THE 
 
 JEWELRY REPAIRER'S 
 HANDBOOK. 
 
/ 
 
 Copyright, 1902 , 
 
 By 
 
 The Jewe.ers’ Circular Pub. Co. 
 New York. 
 
THE 
 
 Jewelry Repairer’s 
 Handbook. 
 
 By JOHN G. REPLINGER. 
 
 HENRY PAULSON & CO. 
 
 “World’s Best" 37 S. Wabash Ave. Chicage 
 

 7H0 
 
 ■ 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In preparing this hand-book it was not the inten¬ 
 tion to publish an exhaustive volume covering every 
 detail of the whole held of jewelry repairing, nor a 
 text-book for beginners. It is presented mainly for 
 that large class of workmen who have learned their 
 trade in stores and who desire to knozv the best as 
 well as the latest methods employed in large jewelry 
 repair shops. With this end in vieiv the author has 
 explained methods more fully than he otherwise would 
 to workmen who have made the repairing of jewelry 
 a specialty. J. G. K. 
 
 New York, June, 1902. 
 

THE 
 
 JEWELRY REPAIRER’S 
 HANDBOOK 
 
 THE BENCH 
 
 The jeweler’s bench must be strong and well made 
 and securely fastened to the floor to insure firmness. 
 Its dimensions should be about 3 ft. 4 in. high, 2 ft. 
 wide and 3 ft. long and the top 1^4 in. thick. 
 
 The bench usually contains two drawers; one— 
 measuring from 21 to 24 in. long, 18 in. wide and 3 
 in. deep—immediately below the top of the bench, 
 in which all tools are kept when not in use, and 
 when closed it should be at least 3 inches back from 
 the edge of the bench to allow the jeweler’s hand 
 perfect freedom while working at the bench pin; the 
 other, or lap pan, from 21 to 24 in. long, 24 in. wide 
 and 1 Y\ in. deep in front and having sloping sides 
 which make the drawer A l / 2 in. deep at the back. 
 This pan is lined with zinc, and when pulled out lies 
 snugly in the jeweler’s lap and catches all filings 
 and scraps that fall from his work. 
 
 A very important part about the bench is the 
 bench pin, and the writer has been considerably sur¬ 
 prised to learn that very many jewelers have never 
 heard of it. Into the edge of the top of the bench and 
 above the middle of the lap pan, a hole is cut about 
 
8 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK 
 
 3 in. long, in. deep and % of an inch wide. Into 
 this hole is fastened the bench pin—a flat piece of 
 wood about 3 in. wide, in. thick and extending 
 3 in. from the edge of the bench. Another style of 
 pin with two surfaces—one flat and the other sloping 
 —is used for filing rings. This style can be made 
 to order or obtained from any material dealer. 
 
 On the bench pin most of the work is done, and it 
 has aptly been called a third hand. Its further uses 
 will be pointed out in the sequel. 
 
 TOOLS. 
 
 The beginner need not have many tools with 
 which to begin work; indeed, for some time, in 
 shops, he does not do anything but saw straight and 
 curved lines in copper or brass plate. Then the 
 tools required are a saw-frame and blades, a pair 
 of flat pliers, a rule or straight-edge, a pair of divid¬ 
 ers and a scribing point. As he advances he makes 
 flat band rings of the strips, and for this work he re¬ 
 quires a cut-off size gauge, one of which will be 
 found on the top of every Allen ring-stick, a pair of 
 shears, a pair of half-round pliers, a half-round file, 
 a ring mandril, a rawhide mallet—small size—a 
 blow-pipe, soldering block or charcoal, a borax slate 
 and cake of borax, a small camel’s-hair brush, a wa¬ 
 ter-bottle, a pickle pan, a pickle cup and a soldering 
 lamp, either alcohol or gas. Provided with these 
 tools, the beginner is enabled to make up plain rings, 
 and as he progresses he can do many repair jobs 
 without requiring any more tools. But as these 
 will be needed some time or other, below is pre¬ 
 sented a complete list of them, the use of each being 
 briefly explained when considered necessary: 
 
TOOLS 
 
 9 
 
 Alcohol lamp. 
 Alcohol cup. 
 Anvil. 
 Blow-pipe. 
 Borax-slate. 
 
 Bench-brush. 
 Beading- tools. 
 Bornx. 
 Blow-pipe. 
 
 -r, • i ' Regular 
 
 Burnishers c ° 
 
 I Spoon. 
 
 Camel’s-hair brush. 
 Charcoal block. 
 Draw-plate. 
 
 Drawing tongs. 
 
 Files 
 
 - 
 
 I 
 
 Half-round. 
 
 Flat. 
 
 Barrette. 
 
 Needle. 
 
 Gravers. 
 
 Hand-vise. 
 
 Drills. 
 Eyeglass. 
 Emery sticks. 
 
 Coarse 
 
 and 
 
 Fine. 
 
 Knife-edge. 
 
 Round. 
 
 Square. 
 Triangular. 
 Matting tools. 
 Magnet. 
 
 Hammers 
 Lamp. 
 
 Large. ( Hard 
 
 Small. Oil-stones -< and 
 
 ( Soft. 
 
 Pendant bow contractor and ring bender. 
 Rivet. 
 
 Round. 
 
 Half-round. 
 
 Pliers -i Flat 
 
 Parallel. 
 
 Cutting. 
 
 Pointed flat. 
 
 Pusher. 
 Pump-drill. 
 Punches. 
 Pin-vises. 
 Ring mandril. 
 Ring clamp. 
 
 Saw-frame and 
 blades. 
 
 Split tweezers. 
 Soldering-iron. 
 Setting mandril 
 Testing-stone. 
 
10 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 Soldering lamp. 
 Spiral turners. 
 
 Shears. 
 
 Ring size stick. 
 Rawhide mallet. 
 Scotch-hone. 
 
 Screw-drivers. 
 
 Sieve. 
 
 Testing needles. 
 Tweezers. 
 
 Vise. 
 
 Water-bottle. 
 Wax-box. 
 Wax-point. 
 Watchmakers’ me* 
 
 dium stiff brush. 
 
 The beading tools are tapering pieces of tempered 
 steel, about four inches long, and have a concaved 
 end which forms the beads or grains used when set¬ 
 ting pearls. The tools are held in graver handles 
 and are given a rolling motion. 
 
 Prepared borax can be bought at any material 
 house, but crystallized borax, obtained in any drug 
 store, will answer just as well. 
 
 The spoon-burnisher is made by softening and 
 rounding and retempering the wide end of a flat file. 
 This burnisher is used for removing dents, etc., from 
 spoon bowls. 
 
 The small camel’s-hair brush is used for placing 
 the borax paste on the joint to be soldered. A larg¬ 
 er one can be used for anti-oxidizing purposes. 
 
 Every jeweler should have a draw-plate with 
 round holes and a pair of drawing tongs. 
 
 The matting tools are used to mat the solder 
 which has run into the engraving or matting of band 
 rings. 
 
 The magnet and sieve are used to remove dirt and 
 steel, as well as iron, from the filings and scraps of 
 gold. 
 
 The pendant bow contractor is used to bend very 
 heavy rings which cannot be bent with the half- 
 round pliers. 
 
 The rivet pliers are used to extract rivets from 
 joints which resist all other methods. They are 
 made from a pair of English hawkbill case-pliers by 
 drilling a hole through the end of the flat jaw and 
 
TOOLS. 
 
 11 
 
 bending the curved end so that it will be exactly 
 above the hole when the pliers are opened about a 
 quarter of an inch. The curved part should be filed 
 so as to go into the average joint without splitting 
 it. It is not supposed to push the rivet out entirely, 
 but simply to start it, after which it may be easily 
 removed with a pair of pliers or a rivet punch. 
 
 The ring clamp or vise is a wooden arrangement 
 for holding rings while stones are being set in them. 
 It is a very useful tool and should be used by every 
 jeweler. 
 
 A spiral turner is a piece of steel about three or 
 four inches long and one-fourth of an inch in diame¬ 
 ter. The one end is fastened into a long handle 
 and the other is filed flat. Then a groove 
 is cut across the middle about one-eighth 
 of an inch deep and wide enough to allow the spiral 
 wire to enter. Then to the side of the middle and 
 about one-sixteenth of an inch from the top, a hole 
 is drilled perpendicularly to the groove. A piece 
 of wire is fitted into the hole, which will hold the 
 spiral wire in position while being turned into a 
 spiral. 
 
 The split tweezers have two broad ends, one of 
 which is sawed in half lengthwise for about a quar¬ 
 ter of an inch. This is opened to form a triangle. 
 A narrow band, which fits around the other end, is 
 moved back or forth when an article is inserted or 
 taken out of the jaws. This tool is used mainly for 
 holding scarf pins and button backs while soft-sol¬ 
 dering. 
 
 The setting mandril is made by softening, 
 smoothing and retempering a large rat-tail file. This 
 tool is used for rounding up settings that are made 
 of gallery. 
 
 The water-bottle should have a perforated cork 
 and is used to drop water on the borax slate to 
 grind the paste for soldering purposes. 
 
12 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 The wax-box is an ordinary tin box half filled 
 with wax which has been melted and allowed to 
 cool. This box is used for keeping diamonds and 
 other precious stones while on the work-bench. 
 
 The wax-point is a conical piece of ordinary bees¬ 
 wax, the pointed end of which is used to pick up 
 stones while setting them. 
 
 The pusher, used to push the prongs over stones, 
 is a piece of soft steel about three-sixteenths of an 
 inch square and about two inches long. It is fast¬ 
 ened into a graver handle so that an inch or an inch 
 and a half protrudes, according to the length of the 
 handle used. The end which comes in contact with 
 the prong is slightly beveled back and roughened, 
 so that it will not easily slip. 
 
 The Scotch-hone or stone is very useful for re¬ 
 moving scratches and file marks from articles to be 
 polished, and especially so where engraving has been 
 removed. 
 
 CHEMICALS, TABLES AND RECIPES. 
 
