School started for all three of my girls yesterday. That is a pretty big thing. Of course I had a lot on my schedule, and of course, hardly any of it got done. I guess I had more on my list than I realized. All of the girls had a great time and it is going to be nice to get back into a routine. I do wish I could figure out the magic of getting my kids to bed at an early hour though.
I just received my shipment of “Bench Tips for Jewelry Making” by Brad Smith. So if you were waiting, I now have 10 copies in stock. Thank you to all who have purchased up to this point. Both Brad and I appreciate the support.
A few weeks ago I received an email from Pepe Tools asking if I would be willing to make a demonstration/tutorial video on how to make a spoon ring with their newly improved Superior Ring Bending Tool. Now anyone who knows me, knows that I will jump at the opportunity to try out new tools, especially when it involves me doing a video, demo or review. I love doing them. If you are familiar with my jewelry, you will note that I do not typically make spoon rings, or the flatware jewelry, so this was an added benefit to me as I got to try out something new. I spoke with my friend Danielle at Bent & Twisted Creations about what materials I should be looking for and where to find them. I also thought it would be fun to demonstrate a couple of types of materials…. that was, until I tried it out with HARD material. LOL.
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Thank you to Pepe Tools for the opportunity to do this video.
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Great job! Now I want one of those!!! Looks a lot easier than what I do to make spoon rings! 😉
Thanks Danielle. It is a lot easier than what I have seen a LOT of people do.
Thanks for the great review! Almost makes me want to make rings 🙂 I looked around on the site but did not find the answer… Can you tell me which vise you use? I have a couple of smaller ones but need a larger one and the one you used to secure the ring bender looks great! Thanks!
Melissa~how fun that you were asked to try out a cool tool! Your tool fame is boundless! Good job~~
Ok I have seen it in action. Now where do I get one? LOL
Tammy, Probably the best place to get it is through http://www.Gesswein.com. They are the only ones that I know of that have both the bender and the nylon dies.
Melissa
Hi–very clear video! Thanks! Question: Do you anneal the metal before or during the bending process? Does it depend on whether it is sterling or something else?
Thank you. Those are very good questions. No, I do not anneal metal before cutting. It helps to have your metal hard as it will shear much more cleanly. Bending is a different story, I do anneal my metal for that as it will move much easier. I think this might be my next Tool Time Tuesday. 🙂 No, it doesn’t change for silver, gold, brass or copper. I would treat them all the same in regards to cutting with the disc cutters.
Melissa, Great video. I am just starting out and have some Wm Rogers silver plate spoons. Is this bender going to work and how hard is it to use the Pepe on it? How do you know if it is pre 1910?
Thanks
Marlene
Marlene, I am not entirely sure how you would know if it is pre 1910. I don’t use them enough to know the various patterns and when they were made. Sorry. As far as using it on something that is SilverPlate, that is always the iffy question as we don’t know what is under the silver plating. That said, it is not recommended to use it on anything other than sterling… and with THAT said, I have still used it on my silver plated items and it has worked, you just have to not push the tool too far or you will break it.