[Jewelry making - Article 00918] - Re: [Orchid] Holding metal while finishing

[David Phelps]

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Hi Karen,

    I have apprenticed and trained a bunch of people over the years, and
    the number one question posed by newbies in the shop is "How do I
    hold this?" The most common comment made by newbies is "OUCH! That
    gets hot fast!" 

    Leather and rubber finger cots, gloves, special tape, ring clamps,
    pliers, rubber-tipped hemostats, tweezers, pin vises, temperature
    sensitive plastics and cements, and an infinite number of gadgets
    designed to hold things (and lighten your wallet) are all available
    from tool suppliers, and all work to some degree. They all have their
    drawbacks too. Nothing will ever beat your fingers as holding devices
    for most jobs though, especially for polishing. Mother Nature knew
    what she was doing when she gave us opposable thumbs. 

    You can always identify a true metalsmith by looking at their
    fingers. Even after a two week vacation, there will still be black
    stuff imbedded in their heavily calloused index fingers and thumbs.
    Eventually you will wear your permanently dirty, rough and calloused
    fingers as a badge of honor. The sooner you start to build up
    callouses and split fingerprint ridges, the sooner your fingers will
    become a source of pride instead of a source of aggravation and pain.
    Callouses are Nature's finger cots. And they work. 

    No matter how long you do this though, every now and then you will
    still be scratching your head and wondering, "How am I going to hold
    this?" 

Dave
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