Silversmithing

Supply List Level 1
(c) 2008 by Jerry Davis
(Bring these items to class on the first day)

Class fee is required.  Check with teacher to see what the current fee for the class is.

Small tool box, plastic (A small plastic fishing tackle box or little toolbox is good to keep your bottles and a few items in.)

Three or more small bottles with your name on label (leave space for other information also)  Baby food jars, pill bottles, etc. (if you need bottles ask me)

A few small good zip up (easy close slider by Hefty) Baggies for small items.

Leather Gloves

Prescription glasses or safety glasses (Harbor Freight has these for $2.00)

Dust mask if sensitive to vapors from soldering and dust from finishing machine.

Folder or three ring spiral notebook
 

Pencil

Cabochons, both regular and freeform

Bring 2 well worn silver quarters (any dates) and 2 nice silver dimes with special dates. You can buy these from "bulk" silver at Pratt's Coin shop on South 1st.   No exotic coins please.  I will show you some styles of shanks and techniques.  The silver quarters work best for the little initial charms for key chains and the dimes work best for bracelet charms.  If you have graduating seniors to make gifts for, these are good personal hand-made items that last forever.

Bring a small design you would like to transfer to silver and make into jewelry.  Charm size or ear ring size.  It must be one that is of simple outline form or can be converted to simple form.  Hopefully it will require some piercing and can count for a piercing project.   Piercing is to cut out some of the internal parts of the design with the small saw provided.  Get ideas from catalog of Gems and Findings or other jewelry catalogs and or Lapidary Digest magazines.

If you want to bring your own acetylene-air torch then we can probably use it.   

(If you have your own tank and torch you may want to use your own just to get used to it.   We use acetylene-air torches and tanks.  Tip # 2 or 3 size is used most often.

 
If you wish to bring some of your own tools and tool box it will be ok.  You might want to engrave your name on them or see what our color codes are and make a unique color code for your tools.  Tools have a way of getting mixed up with others.

Dress for the class:

Old clothes that you don’t mind having holes burned in by acid or other means.  This will be a dusty and somewhat dirty hands environment.  The polishing operation is difficult on hands so if your hands are sensitive you may want thin leather gloves to give you some protection.  We will have leather finger guards for you to use during finishing of metal if you want to use them.  Even with finger guards your fingers will take a lot of punishment, from polishing compounds, chemicals, etc.  You may want some hand cream close by for the days you will be finishing metal.  

Supply List Level 2

Supply List Level 3

TOOL-LIST FOR A PERSONAL TOOL BOX

INDEX