 The following is a complete list of chemicals a 
 jobbing jeweler will need. Their uses will be point¬ 
 ed out as we proceed: 
 
 Ammonia 
 
 Alcohol 
 
 Gum mastic, 
 Muriatic acid, 
 Nitric acid, 
 Sal-ammoniac, 
 
 Aqua-regia (nitro-muriatic acid), 
 
 Calcium plaster, 
 Canada balsam, 
 Chloride of iron, 
 Chloride of zinc, 
 Chromic acid. 
 
 Benzine, 
 
 Bi-carbonate of soda 
 Boric acid, 
 
 Saltpetre, 
 
 Shellac, 
 
 Sulphuric acid, 
 Sulphate of iron, 
 Sulphuret of potash, 
 Soap, 
 
 Washing soda. 
 
CHEMICALS. 
 
 13 
 
 Boric acid is used in the preparation of anti-oxid¬ 
 izer. 
 
 Chromic acid is used for testing silver. If a drop 
 of it be placed on sterling silver it will immediately 
 change its color from a bright crimson to a dark red, 
 while on silver less than coin it will become the 
 color of chocolate. 
 
 Muriatic acid is used in the preparation of soft- 
 solder destroyer; for making aqua-regia, etc. 
 
 > Nitric acid is used for testing gold and silver; re¬ 
 moving mercury from gold and silver and for mak¬ 
 ing aqua-regia. 
 
 Aqua-regia, which is an old name for nitro-muri- 
 atic acid, is composed of three parts of muriatic acid 
 and one part of nitric acid. This acid or combina¬ 
 tion is used for dissolving gold and testing alloys of 
 14 karat or over. 
 
 Sulphuric acid is used for making the pickle which 
 is used for cleaning articles after they have been 
 heated. 
 
 It may be well to state here that should any acid, 
 by accident, fly into the eyes of the workman he 
 should immediately rub soap and water into the 
 parts afifected. We know this from experience to 
 be an efficient antidote. 
 
 The uses of alcohol are so well known to the 
 trade that it is not necessary to state anything about 
 it excepting that wood alcohol, which is only one- 
 half as expensive as grain alcohol, will answer just -\ 
 as well as the latter for the jewelry repairer’s use. 
 
 Ammonia should be bought pure and diluted with 
 four times its volume of water. This will be found 
 satisfactory for washing jobs. 
 
 Bi-carbonate of soda, or baking soda, is used for 
 washing dirty and slightly tarnished silver ware. 
 
 Benzine is used mainly for removing tripoli from 
 work before using rouge. 
 
 Canada balsam, which can be obtained in any 
 
14 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 drug store, is the cement used for cementing bifocal 
 lenses. 
 
 Calcium plaster, or plaster of paris, is used for 
 fastening tops on vinaigrettes, salt shakers, etc. 
 
 Chloride of zinc dissolved in alcohol is used as a 
 soft-soldering fluid. It can be purchased at any 
 drug store. 
 
 Chloride of iron is used for oxidizing brass 
 buckles. The chloride is dissolved in water and then 
 boiled. While boiling, the buckle is immersed until 
 the desired shade is obtained. Should a darker 
 shade be wanted, dip the article into a liver-of-sul- 
 pliur solution. 
 
 Gum mastic is the best cement we know of for 
 cementing pearls on pegs. It comes in “tears” or 
 balls and hardens very quickly. 
 
 There are on the market jewelry soaps and washes 
 of various descriptions, but for every-day use in the 
 shop and store we prefer Ivory soap. It is smooth, 
 does not scratch or cause the work to tarnish and is 
 nice for cleaning the hands and face. 
 
 Shellac is used principally for fastening braid in 
 the metal ends, for guards. 
 
 Sulphate of iron is used for precipitating gold held 
 in solution and for making soft-solder destroyer. 
 
 Saltpetre is used as a flux for refining purposes. 
 
 A piece of sal-ammoniac is the handiest thing for 
 tinning a soft-soldering iron. Moisten the sal-am¬ 
 moniac with the soldering-fluid and then rub the 
 heated iron and a piece of soft-solder over it. 
 
 Sulphuret of potash, or liver-of-sulphur is used for 
 oxidizing articles of silver. It should be kept tight¬ 
 ly corked in a bottle and can be used in either of two 
 ways: Place a small piece in a boiling-cup and add 
 some water, then slowly heat and immerse the ar¬ 
 ticle ; or dissolve it in water and place it in a bottle 
 to be used when wanted. 
 
 Washing soda is very useful for removing pickle 
 
ASSAY TABLES. 
 
 15 
 
 from hollow goods. Place the articles in a bowl of 
 warm water and add washing soda until all bubbling 
 ceases. 
 
 In all Government assay reports the proportion is 
 
 given in fine gold and by thousandths, 
 sandths reduced to karats equal: 
 
 Thus thou- 
 
 1,000 
 
 or 24k.^ 
 
 • 5 °° 
 
 or 
 
 I2k.\ 
 
 •958 i -3 
 
 “ 23k. 
 
 •458 i -3 
 
 a 
 
 Ilk. 
 
 .9 1 6 2-3 
 
 “ 22k. 
 
 .4162-3 
 
 C( 
 
 1 ok. 
 
 •875 
 
 “ 21k. 
 
 •375 
 
 u 
 
 9k. ^ • 
 
 •833 i -3 
 
 “ 20k. 
 
 •333 i -3 
 
 u 
 
 8k. 
 
 .791 2-3 
 
 “ 19k. 
 
 .291 2-3 
 
 u 
 
 yk. 
 
 •750 
 
 “ 18k. 
 
 .250 
 
 a 
 
 6k. 
 
 .708 1-3 
 
 “ 17k. 
 
 .208 1-3 
 
 u 
 
 5 k- 
 
 .666 2-3 
 
 “ 16k. 
 
 .166 2-3 
 
 u 
 
 4k. 
 
 .625 
 
 “ 15k. 
 
 •125 
 
 u 
 
 3 k - 
 
 • 583 t i -3 
 
 “ 14k. 
 
 •83 i -3 
 
 a 
 
 2k. 
 
 ; 54 i, 2-3 
 
 " i 3 k. 
 
 . 41,2-3 
 
 a 
 
 ik. 
 
 Coin gold 
 
 is .900 fine, 
 
 which is e 
 
 quivalent to 
 
 21 3 ; 5k, 
 
 Silver coin, also, is .900 fine; while sterling silver 
 . is .925 fine. 
 
 Sterling silver is so called from the fact that the 
 Easterlings—inhabitants of Eastern Germany in the 
 12th and 13th centuries—were noted for the purity 
 of their alloys, and especially of their silver. Hence 
 the name. 
 
 Troy Weight. 
 
 24 grains = 1 dwt. 
 
 20 dwts. =1 oz. 
 
 12 oz. =1 lb. 
 
 One cubic inch of pure gold weighs 8.4 oz. 
 
 One cubic inch of pure silver weighs 4.56 oz. 
 
 l ) 5 x 
 
 o 
 
1G 
 
 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 RECIPES. 
 
 Anti-oxidizer: There have been very many pub¬ 
 lished recipes for anti-oxidizing solutions, chief of 
 which was one consisting of ocher and borax. This 
 preparation is alright but too dirty for the jobbing- 
 jeweler. The following recipes have been in use for 
 years and found to be perfectly satisfactory: 
 
 A good anti-oxidizer is made by taking four 
 ounces of rain water and putting in as much boric 
 acid as will dissolve. Then add one-fourth ounce 
 of pulverized borax. To apply, heat the article and 
 when warm, paint it with a camel’s-hair brush which 
 has been dipped in the solution. This preparation 
 is very good for engraved band rings and all articles 
 which do not contain stones. But should it be de¬ 
 sired to anti-oxidize an article containing stones, the 
 following solution should be used: Take an ounce 
 of alcohol—grain or wood—and put in as much 
 boric acid as will dissolve. To apply, dip the article 
 into the solution; remove and ignite, when it will 
 burn off with a green flame and leave a thin, white, 
 uniform coating upon the article to be repaired. 
 Should a transparent anti-oxidizer be desired add 
 ammonia, largely diluted with water, to the latter 
 solution until it becomes perfectly clear. Before ap¬ 
 plying be sure to have the article perfectly clean. 
 Paint it with a camel’s-hair brush moistened with 
 the liquid and place on a warm piece of charcoal to 
 dry. When dry do not handle the article more than 
 is absolutely necessary. 
 
 Blue Remover: Blue remover is made of equal 
 parts of elixir of vitriol and muriatic acid. 
 
 Pickle: Pickle is prepared by mixing i part of sul¬ 
 phuric acid and 20 parts of water. 
 
 Oxidizing Solutions: No. 1: Place the article to 
 be oxidized in a solution of liver of sulphur (sul- 
 
RECIPES. 
 
 17 
 
 phuret of potash) diluted with spirit of sal-ammon¬ 
 iac. No. 2: Saltpetre, 1 part; sal-ammonniac, 2 
 parts; sulphate of copper, 2 parts. These ingredi¬ 
 ents are reduced to a fine powder and dissolved in 
 acetic acid. No. 3: Place a small piece of sulphu- 
 ret of potash in a boiling cup and add about an 
 ounce of water. Heat, but do not boil the mixture 
 and immerse the article to be oxidized. 
 
 Lens Drilling Fluids: No. 1 : Oil of camphor and 
 sweet oil, equal parts. No. 2: Turpentine and oil of 
 camphor, equal parts. 
 
 Soft-soldering Fluid: Soft-soldering fluid is gen¬ 
 erally made by dissolving small pieces of zinc in 
 muriatic acid until all effervescence ceases; after 
 which a small amount of sal-ammoniac is added. 
 Another way to make this fluid is to dissolve a small 
 amount of chloride of zinc in alcohol. 
 
