Hi Orchid members,
anyone has quick tips for building from zero a leverback earring
clasp/closure? i love them so much but it seems to me so difficult to
build them… thank you so much!
ciao
micaela
Micaela- I have built lever backs from scratch out of platinum in
the old days before we could get them pre made. It’s a PIA but
doable. I took apart an old silver one and used that as a template.
Given a choice I’ll take the pre made die struck ones any day. For
the amount that we charge for our labor, it’s not cost effective for
us to make them from scratch.
Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
Jo Haemer
www.timothywgreen.com
anyone has quick tips for building from zero a leverback earringclasp/closure?
My most profound apologies to the OP, but that’s just plain nuts.
Assuming it is silver - Stuller #28386 is $14.82. Struggling to make
such a thing out of some sort of pride is how hobbyists remain
hobbyists. Work smarter.
My most profound apologies to the OP, but that's just plain nuts. Assuming it is silver - Stuller #28386 is $14.82. Struggling to make such a thing out of some sort of pride is how hobbyists remain hobbyists. Work smarter.
Stuller has one, 22698, for $2.67, CGM findings has one for
$1.52…
Richard Hart G.G.
Denver, Co.
I was taught to hand make jewellery and holloware from a brilliant
craftsman. He did however tell his students ‘Do not try and compete
with a machine.’ Buy the lever backs and save yourself time and
money.
Richard
I was taught to hand make jewellery and holloware from a brilliant craftsman. He did however tell his students 'Do not try and compete with a machine.' Buy the lever backs and save yourself time and money.
I would agree with the above if there would be many sizes available.
But there isn’t. Besides, the quality of machine made stuff is poor.
So if non-standard size is required there are simply no choice but to
make it.
Leonid Surpin
Mr. Surpin, quite nice “opinion” but the poster wanted details on
"how to" … so where are your instructions and… do you use them -
at all- in the work you did before you closed your studio?..
betting not… To the poster: Agreed with the previous responses it
is Far Easier to buy em as most have a spring in them that is on
the difficult side to make and insert without spending an hour or so
chasing the thing around the floor… One major
vending/manufacturing company makes a brand called "Secura"
leverbacks that are springless. These allow for easy soldering
particularly if you are attaching, say, a jump ring or
otherwise,something to hang the main work piece to the pair…I think
it’s Hoover and Strong,and am certain it’s not Stuller though off
hand can’t remember at the moment the company that sells the patent
ones…The springs being a non-precious alloy are the first things to
overheat when soldering, therefore concentrating heat in one spot-in
addition to the heat you are applying to the join - so you can expect
a meltdown particularly in low gauge leverbacks assembled with die
struck parts…It’s essentially a wire curved with a forged and that
you have drilled a hole of the diameter of the “rivet” wire you will
need to attach the parts in the end. then there’s the curved metal
that will snap into place when closed- some mill product vendors make
channel wire that can be further curved to accomodate the wire that
goes through the ear, but generally they are all too slight- so it’s
easier to fabricate your own channel that you will then cut to
length, anneal quickly ( with plenty of Cupronil layered on to
prevent firestain ) and then bend to cover the wire, after drilling
holes every 12mm, or whatever length you decide on, on your metal
before bending it into the channel shape and cutting each to length (
trying to drill the exacting holes after you have bent and curved
each length is a nightmare- so easier to go for it before cutting the
lengths in the strip of metal as you simply mark or scribe the line
across the strip and drill with the same size drill you have used for
the wire through the ear and “rivet”. the holes need to be cleaned up
with a very sharp broach so the whole will move easily for the wearer
without enlarging it at all ( you want to ensure no burs are left in
each drilled hole). Choosing the gauge metal strip you will use is
also a concern: too light and it will be too difficult to work
harden, too heavy and it will show when the workpiece is attached to
it… All in all you are looking at labour in the range of 4 hours to
make perhaps 6 pair, at $36. 00 an hour -so about $144 dollars US
plus the cost of materials, so let’s say another hundred bucks to 200
depending on the material you choose to use…for that sum you can
easily buy a dozen or more pair in 14 kt gold ( higher karats don’t
provide the strength you want for lasting that a leverback should
give a buyer). So doing the math, doing the prototyping and then the
work…it’s far more wise to just order some…rer
Mr. Surpin, quite nice "opinion" but the poster wanted details on "how to"... so where are your instructions
While I do attempt to give instructions for simple processes,
building earring mechanism is not one of them. The good news is that
I do plan to release several DVD(s) pertaining to jewellery
mechanisms.
Leonid Surpin
I think I misunderstood what leverbacks are. I was talking about the
horseshoe shaped wire earring backs that are put in after the holder
is soldered on. If you mean what in Australia we call “French” ear
wires a hinged ear wire then I agree with Leonid the quality is
poor and there is only one size. Just googled leverbacks, yep they
are what I call French ear wires and are next to useless due to poor
quality. Well you will have to make them your self and probably make
a nice little sideline from it.
Good luck
Richard.
Hi Richard and all other orchid friends!
thank you all so much for giving your support and consideration about
my post. the leverbacks i meant are not the french ear wire (that are
"open" wire hanger, if i didn’t intended bad) but the ones that pass
through the ear and then are closed by a small lever that closes the
loop. it’s probably true that they are too much time consuming to be
done by hand, on the other side i find that for some type of earring
the standard industrial made ones are too much “cheap and not chic"
designed, then it would be necessary to build them following the
earring design style. I was only wondering if there was any proven
system/schema to follow to build them (particularly for the small
"click” they need to close firmly) thank you, i really appreciate
every of your suggestion.
micaela
If you want a quality closure that is chic and secure use an omega
back with a post. You can get omega backs in 14K, 18K and Pt.
Elliot
Leonid…
The good news is that I do plan to release several DVD(s) pertaining to jewellery mechanisms.
Would you please hurry up! Just kidding. I collect weird things, and
all available info on this subject is one that I gather. You would be
surprised at how many redundant mechanisms are shown, just adding a
different shape or decoration. I’m looking for new and inventive. So
place my order in advance.
Aggie the info hoarder