The Bench Journal

Oxidising & Patina on Silver
Oxidising & Patina on Silver: Liver of Sulphur and Beyond
A controlled patina turns flat silver into depth and contrast. Here is how to oxidise safely, highlight the high points, and make it last. Read more...
Tumbling & Mass Finishing
Tumbling & Mass Finishing: Polish a Whole Batch at Once
A tumbler polishes and hardens a whole batch while you do something else. Here is how it works, the media to use, and its limits. Read more...
Stone-Setting Tools Explained
Stone-Setting Tools Explained: Pushers, Burnishers & Bezel Rollers
Stone setting has its own small kit of specialist tools. Here is what each one does, so you buy the right few rather than a drawerful. Read more...
Drawplates & Drawing Down Wire
Drawplates & Drawing Down Wire: Custom Gauges at the Bench
A drawplate turns one gauge of wire into any smaller gauge — and any profile you like. Here is how drawing down actually works. Read more...
How Much Metal Do I Need? Calculating Weight & Cost
How Much Metal Do I Need? Calculating Weight & Cost
Order too little metal and you stall; too much and you tie up cash. Here is how to estimate weight and cost before you buy. Read more...
Bench Safety
Bench Safety: Fumes, Fire, Eyes & Ears in the Workshop
Jewellery-making is safe when you respect a few hazards. Here is the short, practical list that keeps your lungs, eyes, hands and workshop intact. Read more...
Dapping & Doming
Dapping & Doming: How to Form Domes, Beads and Bezel Cups
A flat disc becomes a dome with one tool and one technique. Here is how dapping actually works — and the kit that makes it painless. Read more...
Wire Gauge Guide for Jewellers
Wire Gauge Guide for Jewellers: AWG, mm and What to Use
Gauge numbers run backwards, two systems disagree, and the wrong wire ruins a piece. Here is the conversion and what each thickness is actually for. Read more...
Choosing a Rolling Mill for the Home Jewellery Bench
Choosing a Rolling Mill for the Home Jewellery Bench
A rolling mill turns scrap into stock and adds texture in one pass. Here is what to look for before you spend on one. Read more...
Soldering Consumables Explained
Soldering Consumables Explained: Flux, Solder and Firebricks
The torch gets the attention, but flux, solder grades and your soldering surface decide whether the join actually flows. Here is what each one does. Read more...
Calipers & Sizing Gauges
Calipers & Sizing Gauges: Measuring at the Bench
Jewellery lives or dies by tenths of a millimetre. Here are the measuring tools that keep stones seated, rings true and stock consistent. Read more...
Design & Letter Stamps
Design & Letter Stamps: Personalising Your Metal
A single clean strike adds a star, an initial or a date. Here is how to stamp metal crisply — and the kit that makes it repeatable. Read more...
Organising Your Bench
Organising Your Bench: Racks, Trays and Tool Storage
A tidy bench isn’t vanity — it’s faster work and longer-lived tools. Here is a simple, cheap system for keeping everything to hand. Read more...
A silver ring being polished to a mirror finish with a felt buff
How to polish jewellery by hand: the order that actually works
Polishing is where beginners expect magic and meet physics. They take a piece straight from the file to a buff loaded with rouge, spend twenty minutes on it, and end... Read more...
A pendant-motor handpiece holding a small bur over a silver sheet
Drilling holes and using burs at the bench: a beginner's guide
Drilling and burring is where the bench gets its first taste of power tools, and where a lot of beginners either snap expensive burs or skate a drill bit across... Read more...
A fan of needle files of different shapes laid on linen
Needle files explained: cuts, shapes, and which to buy first
A file is the most-used tool on my bench and the one beginners think about least. People will agonise over which hammer to buy, then grab any old file and... Read more...
A jeweller's saw frame mid-cut on a sheet of brass on a V-slot bench pin
How to use a jeweller's saw without snapping blades
Piercing — sawing shapes out of sheet metal with a fine-bladed frame saw — is the first real skill every bench jeweller learns, and it's the one that humbles everyone.... Read more...
Make a Stamped Disc Pendant
Make a Stamped Disc Pendant: A Beginner Bench Project
Your first finished piece in an afternoon: cut a disc, stamp it, give it a gentle dome and polish. Here is the whole project, step by step. Read more...
Forming Stakes & Anvils
Forming Stakes & Anvils: An Intro to Raising and Planishing
Stakes are the shapes you hammer metal against. Here is how raising and planishing work, and the first stake worth owning. Read more...
Parallel-Action Pliers
Parallel-Action Pliers: What They Do & When You Need Them
Standard pliers pivot like scissors and dig in. Parallel pliers close dead flat — here is why that changes how you hold and bend metal. Read more...
Buying second-hand jewellery tools in the UK
Buying second-hand jewellery tools in the UK — estate sales, eBay, and what to inspect
Buying second-hand jewellery tools in the UK offers significant savings for bench jewellers and silversmiths. Learn where to find quality kit and what to inspect to avoid costly… Read more...
Why jeweller's saw blades snap
Why jeweller's saw blades snap — causes, fixes, blade choice
Stop jeweller's saw blades snapping by understanding the common causes and applying simple, effective fixes. Master tension, blade choice, and technique for smoother sawing. Read more...
Pricing your jewellery
Pricing your jewellery — trade vs retail, the working maker's formula
Mastering jewellery pricing means moving beyond simple formulas to a robust system that covers all costs and reflects your true value, ensuring sustainable profit for makers. This… Read more...
Anti-tarnish strategies for sterling silver
Anti-tarnish strategies for sterling silver — workshop, storage, and finished work
Protect your sterling silver creations from tarnish with practical workshop, storage, and finishing strategies. Learn how to keep your inventory bright and ensure customer… Read more...