By Tom Weishaar
The bench jewellers I know, myself included, have a tendency to use their tools for purposes other than for what they are intended. I, for instance, tend to grab a pair of diagonal cutters when I want to snip through a piece of binding wire or lift a worn prong off a diamond. Actions like these dull cutters and make them useless when trying to achieve a fine flat cut through a chain’s link. A pair of dull cutters won’t cut through warm butter, let alone a chain. Fortunately, dull cutters can be easily sharpened and made like new again.
Tom Weishaar is a certified master bench jeweller (CMBJ) and has presented seminars on jewellery repair topics for Jewelers of America (JA). He can be contacted via e-mail at tweishaar@cox.net.
