In my first afternoon of using the disc cutter I learned two very important things I want to remember for the next time. The first lesson was that, between this step…
…and this step…
…I sure wish I had taken the time to drill a little hole in that indentation I made with the center punch. Then I would have had a usable piece from the first cutout. It’s so tiny, that it’s almost impossible to hold while drilling a hole in it, so it becomes an unusable scrap. With a hole in it, it would have become a nice little mini washer. A decorative element for a rivet. Live and learn. I ended up with a number of these before I thought about taking the extra step to drill them first.
I felt especially wasteful when I thought how handy a mini washer/rivet collar would be in silver as a nice little contrast to some copper earrings.
So, not such a big deal, but a lesson learned for next time.
The other lesson came from overconfidence and not paying attention. “Hey, this is an easy tool to learn to use. I’m whizzing my way through all of these cuts.” I remembered to use Bur-Life to lubricate the punch each time. Even when I used the wrong end of the punch….rut roh…
This could have been a costly mistake. Bur-Life or not, one end of the punch is made for cutting and the other end is made for hitting with a hammer. When I put the punch in upside down, the dull end was trying to cut the metal and the sharp end was being hit hard several times with my hammer! It was really hard to separate the punch from the metal sheet, and crossed my fingers that I hadn’t damaged the cutting end of the punch.
Phew. The punch still cut the next piece. I hope I never do that again. Though, I might not be the only one who has ever made that mistake. Rio sells replacement punches.
I hammered and patina-ted the copper and brass pieces, and I hammered, oxidized and hand polished the silver pieces and ended up with a nice collection of components to work with. (I didn’t get a shot of the whole batch, but you can get an idea from this.)
Here are a few of the earrings I made from my own discs.
I think I will get a lot of use out of this new tool!
Barbara S Fernald Jewelry 
OMG! Each pair of earrings is better than the previous! WOW!
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Hey, thanks Sue. I think the third pair are my favorite.
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Wow and WoW! You are really on a roll here. It is so nice to make your own components isn’t it? It makes every piece truly your own.
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Thanks Roberta. I really do like making my own components, whether they’re from silver, copper, or polymer clay. Makes it hard to stay focused sometimes though.
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Nice! That’s a great idea to drill holes first on the little washers. Oh, just so you don’t feel bad. I have hit the hammer on the wrong side of the punch :-)
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I appreciate that LeAnn! How’s it going with your new equipment?
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Beautiful! I love mixed metal earrings and those new designs are great.
How about putting a dot of paint or even nail polish on the hammer end of each punch? That would give you a visual cue. (Helps me!)
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Susan, that is a great idea. I’m going to do it! Thanks!
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oh yeah! very productive!xoxo
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Oh yeah, well full disclosure…I bought the cutter in September. Used it right away, then lost track of time before I got to finishing the components. It took me a while to finally get around to making some earrings. So, more like smoke and mirrors on the production part! I produced, but the timeline was much more drawn out than it appears. xoxo
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love them all. They are beautiful!
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New work at the Island Arts Association Holiday Fair November 30 and December 1. Hope you’ll be coming by this year. We need to call to catch up sometime.
xoxo
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They are beautiful pieces Barb.
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Thank you Cathy!
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I got my Swanstrom disc cutter a few months ago. My first punch was on the wrong side of the cutter! I know EXACTLY how you feel! Your finished pieces are gorgeous! Nice job!
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Now I know I’m in good company!
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