Hello everyone,
I am trying to decide about buying a rolling press. There are very
reasonable ones available here, made here or in China I guess. They
are about $40 or $50. and work well but I question the strength of the
rollers. I have one in my classroom and so far it hasn’t been marked
or damaged by all our rolling but because its in a humid climate they
often get rust marks which I have to sand off, No matter how much oil
I put on. Now the question is, should I buy one or wait until I can
afford a more expensive one. Its possible that the next country I
move to will not have the jewelry industry and therefore no presses
at all. Shipping one of the Italian ones overseas will be very
expensive also. I do not attend to move back to Canada again so must
think about shipping my belongings with me everywhere I move and this
local style is heavier than the ones I see in the catalogues, I
think. I guess the main difference is the surface of the rollers.
The ones I see in the catalogues look very, almost mirror surfaced.
Are they? Any help in this area would be very appreciated.
Thank you very much for all your wonderful messages and ideas. A joy
to belong to this forum! Happy jewelling! Sharron in thunder and
lightening stormy Saigon
Sharron, I have an old roller made in Taiwan that I bought nearly 30
years ago. I paid less than $50 for it when rollers made in the west
were going for more than $500. It also has square wire slots!
I too have suffered the rusting problem…though the rollers are
otherwise in very good condition. What I have learned to do is dampen
a paper towel or soft cloth with light oil…3 in 1 household oil is
good, and simply ‘hang’ it over the top roller so it drapes down to
the guide. Essentially that encases the rollers in an environment of
lubrication. Further, when not in use for a few days, I cover the
roller with an old kitchen appliance cover…in this case for a
blender.
These two things seem to keep the rust away…haven’t had to sand the
rollers in several years. This roller is, as I say, nearly 30 years
old but it…just keeps on rollin.
Cheers from Don at The Charles Belle Studio in SOFL where simple
elegance IS fine jewelry!
One of the simplest and most often used trick for keeping your
rolling mill oiled is to take a household sponge, natural or
synthetic (better to let the natural sponges live out their
endangered lives, though). Cut it into two pieces which can then be
soaked in oil. Squeeze out the excess oil and wedge the sponge
blocks into the frame, above the top roller and beneath the lower
one. They should be in contact with the rollers and will then keep
both lightly oiled.
David L. Huffman
Dear David,
Do you use the mill with the sponges in place, or remove them when you
are rolling metal? Gail Middleton
Do you use the mill with the sponges in place, or remove them when you
are rolling metal?
Gail,
The method that David mentioned works great. I have been using it for
a few years. Leave the sponges in place when rolling. As well as
keeping the rollers well oiled, they wipe off any dust that would
leave an impression in your metal.
The sponges on my mill have a deep “V” cut for each roller. I find
this keep them in place.
Timothy A. Hansen
TAH Handcrafted Jewelry web-site :
www.home.earthlink.net/~tahhandcraft
The method that David mentioned works great. I have been using
it for a few years. Leave the sponges in place when rolling. As well
as keeping the rollers well oiled, they wipe off any dust that would
leave an impression in your metal.
Timothy I find when I use my mill (a little Durston) with oil on the
rollers I get ‘dimples’ (little roundish depressions’ in the metal
which I put down to oil getting trapped and impressing the metal
(sterling silver usually). Is this not the oil or am I doing something
else wrong?
If I clean the rolls well then I don’t get the dimples.
Andy Parker, Agate House Lapidary
Ulverston, Cumbria, England
@Andy_Parker
www.agatehouse.co.uk
Tel: 01229 584023
Hello Andy,
It is interesting that you had “dimples” form from oil on the
rollers. I would not think oil would cause this. The oil should be
displaced by the rollers. I’m using 20 weight motor oil and synthetic
foam sponges on a Cavallin combonation mill with no problems. When the
sponges become dirty, I change them. They may only need to be changed
once a year, depending on usage. I also keep my mill covered when not
in use.
Timothy A. Hansen
TAH Handcrafted Jewelry
web-site : www.home.earthlink.net/~tahhandcraft