Getting Started

Here is a list of materials, supplies, and tools used in this book. Most of them can be purchased in hardware or craft stores. However, the best sources are rock shops, jewelry supply stores, and catalog suppliers. These places have jewelry making tools and equipment, silver and other metals, finished and unfinished gemstones, and supplies. Being a rockhound, you may already be familiar with these places. Many of them advertise in rock hobby magazines, such as Rock and Gem ( c/o Miller Magazines, Inc., 4880 Market St., Ventura, CA 93003). We have found Rio Grande Albuquerque (1-800-545-6566) and Bourget Bros. Jewelers Tools
(310-450-6556) to be the most comprehensive sources for our needs. Give them a call to order a catalog. Most of the items listed below are vital to the process. The others are supplies that we have had the best results with. We recommend the finishing supplies for creating jewelry with a sandcast and antique look. You may even want to do some experimenting with some of your own tools. Who knows what you can come up with!

Required equipment

• Garnet Soldering Block
• Garnet Casting Block
• Torch (We recommend an acetylene or oxygen-acetylene torch. A small Butane torch will also work.)
• Metal hammer (Brass or stainless steel polished to a smooth surface)
• Sparex #2 Pickling Solution (This is a mild powdered acid mixed with water to clean the metal after casting)
• Baking soda (In a solution with water this acts as a neutralizer to the pickling solution)
• Three Pyrex glass bowls (Used for the pickling solution, baking soda, and water rinse)
• Large brass tongs for pickling
• Flexible sanding sponge (Available at your local hardware store)

Equipment required for surface casting

• Garnet Jewelers Cast (Because your Jewelers Cast is reusable, you will want to find a good plastic container with a lid for storing)
• Scrap sterling silver
• Carving tools (Dentist's picks, leather or silver stamps)
• Surface Casting model (Anything stiff enough to press as a model into the soft Jeweler's Cast)
• Metal spatula
• Awl

Equipment required for soldering

• Solder snips or wire pieces cut to 1/8"
• Silver brazing flux (Used with solder snips)
• Silver or other metal paste solder
• Small tweezers

Special supplies for projects

• 16 or 18 gauge sterling silver wire (about 6")
• Leather cord
• Silver bezel
• Gemstone cabochon (recommended size: 25mm x 15mm)
• Sterling silver bolo tips
• 24 gauge sterling silver plate (1" x 3/8")
• Leather bolo cord
• epoxy (recommended: Jewelers epoxy, 330/slow setting)
• Burnishing awl
• Wire cutters or metal snips
• Flat jewelers file (or other fine file)

Recommended equipment for finishing projects

• Brass hand brush or steel brush wheel (Helpful in cleaning up a freshly cast metal piece and sealing it by burnishing, so that the polishing compounds will not impregnate into the metal)
• Yellow muslin buffing wheel (For smoothing jagged or sharp edges)
• White buffing compound (Recommended)
• Chamois polishing wheel
• White rouge compound (We recommend these though you may want to test some others for a different effect)
• Silver oxidizer (Silver Black recommended, or liver of sulphur)
• Mild, pure hand soap (Ivory works great)
• Soft cloth towel
• Paper towels

Let's Get Started...