 Soft-solder Destroyer: Many jewelers use nothing 
 but muriatic acid to remove soft-solder from articles 
 to be repaired but, in all our experience, we have 
 not found anything to equal the formula of George 
 E. Gee; therefore we give it in its entirety: 
 
 Proto-sulphate of iron. 2 oz. 
 
 Nitrate of potassa. 1 oz. 
 
 Water.10 oz. 
 
 13 oz. 
 
 Reduce the proto-sulphate of iron (green copperas) 
 and nitrate of potassa (saltpetre) to a fine powder, 
 then add these ingredients to the w r ater, and boil the 
 preparation in a cast-iron saucepan for some time; 
 afterwards allow the liquid to cool, and in doing so 
 it will shoot into fine crystals; if any of the liquid 
 should remain uncrystallized, pour it from the crys¬ 
 tals and again heat it, when, on cooling a second 
 time, it will all have become crystallized. The crys¬ 
 tallized salt should then be taken and dissolved in 
 
18 
 
 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 muriatic acid, in the proportion of i ounce of salt to 
 8 ounces of acid. Now take of the latter prepara¬ 
 tion i ounce, and add it to 4 ounces of boiling water 
 in a pipkin, keeping up the heat by means already 
 stated. In a short space of time the most obstinate 
 cases of soft-solder will be cleanly and entirely re¬ 
 moved and without the work changing color, if the 
 instructions are properly carried out in preparing 
 the mixture, etc. 
 
 Solution for Removing Cement from Work: A 
 substitute for alcohol for removing cement from 
 
 work is made of: 
 
 Rainwater.1 gallon 
 
 Lime .2 pounds 
 
 Washing soda .1 pound 
 
 Slack the lime in rain water. Then pour off the 
 liquid and in it boil the washing soda for one hour. 
 To use, place the articles to be cleaned in a boiling- 
 cup and cover with the liquid, which is heated to 
 the boiling point. Then rinse in water and dry. 
 
 A Good Silver Cleanser is made of the following: 
 
 Rain water.11 oz. 
 
 Crystallized nitrate of silver. 1 oz. 
 
 Cyanide of potassium .2 y 2 oz. 
 
 Powdered chalk. 5 oz. 
 
 Cream of tartar .1-16 oz. 
 
 Table salt .oz. 
 
 TESTING ACIDS. 
 
 The U. S. Mint Test for gold coin is composed of: 
 
 Strong nitric acid. 6drachms 
 
 Muriatic acid .1-6 drachm 
 
 Pure water .1 2-3 drachm 
 
 The U. S. Mint Test for silver is composed of: 
 
 Nitrate of silver.24 grains 
 
 Nitric acid .10 drops 
 
 Water . 1 ounce 
 
 If the coin is of base metal it will at once turn black. 
 
TESTING ACIDS. 
 
 19 
 
 For buying in old gold the jeweler will need two 
 different kinds of acid—strong and weak, or more 
 generally known as straw-colored and white. The 
 straw-colored is the nitro-nniriatic acid previously 
 mentioned and the white acid is chemically pure 
 nitric acid. 
 
 To test gold of any karat rub the article on the 
 testing stone and the ends of two or more needles 
 that are supposed to be nearly the same quality. 
 Then apply the testing acid and the article will be 
 of the same quality as the needle whose mark dis¬ 
 appears at the same time. 
 
 Thus for testing 18k., rub the 18k. test on the 
 stone and the article to be tried next to it. Then 
 with the stopper put some of the straw-colored acid 
 over both rubs at the same time. If the article 
 tried is 18k. the acid will not affect it, but will with¬ 
 stand it the same as the test does; if not 18k. the 
 acid will cause it to turn red. 
 
 From the description given for testing 18k. the 
 reader can easily ascertain the quality of any other 
 alloy. It should be borne in mind that the nitric 
 or white acid should be used for testing gold-14k. 
 fine or less. Always keep the testing stone and 
 needles free from dirt and grease. 
 
 THE MAKING OF A RING. 
 
 The reader being acquainted with the tools and 
 chemicals needed for the making and repairing of 
 jewelry, we will now explain the methods employed 
 in the making of a flat band ring which will illus- 
 rate many points in jewelry making. 
 
 The first thing to be considered is the gold. If 
 old gold is used, we generally take gold of the karat 
 desired, but when all the old gold is of a lower 
 karat, we must add a certain amount of pure gold 
 
20 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 to raise the old gold to the fineness desired. For 
 instance, suppose we have a lot of 8k. spectacle 
 frames which we desire to make up into 14k. rings. 
 The gold spectacle frames must be thoroughly 
 cleaned and all solder, rivets and screws removed, 
 and then the gold is accurately weighed and the re¬ 
 sult noted; suppose it weighs 12 dwts. Then, by 
 using the numeral 20 as a multiplier—which will 
 always be constant, because it represents the num¬ 
 ber of pennyweights in an ounce—we determine the 
 amount of fine gold to be added by the following 
 example: 
 
 20 X 14 = 280 
 20 X 8 = 160 
 280 — 160 = 120 
 120 —- 10 = 12 
 
 Therefore, it is seen that to every ounce of 8k. gold 
 must be added 12 dwts. of fine gold to raise it to 14k. 
 Thus, in the example above cited, 7 1-5 dwts. of fine 
 gold must be added to the 12 dwts. of 8k. gold to 
 raise it to 14k. 
 
 The divisor, 10, of the example is the difference 
 between the quality to be made and 24, which rep¬ 
 resents the number of karats; thus we see that the 
 divisor will always represent the difference between 
 the quality as improved by the addition of fine gold 
 and 24. 
 
 If new gold or coin is used it must be reduced to 
 the karat desired by adding to it copper and silver 
 instead of fine gold, as in the former case. Suppose 
 it is desired to reduce 12 dwts. of coin—which is 
 . nearly 22k. fine; 213-5 to be exact—to 14k. By 
 , using the number 20 as a multiplier, we find that 
 
 20 X 22 = 440 
 20 X 14 = 280 
 440 — 280 = 160 
 160 -A- 14 = 11 3-7. 
 
 Therefore, we find that to every ounce of coin must 
 
THE MAKING OF A RING 
 
 be added u 3-7 dwts. of silver and copper in order 
 to reduce it to 14k. gold. 
 
 In this case we desired to reduce 12 dwts. of coin 
 and the amount of alloy to be added would be 66-7 
 dwts. 
 
 In reducing gold it will be noticed that the divisor 
 always must be the karat of gold reduced. 
 
 The gold and required alloys being made ready, 
 we proceed with the melting. This may be done in 
 crucibles when there is a forge in the shop, but in 
 many places the workman has nothing but his lamp, 
 blowing-pipe and a piece of charcoal. Before plac¬ 
 ing the gold and alloys in the crucible, the latter 
 should be rut-bed well on the inside with charcoal 
 to prevent the borax—which is used as a flux—and 
 the gold from adhering to the sides and bottom. 
 Then the crucible containing the metal is placed in 
 the forge and the fire is started. The fuel generally 
 used is gas, which is blown with great force by a 
 blower connected with the forge. In some places 
 charcoal forges are still used for melting purposes. 
 
 While the gold is melting, adjust the ingot mould 
 to the width desired, and after slightly oiling it, 
 place it near the forge to become heated just so the 
 hand can touch it and not be burned. Then when 
 the gold is thoroughly melted, which is known when 
 it becomes perfectly clear on the top, it should be 
 stirred well to mix the several alloys and then, while 
 removing the crucible from the fire, a small piece 
 of beeswax should be dropped onto the molten mass. 
 This will exclude air and prevent oxidation. 
 
 The casting of gold into the ingot-mould is a deli¬ 
 cate operation and requires a steady hand; other¬ 
 wise the gold would be spilled around on the forge. 
 After the gold is cast, it should be removed from the 
 ingot-mould and cooled in water so that it may be 
 readily handled. Then the edges and corners are 
 filed and hammered to remove all small pieces which 
 
22 
 
 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK 
 
 would otherwise be lost while the bar or strip was ■ 
 being rolled. 
 
 But where the workman does not have these ap¬ 
 pliances and must do his melting on charcoal, he 
 must proceed in a different manner. First, he 
 should secure two large pieces of charcoal—we 
 would suggest prepared charcoal, which can be ob¬ 
 tained in blocks of the desired shape—and rub a flat 
 surface on each. At the end of one of the flat sur¬ 
 faces should be cut a hole sufficiently large to re¬ 
 ceive the gold and alloys. 
 
 Now a mould or form should be made from a 
 strip of sheet iron, about 6 inches long, and from 
 1-16 to of inch wide. This should be bern with 
 square corners to form an oblong mould whose 
 ends should extend out to guide the molten mass 
 into the form. This done, the workman should 
 make 12 or more saw-cuts crosswise on the flat sur¬ 
 face of each block and then place his form in posi¬ 
 tion with the extended ends near the hollowed part, 
 and then place the second piece of charcoal on top 
 of the form and bind all together securely with 
 strong binding wire. 
 
 All is now ready to melt and cast the gold. Place 
 it and the alloys—which should be well mixed—and 
 a small piece of borax into the hollow and blow a 
 strong, steady flame onto the mass until it is thor¬ 
 oughly melted; at the same time agitate it con¬ 
 stantly to insure its becoming thoroughly incor¬ 
 porated. When the molten mass begins to churn 
 and becomes perfectly clear on the top it is ready 
 to be cast. 
 
 This operation is 'as delicate as casting into an 
 ingot-mould, and in many cases even more so. 
 When satisfied that all is right, the charcoal-block 
 should be tilted sufficiently to allow the mass to run 
 into the form, and as soon as it is in the mould 
 should be turned up perpendicularly and tapped 
 
THE MAKING OF A RING. 
 
 23 
 
 slightly with the blowpipe to settle the gold. Al¬ 
 low it to cool, cut the binding wire, remove the bar 
 and trim and hammer as explained heretofore. 
 
 To melt gold in this way requires considerable 
 practice with the blowpipe, so that one might blow 
 a steady current of air through it, and at the same 
 time breathe through the nostrils. Many jewelers 
 cannot do this, but where practice is persisted n: 
 the result can be accomplished. 
 
