily. 11. How do I tighten a diamond when the prongs spring back: Tighten the diamond VECTORALLY. Use non-serrated pointed nose pliers and bend the adjacent prongs a little, below the girdle, towards each other and go all the way around the diamond. 12. Why do I sometimes see the joint when I weld a platinum ring using pure platinum: Some platinum rings are lightly Rhodium plated and when you weld, the Rhodium is absorbed into the joint and causes discoloration. I recommend you emery off the Rhodium plating on the shank before you weld. Also, when sizing down, cut a small piece from the ring sizing stock because it will be the same metal as the ring. Hammer thin and make sure the face of your hammer is clean. Use this thin piece as FILLER MATERIAL when welding your platinum ring. 13. How can I size a fancy wedding band, with no stones, up one size: Anneal the ring first and then you can stretch the ring up only a half size. Next, file the inside of the ring to bring it out another half size. Don't file away the quality mark. 14. When I do a bead setting, my diamonds don't sparkle, why: After drilling your holes you should taper the hole from the backside with a bud bur and then use a bullet lap to polish the tapered hole. You can also use a graver to cut a tapered triangle or square. If you are doing a wax model, it is a lot easier to make the cuts with a modified X-acto blade. This is called an AZURE setting meaning clear blue sky. And don't forget to Rhodium Plate. 15. How many times can I roll gold through a Rolling Mill before I have to Anneal: If you are rolling it through by hand you can tap the gold each time it passes through on the steel roller. The pitch will get higher each time you pass it through. You can tell by the sound when it is ready to be annealed. 16. How do I protect a stone when sizeing a Silver ring: Removing the stone is the safest measure. If you leave the stone in the mounting, cover the stone with a commercial thermal shield paste. You can also cover the stone with a sand moistened with water. Cover the stone but don't cover half of the ring. Don't use tweezers as a heat sink. 17. How do I polish Platinum: Use 600 grit silicon carbide paper and then 1000 grit. Next, polish with Tripoli on separate stiched green muslin buffs using GRAY 800, then WHITE 1500 and then WHITE 8000. Next, Buff on a loose green muslin buff charged with Carrot or Blue Rouge. A faster method to polish platinum is to use a CUT-and-COLOR compound (One-Step). We recommend Tripoli WHITE 6000. 18. Why do I see lines on the surface of platinum after sizing: You must CRISS-CROSS when you use your #6 cut file, emery paper and polishing. If you do all these things and you are still getting lines it is because your buff is contaminated with a build-up of polishing compound and metal which is scratching lines in the ring. You must clean this build-up off regularly using a coarse dressing stone while the buff is spinning. 19. When working with Platinum, what is the most important thing to do: A clean work area with separate files, emery and buffs used only on platinum is the most important thing to keep in mind when working with platinum. 20. How can you tell weather your shears are RIGHT handed or LEFT handed: Draw a straight line on a piece of paper and hold it in front of you. Take the Shears in your right hand and cut along the line. If you can see the line where you are cutting you have RIGHT hand shears. If you can't see the line because the jaw is in the way you have LEFT hand shears. If you are right handed and want to buy shears to cut sheet solder, buy LEFT hand shears. 21. How do you "SQUARE OFF" a diamond in a four prong setting: The prong should rest on the upper girdle facet (Split Facet) with the tip of the prong to the lower edge of the Star Facet. Place the prongs at the corners of either square. 22. What type of lighting do you recommend for diamonds and gold jewelry in my show cases: Metal Halide lights are recommended to make your jewelry appear more beautiful. 23. How do I reduce the risk of UV from my fluorescent light: Install a UV Filter to reduce the amount of UV contamination that may be emitted from fluorescent lighting. 24. How can I counteract the adverse affects of fluorescent lighting that can cause eye fatigue or headaches at the workbench: Install a Magnetic Ballast. An Electronic Ballast could improve the situation and ease the strain on your eyes. 25. Why does a ring (karat gold) turn my finger or fabric BLACK: There are a number of reasons for this occurrence. Cosmetics that contain oxides (very fine abrasives) will rub away at the karat gold jewelry and cause the finger or fabric to turn black. Medication can change body chemistry. Chemicals found in swimming pools (chlorine), hot tubs (bromine) and laundry products can also cause blackness. <a href="/pages/other-techniques"><img src='http://static1.shopify.com/s/files/1/0014/5692/files/Back1.png' alt='' /></a> </div> </notextile>