Appendices
Appendices
Appendices
TERMS DEFINITIONS
Appendix B
ESSENTIAL TOOLS:
Wire: Copper, brass, stainless steel, etc.
This will be the wire that goes through the bead. Straightened with nylon-jawed flat nose pliers.
Use round nose pliers to make a loop at the end of the wire.
Caged Bead Instructions
Bend at the halfway point to have both centers of the swirls aligned.
Grab a straight piece of wire and make a loop at one end.
Place the bead inside the caged wire.
Appendix C
Asilversmith'sworkcanonlybeasgoodastheconditionofhis/hertools.Itstandstoreason,then,that
toolsshouldnotberegardedlightly.Greatcareshouldbetakeninchoosingyourpurchaseandin
maintainingtheircondition.
Observingtolerance.Chooseyourtoolsforthespecificreasontheyweremadeandneverusethem
beyondtheirtolerancelevel.Inotherwords,donotuseyourpliersinsituationsthatrequiremore
pressurethanthetoolcanhandle.
Comfortablehandling.Holdthepliersinyourhandandfeelhowitfitsintoyourpalm.Thisshouldbe
comfortabletothesizeofyourhands.Apersonwithbighandswillfinditawkwardworkingwith
short-handledpliers.Anoptiontoconsideristoolswithplastic-dippedhandles.Thesecanprovide
comfortableworkforhours.
Tensionsprings.Mostpliersaredesignedwithadouble-orsingle-leaftensionspring.Therearepliers
availablewithoutsprings;however,excellenttraininggoesalongwayintheproperhandlingofsuch
tools.Forthoseunfamiliarwiththecorrectwaytoholdspringlesspliers,springswilladdergonomic
comfortandresistancecontroltotheirpliers.
Precisiontips.Ensurethatthejawsofthepliersmeetpreciselyandevenly,andgripandholdanobject
securely.Somepliersaredesignedwithparallel-actionjaws.Suchplierswillcontinuetoholdanobject,
evenaroundone,securelyunderincreasingpressurewithoutlettingitslipforwards.Anotherdesignis
ofplierswithonesmoothsteeljawandoneflatnylon-coveredjaw.Thisisanadditionalprecautionfor
avoidingmarringmetalwhenforming,however,itisnotessential.
Jawlength.Short-nosedpliersaremoresuitabletoworkingonasmallscale.Long-nosedpliersare
moresuitabletobendingsilversheet,asthelongerthenose,thegreaterthereachandthelongerthe
bend.
Tipsize.Plierscomeindifferenttipsizes.Considertheslimlinefine-tippedpliersfordelicate,detailed
workthatcannotbedonewiththeheavier,widertipsizemoresuitabletofabricatingandrepairing.
Pliersmetal.Therearetwooptionsavailable,stainlesssteelandhardenedtoolsteelpliers.Stainless
steelisrustresistant,offeringareasonablebenchlife.However,thesurfaceconditionofthenosehas
tobemonitoredandmaintainedasneededasitwilleventuallystartshowingnicks.Stainlesssteel
plierscannotbeforged.
Hardenedtoolsteelisthepreferredmetalforpliersasitisthehardest,strongest,andlongest-lasting
materialforpliers.Thesepliersareforgedfordurability.Workdonewiththesepliersrequiresless
finishingasthenoseisnotpronetonickingwithnormaluse,thereforeproducingcleanerwork.A
majordrawback,though,isthatthehardenedtoolsteelpliersarepronetorusting.However,taking
goodcareofyourpliers,notexposingthemtomoisture,keepingthemlubricated,andwipingthem
occasionallywitharustinhibitorlikeCosmolineorWD-40,candealwiththisproblem.
Tipsoncaringforyourtools:Beforeusingbrandnewtoolsforthefirsttime,agoodprecautionisto
preparethetoolsfirst.Thisisdonebyusingafinesandingsticktosoftentheedgesofthepliers'nose.
Asecondstepistoshineupthesurfaceofthenosethatwillbemakingcontactwiththejewelrymetal.
Thereasonforthesetwoimportantstepsistoensurethatnewtoolsdonotaccidentallyleavemarks
onthesilverduringthefabricationprocess.LizKuhn,G.G.
- https://www.interweave.com/article/jewelry/jewelry-tools-are-your-friends-choosing-and-caring-f
or-your-pliers/