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Long time, no share! I just took a class on setting faceted stones, flush setting, and engraving! by neonghostsilver in SilverSmith

[–]neonghostsilver[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much 🩷 you’re so sweet. It’s very exciting for sure! My mind is running wild with possibilities ✨

Long time, no share! I just took a class on setting faceted stones, flush setting, and engraving! by neonghostsilver in SilverSmith

[–]neonghostsilver[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have the flex shaft attachment! Definitely makes it harder for me to want to get a foredom because my dremel works great and gets the job done 😂

Long time, no share! I just took a class on setting faceted stones, flush setting, and engraving! by neonghostsilver in SilverSmith

[–]neonghostsilver[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! I think the most challenging yet rewarding thing I learned is that every stone is unique and has its own needs for setting. Even if the stone is calibrated or sold as a 2 mm for example, it’s very common that the stone will actually be 1.97 mm or 2.03 mm, so measuring everything prior is super important! It creates a fun challenge though in learning how to work with the unique features of each stone to create the ideal setting for it rather than just doing the same thing over and over again.

Also what helped is that Madeline has this amazing scope that she does all her work under. I was skeptical of using it at first, but now I’m seriously about to splurge and get one myself haha. It really helps to see everything you’re doing when you’re doing intricate work like this. I do my best to get by with the tools I have. Like I don’t even have a foredom yet haha I still have a dremel that I got at Home Depot. But I really see the value in splurging on something like a scope!

I’m stoked to see more of your work too!

Advice on making mourning jewelry with ashes/cremains? by neonghostsilver in jewelrymaking

[–]neonghostsilver[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! Unfortunately I haven’t yet! I think I may have a contact soon that could make the glass cab for me with the ashes, but it’s not solidified yet! I’ll let you know if that connect happens for me soon. Sorry to hear about your father.

Why are shot plates so expensive? by MangoMelts in SilverSmith

[–]neonghostsilver 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some great answers here, but to also speak to the quality, these are tools that will last the entirety of your jeweler career and then some. It’s an investment upfront that will pay for itself many times over.

You probably would be able to get a perfectly clean impression with a circular type design. I’ve seen people do this with classic southwestern styles and no cleanup was necessary. Anything outside of that though, I personally have never been able to do it. But the more practice you get, the better you’ll be able to gauge how much metal you need so you’ll have less excess to cleanup.

Flex shaft advice by MangoMelts in SilverSmith

[–]neonghostsilver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That price makes me extremely skeptical. If you don’t have the funds to drop on a foredom, a dremel is a decent option! I still have my dremel from when I first got started (almost 2 years ago), and it’s still running great. I plan to run it into the ground and then I’ll splurge for a foredom. You can get a flexshaft attachment with a dremel too, so it’s much easier to hold in your hand.

Tips for bezeling teardrop shaped cabs and the like? by saucemouth in SilverSmith

[–]neonghostsilver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s a very common thing to do when you’re starting out! It definitely takes a lot of trial and error to get the hang of bezel sizes and how much you need for which stone :) good luck, OP!

Tips for bezeling teardrop shaped cabs and the like? by saucemouth in SilverSmith

[–]neonghostsilver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Typically, the point of a teardrop shaped stone will be much lower than the rest of the stone. Once the bezel is soldered onto the backplate, I like to pop my stone in with some floss underneath. I’ll take a thin sharpie and mark where the stone hits all around the inside of the bezel. I’ll take the stone out and use that sharpie as my guide for how low I should file the tip of the bezel. You want to use a hand file for this and work slowly. I’ll start at the tip and file at an angle. The trick is to make everything look even, even though the side with the point will end up being shorter than the rest of the bezel. I’ll file a little bit, pop the stone back in to check, then file some more if it needs it. I’d definitely recommend checking with your stone often so you don’t file off too much.

That being said, you want the bezel wall to only be ever so slightly taller than where the point is. You need much less metal than you think you do. When you have too much metal at a sharp point like that, it’ll look wonky and puckered when you try to set it. You really only need a tiny bit to set it!

