Linda,
I too am very aware of multiple ways to get to the same end. Some
understand why it is necessary to take steps to get fine results,
all too often they are considered time wasters and unnecessary. My
point is knowing the difference.
Hopefully some who were criticized for extra care, just quit
posting. If they are lurking, Hello to some long missing friends.
Thanks for your comments. I know how well you support your interests
and the Workshops you teach.
Hugs,
Terrie
Marta, Trained jewelers know and work directly with the metals, as
you did with Horses. It is via time, training and observation, a
jeweler develops skills.
Hugs,
Terrie
Brian, Yes I do remember your comments during Workshops you presented
and I attended.
The basic, is first learn as much as possible from attended classes,
carefully chosen, and once learning well, adapting to one’s own work
needs is done with full awareness.
Thanks and miss you,
Hugs,
Terrie
Judy,
I had some workshops with an instructor, Will Peterson. His goal was
to make Wire work which would encompass the quality and workmanship
of Fine Jewelry. His own work was exquisite. He worked only in nobel
metals and taught students to do the same.
He would at times, for Workshops purchase pliers from Harbor
Freight’s Bargain bin, bring them back and hand modify each and
every one to his specifications. One absolute requirement, was that
every pair of plier’sedges had to be softened, ground and highly
polished. He emphasized, no plier marks visible on any wire.
Of course not every one is ready to modify their own tools, they
work with what they have. Fine quality does take time.
Hugs,
Terrie
Richard,
You better explain my thoughts than I had.
Just yesterday, I enjoyed the company of a friend who had been using
her hands within a craft, not jewelry and was saying, “I need to
stop, I have symptoms of carpal tunnel.”
It is the training of proper hand position, not frequency of
repetition causing hand issues.
Yes there are preferences, they come well after correct training in
all phases, even Wire.
Hugs,
Terrie
Lee, I love you. True, left dominant hand has had very little
attention up until you addressed this issue.
Hugs,
Terrie
Everybody brings something different to the tool table
experience-wise and also regarding simple personal preference. Some
people like the feel of plastic or the “cushion” of it. Some also
like the immediate warmth of a tool-dipped pliers leg first thing on
a cold morning in the studio. I have no real preference except that
the plastic or vinyl seems to rot away at some point or at least get
pretty grungy…
On the other hand, I can definite say that the springs are not my
favorite.
I just don’t see how they make my job any easier. Like Alan and many
of you, I use my finger as a spring. But the worst part is the way
that those springs get jammed or hung up on my plier racks. It is a
real p. i.a.
I avoid them if I can.
At the risk of shameless self promotion, I was given a small set of
the newer Wubber pliers. They have no plastic, just painted handles.
I am told that they are polished steel–no chrome, which chips off,
especially when the tool is altered. They are stout and strong and a
pleasure to use.
Except the the springs… 
A
By the way, my apologies for replying to this before reading the
last four (maybe five?) days worth of responses - it seems so many
more of you were able to put it into better words than I!
Again, Cheers!
Becky
(PS - Even though I do mainly work with wire, I’m eager to move 'up’
and just started working only in noble metals, and I’ve learned so
much from this forum already, in just the short amount of time since
I joined. At that time, I had no idea that I’d joined a forum of true
experts and jewellers way far above my own capabilities. Since then
I’ve found even more respect for this craft and have endeavored to
educate myself as best possible being that I am often homebound, and
unable to attend classes. Yet after reading so many articles,
how-to’s and messages here, fold forming and working in sheet metals
is my next step up, and I can’t wait to learn more!)
As an amateur jewelry maker, what I take from having to opposing
viewpointsin such a forum as this one, is that:
I enjoy reading up on others perspectives, needs and desires on
the sameissue.
I can take what I want from one or the other - or
both - anduse it as I see fit.
It will often lead me to ask more in-depth questions if it’s an
areaI’d like to know more about.
It teaches me to understand that there’s more than one way to
skin acat, or the like.
Finally, if there’s only ever one point of view, or one method
chosen over the other then who gets to define or choose that? I’d
rather look at more than one, and see which calls to me the most.
Hi all
it does not matter the tool be it a hammer or axe.
When I was at the School for Silversmiths the teacher was always
looking at how newbies used tools.
One good hit on an anvil with a hammer can break the wrist if not
done correctly.
Also using an axe to split wood can be very harmful if not done
correctly.
RSI and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome come from injuries that are not
allowed to heal and the action that caused the injury is repeated. So
the injury is made worse.
To continue this can result in permanent injuries.
This is why You tube can be so dangerous. I think the worst I have
seen is a video on casting.
No lid on the centrifugal caster. And eye protection was a pair of
sunglasses. So if something when wrong the room could be filled with
flying molten metal.
Another was by a person who had done a weekend course on
silversmithing and made a video on how to set up a workshop. Let us
just say she, assuming her teacher was good, had not paid attention
and the video was about setting up a “workshop to die in”.
all the best
Richard
But the worst part is the way that those springs get jammed or hung up on my plier racks. It is a real p.i.a.
Exactly! I have a favorite fine-nosed pair that always get hung up. I
have bent the springs back so they do not engage when I use the
pliers, but I have been too lazy to get in with a separating disc and
cut them off. But no more; I will do it today! I do like the thin
colored handle covers, if they are different colors, so I can find
those small turquoise side-cutters under a pile of other tool so my
bench top. The tools tend to pile up when I am in an excited making
phase. I have never had a foam-covered pair, but I don’t think I
would care for them at all. I want lots of “feel” feedback from my
tools.
