Are you interested in trying your hand at silversmithing? The best way to persue your interest in the field is to take a good class to see if you enjoy it before investing in all of the materials, which can get quite expensive. If you’re ready to take the plunge, here’s a list to help you out.
You may not need every single item on the list to get started, or you may want additional tools. I built my collection over a period of time and still want a few more neat tools, like a rolling mill for example! Some of it depends on the type of work you plan to do. If you don’t plan on making rings, you won’t need a ring mandrel, for instance. I have not included the equipment needed for casting because I don’t do casting personally, and it requires another vast array of equipment.
In some cases, I’ve listed a brand name. This simply indicates the brand or type I personally own and like; there are usually other options you may prefer.
TOOLS
Soldering Tools:
Work table
SilverSmith torch kit (torch head, hose, regulator, striker, and size 00 tip)
Size 0 torch tip
Size 1 torch tip
Size 2 torch tip if you need to melt metal in larger amounts, or solder very thick or large pieces
Acetylene “B” tank, tank key, and chain
Third hand (holds tweezers which are used to hold work in position while soldering)
Fiber-grip soldering tweezers (fiber grips allow you to touch tweezers safely to release work after soldering)
Small, fine-tipped precision soldering tweezers (for positioning small, hot parts)
Titanium solder pick (for positioning and moving balls of solder)
12″x12″ Silquar soldering board
Charcoal or magnesium soldering block
Crock pot (for pickle)
Copper tong tweezers (for inserting and removing work from the pickle)
Dropper or spray bottle for flux (I prefer a fine spray bottle)
Jug, jar, or other container of water for quenching hot pieces and for rinsing pieces after pickling
Hammering and Forming:
Steel bench block
4-lb mallet (drilling hammer)
Rawhide mallet (as heavy as possible)
Ball peen hammer (smooth face, may want several different sizes)
Riveting hammer
Miland synclastic former
Doming block and punch set
Steel bracelet mandrel
Steel ring mandrel
Steel necklace mandrel
Decorative stamps
Letter and number stamp set
Round nose pliers
Flat nose pliers
Cutting, Drilling, and Marking:
Grobet flexible shaft tool with foot pedal speed control and #30 handpiece
Metal shears (2 pairs, one heavy, one light)
Flush cutters for wire and solder
Miland hole punches
Center punch
Jeweler’s saw (I like the simple ones without the adjustable frame)
X-Acto knife
Vise
Bench pin
Finishing and Polishing:
Grobet flexible shaft tool with foot pedal speed control and #30 handpiece
Half-round file and handle
Burr holder (for organizing all your mandrels with their polishing attachments)
Mandrels for polishing attachments
Nylon-jawed pliers for holding pieces while you polish them (they become scaldingly hot)
Safety/PPE:
Fire extinguisher
First aid kit (including instant ice pack and Water-Jel for burn treatment)
Safety glasses
Half-face respirator with particulate cartridges (for polishing)
Safety tape for fingers
Leather/elastic protectors for thumb and finger (to use while polishing, as they will simply come off your finger if caught in your flex shaft)
Disposible gloves (DO NOT wear while polishing, as the material can get caught in your flex shaft or polishing wheel and rip off – along with your fingers)
Pitcher of water – I have a large pitcher of water on my work table for quenching hot pieces and for rinsing after pickling. I keep it within easy reach so it can double as an instant fire extinguisher for small workbench fires. Grab – splash – out.
