HELEN DRIGGS is Jewelry Features Manager for Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist and an experienced metalsmith
and teacher. Follow her blog: materialsmithing.wordpress.com; Instagram feed: hdriggs_fabricationista; and
Twitter feed: @fabricationista for more jewelry-related fun.
bench, too, because it took less
room in my suitcase getting it
there), but I use the TX more.
Either way, Foredom fl ex shafts
are another jewelry making
staple, and when you go pro,
any model makes a great
addition to your bench.
MORE AT WWW.RIOGRANDE.COM
Moore’s Sanding Discs
Sounds silly I know, but I can’t
imagine life before these discs.
It’s all Michael Boyd’s fault.
During my apprenticeship with him, I tried
these discs for the fi rst time, and well, the rest
is history. Snap on, snap off. Use either side
on the special square mandrel to push or pull;
they are fl exible, come in several grits, two
size diameters, on Mylar or paper, and if you
are really, really lucky, you might even fi nd the
fl ocked ones you can use in combination with
rouge, white diamond, or Tripoli cutting and
polishing compounds. Be still my heart.
MORE AT WWW.RIOGRANDE.COM
Smith® Acetylene
and Air Torch
When I bought this
soldering setup
almost 10 years
ago, I literally
went weak
in the knees.
It’s a fabulous
torch, useful for
nearly any work
like annealing
and soldering, and
if you purchase the
entire range of additional
tips, there isn’t too much you
can’t do. It’s fast, economical,
hits about 4,770°F, and my setup includes a
B-tank and dual-gauge regulator plus a 10 ft.
hose. I’ve used it steadily and nearly daily in
my home studio for almost a decade, and I
also recently added the dual gas Smith Little
torch to the soldering station for precision
tasks with precious metals. I’ve never used a
butane torch for soldering my work; instead
I went right out for the big guns and have
never regretted it once.
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LEARN MORE FROM
HELEN DRIGGS- Metalsmith Essentials: Basic
Fabrication (DVD)
http://www.bitly.com/
DriggsBasicFabri - The Jewelry Maker’s Field
Guide (Book)
http://www.bitly.com/
DriggsBuyMyBook
Genie Gem Maker
Diamond Pacifi c’s Genie changed me forever.
From the fi rst second I touched a stone
to the fi rst wheel, I was hooked and have
cut my own ever since. I own both a Genie
and an Xpert, and I dearly love them both.
Sometimes, for me, cutting rock tips the
enjoyability scale against metalwork because
it is just so darn fun. With the lapidary, there
is less fuss, less chance for error, you get the
treasure hunt factor, and OMG can you save
some green when you cut your own stone.
Not to say I don’t love metal, so don’t get
me wrong — it just has the potential to be
fussy. Lapidary work gives me a break
from that — kind of like an island of
paradise in the studio, instead of my
studio on an island paradise. Anyway,
Genie. Get one.
MORE AT WWW.DIAMONDPACIFIC.COMCOMING NEXT TIME...
Wire Tools: Jigs, Drawplates
and PliersJanuary/February 2016^17