|
|
|
Battery Bridge Screws & Isolators
Broaches & Reamers
Casting
Dust Masks & Steamed Up Glasses
Fitting Watch Batteries
Melting
Micromotor Handpiece Care
Plating
Plating Definitions
Preparing Gravers
Ring Sizing |
Safety When Polishing
Sawing
Silver Tarnishing
Solders
Soldering Platinum
Soldering Silver & Gold
Steam Cleaners
Ultrasonic Cleaning Tanks
Waterproof & Water Resistant Watches
Waterproof Testers |
Be mean when you unscrew the battery bridge! One or two turns should be sufficient to lift the battery bridge and remove the battery.
Too many turns and the screw flips, and we get to sell you another assortment! Remember:- isolators are only mica, and easy to trim if you cannot find one that fits.
Related Products
Q. Where is the best place to attach a sprue?
A. Generally one should always attach the sprue to the section of the pattern which has the greatest mass. Close attention to the size and position of the sprue will pay dividends, avoiding extra cost and time when you are cleaning up after production. Good sprue positioning takes time and experience, copying what has worked before on similar patterns will often produce the right results.
Q. Why do castings have a poor surface finish?
A. What was the original like? The surface finish on a hand carved wax master pattern can often be improved by rubbing it with a cloth dampened by white spirit. Although most metal master patterns will produce good results if the surface is highly polished, some brass or alloys of high copper content are better if plated with some other metal.
Q. What are the main differences between vulcanised rubber moulds and cold cured moulds?
A. With cold cured rubber moulds one can mould more delicate and fragile patterns. It also has a lower shrinkage performance. The main disadvantage is its' higher cost and shorter working life when compared to vulcanised rubber moulds.
Related Products
 Top of Page
Clock and Watch Repairers know and appreciate the many advantages of using reamers/broaches, jewellers less so. This is a shame as these simple tools can perform many basic tasks quickly and efficiently.
Reamers/broaches are five sided tapered hardened steel cutters which are perfect for enlarging and rounding a hole by slowly removing metal from the interior.
Often made with an integral handle or held in a pin vice their cutting action is achieved by simple hand movements which make them a perfect tool when lining up similar sections for hinges and other close work. Of course one must remember that the worked hole will be slightly tapered and therefore may need similar reaming from the other side.
Related Products
Top of Page
As the awareness of possible hazards with fumes and metal dust in the workshop grows, more jewellers are wearing face masks. This can cause a problem if you also wear glasses, as the lenses are inclined to steam up.
The key to clear vision is to ensure that the mask is closely fitting and doesn't allow moist air to escape over the top of the mask. Some masks have a flexible strip along the top, which can be adjusted to the contours of your face.
If your mask doesn't have an adjustable strip, use some non-irritating surgical tape to help seal it closer to your face: this will also help to stop the mask from slipping as you work.
Related Products
Top of Page
When melting in clay or salamander crucibles it is important to add a pinch of borax or potassium nitrate (salt petre) This eliminates surface oxidisation and slightly raises the alloy's melting point.
Related Products
Top of Page
Often in constant use in a busy workshop, the following notes will help you obtain long trouble free use of a vital everyday tool.
1. Always ensure the spindle on the fraizer (burr) is clean and smooth.
2. Regularly clean and lubricate the holding jaws and front cone by disassembling and thoroughly cleaning them as well as the thread, inside and axle. When reassembling lubricate with good quality fine oil. Cleaning can be done in an ultrasonic tank with the exception of the bearings.
Related Products
Top of Page
1. When rinsing after rhodium plating, use a separate container of distilled water. This can then be used to top up the rhodium plating bath, thus prolonging the life of your solution.
2. To remove lacomite stopper from items after plating, hang or place the items in a small glass beaker containing lacomite remover, hold the beaker just in the liquid of a working ultrasonic cleaner. The
vibrations will be transmitted via the glass and the stopper will dissolve in less than 10 seconds even from difficult areas, like settings and behind stones.
3. Large areas of silver or gold can be re-plated without baths by using a 'wand' attachment on any of our plating machines. The 'wand' has a larger head and is able to plate larger items up to gallery tray size.
Ideal for the restorer who has to hard polish the scratched surface of a tray which always removes the silver plate. A tray of 18 inches diameter can be re-plated for about £6 in materials and takes about 10 minutes.
Regold plating the inside of cups chalices, bowls and goblets is normally done in this way as it does not require large volumes of expensive solutions.