 If the reader will close his mouth and fill his 
 cheeks with air until they are distended, he will 
 find that lie can close the passage between the 
 mouth and throat so that while he is breathing 
 through the nose the cheeks will remain full. Then 
 if a blowpipe is inserted and the passage closed the 
 blowpipe will not permit the air to escape from the 
 cheeks so rapidly but that the lungs may be filled 
 by breathing through the nose, while the muscles 
 of the cheeks are forcing the air out through the 
 blowpipe. Then, when the lungs are filled the pas¬ 
 sage is opened and the cheeks refilled. 
 
 Now we are ready to roll or hammer the gold, 
 which is done by passing it through two steel roll¬ 
 ers which are pressed closer together by screws 
 after each passage of the strip or bar. After being 
 rolled several times, the gold becomes exceedingly 
 hard and sometimes cracks. To prevent this the bar 
 should be frequently annealed. After the strip is 
 annealed, it is rolled or hammered to the desired 
 thickness, after which it is annealed and boiled out 
 in sulphuric acid pickle. To make a ring a strip of 
 gold should be cut about three inches long and 
 somewhat wider than the desired width of the ring 
 to be made. 
 
 Suppose the ring is to be made size 8. On the 
 top of every Allen ring gauge will be found a scale 
 from i to 13. To make a ring size 8, the end of the 
 strip of gold should be placed at the end of the 
 
24 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 metal forminsr the gauge and then a line should be 
 drawn across the strip of gold. Then at 8, on the 
 top scale, draw a similar line across the strip and 
 when the ring is made up—providing due care has 
 been taken—it will measure 8 exactly. But broad 
 rings should have an allowance of about one-half 
 a size, when marking off the strips. In this case 
 the strip would measure 8j/> and when the ring was 
 made up the reader would find the ring to measure 
 8 exactly. It is for this reason that clerks should 
 notice whether they are using wide or narrow size 
 rings when taking the size needed by a customer. 
 In this connection it should be mentioned that in 
 shops, the reading is taken at the lower edge of the 
 ring and not in the middle, as is sometimes claimed. 
 
 After the strip of gold is marked to the desired 
 size, take a pair of half-round pliers, or, if the ring 
 is very heavy, take the pendant bow contractor and 
 bend the strip into an ellipse. Then, with the saw 
 or shears, cut off the surplus gold at the marks 
 made on the strip. Now with a flat or barrette file, 
 file the joints smooth and be very careful to keep 
 them free from grease and dirt. This done, join the 
 two ends with the pliers or bow contractor. Now 
 mix up some borax paste and paint the joint well 
 and lay on a small piece of solder. Many jewelers 
 use solder made by taking the gold they are work¬ 
 ing and reducing it two karats. The reader can 
 easily do this by following the instructions given 
 for reducing a higher karat of gold to a lower. In¬ 
 stead of using all copper and silver a small amount 
 of brass should be added to the alloy. 
 
 Cadmium solder is used a great deal, and this 
 the jeweler can make by taking gold of any alloy 
 and, after weighing, melt it. When in a perfectly 
 liquid state, he should add one-fourth its weight of 
 cadmium, stir the mixture well and pour very 
 
THE MAKING OF A RING. 
 
 2S 
 
 quickly, as the cadmium is dissipated at so high a 
 temperature. 
 
 The borax and solder having dried on the ring, 
 lay the latter on a piece of charcoal and gently heat 
 it, first on the opposite side of the joint, then the 
 whole ring, until the solder melts and flows down 
 through the entire joint. Allow the ring to cool, 
 and then boil it out in the sulphuric acid pickle. 
 If the gold is iok. fine the color, after being boiled 
 out, will be red, and the finer the gold the lighter 
 will be the color. This is due to a lesser amount of 
 copper in the alloys. After the ring is boiled out it 
 is washed and dried. After this the solder is filed 
 out nice and smooth on the inside of the ring with 
 a fine half-round file. The ring is then ready to be 
 rounded up. This is done by placing it on the 
 mandril, which, in factories, rests on a gum tree 
 block, and striking the ring on all sides with a raw- 
 hide mallet. 
 
 This operation requires considerable skill and 
 practice, because the mandril must be held in the 
 palm of the left hand and given a revolving motion, 
 so that the mallet, which is held in the right hand, 
 will strike all parts of the ring and make it per¬ 
 fectly round. Now, suppose the band ring was to 
 be size 8 full and, after being rounded up, it meas¬ 
 ures 7^4. To make it size 8 full, we must use the 
 steel hammer, and with careful, sharp blows, which 
 must be given around the entire surface of the ring, 
 we draw it up to the required size. 
 
 In sizing rings of this kind the writer prefers this 
 method, because it leaves one joint only in the ring, 
 and consequently the latter is not so liable to break 
 while being worn. When the required size is ob¬ 
 tained the sides of the ring are filed flat and smooth 
 until the desired width is obtained. This done, the 
 surface of the ring is filed flat and smooth, so that 
 it may be easily polished. To file a ring of this 
 
26 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 kind, hold it between the thumb and forefinger of the 
 left hand with the ring resting against the bench 
 pin. Then with a fine half-round file begin to file 
 the surface flat and slightly hollow from the mid¬ 
 dle to the edge of the ring. To do this push the 
 file from the body and at the same time give the 
 ring a circular motion toward the body, and vice 
 versa. Care should be taken to keep the ring the 
 same thickness in all its parts. This seems to be a 
 difficult matter for some ring makers—possibly ap¬ 
 prentices—judging from the number of rings that 
 we have seen that are thinner at the joints than 
 anywhere else. This is due quite often to the fact 
 that one end is rolled or pressed harder than the 
 other, or the joint may not have been properly 
 made and the jeweler filed away too much of the 
 surface with the solder. 
 
 Engraved band rings are made in the same man¬ 
 ner as the flat bands, excepting that the flat strip 
 of gold is given its impression by rolling it in a 
 small steel die, which makes the imprint in the 
 strip. 
 
 Plain or half-round band rings are made in the • 
 same manner as flat bands, excepting that they are 
 considerably thicker and are filed or turned half- 
 round. 
 
 In ring shops plain rings are made by rolling 
 long strips of gold through a pair of rolls, the lower 
 one of which is grooved the desired shape of the 
 ring. 
 
 The rings we have mentioned are now ready for 
 the polisher, excepting the engraved band rings, 
 which must have the green color removed. This 
 is done by heating the ring to redness and plunging 
 it into alcohol. We will describe the polishing ot 
 these rings under the head of “Polishing.” 
 
 / 
 
 i 
 
 N. 
 
SPECTACLE AND EYEGLASS FRAME 
 REPAIRING. 
 
 There is probably no more difficult job for the 
 average jewelry repairer than that found in a 
 broken spectacle frame, and especially so in one 
 that has been broken and repaired near one place 
 several times before. 
 
 If the reader will note where spectacle frames 
 are generally broken, he will see that nearly two- 
 thirds of all frames are broken on the left side, 
 either in the nose piece, eye wire or side piece. 
 This is due, no doubt, to the manner in which per¬ 
 sons put on and remove the spectacles from their 
 faces. Another fruitful source of breakage is the 
 incorrect manner of holding spectacle frames while 
 cleaning the lenses. Persons, as a rule, hold the 
 frames by the nose piece while wiping the lenses. 
 This is wrong, for by so doing the frame is given 
 a severe strain which may cause it to break in the 
 eye wire. The correct way to wipe the lenses is 
 to hold the frame by the joints. This will relieve 
 the frame of nearly all strain and reduce the possi¬ 
 bility of breakage to a minimum. 
 
 Each time a spectacle frame is repaired it is pol¬ 
 ished and, consequently, it is made somewhat 
 weaker, as all polishing cuts away more or less of 
 the metal. 
 
 In repairing a spectacle frame the workman must 
 leave it as strong, if not stronger, at the place 
 where it had been broken, than it was before. 
 This is an easy matter if due care be taken 
 in soldering, filing and polishing. In illustration, 
 we will take a io-karat frame, which has been 
 broken at any place in the frame—in this case, in 
 the eye wire near the nose piece. 
 
28 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 I he first thing to be done is to secure a nice, flat 
 piece of charcoal or any other kind of soldering 
 block, and some sprigs, which can be made of bind¬ 
 ing wire and are used to hold the frame and broken 
 ends in position on the soldering block. Then, 
 these being in readiness, clean the broken edges 
 with a file or scraper, and securely fasten the frame 
 on the soldering block so that the broken edges 
 meet but do not press tightly against each other; 
 otherwise in soldering the frame the ends would 
 unite and spring into a V-shape and cause consid¬ 
 erable trouble. When the frame is secured on the 
 soldering block, prepare the borax paste by plac¬ 
 ing several drops of water on the plate and rubbing 
 the cake of borax in it until a thin paste is formed. 
 
 Then cut the solder and after moistening the 
 joint with a camel’s-hair brush, apply the solder 
 with the moist end of the brush, or with a pair of 
 tweezers. Then, with an easy flame, heat the 
 solder and as little as possible of the frame on either 
 side of the joint, until the solder flows. After the 
 solder flows examine the joint to ascertain if it is 
 perfectly united and, if so, remove the frame from 
 the soldering block and pour heated pickle over the 
 joint to remove the borax and fire-coat. But if the 
 joint be not perfectly united re-borax and reheat 
 the frame and cause the solder to flow. If not satis¬ 
 factory this time remove the frame from the 
 charcoal, clean it and proceed as before. It may 
 be well to state that the repairer will not have 
 much trouble in this direction if the manipula¬ 
 tion of the flame is thoroughly understood and 
 proper care is taken in regard to keeping 
 the work clean. Be sure that there is no foreign 
 matter in the water or on the borax slate which 
 could get into the paste. It is also advisable that 
 the fingers do not touch the parts to be joined, as 
 
SPECTACLE AND EYEGLASS REPAIRING. 
 
