These tips are excerpts from 101 Bench Tips by Alan Revere, published by MJSA. Illustrations by Sean Kane. Order now and/or see sample pages.

 Tip 3: Paint Job
Do you have a drawer full of loose needle files? Do you find it frustrating to paw through the pile of files, looking for just the right one? Not only is this a waste of time, but it's also poor maintenance of your files, which aren't benefiting from being rubbed up against each other all the time. Here's a tip that will make it easy for you to spot just the right file for every job.

Go to any store that sells cosmetics and pick out a half a dozen colors of nail polish. Get bright, primary colors: red, blue, orange, black, yellow, green, etc. When you get back to the shop, assign each color to a different file shape and paint the handles of the files accordingly. For instance, paint the ends of the round files red, triangle files turquoise, and so on. When painting, use stripes of color to idicate the cut. For example, paint two stripes for cut #2, four stripes for cut #4, and so on. (You will probably need to apply more than one coat of nail polish to get bright, clear stripes of color.) And to remind you which color goes with which shape, paint a "key" around the base of your file can; for example, paint a red circle to represent the round files.

This system can also be used for larger "hand" files as well as gravers. Assign colors to different shapes, and paint dots of color on the handle to indicate the width of the tool: start with one dot for the narrowest and add dots as they get wider. This makes it a snap to pick out the right tool, whether your gravers are spread out on your bench or neatly stacked in a rack.By color-coding and sorting your small tools, you can save time and avoid unnecessary frustration. It is amazing how quickly you learn to spot your colorful new tools.

Tip 6: Go with the Flow:
Basic Tips to Make Soldering Easier

While soldering is essential to jewelry work, it can also be one of the most challenging operations at the jeweler’s bench. Controlling the torch requires understanding and experience. The following are a few basic tips to make soldering easier.
Note: This information applies to silver and gold, but not to platinum, which behaves differently during soldering.
 •Before soldering, it is important to make sure the surface is clean and fluxed. Dirt, polishing compound, and fingerprints can impeded the flow of solder. Clean all surfaces well with sandpaper, a scraper, or a plastic abrasive pad prior to soldering, and the apply flux. When heated, flux becomes a “river of glass,” sealing the surface from contaminants as the solder flows below it and joins the parts.
•Solder flows toward heat. Whenever possible, put your solder on the far side of a seam and heat the near side. When the solder flows, the heat pulls it through the seam.
•When soldering two items together, it is important to heat them so they reach the flow point of the solder at the same time. Otherwise, the solder will flow onto the piece that reaches that temperature first. When soldering items similar in size, keep the flame moving gently and heat the parts equally.
On the other hand, when soldering items dissimilar in size, apply the heat unevenly; soaking the larger item while avoiding the smaller item. When the larger item reaches soldering temperature, minimal heating of the smaller item is needed. (Again, both items should reach the flow point of the solder at the same time.)
•Try using a pair of tweezers to hold the smaller item in place; the tweezers serve as a “heat sink,” drawing some of the heat away so the smaller item will not heat up as quickly as the larger item. You can also block the flame from hitting the smaller piece by placing tweezers or a solder pick in the way.

Tip 33: Stake Out:
New Uses for Your Hammer and Vise

Like all tools, your hammer and vise have more potential than meets the eye. Let's say that you need a steel block on which to forge a small piece of metal. Not to worry: just grab a planishing hammer and mount it in a vise as shown above; you now have your flat anvil. When clamping steel tools, always use copper jaw liners on your vise. Also, be sure not to clamp down on the eye of the hammer, where the handle is mounted; it could snap the steel. Or let’s say you need two convex forms to press a ring shank onto, in order to make it belled at both ends. Just take two round-ended ball peen hammers, place one in the vise, and use the other to apply top force. (You could also use a punch and hammer as the top force.) The key idea here is, as always, to find the new uses hidden in your old tools.

Tip 38: The Kindest Cut: Making a File-Graver
Another tool adaptation is to turn the tip of a needle file into a graver, so that it can both gouge and abrade. This can be done with any shape needle file (round, square, flat, etc.) Take a sharp fine-cut needle file and, with a sharpening stone, grind a facet at the end as you would on a graver. (I prefer to use a middle-grit India pre-soaked sharpening stone.) Once you have a flat face, sharpen it just as you would a graver, at an angle of about 55°.

You now have a file that cuts like a graver—or a graver with file cuts on the belly. Either way, this cool hybrid tool removes more metal faster and with greater control than either a file or a graver. By holding the file-graver at a low angle against the metal and pressing downward on the forward stroke, it cuts like a graver. Then, by
decreasing the pressure and lowering the handle, you can file with control and precision—and have the benefits of two tools in one.

Tip 48: Zip It! Avoiding Loose Stones in the Ultrasonic

Ziploc bags can be found all over the jeweler’s shop: small parts come in them, gems are stored in them, and they work great for collecting everything from gold dust to solder chips.

