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COMPARISON OF THE SCHOOL AND

WORKSHOP FACILITIES

SCHOOL: Hand sanding and cleaning up. At school, all sanding is done by hand or by the flexible shaft machine from grade 200 through to 2000.

WORKSHOP: Tumbler. The tumbler is a machine that consists of a highly acidic mix and lead shot. The jewellery piece is cleaned when the tumbler shakes, thus how it gets its name, and the shot is rubbed quickly over the surface. This means that you only really need to sand to 320 and then the tumbler does the rest. The tumbler is especially good for sanding once a piece has been re-soldered.

USED FOR:         Ark brooch

                  Turtle bangle

                  Fish brooch

SCHOOL:         Detergent wash after polishing.

WORKSHOP: Supersonic. The supersonic is another machine that relies on a highly acidic mix.  The pieces of jewellery are placed in the supersonic after they have been polished so that the excess polish and dirt is removed without marking the surface of the piece. The supersonic is very hot, and for safety and cost reasons is not readily available for school’s use. After the piece has been boiled in the supersonic, it is scrubbed lightly in soapy water and a soft brush and then rinsed in cold water.

USED FOR: All jewellery pieces, excepting the spider choker, as I couldn’t find a supersonic that was big enough.

SCHOOL: Metal working gas torches. The metal working torches were not designed for the intricate work of jewellery and can be quite clumsy and awkward to work with. The school has some attachments, but they are not delicate enough to suit most purposes.

WORKSHOP: Custom heads that are fitted to the gas torch. For small and delicate work, the workshops usually have a range of smaller heads that are attached to the soldering torches. I used these smaller heads when I was soldering the brooch findings to my brooches. The advantage of the smaller head is that a lesser area is affected and the heat is directed with a lot more precision.