The Tool I Wish I Had

I wish I had a little shop tool for cutting sheet solder. I could
just put a 2" X 2" piece of solder in the machine, adjust the width
and length and punch at least one row of snippets that are not
curled. I need from ten to over one hundred snippets for any given
project; I decide the solder size depending on the need, sometimes
long or short or wide or narrow, sometimes really tiny for jump
rings. And, the tool would need to be affordable. If such a tool
exists please let me know. Nancy www.psi-design.com

Hi Nancy,

    I decide the solder size depending on the need, sometimes long
or short or wide or narrow, sometimes really tiny for jump rings. 

Have you tried paste solder for jump rings? It has the flux mixed
with it & is applied directly from the syringe it comes in. I find
it works really well for jump rings.

Dave

Hi, Nancy- there is a solder cutter. www.Gesswein.com has one -
model #180-0280. It is about $150 for a pair of pliers, but I’ve
seen these over the years, too. Somebody has it for less, no doubt.

Hi Nancy, Yes there is a tool to cut solder snippets. I do not know
if this is the proper name but I was told it is a nibbler. I think
it is used in sheet metal work. I cut narrow strips of solder with
mine. I can make the strip really short or up to 1/4 inch long. The
depth is about 1/16 inch. If you want narrower just do not bite as
deep. The snippets are flat. My tool says Adel Tool CO, Chicago,
Ill., For soft material only, not over 18 Ga. If you want any more
info or a PIC just ask. John Daly Grand Junction, CO

HI Nancy, I love your designs, especially the silver/copper balls.
It gave me some great ideas…

I was in Jean Starks class for granulation , and she showed us a tool
Tevel from Allcraft, is having made, to cut wire at exact lengths.
To make granulation balls, you can cut jump rings of 30 ga wire on a
1 mm shaft, heat them, and they form little granulation balls. Or
you can cut snippets of fine silver sheet and heat then and they will
form balls, or you can cut lengths of fine silver wire and they will
roll up into balls. The hard part is getting then all the same size.
The tool he is making will cut to the exact length each time… I
tested it on about 1000 snippets and it was perfect each time for
more than 99% of the time.

I’ll take a picture of the machine when I get it and cut you some
snippets if you want to try them. The tool costs about $200, but
worth it if you are doing lots of granulation. The first ounce of
balls pays for the tool…

For solder, Hover & Strong sells 19 ga wire solder in 1 ounce rolls
for $10.22 an oz. Hard, Med and Easy. If you can use a wire snippet
instead of a flat pavilion, this would work great.

Love and God Bless
-randy
http://www.rocksmyth.com

Contenti, Stuller and Rio all have special nipping pliers for
cutting solder and the all run less than $20. They cut it in either
teensy slivers, or small rectangles or squares depending on how far
into the sheet you place the cutters. I use them all the time and
love them. When I have some time, I usually cut a whole lot of
pieces at one time and store them for later use.

Kay

I want a keyless chuck for a Dremel flex shaft attachment. They have
one for the Dremel itself, but I can’t find one that fits the flex
shaft. If anyone knows of a source, you’ll be the new best friend of
lots of us who don’t have Foredoms or Pflingsts as our only or
primary flex shaft. Connie

Nancy-- Have you ever tried using wire solder instead of the sheet
form? I like to run it through the rolling mill on the tightest
possible setting. You get very thin narrow ribbons around 36 or so
gauge, they are so thin that they don’t curl up at all and you can
scissor them off in whatever size and amounts you need. For super
teeny weenie snippets you can cut the ribbons in half or just use
even thinner thickness ribbons to start with. You can also roll down
the sheet type solder and it helps also but I think you’ll like the
flattened wire better. Good Luck. Mark Kaplan

 Hi, Nancy- there is a solder cutter.  www.Gesswein.com has one 

Another possibility which I have used very successfully is a pair of
small punch pliers of the type which used to be used (over here at
least) for punching train / bus tickets. The ex-British Railways ones
I have punch very neat 1/16" circles out of thin solder sheet easily.

Best wishes,
Ian
Ian W. Wright
Sheffield, UK

 I want a keyless chuck for a Dremel flex shaft attachment.<< 

Check to see if the one made for Sears Craftsman rotary tools will
work. I’m not sure if it will fit a Dremel but a lot of power tools
are made by the same manufacturer in Taiwan for different brand
names. It may be worth your time to buy one from Sears and return it
if it doesn’t fit.

I think I’ve finally worn out (it seems to have run out of low RPM
torque) my Craftsman rotary tool that was a Christmas gift from my
daughter many years ago and can now justify upgrading to a Foredom.
At least justify it to my daughter as it doesn’t take much stimulus
for a tool-aholic like myself to run out a shop for tools. :wink:

Rick Copeland – Silversmith
rick.copeland@Covad.net
home.covad.net/~rcopeland
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Note From Ganoksin Staff:
Looking for a rotary tool for your jewelry projects? We recommend:

Hey,

I was in Jean Starks class for granulation, and she showed us a
tool Tevel from Allcraft, is having made, to cut wire at exact
lengths. 

I just got off the phone with Tevel, and the granulation cutter is
just now available; cost is $295. It’s a serious tool that is the
result of collaboration between Jean, Tevel, and the engineering
folks he works with. You can call Tevel at Allcraft at 800-645-7124.

Allcraft will also be at Metalwerx’s vendor day on April 9. Read
more about it heRe: http://www.metalwerx.com/vendor-day.html.

Christine in Littleton, Massachusetts

I have one - bought it from a leather goods supply manufacturer. The
holes are precise but the small disks you cut out are domed and need
to be flattened with a soft mallet.

Tony Konrath
Key West Florida 33040

There is a treasure in Tucson called Tools by Miland. This
gentleman started selling at the Gem and Mineral Show in Feb on a
corner in Tucson and has expanded like crazy. He machines all the
tools himself, or he did, and I must admit to owning most of them.
The tool that I use for granulation and cutting exact lengths for
earwires and other jobs is the double flush cut with gauge. I use
it all the time. His web site is run by his son, is
http://www.jewelrytoolsbymiland.com/Tools.htm

I have no affiliation with the company, just a satisfied customer.

Joan