Dear Orchidians.
I am wondering if any of you can point me to a comprehensive book on
how to get the best use out of a rolling mill, the care and feeding
thereof etc. I purchased one (at last!) about 6 months ago - still
haven’t unpacked the little darling from its box. It is a relatively
inexpensive one, hand-cranked (I am strong!) and I don’t anticipate
doing any high volume or heavy duty work. I am merely a cheerful
amateur metal/jewelry worker for the last 50 years and my one-and-
only experience with a rolling mill was when I took a single
jewelry- making course in Providence, R.I. about 45 years ago. I made
and rolled out some mokume billets and was thrilled by the
experience. Anyway, here I am all these years later and thought it’s
about time to make a better acquaintance with this kind of useful
machine. I’ve been a bit distracted building a 400 sq ft studio for
my wife this past summer and fall. I expect to be distracted a bit
longer while finishing my three half-built boats this winter. Too
many irons in the fire?? Maybe. Anyway, that’s why the durned mill is
still in its box. But I can hear it grumbling around inside there,
making demands to come out and play with the other tools. Sooner or
later I’ll have to give in. I keep looking at those ads for the book
about “How to get the most out of your flex shaft” and wondering if
there isn’t a similar compendium or gathering-together of rolling
mill-ology. Any ideas? Of course, I do pick up dozens of tips from
the Orchid postings - all very interesting and useful. I am endlessly
grateful for the knowledge generously shared on this and other
subjects. And I have seen some info also, included more or less in
passing in various jewelry making books - but an organized,
dedicated, focused treatise on the little roly-poly would be a great
thing to have. Any ideas?
Thanks very much.
Marty in Victoria, BC - where rolling is a way of life, but mostly
it’s old folks rolling about in electric scooters and best stay out
of their way!