3D printed tools?

Jewelry Discussion
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Do any of you use your 3D printer to make jewelers tools? I’m curious if I can make more useful items for the bench.

I’m currently designing a camera dolly that will ride on a curved track over the bench to make interesting video for social media and that’s fun.

I have a fdm printer (opposed to resin) so it’s not super high resolution but good for quick models with less detail.

Cheers!

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Hi Brennan,
Here are a few lapidary templates that I’ve printed using an FDM printer. It works well for this but other types of material and a different print format like nylon or carbon fiber could be very durable.
With 3d printing you can manufacture just about anything you can dream up.

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Hi,

if i had one, i would make tool holders! (i was looking for holders for my grs qc graver collets…ended up ordering wood ones from a far away country… thought the 1/4” holes (for drill bits) would fit but the were a bit too tight…i had to open n up a bit…was a drag!) needed metric drills…

and maybe a set of vise jaws that would hold a tapered mandrel firmly when whacking down on a horizontal mandrel…or tapping down on a vertical mandrel (for both ring and bezel mandrels…

and maybe something that would clamp a mandrel on a downward angle…(wing nuts come to mind!…)…above the bench top edge…and still screw into a dovetail mount…

holding mandrels for whacking would be on the top 5 list…

and flexshaft handpiece holder(s) to attach to the bench edge…or at least restrain the hanging flexshaft cord…

i wonder if those lapudary templates would work in a press?

julie

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Love it. Great idea.

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Send me a message if you ever want to collaborate and I’ll model/design with you and then print and send to you. We can share with the community the files.

Love these ideas

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I’ve wondered about making dies for a press . There isn’t any reason that couldn’t be done, I made quite a few for a press based on Susan Kingsley’s and was casting them in bronze. All were hand carved and rubber molded etc
I still have the dies and once in a while run across them . Really sky’s the limit as to what can be done.
Printing technology is just another tool in our bench

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I 3D FDM printed some holders for my GRS tools. Had the official GRS round holder for years but never liked it. Made the holes a little loose so the tools drop in easily. Could also be printed resin ABS on an inexpensive Anycubic or Elegoo printer.
Dave
Erikjewelers.com
graverstand1

graverstand2
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Love that

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Hi,

yessss! love those! in colors for profiles! flat,round, onglette, “V”, burnishers and points

and! where can i get that cute little saw frame?

Julie

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That is the “Anderson Miniature Sawframe” I designed it a number of years ago. (posted about it in Orchid but didn’t get much response) I supply it to a number of tool distributers, like Stuller, Rio , Otto Frei etc.The one in the picture has a strip of abrasive for cleanup. I first made it to touch up delicate setting, if you need a little more space under a stone or prong to level it or make the prong fit better. Usually use an 8/0 blade. Just for delicate work. 90% of the time I use a regular sawframe.

The red on the collet expander on the engraving ball is another FDM print.

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I use a line-loc arm to hold my iPhone for watching videos and recording at the bench but I’m curious if I can 3D print more links so that’s what’s on the printer right now.