But here is a new use, one that will make you marvel again at the mind that figured out how to make a resealable, airtight bag for only a penny.

Suppose you have to clean your customer’s old diamond ring—one worn so much that the diamonds are held in place only by dirt. The prongs appear worn down to the girdle, and you’re afraid that if you put it into an ultrasonic cleaner, half of the melee will wind up at the bottom of the tank.

The solution? Grab a Ziploc bag, fill it with ultrasonic solution, seal it, and then float it in the ultrasonic tank as you flip the switch. If anything falls out, it stays in the bag.

This procedure can also be used to hasten the effects of a solvent, too. For instance, if you just set a brooch and you don’t have 10 minutes to wait for the shellac to dissolve into a jar of alcohol, place the piece in a Ziploc filled with alcohol. Seal the bag and float it in the ultrasonic bath. The added ultrasonic waves will activate the solvent and clean the piece down to bare metal in a jiffy.

Tip 49: A Hole in One, Two, Three:
Tips for Accurate and Easy Drilling
Anyone who works t the bench frequently uses a flex-shaft to drill holes. Try these helpful tips to make drilling easier and more accurate:

Lubricate often: Use a lubricant to keep the drill bit cool and sharp. Almost anything can be used: motor oil, soap, kerosene, oil of wintergreen, machne oil, and even saliva. Newer lubricants, such as BurLife last longer than traditional lubricants because they do not evaporate.

Use low speed, high feed. This maxim is the cornerstone of proper drilling. Rather than drilling at a high rpm, use a relatively low speed (just make sure it’s fast enough so the bit doesn’t grab) and press the drill into the metal. If you rev your flex-shaft like a hot rod, you’ll end up burning drill bits and decreasing accuracy.
Drill straight. Drill bits, especially small ones, can break when not guided straight intto the metal. Rotate the work periodically so you can view it from different angles to ensure perpendicularity.

Use graduated sizes. To achieve the most accuracy and make drilling easier, always start with a small pilot hole followed by progressively larger drill bits up to the desired size.

Angle the drill bit to move a hole. One of the benefts of using graduated drill bits is tha tyou can correct your work. If a pilot hole wanders and winds up off the mark, you can move it while drillnig with the next, larger bit. Begin with the drill straight. Just after it enters, release the downward pressure and slowly tilt the bit slightly so that the tip is pointing in the desire direction. Continue to drill as the bit enters at an angle, and then slowly bring it back to the vertical position. Complete the hole, which has moved slightly in the desired direction.

Tip 52: The Basic Rivet 
Joining Two Pieces of Metal
Riveting is frequently used at the bench to join parts, create moveable components or to cold-join heat-sensitive items.

If you want to rivet two pieces of metal together in a fixed position, clamp the pieces together and drill a 1 mm hole through them. Separate the pieces and remove the burrs around the holes. Now draw a piece of wire to fit the holes' diameter as tightly as possible, with no play or wobble. Trim the wire to about 1 mm greater than the thickness of the materials to be joined, and file the ends flat.

Line up the parts and insert the pin into the aligned holes, centering it so that 0.5 mm protrudes from each end. Support the bottom of the pin on a steel plate, then use the thin fin of a cross peen (such as a goldsmithing hammer) to gently tap the top of the pin, spreading it slightly. This is called "upsetting" a rivet. Be sure that the pin remains centered between the materials, while using the hammer in one direction so that the metal stretches and the cross section of the end becomes elliptical.

Flip the work over and repeat the process to begin to upset the other end of the pin. Now turn the work 90 degrees and strike across the previous marks, spreading the metal in the other direction so that the head of the upset rivet returns to round. By now the metal has flared and the parts are locked together. Tighten carefully as needed by hammering. Avoid slipping which would mar the surfaces. To create a dome head, finish with a polished concave-ended punch, like a beading tool.

Tip 54: There's the Rub:
Applying an Ultra High Polish to Tools
Every tool that rubs against metal leaves a mark corresponding to the tool's finish. That means some tools, such as gravers, need to be maintained with an ultra high polish.

When sharpening a graver, you generally polish the belly, since it is the underside that leaves the finish on the metal. To do this, hold the graver flat and rub the belly firmly against a series of progressively finer grades of abrasive paper; the paper should rest on a very flat surface, such as a piece of glass. If the tool is new and needs a lot of work, begin with 220 grit, then proceed to 400 and 600 grit. Next, lap the surface on 4/0 polishing paper, which is extremely fine and leaves a polished surface.

However, if you want to achieve the absolute highest luster, here's a trick. After the final polish, take a regular graphite pencil and charge up a section of the same 4/0 paper, until the area is covered with graphite (a lubricant). Now re-polish on this section, applying strong pressure. You can then take out your work, use the graver and note the smile you see in the brilliant reflection!

New Tip! - Just Added!

