Tag Archives: Tom Weishaar

Back to basics: A link in time

Time takes its toll. Even the most beautiful and well-crafted piece has limits on its endurance. At 2200 years old, this beautiful Greek statue of Venus de Milo—also known as Aphrodite—has had her share of difficult days. No one can say at this point what has become of her arms. Perhaps they were lost through rough handling or some natural occurrence, but even without arms, her beauty is undeniable.

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Tom’s Tool Tip

Anti-solder has long been used by both bench jewellers and silversmiths as a method to prevent solder from flowing where it is not desired. In our modern age of laser welders and CAD/CAM, we sometimes lose sight of traditional soldering techniques. However, if you one day get in a soldering pinch and wish you had some anti-solder, here is a quick and easy way to make your own.

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If you can’t afford to replace it, don’t laser it

Most of the time a laser beam passes through a clean, clear diamond and nothing happens. However, there are times when the laser beam hits an impurity and a burst occurs, like in the diamond shown here. For this reason, I no longer use a laser to re-tip over expensive diamonds or coloured gemstones, although for melee, it is a viable option. The savings in time and materials outweigh the inevitable loss of a stone or two. Stone damage occurs approximately one per cent of the time.

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Back to basics: Tips on re-tips

One of my personal heroes is Mike Holmes, the home repair guru whose television program, Holmes on Homes, depicts poor renovation projects he makes right for the homeowner. Mike has made a name for himself in Canada, both among the general public and in construction circles. His following in the United States is equally impressive.

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Tom’s Tool Tip

Like most bench jewellers, I am always looking for creative ways to save money. Manufactured sanding discs can cost anywhere from 10 cents to 50 cents each. That may not seem like a lot of money, but I tend to go through quite a few of them. They also never seem to be offered in my favourite grits of sandpaper. Well, I have found a great way to make my own sanding discs for next to nothing.

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