Hello again, so a few months back I posted some tips and tricks for those looking to getting into jewellery making. I have had some good feedback, so I thought I would share something I came across today. An amazing article on basic metalworking tools for beginners.
First let me introduce my source - this is an amazing go to source for anyone in the jewellery industry, beginner, intermediate and the like. Ganoksin ( pronounced Ganok -sin, This is a word of Thai origin which refers to Ganok a specific type of traditional motif in drawings and gold, and sin - art in the spiritual form)
I highly recommend you consider signing up! Ganoksin is the World's Largest Community of Jewelry Makers with articles, discussions, videos, training and so much more. They have been proudly educating the world's jewelers since 1996.
I could go on...they offer so much, and for so little. But back to the reason for this post. Here is the article Ganoksin shared today!
I suggest you take a look at these sections - the information is so on point:
Suggested Reading For Beginners In Jewelry Making
There are numerous books one can start with depending upon the level of jewelry making skills one aspires to, Theory and Practice of Goldsmithing by Prof. Brepohl and Tim McCreight’s the Complete Metalsmith are excellent as are many others that one can find at the library. Your local lapidary club will often offer introductory classes in basic jewelry making far more cheaply than any other route to learning.
Ganoksin is sponsored by
An approach which is less hobby oriented and more of a professional pretraining is to use Alan Revere’s Professional Goldsmithing book as a text and go through it step by step, taking no account of time spent, just concentrating on doing the best and most accurate job you can. If you go through the projects in sequence and as carefully as possible one would get a pretty good basic training. Revere’s video series is also good for those wanting slow, real time step by step tutoring on projects-you could set up the DVD and (starting and stopping a bit) go through building the items shown.
Creating Your First Workspace
In any case the tools listed below should be readily obtainable and affordable. You don’t have to have the best to start out with. If you want to by all means go all out in purchasing equipment but the tools mentioned will get you rolling without breaking the bank. I am a firm believer in fleas markets, second hand stores and lapidary clubs as sources for used tools. Keep a tidy work place and organize from the start to make your life easy.
“Keep a tidy work place and organize from the start to make your life easy.”
You could begin by using an ordinary table (if you use your kitchen remember to clean up and not mix food and metal working dusts and residues!). If you want to set up a special place in your house for jewellery working you will need a sturdy bench or table to work at and a good desk lamp over your work place. The ventilation is needed primarily for soldering and pickling. If you use an alum or vinegar pickle for cleaning metals after soldering they put out far less noxious fumes than the normal jewellers pickling cleaning solutions.
Chat soon,
Caroline Andrews
www.sunlinemetalz.com
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