Preventing Rust On Jewelry Tools

Metalsmith Society is a community on Instagram that has over 240,000 individuals , from professional jewelers to small business artisans , hobbyists , students and even those curious looky-loos eager to learn about jewelry making . Together , we share tips , kindness and even those curious looky-loos eager to learn about jewelry making . Together , we share tips , kindness and support .

In this podcast , I will discuss tips from the Instagram page , provide deeper insights , address questions and share bonus tips that often surface in the comments section . So , whether you've been making jewelry for a while or you're just starting your jewelry making journey , this podcast is your go-to resource for all the jewelry making tips .

So grab your tools , dust off your workbench and join me . In today's episode , I will be discussing how to prevent rust on your jewelry tools and what to do when you do discover rust . You're not going to panic . I got you . Preventing your jewelry tools from rusting is essential for maintaining their quality and longevity .

Before we get to prevention , let's talk a little bit more about the negative impact of making jewelry with rusty tools . Rust on your tools can transfer onto your metal and also cause scratches and blemishes .

Rust particles can also contaminate your work area , other tools and if it's transferred onto your jewelry pieces and you put it in the pickle , it then contaminates your pickle as well . Rust particles are not good to breathe in and they can also irritate your skin .

And lastly , if you leave your tools in a rusty state for prolonged periods , it can cause irreversible damage to them . Hey there , jewelry makers , are you searching for reliable , high-quality tools to bring your creative visions to life ? Look no further , because today's podcast is brought to you by Pepe Tools , your go-to destination for all your jewelry-making needs .

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The first tip we need to discuss when it comes to preventing rust on your tools is that you must dry your metal thoroughly before using your tools , and if you do get any kind of moisture on one of your tools , be sure to dry it with a clean cloth .

Sometimes , when I'm doing something that requires a lot of annealing pickling and then going back to a tool like stamping I can feel like I am kind of in a rush and I just grab my piece out of the pickle pot and I don't really dry it all the way and then I go to work , and that is the kind of practice that will get you rust on your tools .

Just being honest , a great example of this is a rolling mill . If you roll metal that is moist , or even a natural item like a leaf , and it imparts some moisture onto the rolling mill and you don't dry it afterwards , you can cause irreversible damage to the rollers , and that's going to be a really expensive fix .

The next consideration is storing your tools properly , so keeping them in a dry environment , away from moisture . You could use airtight containers or storage boxes , but if you have a bunch of tools sitting , let's say , for example , on a sink countertop , they're going to get exposed to more moisture and be more prone to rusting .

If you live near the ocean and you keep your tools out and exposed , they're going to be more prone to moisture and rusting .

You can also use this tip that was shared by many members of our community , which is , every time you get one of those little silica gel pouches in something that you buy , save them , you can throw them into your drawers and containers and they're going to absorb the moisture away .

If you want to see the silica tip on Instagram , I'll link it in the show notes . The next tip for rust prevention I want to talk about was shared by Jane Prance Jewelry way back in 2018 , and it was a game changer for me . She talked about having a dehumidifier in her studio and I went ahead and bought one for my studio .

I typically only run it about late spring through early fall , but it makes a huge difference . If you are someone that lives in more of a humid climate , you may want to run it year-round . You can also inhibit rust by using this tip shared by DangBraveGirl . She shared that she's kept her collection of hundreds of stamps rust-free by applying FrogLube .

Froglube is an all-natural paste used for cleaning guns that I know firsthand has a delightful mint scent . You can apply it to your tools with a clean cloth and it helps prevent rust . I'll link it in my show notes . So what do we do once we have rust ?

A while back , I created a video sharing the process of removing some pretty caked-on rust from a bracelet mandrel I had inherited . For the video I selected EvapoRust , which is a biodegradable , non-corrosive , non-flammable acid and solvent-free rust remover .

It has the very best rating for being eco-friendly in Christine Dhein's Eco Jewelry Handbook , which , if you're hearing this and you don't own this book , go to my show notes and click on the link to purchase her book . It goes through what are the safest alternatives for every kind of chemical patina pickle that you would use in your jewelry studio .

So by reading this book it's going to inform you on how to have a healthier studio space . So what I did was I took the evapo-rust and I made a bath in which I placed the bracelet mandrel and I let it soak for 24 hours and you can see , if you head over to the actual video , that it took off all this caked off rust .

But then the last part of it is removing and kind of polishing up the mandrel . And there are many different ways you can do that . You can use a wire brush or a wire wheel .

I chose a very coarse scotch brite type of wheel because it rapidly removed it , but I will say that that wheel is dedicated to steel tools , so every time I see a little bit of rust pop up on a tool , I will go over to my polishing lathe and I will use that wheel on it to remove it .

This segues perfectly into the last tip I want to talk about , which is that you should inspect your tools regularly . By doing this , you can check for any signs of rust or corrosion .

Catching it early allows you to take preventative measures before it becomes a more significant issue , because , I will once again reiterate , if you have tools that you leave rust on for a prolonged period of time , it can get corrosive and actually permanently damage your tools , and we invest so much of our money into these tools and most of them will last our

lifetime and beyond if we take care of them . Before I wrap up today's episode , I want to take a moment to thank you , my amazing listeners , for tuning in and joining me on this journey . Your support means the world to me , and I couldn't do this without you .

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