Measuring:
Digital caliper with inch and mm settings
Ring sizers
Ring mandrel
Ring ruler
Stone Setting Tools:
Stone setting pliers
Prong lifters
Flat nose pliers
Bezel pusher
Bezel roller
Burnisher
Wooden ring clamp with leather jaws
RAW MATERIALS
Sterling silver sheet in various gauges (22g is a good versatile thickness to start with)
Sterling silver wire, various gauges
Half-round and double-half-round wire for rings
Sterling silver tubing (for tube bails)
Sterling silver bezel wire
Sterling silver bezel cups
Sterling silver prong settings
Sterling silver tube settings
Copper sheet metal (for practice soldering, stamping, cutting, and polishing)
Copper wire (for practice soldering, forming, cutting, and polishing)
Gemstones, faceted and cabochon
CONSUMABLES
Consumables – Soldering:
Silver solder wire in easy, medium, and hard
Silver paste solder in easy, medium, and hard
Prip’s Flux or Cupronil
Sparex #2 pickle (comes in powder form, you mix it with water)
Consumables – Polishing and Cleaning:
Fabulustre (polishing compound for putting a final mirror polish on silver and copper)
Haggerty’s Silversmith’s Wash (for removing tarnish on finished pieces – safe on gemstones)
Win-Ox silver blackener (acid for putting a dark antique or gunmetal finish on silver. Use personal protective equipment and observe safety precautions when using)
Rennisance Wax (for preventing tarnish on copper)
White vinegar and salt (for removing tarnish on copper)
3M abrasive disks, all grits (Yellow 80, Red 220, Blue 400, Pink pumice, Peach 6 micron, Green 1 micron) to remove scratches and oxidation and then bring the piece to a high polish. You will want a seperate mandrel for each grit – buy a multi-pack. The disks need to be “ganged” together in groups of at least three.
Silicon “softies” – these are silicon wheels impregnated with various grits, useful for grinding and polishing. Between a set of these and a set of the 3M radial disks you should be able to handle pretty much anything. These need, you guessed it, mandrels!
Round felt buffing wheels (for Fabulustre). You will need appropriate mandrels for these too.
Silicone abrasive polishers
Pink shop towels (for cleaning Fabulustre off freshly polished pieces)
Blue paper shop towels (good for cleaning residual gunk off silver pieces after removing from pickle and rinsing)
Consumables – Other:
Saw blades
Drill bits
Beeswax or other blade and bit lubricant
Thank you, thank you, thank you! It is nice to have a list to double check my studio against. One question, though. What is the importance of a soldering block? And same for the charcoal soldering block. I know they absorb heat, but what is each used for/the benefits of each if I were to only get one for now?
There are two types of soldering surface.
The ceramic types act as a heat sink to disperse heat and protect your countertop from damage. The Silquar board is an example of one of these. The drawback is that because they draw heat away, they can make it harder to get your piece up to soldering temperature if you solder on them directly.
The blocks such as charcoal and magnesium blocks collect heat and hold it next to your piece, helping it come up to temperature faster. They are generally smaller and not designed to offer protection for your work surface.
If you were to choose just one, I would get a charcoal or magnesium block if you have a fireproof work surface.
excellent topic. Thank you so much to share your knowledge with us.
Should safety glasses for soldering/hot work be tinted or didyium? Or can you just use regular clear hardware store variety safety glasses?
Thanks
I’ve tried very hard to get an “official” answer on this. The safety supply store I use referred me to the torch maker, which in my case refused to answer my emails. What I have found out is that jewelers who work in silver and gold seem to use standard safety glasses without tinting. I have read warnings to use tinted glasses while working with platinum, which would seem to imply that they are not needed with silver or gold, and I have yet to read a warning in a metalsmithing book telling me to use tinted glasses. So, I personally came to the decision to use regular, clear safety glasses. I still wish I could get a safety expert’s opinion.
thanks, nice work!!!!!!
i was wondering… in your opinian as a silver smith .
what is the big differense workin with a special engine that has a foot pedal in contrery to working with a dremmel.
i am asking that becaouse i work and i work and travel together……
thanking you
yohana
Wow You did a really good job on this thing.
Yohana,
The big reason you would want something with a foot pedal is that you can change the speeds quickly if you need too. It also gives you more exact control of the speed at the moment you need it. Once you get used to using a pedal it becomes second nature and going back to a standard dremmel feels clumsy.