 29 
 
 the grease and perspiration from one’s fingers will 
 prevent the solder flowing. 
 
 As stated before, in all speetacle repairing the 
 workman should endeavor to leave the joint as 
 strong and as neat as possible. To do this, the 
 solder should be the very best obtainable, and in 
 this connection we wish to state that no good re¬ 
 pairer of spectacles or jewelry will use silver solder 
 on gold work. This might be excused on work 
 where it does not show and is gilded afterward, but 
 even this should not be done. The solder should be 
 placed on the outside of the eye wire, when the 
 break is in the eye wire—and allowd to melt and 
 flow through to the inside of the eye wire. In this 
 manner the solder will flush the joint on the out¬ 
 side as well as in the inside. The surplus solder on 
 the outside can easily be filed so that the place of 
 the break will be thicker after it is repaired than 
 the other part of the eye wire. Of course, a lump 
 of solder should not be left large enough to attract 
 attention. The solder which flows on the inside of 
 the eye wire can easily be removed by cutting- 
 crosswise inside the eye wire with a flat graver, 
 or lengthwise with a round graver similar in shape 
 to an inside ring graver. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to describe the method of 
 soldering different breaks in the spectacle frames, as 
 one generally proceeds in the same manner in re¬ 
 pairing all breaks, no matter where they may be. 
 To the beginner we would state that he should not 
 endeavor to do his work too rapidly, because he may 
 then slight it, in which case he coidd not hope to be¬ 
 come an expert at this work. As will be learned 
 from actual experience, the method described for re¬ 
 pairing the frames of spectacles is a good one for 
 the average repairer who is not pushed with work. 
 But for the man who does repair work for the trade 
 this method is entirely too slow; therefore, he re- 
 
30 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER'S HANDBOOK. 
 
 sorts to a method which will not necessitate the pin¬ 
 ning of the work onto a soldering block. 
 
 To illustrate the method of doing this work, we 
 will take a pair of io-karat spectacle frames that 
 nave been broken at the small bend in the nose 
 piece. This is a somewhat difficult job to pin upon 
 a soldering block, as the nose piece quite frequently 
 is higher than the frame and consequently a groove 
 must he cut into the block. But by holding the broken 
 parts in the fingers the work is greatly simplified. 
 
 After removing the lens from the side nearest the 
 break, the broken ends are filed or scraped nice and 
 clean. Then the borax paste is ground up and the 
 solder is cut into pieces of the desired size. Then 
 the two ends are moistened with the borax paste 
 and a piece of solder applied, either with the moist 
 borax brush or with a pair of tweezers, to the end 
 which will be above when the pieces are being held 
 in position to be soldered together. In our experi¬ 
 ence we have found this to be the best way, for the 
 solder will flow downward more read ly than it will 
 upward. And, again, in some cases solder can be 
 drawn to its proper place if the repairer will so ma¬ 
 nipulate his flame and have the place to be 
 soldered and the approach to it heated to the proper 
 degree, which will attract the solder in that direc¬ 
 tion. This, however, requires considerable skill and 
 experience and is not easy to master. When the 
 joint is prepared and the solder placed in position on 
 the upper end, place the blowpipe between the teeth 
 and hold the two parts of the broken frame between 
 the forefinger and thumb of each hand so that the 
 edges will meet perfectly. To do this the hands and 
 frame can be steadied considerably if the small 
 fingers of each hand are extended so that they meet. 
 Another way is to allow the small finger of the left 
 hand to touch or rest aga : nst any convenient sup¬ 
 port, as the bench, vise, etc. 
 
SPECTACLE AND EYEGLASS REPAIRING. 31 
 
 Then when the ends are in the right position, 
 blow an easy, steady flame onto the edges, and heat 
 as little on either side of the joint as possible—until 
 the solder flows through and around the break. As 
 soon as the solder flows stop blowing and pour 
 pickle over the joint, which will remove the borax 
 and fire coat. A pair of spectacles should never be 
 allowed to lie in or be dipped into the pickle bath, 
 as the acid will attack the steel rivets and screws and 
 cause the gold to become coated very red. One can 
 easily see that the latter method of soldering would 
 be difficult for the beginner, but after some practice 
 it can be mastered by any persevering workman. 
 The reader also can see that this way of soldering is 
 very rapid and useful for soldering the eye wire, no 
 matter where broken ; for soldering on broken off 
 joints or end pieces, in which case the end piece is 
 perfectly cleaned and the solder is laid on the eye 
 wire, which has been moistened with the borax 
 paste. Then the frame is held in the left hand and 
 the end piece in a pair of tweezers is held in the 
 right hand, and, with the blow pipe between the 
 teeth, the work is easily and quickly done. Side 
 pieces are held in the same manner to be repaired. 
 
 The question has often been raised as to the best 
 way to repair broken side pieces. Some repairers 
 place ferrules over the broken parts and solder with 
 soft solder. This is a questionable practice and is 
 condemned by every workman who takes pride in 
 his work. Others claim that to file the ends off 
 even and to solder, after which the solder is allowed 
 to remain so that the break will be in the middle of 
 the circular lump, is the best way. This is a very 
 good way, but our experience has shown us that the 
 best joint in side pieces is made by beveling each 
 end so that the ends will over-lap and at the same 
 time retain the thickness of the side piece. Then, 
 after soldering, the surplus solder is filed off nicely, 
 
32 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 so that it does not have a lumpy appearance. Of 
 course, we do not mean to hie the solder ofif en¬ 
 tirely, but just sufficiently to make it an even swell 
 and not an unsightly lump. The beginner should 
 remove side pieces to repair them, but more ad¬ 
 vanced workmen can solder a break three-fourths of 
 an inch or less from the end piece by holding the 
 frame in his fingers. 
 
 All spectacle frames, whether gold, gold filled, sil¬ 
 ver, steel or alumnico, are soldered in the same man¬ 
 ner as the gold frames. The steel and alumnico 
 frames have the fire coat and borax removed by fil¬ 
 ing and scraping instead of being cleaned in pickle. 
 The solder used on gold filled frames is the same as 
 used on gold ones, but silver solder or hue brass 
 wire is used for repairing steel spectacles. Alum¬ 
 nico frames are soldered with silver solder. 
 
 When the frame is repaired and cleaned with the 
 pickle wash it with water and dry with a rag, which 
 should be kept about the bench for that purpose. 
 The frame is now ready to be trued and straight¬ 
 ened—that is, the middle of the end pieces and the 
 axes or centers of the lenses should be in a straight 
 line, and the planes or top surfaces of the lenses 
 should be in a straight line also. It is very im¬ 
 portant that the side pieces be similar in curve and 
 shape as well as length, and when lying on a flat 
 surface the curves should lie evenly upon it. 
 
 The cards which wholesale and manufacturing 
 opticians issue for determining the pupillary dis¬ 
 tances of lenses are very useful as straight edges or 
 guides for truing up the end pieces with the axes of 
 the lenses. A simpler and quicker method for the 
 jewelry repairer is to use a saw blade, securely fast¬ 
 ened and taut in the saw frame, as a straight edge 
 which can be laid on the top of the frame, and is 
 more satisfactory than the method of laying the 
 frame on the line of the card. The correctness of 
 
SPECTACLE AND EYEGLASS REPAIRING. 33 
 
 the planes or tof) surfaces of the lenses can be de¬ 
 termined by the eye, looking from one end piece to 
 the other. 
 
 To slope the side pieces hold the frame by the 
 end pieces—with the side pieces curving upward—■ 
 between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand; 
 and, starting near the end piece, move the fingers 
 toward its extremity, with it between the thumb and 
 forefinger of the right hand. Should it be desired 
 to increase the curve move the forefinger slightly 
 in advance of the thumb. To decrease the curve the 
 thumb should be in advance. 
 
 Frameless spectacles are the most difficult ones to 
 true up properly, because of their liability to break. 
 Care should be taken that there is no strain on the 
 glass anywhere, and especially at the straps which 
 steady the glass. Before attempting to straighten 
 frameless spectacles or eyeglasses see that the ends 
 of the straps fit the edges of the lenses perfectly, so 
 that the lenses will be firm. Then care should be 
 taken that the screw will not draw upon the lens 
 too tightly; if so, it should be taken out and the end 
 of the strap bent slightly or the hole filed somewhat, 
 and the screw again inserted. If this were not done 
 the lens would be liable to break at any time. 
 
 Eyeglasses are usually broken in the spring or in 
 the eye wire. These breaks are easily repaired by 
 taking the frame apart and pinning the broken parts 
 together on the charcoal soldering block. But if 
 the spring is broken near the hole where it is at¬ 
 tached to the stud, remove the eye frame and nose 
 guard and prepare the joint as already described. 
 It would be the safest plan for the repairer to pin 
 the work onto the soldering block, but the quickest 
 way is to hold the larger side between the fingers of 
 the left hand and the smaller in a pair of tweezers, 
 which are held in the right hand. 
 
 The instructions for repairing spectacle eye wire 
 
34 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER'S HANDBOOK. 
 
 apply to the repairing of the eye frames of eye¬ 
 glasses. 
 
 There is no good way to repair rubber or zylonite 
 eyeglass frames. Sometimes a hole is drilled on 
 either side of the break and the ends drawn together 
 with a piece of binding wire. A better plan is to put 
 in a new eye. Springs are secured to rubber or 
 zylonite eyeglass frames with pins, which are 
 riveted. 
 
 If a gold or gold filled spring is broken at the 
 screw hole, drill a hole in the end and replace it in 
 the eyeglass frame and reshape it to suit the nose of 
 the wearer. 
 
 New cork is easily placed in eyeglass guards by 
 removing the old and slightly bending back the 
 edge of the guard to receive the new piece of cork. 
 Then the sides, or edges, are pressed over the cork, 
 which is finished with a medium fine file. There 
 is a narrow strip of metal beneath the cork of nose 
 guards, in the end of which is a hole for the screw 
 which secures the guard to the eye wire. Should 
 this break, draw it out about one-fourth of an inch, 
 drill a hole to insert the small screw and insert as 
 before. 
 
