Cold Connections

Eyelets and Grommets - Grommets, heavy-wall crimp tubes and eyelets themselves work well for joining metal together, as well as for leaving a clean opening in a design.

Micro-Hardware - Amazingly tiny but mighty and finely engineered screws, washers and nuts in brass and in silver and copper finishes.

Metal sheet - Sterling silver, copper, bronze, brass and nickel silver in 26, 24 and 22 gauge and Lillypilly metal sheets with great patina.

Mica Sheets and Ephemera - Vintage paper, photos and stamped or decorated paper bring a personal touch to a design; mica can be used as a design element or to protect the paper and photos.

Here is what I pull out of the toolbox:

Hole Punches - These guys are essential when making holes in the materials to be joined as they create holes which allow the passage of the hardware: eyelets, rivets or micro-hardware.

An alternative to a hole punch would be a rotary drill and drill bits.

The key to successful riveting is to eliminate gaps between the hardware and the material. Gaps will allow the hardware to splay into the spaces rather than holding the layers together. Proper-sized holes will help prevent gaps.

Design Tip: When working with leather, I tend to use a smaller hole punch size than the hardware's diameter as the leather will give and stretch a little. The smaller hole limits the room the hardware has to move in, therefore keeping it in place and creating a better riveted connection.

EUROTOOL® Hole Punch Pliers

Rivets and Eyelet Tools - These handy devices make it very easy to use eyelets and rives to join layers of materials together.

Jeweler's Saw, Saw Blades and a Bench Pin - When cutting out tabs or prongs, creating openings in a piece of metal to accommodate a cabochon or crystal, or when cutting out metal for any part of your design, a jeweler's saw and saw blade will get the job done, and without the need for a lot of filing afterward. Using a bench pin clamped to your bench is essential when sawing shapes from the metal sheet.

Tip: The blades prefer a little beeswax as they pass through the metal.

Dapping Punches, Dapping Blocks and a Rawhide or Nylon Mallet - these tools are great for creating interest in a design and offering dimension to otherwise flat metal sheet. These tools are also great for creating domes settings.

Jeweler's Files, Polishing Pads and Papers - When using a saw or punching holes, it's always a good idea to file and polish the edges as well as inside the openings. Jewelry should not have any sharp edges or points as it could catch on clothing or even scratch the wearer; and when riveting or inserting hardware through and opening, it's best done it the opening is clear and free of any tough edges. Without taking the time for this step, you could wind up with less than preferred results.

A few tools to keep handy, just in case--pliers and tweezers, scissors, beading awl and bench block.