Tools for PinUp Poster Child Course
These are the tools I use for the PinUp Poster Child online course.
Several of the tools have been repeated but are available from different vendors. I offer these duplications as a way for you to compare product and shipping prices. Click each item to be taken directly to online vendors and product pages.
Happy sourcing!
Pepe Tools Pepetools Designer 4" X 4"X 3/4" Jewelers Steel Bench Block
Not the cheapest bench block for its size, but solid quality and free shipping is always nice on heavy items!
Mercer Industries 216240 Grit 240 9" x 11" Multi-Purpose Emery Cloth Sheets (50-Pack)
My absolute favorite for sanding. Use it flat, or cut it up into strips to use with a split mandrel in your flex shaft or dremel.
Prodigy™ Flex Shaft System, 220-Volt
A basic flex shaft system from Rio. I've used this in my classroom for years and have never had a problem with it... though I do wish it had a "reverse" feature.
Economy Flex Shaft
I purchased a few of these a few months ago for traveling to teach, and have been pleased with them. Great economy model for simple tasks.
Xuron Maxi-Shear Flush Cutters Without Retainer, #2175
I use these with my students- excellent cutters for cutting up to 14g wire.
StudioFLUX™ Bench Pin
Rio's unbranded version of Thomas Mann's design. I love this style, though I recommend drilling it directly into your bench as opposed to using the clamp.
German Adjustable Jeweler's 4" Saw Frame
Always my go-to for piercing and sawing. I learned on an old German frame and have always been most comfortable with this style.
Jeweler's Saw Frame - Black Handle — GreenLion Studios
While I personally have found this handle to be too large to fit comfortably in my palm, I know a lot of jewelers who love this saw frame. It's certainly a beautiful, inspiring design, and I appreciate the simple functionality.
Laser Gold™ #4/0 Saw Blade, Pkg/12
My favorite brand of blades. The 4/0 size will work beautifully on 22g and 24g silver. If you opt to use 20g, the 2/0 would be more efficient.
EURO TOOL Cut Lube Jewelers Lubricant 2 5/8"
A basic Eurotool product- oddly more expensive than the name brand stuff... but free shipping.
Glardon Vallorbe Precision Barrette Hand File, Swiss Cut #2
A full-sized hand file at 8" long. The flat face is great for many applications, while the knife-edge back keeps you from inadvertently filing behind your point of focus.
Glardon Vallorbe® Barrette Needle File, Cut #2
A smaller needle file, excellent for getting into tight spaces. I add a piece of antler or file handle to mine in order to increase the comfort and add some extra length.
Grobet USA CLEARANCE PRICING: Grobet Swiss Made Files Barrette 6 Inch Cut 2
An excellent brand, in my experience, yet not too expensive to use against a miter jig. Plus, free shipping.
Diamond Bur Set
The diamond bur set I use all the time and love. At this price, I'm not even going to post alternatives.
Jewelers Supermarket 10 Pack High Speed Steel Twist Drill #55, 0.052 inch diam.
16g drill bits from Amazon... with free shipping.
Paaz Jewelry Supply HSS Twist Drill Size # 60 1.02mm, 0.040' Made in The U.K. (Dormer) Package of 10
18g drill bits with free shipping.
Fretz Jewelers' Planishing Hammer
The same hammer I shared from Rio, but at a slightly lower price (though I have not compared shipping rates.)
Economy Bowed Face Chasing Hammers
Economy line of chasing hammers with gently domed faces, which will work well for hammering wire into flattened paddles.
Slimline Flat-Nose Pliers
Economy flat nose pliers will serve our purposes in this course just fine.
Chain-Nose Pliers
A basic pair of chain nose pliers- these will work fine for twisting and straightening wire.
Lindstrom Supreme Series Chain Nose Pliers
I love the slightly longer length and long, pointed jaws of these chain nose pliers. Excellent for getting into tight spaces.
Double Third-Hand Soldering Station with Soldering Block
Kind of a nice splurge when setting up chain for pinning.
JETS INC 3rd Hand with 3 Fiber Grip Tweezers Cross Locking -Third Hand Base & Tweezer Set
A decent set with heat protection grips. A bit limited range of motion/positioning abilities.
Starrett 816A Prick Punch, 4" Length, 5/64" Tapered Point Diameter
I have this center punch and enjoy both the narrow point and precision grip; however, it's a bit expensive even with Prime shipping.
Bosch CO2138B 11/64 In. x 3-1/4 In. Cobalt M42 Drill Bit
A larger drill bit for metal- excellent for removing burs from drilled holes.
Swanstrom Large Round-Nose Pliers
These are expensive, but I love the larger jaws for creating the frames for pinning. Nice length and weight too- very comfortable to use.
Wubbers EURO TOOL (PLR-1235) Classic Wubbers Round Nose Pliers
Super comfortable pliers with a nice taper to the jaws. Prime shipping.
Steel Prong and Bezel Pusher, Square
This basic bench tool is all you should need to push over your gallery wire.
Economy Miter-Cutting Vise and Jig
This economy jig works well for perfecting the edges of bezels or ring bands in preparation for soldering.
Miter Cutting Jig
A basic economy jig from Contenti. This is a great tool for perfecting the ends of bezel wire and ring blanks in preparation for soldering.
Smith® Little Torch™ Propane and Oxygen Set for Disposable Tanks
While I hate asking you to take on this expense, this Smith Little Torch really is the gold standard for precision soldering. This system runs with disposable tanks, making it smaller, more economical, and more user friendly than the alternative Smith models. Propane and oxygen may be purchased at a big box hardware store. The combination burns clean and hot, making pinning much easier and your likelihood of success much greater than if you were using a larger torch or less powerful culinary model. YOU CAN MAKE YOUR ENTIRE PROJECT USING THIS TORCH- the #5 tip it comes with can be used for pinning, but may not be very efficient for soldering the bezel and embellishments to the backplate. I recommend purchasing a separate #7 tip for larger applications such as this.
Gentec Small Torch for Disposable Propane Tanks
Made by Gentec, this is the generic model of the Smith Little Torch. It works the exact same way (both setup and operation) and will do well for pinning in our project. Disposable oxygen and propane tanks may be purchased locally at any big box hardware store. More economical than the Smith brand, this is an excellent option. YOU CAN MAKE YOUR ENTIRE PROJECT USING THIS COURSE- the #4 tip that this torch system comes with will work well for pinning, but may not be the most efficient tip for soldering your bezel and embellishments to your backplate. I'd recommend also purchasing a size #7 tip for larger applications.
Smith Little Torch Jeweler's Torch Outfit 23-1014
The Smith Little Torch at a slightly lower price than Rio offers, and with free shipping. Tanks not included. YOU CAN MAKE YOUR ENTIRE PROJECT USING THIS TORCH- the #5 tip it comes with can be used for pinning, but may not be very efficient for soldering the bezel and embellishments to the backplate. I recommend purchasing a separate #7 tip for larger applications such as this.
Disposable Propane Tank
Do not buy this tank! It's way too expensive online and is more than likely extremely available wherever you live. I'm sharing this link simply to show you what kind of propane tank you'll need should you purchase the Smith Little Torch or the Gentec Small Torch for disposable tanks. This style canister should be easily found in big box hardware stores, WalMart, Tractor Supply, Ace, etc. Brand does not matter, though it will likely be this Bernzomatic that is most commonly available.
Disposable Oxygen Tank
Do not buy this tank! It's way too expensive online and is more than likely extremely available wherever you live. I'm sharing this link simply to show you what kind of oxygen tank you'll need should you purchase the Smith Little Torch or the Gentec Small Torch for disposable tanks. This style canister should be easily found in big box hardware stores, WalMart, Tractor Supply, Ace, etc. Brand does not matter, though it will likely be this Bernzomatic that is most commonly available.
Sterno 50114 Professional Culinary Torch, One Size, Black
This detachable torch head connects to a disposable butane canister (NOT to be confused with a refill canister). It has an adjustable flame that can get quite large as well as a quick trigger start for easy ignition. A really good torch option for a lot of applications at a very reasonable cost. NOTE: This is a great torch for most things but will NOT work well for pinning!!
AOHEZI Professional Butane Cooking Torch for Pastries Desserts Blazing Soldering Camping Jewelry（Butane not included）
I just discovered these a couple months ago. This is a great alternative to the Sterno brand torch head and seems to burn a bit hotter. Like the Sterno, this torch head attaches directly to a disposable butane tank. Very easy to use and an excellent option for soldering your bezel to your back plates and adding embellishments to larger pieces. NOTE: This is too big and not hot enough for pinning.
Gasone Butane Fuel Canister (4pack)
These are the canisters that go with the torch heads listed on this Kit page. They may also be purchased in small hardware stores and restaurant supply chains. Butane burns cleanly gets adequately hot for soldering large pieces, yet it is not hot enough to efficiently pin tiny wires in tight places.
Smith® Silver Smith™ Acetylene and Air Torch Kit without Tank
NOTE: This torch will NOT work well for pinning. It will work for creating your setting but you'll need a smaller torch to draw your beads into tight spaces and prevent the shattering of beads. A great everyday torch if you want to invest in a proper jeweler's torch instead of opting to use the butane and detachable torch head... this is the system I have and LOVE. This is the torch I use in the video demonstrations when creating my stone setting in this course. It burns clean, is very user friendly, and adapts to a wide range of applications. Do not buy the optional new tank- instead, find that locally at a welding supply store. You will need two extra tips, as this only comes with a size #00, which is a bit small for our purposes. You can buy the #0 and #1 tips separately (links provided on this Kit page.)
Smith® Silver Smith™ Soldering Tip, #0
If you already own or purchase the Smith Silver Smith torch, this tip is one I use in the online demonstrations. It's a bit larger than the one that comes with the torch system, and works well for soldering bezels and wire.
Smith® Silver Smith™ Soldering Tip, #1
Works well for larger pieces where a lot of embellishment and layering is being done.
Smith® Little Torch™ Tip, #7
This separate tip may be purchased for performing larger soldering jobs using your Smith Little torch. It works well for soldering the bezel and embellishments to the back plate efficiently and quickly. Excellent to have if you don't want to have to invest in two different torches (one for delicate pinning jobs and one for larger applications.)
Gentec Small Torch Tips
Item 114-507 is an additional size 7 tip that works with the generic Gentec brand torches. An excellent additional purchase if you want to avoid having to invest in two different torches. This tip will work well for larger applications, such as soldering our bezel and embellishments to our back plates, while the size 4 tip that comes with the Gentec torch system will work well for pinning.