How To File Sheet Metal For Jewelry

How to choose use and care for your files.

How to file sheet metal for jewelry. Shop plain raw sheet material or fancy patterned sheet optons. Optionally polish your shape with a rotary tool. Cut sheet metal with a jeweler s saw in any shape you choose to create a pendant or keychain. Keep your half round medium cut file for curved pieces that need a little more care and attention.

Jump rings 2 4 depending on your design flat nosed pliers. To refine the surface of your metal you ll use sandpaper across a gradient of grits from relatively coarse to fine. Metal sheet is one of the fundamental raw materials used in jewelry metalsmithing. Rasp cut files can be used for wood as well as lead and aluminum.

It is attached onto the edge of the jewelry bench or table you use. Refine the shape with needle files then use various grits of sandpaper to create a smooth surface. And these pieces can be used for jewelry making or they can be used as decorative ornaments gift giving ideas anything that you would like. Finally use your set of needle files for more intricate filing work as these will be much smaller than your standard flat and half round files.

Today i m going to show you how to cut out designs in metal. These tough metals should be filed with a double cut file as they are strong enough to withstand the metal and or alloy. Pick up a sheet each of 400 600 and 800 grit. If you love hand finishing filing and want to know all about jewelry making files their shapes and their uses cleaning your files and more than you ever thought you d want to know about jewelry making files please check it out.

We sell bulk precious metal mill products by the troy ounce as well as base metals by either troy ounce or pound. Use your course flat file to power through straight edge filing jobs. I share it with you in my new filing dvd jewelry filing. I started my school here creative side jewelry academy four years ago.

Sheet metal 22 26 gauge usually works well a drill press for making the hole or a precision hole punch. A file and or a nail file with a foam core. You can tape sandpaper to a flat surface to create a mini sanding board and get sanding boards that work like nail files. This is used for filing and sawing.

I m here in austin and i m going to tell you about jewelry making today. We offer the widest selection of sterling silver sheet metal. Most hardware stores carry sheets of wet dry sandpaper. Metal shears or a jeweler s saw and blades for more extensive design work.

How to make a sheet metal pendant tools you ll need.