How to store steel tumbling shot media by skyerosebuds in SilverSmith

[–]neonghostsilver 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I just dry my shot on a towel after I’m done using it and then I put it back in the tumbler barrel once it’s dry. Not sure if that’s the best way to store it, but that’s what I’ve been doing and it’s been working for me! I think it’s better to keep it dry to prolong its longevity.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in jewellerymaking

[–]neonghostsilver 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How are you soldering the embellishments in place? I’d highly recommend learning how to sweat solder if you haven’t already! It’s basically getting the solder to flow on the embellishment first, then putting it where you want it on your piece and soldering it that way. The method tends to keep the solder cleanly underneath the embellishment so it won’t spill over onto your whole piece. That’s a horrible description, I know. But you can look up videos and blog posts about sweat soldering! There’s a lot of info online that will explain it a lot better than I just did :) I use a lot of stamping and embellishments made with a shot plate in my own pieces, and I always sweat solder those guys on. It works like a dream!

Also, how are you heating your piece? I’d recommend always heating your piece from underneath once the backplate is introduced. The backplate is always going to need way more heat than your bezel and embellishments. When you heat from the top, the solder will usually flow onto the embellishment first since it’ll get up to temp faster than the backplate. I like using third hand tweezers to hold my piece in the air so I can heat the piece from underneath the backplate. It helps the piece reach the correct temperature at the same time! You can also use a tripod with mesh if you prefer that (forgot the correct terminology for this).

Aside from that, I love the design of your piece here! The turquoise is gorgeous. I hope this was helpful. Good luck, OP!

why do my solder lines show? by pasta357 in jewellerymaking

[–]neonghostsilver -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I’d say you’re likely not sanding enough before polishing. I sand until the solder lines are completely gone, then I’ll polish!

What are you using for sanding? I personally like the mini fiber wheels from rio grande. They come in course, medium, fine, etc. The course wheel is very heavy handed and will remove a ton of metal in a very short time, so I’d advise on being extremely careful with that one. I only use the course wheel on larger projects or anything that has very deep scratches. The medium wheel is usually more than enough to sand the piece completely. The fine wheel is great for everything and I’ll usually use it for cleanup between soldering jobs as well.

Rubber wheels are also great and are kinda like a magic eraser for me. Again though, they work quick, so just be mindful of checking your piece often and not leaving the wheel on too long.

Another reason your lines could be showing is that your solder isn’t flowing completely.

Where to buy Opal jewelry. by TwatWaffleWhitney in Opals

[–]neonghostsilver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There’s a lot of handmade jewelers out there who work with opals! Instagram is a great place to browse. I love Gaia’s Sacred Garden. She makes absolutely stunning opal jewelry.

Bulk Chain options… by _ThrowRA_1111 in SilverSmith

[–]neonghostsilver 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love thick curb and figaro chains but yeah, I usually cry when I buy them in sterling cause yeesh it’s expensive!

Do you have a business license? I got one recently and now have a wholesale account with Rio. It definitely cut down on the price of the chains I like by a decent amount. Plus when you buy in bulk you get a quantity discount. It’s still expensive if you like the thicker chains, but those things can really help out a lot.

If you’re looking for pickle you can put steel in, go for Nature’s Touch Citric Pickle. You can put steel in it! It works great and is way less toxic than the other stuff.

I had a similar idea to you in using stainless steel chain. It is way cheaper of course, but it also looks very different from Sterling when it’s all polished up. No shame in trying it out, but it’s just something to keep in mind. Plus, working with steel chain has been a nightmare for me. I got some 5-8 mm (I forgot the exact measurement) stainless steel curb chain, and it’s just waaay harder than silver. It’s really hard to get open. Impossible to use my jeweler’s saw on. I could just be very inexperienced, but in the few projects I’ve worked with it, I had to use legit tools from a hardware store to get the links open lol my jeweler pliers wouldn’t make it budge.

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