Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist – September 2019

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Big Finish

— from the small but mighty JoolTool by Jeff Fulkerson

FOR THE

METALSMITH

YOU CAN GRIND METAL and

stones, polish stones, metal,

enamel, glass, polymer clay, and

even polish your hammer faces

all with one compact, powerful

piece of equipment: the

JoolTool. Here’s what I’ve been

doing with mine lately.

Kitchen Table Lapidary

I cut a lot of small cabochons for

stone-on-stone work, and the

JoolTool makes quick work of

them (photo 1). From roughing

out your shape to w nal polish,

you’re going to love the results.

If you have only cut stones

on an arbor, there is a slight

learning curve, but after the

w rst stone, you’ll have the hang

of it. All of the rules of cutting

cabs apply to the JoolTool. The

difference is that, because of the

spoked disks, it’s easier to see

your stone while you’re working

on it (photo 2). I recommend

using a shorter dop stick, maybe

1½" long for small stones,

so it doesn’t get in the way

(photo 3). For larger stones, you

don’t even need a dop.

The greatest advantage of

using the JoolTool for lapidary

is the small footprint. You

always hear about kitchen table

soldering; well now you can

have kitchen table lapidary! And

cleanup is simple; just dump the

small water tray and wipe off the

inside of your machine.

Metal Cleanup Plus

The next thing I’ve been using

the JoolTool for is cleaning up

scratches in either new pieces

I’m working on or old pieces

that have seen a little too much

wear and tear (photo 4). If you

hate to w le or have casting

sprues to remove, start with

the purple ceramic disk — but

be careful! This bad boy really

can take off a lot of metal in a

hurry.

If you need to smooth out

scratches or remove w re scale,

start with the Scotchbrite EXL

disk (photo 5). It’s a wizard at

cleaning up your jewelry. For

the w nal high polish, follow up

with the felt disk and Anie’s

polishing compound (photo 6).

There are a lot of add-ons/

accessories you can get for

your JoolTool, and I want to

mention just a few. If you’re

cramped for space, you can

get a y ex shaft attachment.

There is also a dust collector

that is really great if you’re

using your JoolTool in your

kitchen. There are also a

number of disk sets for speciw c

applications like metal clay.

All in all, the JoolTool really

lives up to its nickname

“workshop-in-a-box.”

The JoolTool and accessories are

available at http://www.w remountain

gems.com.

Enter the Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Sweepstakes for a chance to win a

JoolTool set and more!

A $500+ value at

http://www.interweave.com/fi re-mountain-gems-beads

-giveaway-2019/

August 16 - September 16, 2019

JEFF FULKERSON has been creating imaginative jewelry for 30+ years

and has taught at museums, schools, and events. The award-winning

silversmith has studied with such Native American greats as Richard Tsosie,

Jesse Monongye, and Michael Cheatham. Noted for his meticulous execu-

tion and attention to detail, Jeff loves the creative process of seeing his

ideas take shape and come to life. See more of his work at http://www.alden

jeffries design.com.

PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2

PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4

PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6

18 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST