Categories: Projects and equipment; Commerce and business
Word count/read time: 424 words; 2 minutes
None of that in the shop, it's against the rules! But making jigs, that's
a necessity. A jig ensures consistency and speeds up manufacturing.
All of my clasps, earwires, and forged or shaped wires or rings
use proprietary jigs made by me.
Jigs can be super easy to make. Or not. For stuff as simple as jewelry findings
and whatnot, a hobbyist should be able to make something nearly as good as a seasoned pro
if the jig and instructions are done properly.
I make jigs mostly from plastic blocks. They
have holes drilled in them for the various pins and dowels required to make a particular shape.
Eventually, everything will be remade in
metal for durability and precision using a CNC machine. A hole must be within 0.005" accuracy
and my methods, as good as they might be, are not accurate enough. Even with +/-1/64" precision,
two or three holes can have a 1mm difference from their true zero point. No good!
Some jigs are good for making one item or thing. Others make a range of parts, like my
rivet maker.
Another set of jigs makes 3- to 16-sided
shapes or stars. Cramming all those holes onto one jig
is impossible so there are 12 in all.
They range from 48 to 144 holes and collectively make more than 1,000 shapes!
My original selection of five earwires was OK to get started. Recently I revisited the issue and came
up with about 35 more! Each requires its own jig or modification thereof along with testing.
While not a huge monetary investment, it still takes several hours to make each jig.
Having a locking clasp is a necessity for any serious chainmaker.
There's nothing "wrong" with mass-produced commercial ones aside from their
ubiquity and plainness. Unfortunately, nothing made from them legally qualifies as handmade jewelry
so that's not an option for me.
However, fine silver is too weak for clasps unless it's forged into shape
so not all clasps can be duplicated easily.
My triggerless clasp is a hybrid of a lobster clasp, carabiner, and S-hook.
It took at least 20 jigs, scores of failed attempts, and more than a week.
A seemingly mundane task is cutting earwire blanks to length. So simple yet it takes
up so much time. I experimented with several jig ideas, each of which must be able to handle
any length. Believe me, however much time is spent making
a jig will increase production numbers immediately and save time in the end.
With enough use, that is.
Posted by M: March 10, 2022
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