Related Products
Top of Page
Electroplating: Covering an object with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical deposition. Positively charged by an electric current, metal ions move through a liquid solution and deposit on to a negatively charged metal object. The thickness of metal deposited on to a work piece is minimal.
Pen Plating: Ideal for plating and touching up small areas. Platinum collars inside the pens hold fibre tips that absorb and apply solution to the areas being plated on your workpiece. Pen plating solutions are four times as concentrated as standard electroplating solutions.
Electroforming: Builds up, by electrochemical deposition, a relatively thick layer (up to 300 micron or more) of metal over a conductive or non- conductive pattern. Electroforming is used to create hollow or light forms that might be impossible to create by any other means. It can also achieve a metallic coating over a
non-conductive surface (such as wax cloth or organic items).
Related Products
Top of Page
Before any graver can be used it must be sized, sharpened, shaped and fitted into a graver handle.
1. Fit the graver into the handle. Some graver handles will need to be drilled; a 4.5mm drill will be suitable for most graver handles.
2. Place the handle with the fitted graver into the palm of your hand and grip the graver between your thumb and index finger and mark the graver 10mm beyond your index finger. Remove the graver from the handle and tightly fix it into a vice, point upwards and the mark level with the vice jaws. Strike the graver tip smartly with a steel hammer, snapping off the excess length.
3. Your graver is now ready for sharpening. To create the point you may need to remove an appreciable amount of metal. This should be done slowly, initially on a grinding wheel, taking the necessary safety precautions and finishing on a carborundum stone. Your cutting face should be ground to 45° and it is normal practise to reduce the height of the cutting face for better visibility.
Overheating the graver when grinding or sharpening will draw the temper of the metal and should be avoided at all costs.
Related Products
Top of Page
Before sizing a ring, check to see if there is a join in the shank. This may be a weak point and could snap if stretched. Cast rings could also snap if stretched on stretching equipment, especially where porosity exists.
The safest method for enlarging cast rings, (especially if you need to enlarge them to more than one size), is to use a roller type gem sizer, or to anneal the ring before stretching.
Related Products
Top of Page
Safety is the first and most important aspect of working in a workshop environment, and a polishing wheel revolving at a high speed is certainly a focal point of danger. Anyone taking their first steps in polishing should always receive clear verbal guidance from an experienced colleague or instructor. Ideally aprons or overalls should be worn without any loose material likely to become entangled in the revolving wheel. Long hair should be contained in a cap, hairnet or similar apparel.
Although not always popular we would also recommend using protection glasses or goggles and a facemask to avoid the small pieces of calicos and other fibres that leave the revolving wheel. The facemask will also offer protection to your nasal passages especially if polishing for a long period.
An efficient extractor unit with a protective hood/cowl should be part of your polishing set up. This will assist with the removal of airborne particles and give protection from inhalation and ocular damage. In addition, should your grip on the article being polished be lost, the hood/cowl will also serve as a useful barrier and lessen the chance and velocity of a work piece flying across the workshop.
Related Products
Top of Page
Ensure the blade tension is correct before starting. A loose blade will not cut properly and is liable to break.
Check that you are using the correct size blade - there should be at least two teeth within the thickness of the metal you are cutting.
Hold the saw frame in as vertical a position as possible and use long, even pressure strokes. Use a lubricant such as Burr Life to ensure smooth, easy cutting and longer life for the saw blade.
Related Products
Top of Page
When you first buy a new panel or stick of solder, colour code it. Use a permanent marker pen to completely cover it both sides, red for hard, black for medium, blue for easy.
Then, when you cut off the snippets/palings, you can easily identify their melting temperatures, as well as locating them if they drop on to your bench tray. The ink will disappear without trace when heated during soldering.
Related Products
Top of Page
Cleanliness of the surface to be soldered is essential. Remove all dirt, fingerprints and polishing compound as they can impede the smooth flow of solder. This can be done with a scraper or a fine abrasive but must be done before applying flux. When heat is applied the flux will seal the surface from contaminants as the solder flows beneath the flux and joins t |
 Print Page  Add To Favourites
Registered & Head Office: HS Walsh & Sons Ltd, 243 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 4TS
Tel: +44 (0)20 8778 7061 Registration No: 3553069 Country Of Registration: UK
Home | Products | My Account | Contact Us | Help & Information | Basket
Jewelry Findings, Jewellery Tools, Jewellery Equipment,Clockmakers Tools,
Clock Material, Watchmakers Tools, Watch Material, Colorcap Key Cabinets
HS Walsh & Sons Ltd © Copyright 2005-8. All rights reserved.
Wavepage Catalogue Software®
|
|