[Ganoksin] [Issue #136] Tips From The Jeweler's Bench

The Ganoksin Project
S i n c e 1 9 9 6
Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Techniques
http://www.ganoksin.com

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"Orchid in Print" Book Series
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The first Orchid in Print publication on "Making the Most of Your
Flex-Shaft" can be ordered as a special Pre-Publication Discount of
Over 30% for $24.95.

The book is a collaboration between The Ganoksin Project and MJSA/AJM
Press.

Prime Sponsor: Rio Grande.
Patrons: Foredom Electric Co. and 3M Inc.

http://www.ganoksin.com/pr/flexible-shaft-pre.htm

The first volume in the "Orchid in Print" series on basic bench
practices, this book provides bench tips for the flex-shaft that will
fuel your creativity and take your fabrication skills to the next
level.
Topics include:

- Common Flex-Shaft Systems
- Choosing the Proper Motor & Foot Pedal
- Choosing the Proper Handpiece
- Choosing the Proper Bur
- Cutting: Drills & Discs
- Abrasives & Grinding Wheels
- Finishing
- Safe & Efficient Procedures
- Beyond the Bench: Tips from the Orchid Library

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Buy now for only $24.95 (plus $5 shipping and handling).

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In This Edition:

1. Found Objects - Experimental Jewelry from Senegal
2. Tanzania Mining, Interrupted
3. Stone Setting Considerations - Part 1
4. Pitch Bowls and Alternatives for Jewelers
5. Making Carrick Mat Knot; a Three-lead Four-bight Turk's-head
6. Product Testing - X1 White Gold
7. Product Testing - Platinum-enhanced Gold

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In This Edition of Tips From The Jeweler's Bench
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm

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1. Found Objects - Experimental Jewelry from Senegal
By Peter Henselder

Experimentelles Schmuck design (Experimental Jewelry Design) is the
name of a project implemented by the Berlin-based painter and goldsmith
Werner Reister in collaboration with the Goethe Institut in Dakar (West
Africa). No one dreamed of the eventual developments stemming from the
German/Senegalese project, the results of which reached the stronghold
of current arts and crafts, the Arts & Crafts Pavilion at the Ambiente
fair held in Frankfurt. The workshop turns out works that are
impressive for their innovation and creativity....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...an-jewelry.htm

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2. Tanzania Mining, Interrupted
By Hamza Kondo

While a worldwide shortage in gem rough sends prices spiralling upward,
gem deposits in Africa are lying unworked, or underworked, due to lack
of development funds. A prime example of the problem is northern
Tanzania -- including the well-known tanzanite mines at Merelani....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...ania-mines.htm

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3. Stone Setting Considerations - Part 1
By Michael David Sturlin

One of the most challenging and technically difficult of the activities
involved in the creation of jewelry is the setting of gemstones.
Setting the gemstones is often the final step in the entire process of
making a piece of jewelry. Not only is this procedure exacting and
critical in its application, it is also both taxing and stressful to
the body and mind of the setter....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...tting-cons.htm

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4. Pitch Bowls and Alternatives for Jewelers
By Charles Lewton-Brain

Chasing and repousse is carried out on various surfaces using steel
punches to strike and manipulate sheet metal or cast objects. Flat
pattern chasing or stamping sheet metal can be done on an anvil, or the
bottom of an old iron which makes an excellent surface to strike on.
Sometimes thin double-sided carpet tape works well to stick a piece of
metal onto a flat surface for stamping or chasing like this. Most
chasing and repousse however has more dimensional relief than flat
chasing and is often done with the metal fixed onto pitch. Various
pitch types and hardnesses are available from m ost tool suppliers....


Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/jeweler-pitch.htm

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5. Making Carrick Mat Knot; a Three-lead Four-bight Turk's-head
By Loren S. Damewood

Step by Step Tutorial - Making Three-lead Four-bight Turk's-head. The
Turk's-Head is a general class of three-dimensional knot that lends
itself well to decorative uses. Materials required: 18ga Silver wire...


Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...k_mat_knot.htm

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6. Product Testing - X1 White Gold
By Linus Drogs

When it comes to white gold, my customers want the brightest, whitest
white they can get -- and some are not willing to pay the premium
prices palladium can command. So where do manufacturers turn for a
bright white alloy that doesn ot require rhodium plating? Stuller Inc.
in Lafayette, Louisiana, may be the place. When I first saw the new X1
nickel-white gold alloy, which falls into the Grade 1 category of the
White Gold Whiteness Index, I was impressed by its color. But the true
question was how it would perform in my casting shop....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...gold-alloy.htm

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7. Product Testing - Platinum-enhanced Gold
By Mike Binnion

Following the release of its Sterling with Platinum alloy, ABI Precious
Metals in Carson, California, has developed yellow gold alloys that
contain platinum. Having had success casting the Sterling with
Platinum, we were curious to see how the new yellow gold alloys
measured up. ABI sent us three samples of Platinum-enhanced Gold
casting grain: 14k, 18k, and 22k. We tested the metal to see how it
would perform under real shop conditions, and if the addition of
platinum in the alloy made the metal different to work with than
typical yellow gold alloys....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...anced-gold.htm

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Put an Orchid on your Bench

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forums at http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid

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