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Just posting about last weekends show and some great tools I have been using lately. The show was good. Nice to see other artists and get out of the snow bank and socialize a little. It’s been a long winter for everyone. The above tool is a ring clamp and is part of GRS jewelry tools that are interchangeable in a bracket that bolts to a table or the front of your bench. I got an entire GRS system from a jeweler that passed away last year. It’s been awesome. This ring vise will turn in any direction and you can lock it in so you can hammer away in any position with any thing moving. It really makes stone setting precise.

If you look at the top of this ring vise… do you see the huge grooves??? What the heck was this guy using to take huge 1mm or more grooves out of a hunk of steel. Even engraving would not be this rigorous??? I don’t know what he was working on to ruin the face of this tool like this. I will probably end up replacing the head of this tool soon. If you have been thinking about one of these you won’t be disappointed. It’s a better tool than I ever thought.

Pepe Tools Super ring bender…. This tool bends material effortlessly, even white gold and does not leave a single mark on it. I have it clamped in a vise on my bench which it comes with an attachment to do just that or you can bolt it down to your table top if you have a designated space for it and don’t want to move it out of your way. It comes with several attachments that make rings in different sizes and 90 degree bends. It also comes with nylon inserts for very fragile things.

Best yet… Kate Wolf Belt Sander

It’s a belt sander what can I say? Well, it’s great. Great time saver and makes flat perfect surfaces in a snap. Clean up anything in just a second and don’t wear your hands out filing or emery papering… This belt sander fits on a flex shaft and has several grits available for the sanding belt. It moves and stays put in any position. You can use the round parts of the rollers for curves or the nice flat surface on top for flat piece of metal. I have loved it! It do keep it on it’s own flex shaft because I use it every other minute and would not want to be changing it out all the time.

Love it Love it Love it…

Art show set up…

Branches Earrings… I made a pair of these for myself that are 5 inches long… hee hee they are fun! You can have them in any length you want though.

Link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/181520565/sterling-silver-branches-post-earring

Had a customer purchase these as a set… I chuckled… never intended them as a set and did not even realized how nicely they went together. I made the necklace a while ago and the earrings just this last week. Thanks customer for having a good eye. They are beautiful together.

Hope you enjoyed the tool update… All of the tools have great YouTube Videos that you can easily search. Melissa Muir does an excellent job with that so check out her videos. My next tool is some urethan hammers… they are amazing and I can’t wait for them to arrive. The urethan forms around the metal. HUGE Tool purchase…. Durston shears, ouch on the price tag but it’s time. The Durston shears cuts non-ferrous metal 4mm thick. I can’t imagine that. I have a little shears. It is great with 20G, 22G, 24G and ok with 18G and sort of ok with 16G but it has a 4 inch opening. I am ready for a 12 inch opening and to cut ring shanks perfect with a pull. Pepe tools big shears only cuts 2mm thick material and I have used that shear at Peninsula School of Art and love that… CANT WAIT!!!!!! to get it. It weighs a lot and it’s big but I will find a spot for it. Let you know how it is when it’s here. My little shop is at it’s brim.