 Shell or zylonite for guards can be bought in 
 strips. From this the desired piece is cut and fast¬ 
 ened to the nose guards with rivets. 
 
 The repairer occasionally will have trouble in re¬ 
 moving screws from spectacle and eyeglass frames. 
 Should the screw be rusted in the end piece or hold 
 from any other cause, lay the end piece on a small 
 anvil or block and lightly hammer the gold between 
 the bead and end of the screw. This will spread the 
 gold around the screw and it can then be turned with 
 ease if a good, strong screwdriver is used, which 
 the repairman can grasp firmly in the hand. 
 
 If lenses are loose, either in eyeglass or spectacle 
 frames, file away a very little of the gold or metal 
 
SPECTACLE AND EYEGLASS REPAIRING. 35 
 
 between the joint or sides of the end pieces, so thaf 
 the parts can be screwed closer together. This fail 
 ing, move the joint back on the eye wire. The care 
 ful workman will not countenance the practice of 
 putting sheet lead or tinfoil between the lens and 
 eye wire to tighten the glass. Great care shoulc 
 be exercised in filing between the joints or end 
 pieces, either to tighten the lens or the side piece. 
 In the latter case it would be better to use washers 
 or to put in new rivets. Some workmen have an 
 idea that side pieces can be tightened by laying the 
 joint on an anvil and hammering the rivet. This is 
 a mistake, because the gold is stretched more than 
 the rivet is compressed and, consequently, the side 
 piece will be as loose as before, or, if tighter, will 
 work itself loose in a very short time. 
 
 But if one wishes to tighten the side piece with¬ 
 out putting in washers or rivets, lay the end 
 on an anvil and strike the rivet several sharp blows 
 with a punch of the same diameter as that of the 
 rivet. This will compress the rivet and tighten the 
 side piece without any injury to the gold joint. 
 
 If lenses are too large for the spectacle or eye¬ 
 glass frame and a grinding stone is not at hand, use 
 a slightly coarse, flat file, wetted with water, for 
 reducing the size. In filing move the file toward the 
 lens at an angle of about 45 degrees. 
 
 The jeweler is often called upon to drill a hole in 
 an eyeglass lens for a cord. This is an easy mat¬ 
 ter if one has a lens drilling machine, but if not the 
 case is dififerent. Secure a large, three-cornered file 
 and grind the three sides smooth and to a point, and 
 sharpen on the Arkansas stone. Moisten the lens 
 with the lens drilling mixture—sewing machine oil 
 will answer nicely—and make a small mark on the 
 lens where the hole is to be. Then place the lens 
 against the edge of the bench or any other firm 
 place, insert the three cornered point, which is given 
 
36 
 
 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 a rotary motion back and forth. After drilling 
 about one-half way through, turn the lens and pro¬ 
 ceed in the same manner from the opposite side. A 
 three cornered drill used in the pump drill will do 
 this work nicely. In using lay the lens on a large, 
 flat piece of cork and use the drilling fluid freely. 
 When a small opening is made moisten a fine rat- 
 tail file with the drilling mixture and broach out the 
 opening to the size desired. 
 
 CLEANING BIFOCAL LENSES. 
 
 There are many forms of bifocal lenses, from the 
 “split” glasses, invented by Benjamin Franklin and, 
 consequently, so named, down to the present cement 
 bifocal. 
 
 The dirt which accumulates between the former 
 form of bifocal lenses is easily removed by taking the 
 glasses from the eye frames and wiping them with 
 tissue paper. The cement bifocal, which is very 
 popular at present, is very neat, but it has several 
 serious drawbacks. In wiping these lenses great 
 care must be taken that the heat and friction do not 
 cause the segments to become loosened from the 
 distance glasses or the space between will be ob¬ 
 scured by vapor bubbles. Another drawback is the 
 fact that a sudden jar is liable to cause“Newton’s 
 rings,” a beautiful iridescent phenomena, which 
 present all the colors of the rainbow when the glass 
 is held in a favorable position. 
 
 To clean these lenses it is necessary to remove the 
 dirty or spotted cement which unites the two parts 
 of the lens and reunite them with new cement—Can¬ 
 ada balsam. Many prefer to use the cement prepar¬ 
 ed by optical companies. Canada balsam, however, 
 is the nicest form, as it is put up into tubes and a 
 drop can easily be pressed out whenever wanted. In 
 
CLEANING BIFOCAL LENSES. 
 
 37 
 
 cleaning lenses of this description it is necessary 
 to take the lens from the eye frame and to remove 
 the segment from the larger glass by slightly heat¬ 
 ing the latter on the side opposite the segment. 
 Both pieces are allowed to cool, after which they 
 are cleaned with alcohol and wiped perfectly clean 
 and dry with a soft rag or tissue paper. 
 
 The large glass is then held in a pair of tweezers 
 and a drop of the cement is placed on it. This is 
 heated over a small alcohol flame—but not allowed 
 to ignite—until a vapor is given off, at which time 
 the segment should be applied to its proper posi¬ 
 tion and pressure given to force all bubbles from 
 between the two glasses. If, however, spots or bub¬ 
 bles remain, remove the segment and, after clean¬ 
 ing both glasses, repeat the operation. The cement, 
 after heating, becomes hardened in a very short 
 time and can be chipped off with a graver or scraper. 
 The residue is removed by the use of alcohol and a 
 medium stiff brush. 
 
JEWELRY REPAIRING. 
 
 There is nothing, aside from personal attributes, 
 which more easily makes or mars a jeweler’s reputa¬ 
 tion or affects his trade than the character of his re¬ 
 pair work. It is not more difficult to do a job nicely 
 than it is to “botch” it, if care and judgment are ex¬ 
 ercised in the work. To become expert at jewelry 
 repairing the workman should be able to see at a 
 glance exactly what is necessary to be done in each 
 job and then do that in the best and quickest man¬ 
 ner possible. 
 
 Many jobs in themselves are not worth the repair¬ 
 ing, but the owners prize the articles, for the sake of 
 associations, of which the repairer knows nothing, 
 and for this reason, as well as for his reputation, the 
 jeweler should not slight the meanest job. 
 
 Replacing a Pin Tongue.—Replacing a broken pin 
 tongue in a brooch is considered an easy matter and 
 so it is if the work is done in the right manner. In 
 many cases the pin tongue is broken off at the joint. 
 The first thing, then, to be done is to remove the 
 rivet from the joint. This may be pushed out with 
 the tweezers or any other point, and if it does not 
 yield to this treatment use the rivet pliers. The 
 rivet removed, select a pin tongue whose joint is 
 about the same size as that of the joint on the 
 brooch and cut it to fit into the joint. Then hold 
 the brooch with the top side down and in this posi- 
 
TO MAKE A PIN STEM. 
 
 39 
 
 tion the catch will be nearest the body of the work¬ 
 man. Then, with the right hand insert a round 
 broach—the round ones are the best, as they stretch 
 the stock instead of cutting it—into the joint ana 
 through the pin tongue joint until the end appears 
 on the left side of the joint. Then care must be 
 taken that the pin tongue will move up and down 
 on the broach—which serves as the rivet—without 
 causing the latter to move. When this is satisfac¬ 
 tory, remove the broach and, if necessary, cut the 
 pin tongue to the required length and repoint it. 
 This is done by placing the tongue in a small pin 
 vise and laying it in a groove on the bench pin and 
 giving it a rotary motion between the thumb and 
 forefinger of the left hand, while a fine file is 
 passed back and forth over it with the right hand. 
 This done, the rivet is filed in the same manner, ex¬ 
 cepting that the taper is not so acute, and inserted 
 from the right, always; and when the pin tongue 
 will work nicely—not too tightly or too loosely— 
 without causing the rivet wire to move, cut off the 
 ends close to the joint with a pair of cutting pliers 
 or a saw and file them ofif smoothly, but not quite 
 even with the joint. Then finish by hammering 
 it lightly on each end, so as to prevent any pos¬ 
 sibility of its working out. 
 
 To remove a rivet that has been inserted in this 
 way hold the brooch so that the catch will be 
 farthest from the body and file the right side of the 
 rivet and then force it with the pliers. All rivets in 
 new work, as brooches, lockets, match safes, watch 
 cases, etc., are inserted from the right, and when this 
 is fully understood the repairer will not have much 
 trouble in removing rivets. 
 
 To Make a Pin Stem.—Pin stems having regular 
 joints are made as follows: Take a piece of hollow 
 wire and file small grooves crosswise on the seam. 
 
40 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 and lay this on a thin, narrow piece of stock and, 
 after binding the two securel) together with the 
 binding wire, coat the line of contact with borax 
 paste and on this lay small pieces of solder. Then, 
 when the borax has dried, apply the flame until the 
 solder flows and unites the two pieces. The binding 
 wire is then removed and the stock “boiled out” in 
 the sulphuric acid pickle. Then cut the flat stock 
 off to within one-sixteenth of an inch of the hollow 
 wire and the stock is placed on a flat piece of char¬ 
 coal, with the hollow wire beneath. The pins, 
 which have been pointed, are arranged with the butt 
 ends on the plate and with sufficient distance be¬ 
 tween to allow for cutting, etc., and fastened there 
 by sprigs made of binding wire or by mixing plaster 
 of paris and water and pouring the mixture onto the 
 ends of the pins. This, when dry, will hold the 
 tongues in position, while the butt or thicker ends 
 are being soldered to the joint stock After all sol¬ 
 dering is done remove the sprigs or plaster of paris 
 and clean the work in the sulphuric acii pickle. The 
 pins may then be separated as they ai wanted. 
 
 Pin stems for ball joints are made b drawing the 
 wire to the thickness of the pin desired and cutting 
 it about one-eighth of an inch longer than necessary. 
 The end is then melted into a ball, which, when 
 hammered, will spread sufficiently to allow the drill¬ 
 ing of a hole through it and, at the same time, serve 
 as a spring. 
 
