I recently decided to try some texture plates. I bought some cheap brass ones, and some good steel ones. The brass are thin and easy to use, but I am having trouble with the steel - if I do get them to the right spacing (which I am finding to be a struggle, getting it just right), the mill does not roll smoothly (and while I’m pretty strong, I’m finding it really hard to do).
I should note that the rollers on my mill are a teeny bit uneven. I’ve written to Pepe for help on this but never got a response. Perhaps that is a factor?
I have a question! You said the rollers are just slightly uneven. Do you find that sheet you roll buckles when it gets thin?? Because I just got a rolling mill from PepeTools, and the rollers are just ever so slightly uneven. I rolled out silver sheet last night very thin to make bezel strip with, and it was buckled all over the place, like it’s not just coming out flat once it gets thin enough. And not only that, but I could only turn the rollers very slightly to tighten them after each turn because if I turned them as much as I should be able to, it was nearly impossible to roll. I’m pretty strong, too, and I’m finding it difficult to turn the handle on this thing. And you contacted PepeTools about this, and they just ignored you? How long has it been since you contacted them?
Hi Dana, I don’t often go that thin, but yes, it will buckle if I do. Another member sent me this link to help (I haven’t done it yet because I don’t have the right bit to remove the top). It looks good: Aligning a jewelers rolling mill - YouTube
cheerio,
Sue
I love textured silver and use texture plates all the time. You have to have even rollers, so fix that first. Your silver (or whatever you are texturing) has to be annealed. I put the texture plate and silver in the rolling mill first and tighten it down until it is snug - not tight, just snug. Check the setting number on the dial on top of the mill. Then I take the texture plate out with the silver and tighten the rollers back to the “snug” setting and tighten it 10 more units. So if it is snug at 30, I tighten it until the dial says 40. Then I roll the texture plate and silver thru. I had a Pepe mill, and it is a little tough to get it to roll. I changed to a Durston mill which is easer. Play with some copper first until you get the “feel” of what works.
Hi,
which model of Pepe rolling mill do you have? Is it geared?
on a related note, geared drives are easier to turn than direct drive
…direct drive meaning one turn on the handle is one turn on the roller…whereas, say, a 5:1 geared drive would take 5 turns on the handle to turn the rollers one complete turn…more turns, but easier gear-assisted turns…
I have an ultra series, brand new. I found a video specifically on how to completely take a PepeTools rolling mill apart, put it back together, and calibrate it to even the rollers, though, so I’m pretty happy, I can even them out and I’m good to go.
I follow this guy a lot. He works directly with PepeTools on giving feedback, making suggestions, and designing a lot of their tools for smiths, he’s got a big online footprint and has been really helpful. The nice thing about this video is that even though he’s showing how to do this on an electric PepeTools rolling mill, he also goes through and shows you how to do it if you’re running an older model or a manual one.
I haven’t made it all the way through the video yet because I write everything down they say and everything I’m seeing, draw diagrams, etc. So don’t quote me on this. But it seems like all you have to do is, you know that black plate on the T bar on top? It comes off with an Allen wrench (he calls it a hex key or hex wrench), the T bar lifts straight out. Now the two big gears on top that make the roller go up and down can be moved independently of one another. So just adjust one gear so the roller evens out. I haven’t watched the whole video yet, but it seems that simple. However, I was reading an old thread on here about calibrating rolling mills, and they were talking about how you need all these specialized measuring equipment to get it perfectly right? And I have no idea about any of that. I was like, jeez I was just gonna eyeball it…
Thank you - I should have checked, I’ve watched quite a few of his videos. I love his accent. I bought some diamond files he was promoting, and very glad I did.
Yes, sounds right - unfortunately my hex key collection doesn’t have the right size, so next time I make the trek to the hardware store I’ll have to get more. The texture plates are actually working fine for now, though everything else will be better once I get it aligned. Thanks again.
For some reason all of the best goldsmiths I’ve found with online classes have all turned out to be British. Which is great except for one problem: they have weird names for things. So I’m learning goldsmithing British style, and the Americans have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about sometimes. Panel tins? Scorifiers? I’ve looked everywhere and can’t find emery sticks. Like has no one on this side of the pond had the idea to slap some sandpaper on some wooden sticks? What’s going on here? I guess if you want sandpaper on differently shapes sticks, you have to order from Britain?
Agreed, but I’m kind of irritated that I’ve done more carpentry than goldsmithing since I started goldsmithing lol. Like I’m not a carpenter, this is basic stuff I’m doing, but now my family thinks I’m some kind of master carpenter and fixer of all things broken because I’ve bolted some stuff to a board a few times LOL. I built a heat proof soldering box (I nailed some Solderite boards together), I bolted some equipment to a wooden table (the drill did all the work), and I built a draw bench (not as complicated as it sounds, I bolted some stuff to a board I sawed). Now my mother is coming to me asking me to build a table and to fix her washer. Like I have any clue about appliances? LOL
Dana, no you don’t have to order from Britain. Any paint store will have the wooden sticks. They are used to stir paint. I like the good heavy ones I find at Lowe’s. Most paint sticks are flimsy almost balsa wood, but a bit harder. As to different shapes, you can make them yourself, or look in other mediums. Cooking stores have a great selection of wooden implements. Emery makes think of nail polish. Go to a beauty store and look at their emery boards. Filing and sanding are only hampered by your imagination. A jeweler I worked for long ago, had a book, it was the dictionary of jewelry terms. I don’t remember the exact name, or where to find it. It had what things were and what they were called in other languages, or countries. There are also great discussions in the archives about filing and sanding.
Thrift stores are good too - you can get wooden spoons cheaply, for example. I have used emery boards (for nails), and I have a normal nail file that’s just right for some things. Although my current favourites are some diamond files I got from Eternal tools.
Since my post I received some thinner steel texture plates which work much better. For some reason with the thicker ones it seems like the smallest turn on the mill goes from barely an impression to too difficult to turn. They may work better when I finally get the mill leveled, but for now I’m managing with the thinner ones.
