I took a “Cutting and Sawing” class (renamed “Jewelry Basics”) from Gæira Aggadóttir at Metalsmith’s Symposium on September 8, 2018. Her blog is here: https://gaeirasanvil.blogspot.com/?m=1 She has more information about the tools listed there that are used.
This class covered the tools and techniques used for sawing and piercing work. We ran out of time for hands on. She tried to shove 6hrs of instructions into 2hrs!
Tools: Jeweler’s bench pin, files of all sizes and shapes, jeweler’s saw (3” is a good starting size), blades (she recommends 3/0 to start, she also had 1/00?), C-clamp or other clamp to hold pin on, beeswax for lubricant, a small wire brush.
Materials: 18g and 26g - copper, brass, silver, gold – any soft metal
Notes:
Saw interior, smaller parts, then larger interior parts, then file the interior before sawing and filing the exterior.
Start the saw at an angle and then straighten
Move the metal to cut new pieces, not the saw
Right-handers saw counter-clockwise, left-handers saw clockwise.
If you put a pattern onto the piece, use black & white artwork at like 300dpi. Also use a fine mist particle spray to hold the pattern down – other glues are hard to remove.
Needle files need at least 1 smooth edge so you are not filing off areas you do not want to
Clean files with a small wire brush following along the teeth
Turning corners: saw on an angle and go a few times one way, turn the piece 180 degrees and saw the other side of the corner (on the same side - face up)
For filing a circle: file a tiny bit, rotate the piece a tiny bit, file a tiny bit, etc
For filing: she does 4 strokes, 3 strokes, 2 strokes, 1 stroke, then the sand papers, then polishes
For ½ round filing: file along the whole curve in one stroke, then reverse
This class covered the tools and techniques used for sawing and piercing work. We ran out of time for hands on. She tried to shove 6hrs of instructions into 2hrs!
Tools: Jeweler’s bench pin, files of all sizes and shapes, jeweler’s saw (3” is a good starting size), blades (she recommends 3/0 to start, she also had 1/00?), C-clamp or other clamp to hold pin on, beeswax for lubricant, a small wire brush.
Materials: 18g and 26g - copper, brass, silver, gold – any soft metal
Notes:
Saw interior, smaller parts, then larger interior parts, then file the interior before sawing and filing the exterior.
Start the saw at an angle and then straighten
Move the metal to cut new pieces, not the saw
Right-handers saw counter-clockwise, left-handers saw clockwise.
If you put a pattern onto the piece, use black & white artwork at like 300dpi. Also use a fine mist particle spray to hold the pattern down – other glues are hard to remove.
Needle files need at least 1 smooth edge so you are not filing off areas you do not want to
Clean files with a small wire brush following along the teeth
Turning corners: saw on an angle and go a few times one way, turn the piece 180 degrees and saw the other side of the corner (on the same side - face up)
For filing a circle: file a tiny bit, rotate the piece a tiny bit, file a tiny bit, etc
For filing: she does 4 strokes, 3 strokes, 2 strokes, 1 stroke, then the sand papers, then polishes
For ½ round filing: file along the whole curve in one stroke, then reverse
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