Clever way to make jump rings

Carol Dekle-Foss

I recently came across this tutorial on how to make jump rings by the extremely talented Joy Kruse. I call her technique the jump ring making hack! Very clever. Joy has mad jewelry skills!  If you haven't ran into her designs yet, here is some of her recent work. 

Vanardinite Specimen Stone and Sterling Silver Handmade Chain

Twig and Vine Mother's Ring

18k Gold Sterling Silver Earrings

Her work is AMazing. Joy also teaches, so if you live near Wisconsin I would definitely check out one of her classes. I wish I could! Here is her teaching schedule.

I was very interested in trying Joy's technique, so I did a bit of research on the coil holder and ended up buying Kevin's 12 inch Koil Cutter base over at Potter's USA. He also sells a Koil Cutter Kit. I'm kicking myself for not getting that instead. He offers the arbor and blade separately, so I may purchase those later to have on hand. 

Okay, to try Joy's technique, I first made a copper coil using my drill. 

I then annealed and pickled the coil like she suggested, which really helped the cutting process go faster.

Joy recommends using cut off wheels, like these at Home Depot. I didn't have any, so to cut my jump rings, I used the above diamond cut off wheel that I had on hand.  

All in all, I would call it a success! It took getting used to but I was able to cut quite a few jump rings using Joy's technique.

I love being able to make tons of jump rings, and have started a little jump ring container with various metals and sizes. 

DISCLAIMER: If you are just learning the flex shaft or if you feel more comfortable with the blade guide, I would get the whole kit. Also, it might be a good idea to first try out the arbor and blade to get the hang of the process. Please use all safety precautions when using flex shaft, put hair up, no hanging jewelry, and don't forget to wear safety goggles! 

Thank you so much Joy for letting me share your clever technique! 

I wanted to add that we have officially opened our ceramic shop! To celebrate we are offering 20% off through the June 19th. 

Thank you for reading!

Creative way to polish metal

Carol Dekle-Foss

When I first started making jewelry, I fell in love with the versatility of the Pro-Polishing pads. These pads were my go to for all my polishing needs. I have now learned many different techniques to finish metal, but still use these guys in many different ways. 

Recently in the studio, I had just given these bracelets a nice liver of sulfur bath.  I then set about the task to remove the oxidation and expose the hammered marks.

I could have easily used the pads by hand, thrown the bracelets in the tumbler, or some other technique, but I had another one of my 'huh, what if  I try this' moments.

Try this technique for yourself. It's fun and super easy!

What you will need:

Pro-Polishing pads

Slotted mandrel

Flex-Shaft or Dremel tool

Please use all safety precautions when using these products. Safety glasses, mask, gloves if you don't want dirty hands, and if you have long hair, tie it back so it doesn't get caught up in the mandrel.

The Technique

This is a great way to utilize those half used or almost used up pads! I usually end up with these all over the studio.

First, cut the 2"x 2" squares into 4 pieces.

Place your slotted mandrel in your flex shaft or Dremel. Now slide the polishing pad into the mandrel. I had to widen mine a bit with a screw driver so it fit snugly.

Some of my latest creations, right out of a liver of sulfur bath and completely dry.

Here, I am removing the oxidation from the back of a sterling silver pendant.

Please disregard my dirty hands and tattered fingernails.

In the below pic, I am polishing a handmade sterling silver link bracelet wrapped around a wooden mandrel. THIS is a very dangerous technique. You have to be very careful and hold the chain real tight so it doesn't come up and smack you in the face or worse, tangle in your finger. Ouch.

With smaller, more delicate chain, I just run it through a larger pad a few times. 

One of the downside with the pads is they tend to tear if caught up on sharp edges, and then get a gummy mess all over your jewelry. So for the earrings, I used a larger pad by hand. It just depends on what you are polishing as to what technique is best. If you want to remove less of the oxidation, all you have to do is use a lighter touch with the mandrel. 

After removing the desired amount of oxidation, I will then take a jewelry polishing cloth to shine up the metal a bit more.

Try this technique yourself! You will be surprised at how fast you can remove the oxidation and polish your jewelry.

Here are the finished pieces.

I recently added these pieces to my website, and extended my holiday sale through to Friday. Use coupon code Holiday to receive a 20% discount!

Happy Holidays everyone!