 To Straighten Pins.—Very often it is necessary 
 to make pin tongues and scarf pins in bulk, and it 
 is necessary to have the wire perfectly straight. 
 This may be accomplished bv annealing the wire 
 after it is drawn to nearly the required thickness 
 and fastening one end in a vise, while the other is 
 secured in a drawing tongs and the wire stretched 
 as much as possible without breaking it. When re- 
 
BROKEN SCARF PINS. 
 
 41 
 
 heved of the strain the wire will be found to be per¬ 
 fectly straight. 
 
 Repairing Broken Scarf Pins.—Broken scarf pins 
 are repaired by beveling each end of the break so 
 that when joined the ends will overlap'but not be any 
 thicker than the other parts of the pin. To solder 
 breaks of this kind—which usually occur about the 
 middle of the pin—the set should be wrapped in wet 
 tissue paper before the parts are fastened on the 
 charcoal soldering block or held in the fingers to be 
 soldered. To solder the pin in the fingers, grasp the 
 ball of moistened tissue paper which envelops the 
 set, between the thumb and forefinger of the left 
 hand, and with a pair of tweezers in the right hand 
 place and hold the other end of the pin in position. 
 When scarf pins are broken ofif at the setting it is 
 advisable to remove most of the stones before sol¬ 
 dering is attempted. Doublets, sometimes, will 
 stand the heating and at other times they will not. 
 
 Pearls, genuine turquoise, amethysts, the topaz, 
 opals, etc., must be taken out or they will be ruined. 
 Small doublets and diamonds will, in most cases, 
 stand the heat necessary for soldering, but it is ad¬ 
 visable for the repairer to take as little risk as pos¬ 
 sible, and especially so with diamonds. After the 
 stone is removed from the setting, the parts to be 
 soldered are cleaned with a file or scraper. 
 
 The setting, with the filed part upward, is then 
 fastened on a piece of charcoal and the filed end of 
 the pin placed in its proper position. To do this, 
 insert the point of the pin into a small piece of char¬ 
 coal and lay both on the large soldering block, so 
 that the two parts to be joined will be in their re¬ 
 spective positions. Then apply the borax paste, 
 solder and proceed as before. 
 
 Enameled pins, whether school, scarf or brooch 
 pins, are difficult to repair without melting or chip- 
 
42 
 
 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 ping the enamel. The safest plan is to explain to 
 the customer the risk that is taken and what the con¬ 
 sequences might be. Then proceed to prepare the 
 joint in the usual manner. 
 
 A piece of mica—which may be obtained at any 
 drug or stove store—is laid on the charcoal sol¬ 
 dering block and on this is laid the piece to be 
 heated. In this way the enamel, while heated, will 
 not become black or dirty from the soldering block. 
 After the article is soldered, allow it to cool before 
 attempting to remove it from the mica; otherwise 
 the enamel will chip out. This is not a very good 
 method for curved enamel surfaces, but it is the best 
 known at present. Heated enamel or stones should 
 not be immersed in pickle or water until cold, lest 
 they crack. 
 
 Twists in Pintongs.—Pintongs having twists in 
 the middle are made by drawing the wire to the de¬ 
 sired thickness and hammering it slightly flat in its 
 middle portion, after which it is annealed, and then 
 by holding the ends of the flat surface in hand vises 
 or pliers, twisting the wire four or five times. An¬ 
 neal again and draw the pin, twist and all, through 
 the hole in which the wire was last drawn. This 
 will smooth the twist and the pin is ready to be 
 made up. 
 
 Repairing Set Rings.—Set rings broken at the 
 joint are the easiest to repair, as all that is neces¬ 
 sary to be done is to file the broken ends even and 
 to join them so that they meet nicely, without any 
 pressure and with the same curvature of the ring. 
 A joint of this kind will solder nicely, but where the 
 ends meet with pressure, they will, when heated, 
 spring into a V-shape and cause considerable trou¬ 
 ble. Having joined the broken ends, take a piece of 
 tissue paper and fold it until it is about one-half an 
 
RINGS BROKEN AT THE SET. 
 
 43 
 
 inch wide and from three to six inches long - , accord¬ 
 ing to the size of the set to be protected. This is 
 saturated with water and wrapped around the set, 
 after which the joint is coated with borax paste and 
 a small piece of solder applied. To solder the joint, 
 thus prepared, hold the set between the thumb and 
 forefinger of the left hand and blow a strong flame 
 onto the joint, and somewhat on either side of it. 
 until the solder flows. As soon as this is done, dip 
 the soldered part into pickle and rinse it in clean 
 water. The tissue paper is then removed and the 
 surplus solder filed from the inside of the ring with 
 a fine half-round file. Then the ring is placed on a 
 mandril and “rounded up.” This done, its sides and 
 surface are filed even and smooth with a fine file, 
 and the stones securely fastened so that they will 
 not be lost while the ring is being polished or worn. 
 
 To Repair Rings Broken at the Set.—Before any¬ 
 thing is done on a job of this kind the stones should 
 be removed from the setting. This is done by plac¬ 
 ing a knife blade between the prong and stone and 
 gently pressing upward. This will loosen the stone, 
 which can then easily be pushed out. Pearls, tur¬ 
 quoise, etc., are removed by cutting away one or 
 more beads by which they are held in position and 
 then lifting out by pressing a wax point down on 
 them and quickly jerking it upward. The foil- 
 backs of a marquise ring quite often can be forced 
 out by pushing them from the back with a blunt 
 pin or pusher. Cameos, intaglios and all stones hav¬ 
 ing beveled edges, over which the gold is burnished, 
 are removed from the settings by cementing the top 
 of the stone on a cement stick. When the cement 
 has hardened the ring can be pried from the stone, 
 which will remain imbedded in the cement. If, 
 however, any difficulty is encountered in this 
 method, strike the extreme outer edge of the setting 
 
44 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 with a hammer before fastening the stone on the ce¬ 
 ment stick. By removing these stones in this man¬ 
 ner the edge of the setting will be preserved intact 
 and the stone can easily be sprung back into its 
 former position and the gold burnished over it. 
 
 When the stones are removed anti-oxidize the set¬ 
 ting and prepare the joints in the usual manner. 
 Then apply the borax paste, a small piece or more 
 of solder and lay the ring on a piece of charcoal and 
 heat it gently—care, however, being taken with set¬ 
 tings having prongs, so that the ends are not melted 
 —until the solder flows. Then the ring is cleaned 
 in pickle, the surplus solder removed and the ring 
 rounded up and smoothed in all its parts. Set rings 
 may have the inside of the setting polished or gilded, 
 as the workman may elect. The latter method us¬ 
 ually is the one adopted where there are several set¬ 
 tings in a cluster. 
 
 Tiffany, belcher and rings of this description, no 
 matter how many settings there may be, always 
 have the inside of the setting polished. The gild¬ 
 ing of the settings is done to give a nice finish to the 
 interior, nothing more. The prongs and outside of 
 the settings are polished in the usual manner. Then 
 after the settings are washed and dried the stones 
 are replaced in their proper positions and the ring 
 is ready for the final polishing. This method of re¬ 
 pairing set rings, no matter where broken, is diffi¬ 
 cult for men who do not have much of it to do, but 
 without a doubt it is the only proper way of mend¬ 
 ing rings of this kind. We have seen rings, one 
 particularly with an opal center and half pearls sur¬ 
 rounding it, which was broken at the set, and the 
 workman had taken a thin piece of gold and soft- 
 soldered it inside the ring so as to join the two ends. 
 Then he had drilled four holes, two on each side of 
 the break, which he tapped and in these he inserted 
 screws—a very ingenious method of doing the work, 
 
NEW PRONGS ON SETTINGS. 
 
 45 
 
 and, from the way it was done, we think the man 
 was capable of better things. 
 
 New Prongs on Settings.—Occasionally it is 
 necessary to replace one or more prongs on a ring 
 setting. Sometimes the prong can be stretched by 
 laying it on the anvil point or by means of a pair 
 of pliers. In either case it would be well to anneal 
 the prong to prevent it from breaking. If it can¬ 
 not be repaired in this way, remove the destructible 
 sets and take a thin piece of gold of about the same 
 width as the prong and bend it double, allowing the 
 bent portions to touch. This done, bevel one end, 
 also the inside of the prong. Then, after anti-oxi¬ 
 dizing the setting, slip the double piece of gold over 
 the prong and, after boraxing the joint, lay a piece 
 of solder on the inside and blow an easy, steady 
 llame on the setting until the solder flows. After 
 the solder has united the two parts the ring may be 
 cleaned in the pickle and the unattached piece of 
 gold can be removed, as it has served its purpose. 
 It may be well to state that the double piece of gold 
 should not clasp the prong too tightly as in this 
 case it would spring off when heated. Another 
 method of doing this is to prepare the prong as in 
 the former method and afterward anti-oxidize the 
 setting. The end of the prong is boraxed and a 
 piece of solder laid upon it. Then a small 
 piece of gold of the width and thickness of the prong 
 is taken and one end is beveled to correspond to the 
 end of the prong. To join the two prepared ends 
 hold the ring in the left hand and the small piece of 
 gold between a pair of tweezers in the right hand. 
 Blow an easy, steady flame onto the solder, and, 
 when about to melt, join the two ends and heat so 
 that the solder will unite both firmly together. 
 Afterward the new part can be cut and filed to cor¬ 
 respond to the other prongs in the setting. This 
 
4(5 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 method is very well for cluster rings, but for Tif¬ 
 fany mountings it makes a nicer job to put on an 
 entirely new crown or setting. Secure a setting 
 which will take the stone nicely—the girdle of the 
 stone, when laid on the top of the setting, should 
 cover about one-half of the top of each prong—cut 
 out the old setting and fit in the new one. Consid¬ 
 erable care must be exercised so as get the new set¬ 
 ting perfectly straight. Another way to re-crown 
 a Tiffany ring is to cut ofif the top horizontally and 
 solder the setting on the top. This way is the easier, 
 but the former is the better. After the setting is 
 soldered in position, file the ring so that it is uni¬ 
 form on all sides, after which the scallops can be 
 cut to the required depth. After polishing, inside 
 and outside, the stone is ready to be reset. The 
 subjects of polishing and setting will be considered 
 later. 
 
