Hi group, I have a question about the way jewelry saw blades are numbered. I have a book that suggests using 05 or 06 size blades. I am looking at catalogs but they have 5 or 5/0. Would 5/0 be the same as 05? I will be making jump rings and eventually might cut SS sheet. Any opinions on what...

Anyone know where one can send a silver ring to be gold plated for a reasonable cost in small quantities? Tripps has a really nice mans ring but $11 for silver and hundred$ for gold makes gold rings a rather expensive gift. It occurs to me that the silver could be gold plated and one would not...

Hi, I have a hinge on the temple rod of a pair of spectacles that is broken. I think that it is spot welded on. Is there some kind of fairly inexpensive tool that would help me remove this? I would like to remove this and add a fresh hinge. I think that the frames are some kind of nickel alloy. I...

--would like to get into jewelry making as a possible profession (second career) but don't know where to start. i have looked into a few schools but it's very difficult to assess which ones are good or bad. On the whole, they all seem to be quite costly so I'd like to be sure I'm not wasting my...

For purposes of a ring I want to have made, I'd like to purchase a nice fire agate that would finish into a square stone about 9/16" across. A local gem store has some round stones for about $30, but I'd like to pay more for a really nice example with no dead spots in it. I have no jewelry making...

Hi, first my gloats.....I'm about to move up another notch by getting a smith little torch (windfall), and I got another secondhand book for $6 - published in 1965 in uk, but quite good. My questions. I'm thinking about a design which will use enamel to form a red peice to be soldered into a...

I asked about this a while back and nothing seemed to pan out. I am looking for some one who can make a Makers Mark metal stamp for my studios. Anyone out there have a source? Thanks, Jerry

Hi folks! For a while now I've wanted to make some simple little shapes out of plastic, and some google searches have turned up the idea of using an 'acrylic resin' (or other sort of plastic resin) My problem is, I can't find anywhere to purchase the stuff. Most things I've read say to find it at...

I was just handed an 18" x ~12" platter that has seen better days. The back is marked thusly: http://h00050207be9f.ne.client2.attbi.com/metal/silverplatter.jpg (22k) It _feels_ like sliver and certainly looks the part, but it's not marked 'sterling'. There are a couple of deep scratches in it that...

I need to make bronze wire, but I do not have easy access to premade bronze alloys. If someone has the composition for bronze that I can cast to make bars and draw wires out of, I would appreciate receiving the fromulas. I need a reddish yellow color of bronze. Thanks

I am working on some earrings that are made of oxidized copper sheet - longish, thin triangles, melted around the edges and formed into a spiral with the widest part near the top. I have several sizes of dark freshwater pearls and want to attach a small one at the narrow bottom point and a large...

Hello, Im looking for people to help critique a new website that I have created to sell crafts for my mom... http://www.beadnit.com I have been posting in several newsgroups and gotten some great feedback and I have been implementing changes around the clock... Please feel free to post any...

Hi, Can you all help a newbie? I'm a professional lampworker and fun-time beader with a serious jewelry question. I have a problem. My grandmother's champagne pearl necklace needs reknotting and I want to have it done professionally by a friend of mine who doesn't stock findings. There's a box...

I'd have a couple of questions regarding oksidized silver. 1. Since oksidized silver is already tarnished, does the part that isn't oksidized tarnish more easily, because it's surrounded with tarnished surfaces? 2. Is silver which is decoratively oksidized, harder to "clean" when tarnishing...

I am looking for the smooth, grey wheels that Swest used to carry prior to the Stuller buyout. These wheels were marketed as useful for polishing anything from metal to stone and are used on a flexshaft. I have found that nothing compares to them but can't find them anymore. Any clues? chris

Hello, In 1998 I got a ring at a small gift shop at the mall called "Fire and Ice" as a gift from my mom (not sure if any of you have heard of it, but I think it closed down). Anyways, it's a sterling silver (has a ..925 engraved inside the band) oval peridot split shank band ring. It's awesome...

Hi, I'm starting out and need to buy a torch for general metal work (I'm considering a primus Propane torch with swappable tips) Ideally I'd like to be able to use the torch for soldering and work in basic jewellery as well as my own engineering tasks like annealing and tempering. I've seen the...

Well, it's mostly all gone and here is how it was spent: Smith Little Torch, tips, regulators, etc. Acetylene/Oxygen tanks (full) Hoses etc. Just the above was almost 500.00 :( Also purchased:

My wife is looking for a cement to reattach lose stones to metal settings on costume jewellery. She's read of "watchmaker's cement" but the local jeweller and model shop haven't heard of it. Could someone please tell me what sort of substance this is and where I might find it in the UK. Thanks.

A question about vacuum casting. Is it possible to have too much vacuum capacity applied to the bottom of a small flask? Being a hobbiest and a dabbler, I don't really have the 'normal' commercial equipment specific to the casting process. I'm using a Welch belt driven vacuum pump left over from...