M’lou
Hi Andy,
My trick for not catching plier springs on the rack is to make the
rack out of a strip of brass that’s about 1" tall, rather than a
wire. Problem solved.
If you’re sneaky about the bend angles, you can rig up one bent
strip such that it holds everything nicely, with no soldering. Just
one strip, bent and screwed under the bench.
Photos in the bottom of the frankenbench instructions.
FrankenBench
Regards,
Brian
Thanks Brian.
I use a 1/2" steel bar stock for the hanger. That is attached to a
board which is mounted on drawer glides. I have several of these that
pull out for use and then slide back. My needle files are on such a
contraption and slide between two benches.
I will change the 1/2" to 1" steel.
Thanks. A
I use a cheap metal towel rack for all of my pliers. They range from
those found in a used tool bin forty years ago to a $70 pair of wire
snips. Some have springs, some not. Some have rubber handles, some
not. They all fit on the rack just fine and are there when I need
them. Rob
Rob Meixner
Funny thing. Those flat Springs that separate the plier handles bust
right off if you bend them back and forth with another pliers. That
said, I don’t think the springs are necessarily evil. Sometimes it’s
nice to have that auto open feature, and you get used to anything.
They used to use a mouthpiece to add air to their torches and still
did kickass granulation.
It’s a matter of getting used to your tools.
It teaches me to understand that there's more than one way to skin a cat, or the like
I - John - haven’t written much for awhile here. Part of that is not
much that I want to respond to, part of that is a bunch of bad stuff
happening the last month, which I won’t relate. Family, friends. The
whole world mourns Robin Williams, but here in San Francisco he was
a real person. I was good friends with his mom for a time -never met
him - we know the guy who made his wedding rings, and also some
people who did know him. That has been some of the bad…
Anyway, I’m going to swim the other way about pliers, or skin the
cat, as you prefer. I LOVE springs and I love plastic handles. There
were pliers with a coil spring across the tips of the handles -
those were pretty silly and I don’t know if they are even still
sold. The springs save you work even though it’s only a tiny bit at
a time, the handles give you a grip andthe same thing - they save
you a tiny bit of work every time.
Rack, what rack? I have chain nose, fine side cutters and fine
shears (fine meaning little) in my pan on the right side. I have
large and small roundnose and some heavier cutters in the right back
of my pan, and ALL the rest and the heavy shears go in drawers. I
only use one pair of pliers 99% of the time. Well, setting pliers
but those are in the setting toolsdrawer where they belong. This is
why you get a nice bench somewhere along the way… Love and
peace - John and Jo-Ann too.
Hi all
great post John and Jo-Ann and very useful especially to newbies.
How we use our pliers and set up our benches is very personal and
suited to us and no one else.
Only serious people would spend so much time talking about pliers.
Why? Because they are so important.
BTW I keep my pliers in cases and pull out the ones I want to use
for the day and sit them on a perspex book stand for the day’s usage.
Within arms reach. I only have about 20 pairs. I use cutters for the
solder they sit in my soldering room plastic on the handles and only
pliers I have left the springs in…
The other 2 I use most are half round nylon jawed plastic on the
handle and flat parallel pliers metal handles.
all the best
Richard
Chiming in on the spring pliers thing. I, too, along with John and
others, love springs on pliers, and also plastic-coated handles. I
like the ease of use these parts afford. I have never felt they
interfere with any sensitivity to the task at hand.
I have my favorite pliers, and assorted other good pliers, and I
also have a few pairs of the very inexpensive pliers with coils and
plastic handles, simply because I can treat them roughly, grind the
jaws to my specs without grinding my teeth because the pliers had
cost me so little to begin with. And I keep them at various stations
around the studio. I had purchased them over twenty years ago for
employees who worked for me when I had production lines to assemble.
When I stopped that part of my business, I still had the pliers and
really like using them for the odd jobs that require them. The
handles are not particularly ergo, right, but for some tasks they’re
just the right tool.
I store my pliers, as well as other tools, on my bench in old wooden
smoking-pipe holders (someone on Orchid suggested this years ago,
and I liked the concept).
Here are a few shots of how I used the pipe racks (purchased on
ebay).
http://www.ganoksin.com/ftp/PipeRackConversion.pdf
My partner Evan ‘built’ the tall stand with the circular pipe rack.
It rotates to expose tools all around. Since the photos were shot,
I’ve also drilled some holes in the PVS pipe in order to insert a few
scribes and other sharp pointy things. The tools migrated a little
after these photos were shot, and now the spaces are labeled. Since
then, I’ve added one more stable rack to the bench top, too.
I can see merit on comments from both sides. spring or no spring on
pliers. I have a set of pliers I use for chainmaking, but I’ve cut
the springs so that they only open the pliers about 1 to 1.5mm,
which is what I usually use for jumprings. That way, I don’t have to
’fight’ the tension too much, but the plier is open just enough to
pick up the next jumpring. Works for me.
I personally like the springs as long as they are soft and do not
take away from the feel of the jaws in contact with the metal. I
have a couple pr. O bought 30 years ago that are my favorite. I will
find myself stopping work to find where they are when I forget to
put them back where they are supposed tobe. too bad I can not blame
it on anyone but myself. great getting old. you start realizing most
of the time it really was your fault:-)
Panama Bay Jewelers