Tip 101: On Your Mark
The Fastest Shortcut of All
An apprentice once asked a wise old master goldsmith, “What is the fastest shortcut you know?” The grey-bearded master craftsman thought for a while, contemplating the hundreds of techniques and thousands tricks he had learned. He thought and he thought, and then his eyes lit up as he settled on the ultimate way to save time at work. Slowly, almost haltingly, he responded: “The fastest way to do anything is to do it right the first time.”

Jewelry work requires great patience, in addition to an unyielding commitment to precision. Think of precision and patience as your partners, helping you to stay focused on achieving your goal of excellence, no matter how long it takes. Building jewelry should not be a race against time, but a journey toward quality: In the long run, your work will be judged not by how fast you completed it, but by how well you completed it. And this requires a dedication to doing your best at every step, so that you do not have to waste time reworking or undoing needless mistakes.

So slow down, check your work right from the start and all along the way, and remember: What is most important is that every piece you make represents your very best effort.

This series of tips is from Alan Revere's continuing column in MJSA Journal. and will be collected into a book. Illustration by Sean Kane.

Tip 105: Getting Even
Because nearly every soldering operation presents new problems to be solved, there are many specialized soldering techniques that are not widely discussed. The problem nearly always boils down to the same issue: how to heat a piece of jewelry evenly, so that the parts being joined reach the solder temperature at the same time. Often if there is a large flat piece and a small upright piece to be joined, it is difficult to bring them to the solder temperature at the same time, because of their different masses and positions. Heating the larger lower item can be much more difficult than heating the smaller upright component.

One trick is to pre-heat a portion of your charcoal block. This is one of the reasons to choose charcoal, which absorbs heat, over a refractory soldering surface that reflects heat. Once the charcoal is glowing over a broad area, slide the work over it and it will be heated from below as well as with your torch from above.

The net result is like having two torches, one from above and the other from below, insuring a very even heating cycle.

Tip 107: A Quick Rub
Using the back of a file to burnish after setting
Here is a tip that will make you scratch your head and ask, Why didn’t I ever try this before? During many jewelry operations, after filing, burring, setting, and even bend-ing, you are left with a rough or sharp edge on the metal. You can sand or file down the edge, but it’s not always easy if the area is difficult to reach. A great solution to this problem is using the back of a barrette needle file as a burnisher.
Let’s say you are finishing a setting job. No matter what type of setting it is, there is always a sharp corner or edge left by your work. You should remove this sharp corner because it is not only unattractive, but also dangerous for the wearer, who can catch it on clothing or flesh.

Grab a fine cut (#6 or #4) barrette needle file. You might want to prepare the back, which comes without teeth, by sanding and polishing it. At the end, use this file for the final cleanup, then flip it over and use the polished corner to rub against sharp corners and edges in your work. This beats polishing because it is more specifi-cally directed, it does not remove metal, and it leaves a high luster.

I always use this technique as the final touchup after finishing prongs and bezels.

Call Your Suppliers

Part of the impact your jewelry making has on the planet is daily operations in your studio. However, an even larger impact starts with the daily operations of your suppliers. Do you know where the metal you use in your studio comes from? Do you purchase recycled metal? How can you find out?

The best way to find out where the metal you are purchasing comes from is to call your suppliers and ask. Tell them that you want to purchase 100% recycled or sustainably/responsibly sourced metal and gemstones. While you are at it, tell them you want them to reduce their packaging and switch to recycled or returnable packing materials.

More and more suppliers are making the shift to recycled metals because their customers demand it. All metal purchased from Hoover & Strong is 100% recycled. All sterling casting grain and sterling jewelry products cast in house at Rio Grande are 100% recycled. However, not all Rio Grande mill products are made from recycled metal.

The next time you call your suppliers to place an order, ask about the products before you purchase. Where do they come from? Is the metal recycled? Are the gemstones responsibly sourced and processed without using child labor or under sweatshop conditions? What have they done to lessen the environmental impact of their packing materials? Ask them to see copies of their fair-trade, social and environmental policies. Then ask them which products are made in a manner that supports these policies. If no such policies exist, encourage them to develop responsible practices and follow them in all their sourcing. If a supplier can’t back up its practices, consider switching to one that can.

In order to make jewelry in a responsible way, each of us must take extra care to be sure the materials we purchase reflect ethical values.

Many jewelers use Bur Life® or Stay Sharp®, a non-toxic, odorless lubricant for burs and saw blades, available from Otto Frei. These push-up style cakes of lubricant become difficult to handle when the lubricant is almost gone, which might cause some jewelers to toss them before they have made full use of the package contents. Instead of throwing out the unused portions, save them! When you have several, microwave one container for just a few seconds, until the lubricant becomes clear and liquid. Be careful not to touch the hot liquid as you pour it into another container that you have saved. Continue to do this with all of your “almost empties” and let the full container cool.  Voila! You have a container of recycled lubricant that is just as good as new!