Monday, May 7, 2012

EtsyMetal Blog Carnival - May 2012, Unconventional Tool

It's EtsyMetal's Blog Carnival again.  The team chooses one topic that we would write about for the first Monday of the month.  This month's topic is "The Unconventional Tool", tool(s) that I either made myself, items that were not intended to be used by a metalsmith, tell about it and describe/show the results my special tool(s) give in my creative process!


I got this little plastic disc, about 1 inch in diameter, from our local plastic shop.  I found it in the scrap bin where they discard pieces that are broken, odd ball sizes, or unpopular items.  Someone's trash is another's treasure, right?  Well, let me tell you, I can't live without it when making a bezel setting.

Before, I tried using a bezel rocker to push the bezel wall onto the cabochon. Because it is made of steel, the bezel rocker would leave marks on the thin, soft fine silver bezel.  I would have to sand it down so thin that sometimes I wonder if the bezel wire would develop a hole, showing through to the stone.


I use this plastic disc to pull or push the soft fine silver onto the cabochon without marring my bezels anymore.  Being 1 inch round, it is small, handy, and easy to maneuver.  The best part is, it is FREE - totally within my budget.  =]

See what my other teammates have to say about this topic:
1. Mary Anne Karren - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/
2. Laney Clark ~ http://silentgoddess.blogspot.com
3. Beth Cyr - http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com
4. Inbar Bareket - http://www.inbarbareket.info/blog
5. 2Roses - http://www.jewelrytutorial.blogspot.com