 For the benefit of those who want to take the 
 risk on Tiffany, or for that matter, on any other 
 mountings, we will describe how some workmen 
 replace one or more broken prongs. Suppose two 
 prongs are worn ofif the setting which holds a dia¬ 
 mond of a karat weight. These workmen will 
 make a saw-cut from the girdle of the stone down¬ 
 ward along its lower side. Then they will cut a 
 piece of gold V-shaped to fit over the girdle of the 
 stone, the same as a prong would do, and fashion 
 the lower part to be pushed down into the saw-cut 
 until the top part rests snugly on the top slope of 
 the stone. The setting was previously anti-oxi¬ 
 dized and now the joint is boraxed and a small pal- 
 lion of solder applied. Then an easy flame is di¬ 
 rected upon the joint until the solder flows, which 
 unites the two parts. But simple as this may ap¬ 
 pear the risk is very great, for the least draught of 
 air might crack the stone and the loss would be 
 many times the value of the time it would have 
 
REPAIRING BROKEN BAND RINGS. 
 
 47 
 
 taken to remove the stone and to have done the job 
 in the regular manner. 
 
 Repairing Broken Band Rings.—Band rings hav¬ 
 ing one break are easily repaired by scraping the 
 joint clean and then joining the two ends without 
 any pressure, with the same curvature as that of 
 the ring. When this is done, anti-oxidize the en¬ 
 tire ring and paint the joint with the borax paste. 
 Lay a piece of solder on the inside of the ring. 
 1 hen the ring is laid on the charcoal soldering- 
 block and the ring soldered as previously described. 
 But where two or more breaks are to be repaired in 
 one ring, we must proceed in a different manner. 
 Scrape the joints clean and see that all have the 
 same degree of curvature. Then place the largest 
 piece on the ring stick and fit the next largest piece 
 where it naturally belongs. By placing the small 
 end of the ring stick against the bench and the butt 
 end against the body, both hands can be used to 
 place the third piece in position and to bind the 
 three together with a double piece of binding wire. 
 The ends of the wire should be brought together 
 and twisted, but not too tightly,otherwise the pieces 
 would spring out of place. A little practice will 
 enable anyone to do this work without much trou¬ 
 ble. After the pieces are securely bound in posi¬ 
 tion by the binding wire, anti-oxidize the whole and 
 paint the joints with borax paste, and lay a piece of 
 solder, inside the ring, on each break. Then blow 
 an easy, steady flame on all parts of the ring until 
 the solder flows and firmly unites all parts. After 
 “boiling out” the ring in the pickle, remove the sol¬ 
 der from the inside of the ring with a fine half- 
 round file and round it up. This done, file the 
 sides smooth and even and replace the ring on the 
 mandril and matt the joints with a fine matting tool. 
 Solder, which has flowed onto the outside, may be 
 finished in the same way. 
 
48 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 Sizing Rings.—To make a ring smaller it is nec¬ 
 essary to note what the size of the ring is and what 
 it is to be. For instance, we have a Tiffany ring, 
 size eight, which is to be made size five. We take 
 the pair of dividers and measure three sizes on the 
 scale near the end of Allen’s ring stick. The length 
 of the three sizes we will mark on the bottom of the 
 ring with each point of the dividers. Then this 
 piece may be cut out with either a pair of cutting 
 pliers or with the saw. The joint is then prepared 
 and the soldering proceeded with as has been de¬ 
 scribed for set rings; but in sizing a ring of this 
 kind, the amount of gold taken out and the conse¬ 
 quent bending have caused the setting to stretch 
 and the stone to become loosened. This should be 
 tightened by pressing the prongs tightly upon the 
 stone with the pusher. In making rings larger, 
 take the measure in the same manner as in the case 
 just described. But to put in the extra piece of 
 gold is a rather difficult job. In enlarging band 
 rings the new piece can be curved and placed in 
 position on the ring stick, where it is secured by 
 passing doubled binding wire around the entire ring. 
 We can hardly remember an easy way of putting 
 pieces in other rings; however, the rings can be 
 “pinned up” on charcoal after the sets have been 
 duly protected. In repair shops the workman will 
 open the ring where it has been cut and leave the 
 one end higher than the other. These are then 
 filed so as to make a good joint. A piece of gold is 
 then taken which is about the same width and thick¬ 
 ness as the shank of the ring, and given the curva¬ 
 ture of the ring. Then, after wrapping moist tis¬ 
 sue paper around the stones, the workman takes the 
 set between the thumb and forefinger of the left 
 hand and paints the joint with the borax paste and 
 applies a small piece of solder. Then he places his 
 blow-pipe between his teeth, takes the new piece 
 
NEW SHANKS ON RINGS. 
 
 49 
 
 of gold between his tweezers, clips the filed end into 
 the borax paste, joins the two and blows a strong, 
 steady flame onto the joint and somewhat on either 
 side of it until the solder flows and unites the two 
 pieces. Then on the new piece he marks off the 
 number of sizes to be added, cuts off the surplus 
 gold and prepares the end as before described. This 
 done, he joins the edges and proceeds in the method 
 described for repairing a set ring broken at the joint. 
 When the last joint is soldered the ring is allowed 
 to cool before it is cleaned in the sulphuric acid 
 pickle. Then the inside is filed smooth with the 
 half-round file and the ring rounded up. If the ring 
 does not reach the desired size after it is rounded up, 
 hammer the ring shank evenly until the size is ob¬ 
 tained. Then finish the new piece to conform to 
 the other parts of the shank. Where rings are to 
 be made from one-cpiarter to three-quarters of a 
 size larger, it is often desirable to stretch them by 
 means of hammering, while on the mandril. This 
 is preferable to having two joints very close to¬ 
 gether. 
 
 New Shanks on Rings.—Very often it is neces¬ 
 sary to put an entire new shank on a ring to make 
 it serviceable. To do this nicely secure a piece of 
 gold, the width and thickness of the shank, on a 
 new ring of a similar pattern. The thickness gen¬ 
 erally is 150 on a screw-gauge, which is equivalent 
 to 2-3 millimeter. When this is obtained, cut off 
 the old shank where the new piece is to be joined 
 and prepare the joints as previously described. Then 
 bend the new piece to conform to the curvature of 
 the ring and cut it the required size. Place the 
 shank and setting on the ring stick and tie the two 
 together with binding wire. Before soldering, in a 
 set ring, the setting should be anti-oxidized to pro¬ 
 tect the color of the gold. When the parts are sol- 
 
50 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 clered, clean the ring in pickle and finish it in the 
 manner described for sizing rings. 
 
 New Gallery Settings.—If the setting for a large 
 cushion stone is badly worn, it is advisable to re¬ 
 place it with an entirely new setting in preference 
 to restoring the old claws. This is easily done by 
 securing gallery stock, which may easily be bent 
 to the desired shape and size. This gallery is illus¬ 
 trated in most material catalogues and the repairer 
 can easily determine the size and amount required. 
 It is usually bought by the foot. After the setting 
 is bent to the required size and shape, the ends are 
 joined and, after cleaning, it is ready to be soldered 
 in position. This is done by the same method, pre¬ 
 viously described, for holding the ring shanks to be 
 soldered. 
 
 Lining Band Rings.—Band rings, which are worn 
 very thin and are considerably cracked and broken, 
 may be made serviceable and strong by lining them. 
 Take a strip of gold somewhat wider than the ring, 
 and make the inside ring the same size as the one 
 to be repaired. Then place the broken band over 
 the newly made ring and measure the size of the 
 piece necessary to be placed in the upper ring to 
 fill the gap between the two edges. When this is 
 done, secure all together by means of binding wire 
 and anti-oxidize the engraved surface. Then lay 
 small pieces of solder around the edges, one side at 
 a time, and when the borax has sufficiently dried to 
 prevent it from throwing off the solder, blow an 
 easy flame onto the interstice. When one side is 
 soldered, remove the binding wire and clean the 
 ring by boiling it in the sulphuric acid pickle, and 
 wash in water. Then re-tie the ring and, after anti¬ 
 oxidizing the engraved surface, proceed as before. 
 When all soldering is done, remove the binding 
 
REPAIRING INITIAL RINGS. 
 
 51 
 
 wire, clean the ring and round it up. The sides are 
 then filed to the edges of the band ring and, 
 finally, the top surface is finished with a fine file or 
 an emery stick. 
 
 Repairing Initial Rings.—Initial rings are nearly 
 always broken at the box or setting, or at the bot¬ 
 tom. Those broken at the bottom are easy to re¬ 
 pair, but those cracked at the set require more time 
 and patience. Carefully remove the rivets,or screws 
 holding the initial, after which the stone, generally 
 onyx, is easily raised. Initials fastened in position 
 with a screw at the bottom cause much trouble if 
 the screw-head becomes rusted. Should this be the 
 case, grasp the initial firmly with a pair of pointed 
 pliers and unscrew in that manner. This will not 
 injure in the least the initial or screw, but usually a 
 new screw should be inserted. Then clean the parts 
 to be united and join, but avoid any pressure as the 
 joint would spring into the Y-shape when heated. 
 If the shank is sawed or cut so that several ends 
 touch the setting, see that all are joined nicely, then 
 borax and solder all at the same time. It is not nec¬ 
 essary to tie binding wire around a job of this kind 
 unless the shank is broken off the box on both sides. 
 If so, place the shank on the ring stick and insert 
 the setting and secure with the iron wire. Care, 
 however, must be exercised that too great pressure 
 be not given, lest the ends slip up on the setting 
 about the time that the solder flows. 
 
 Frequently the underside of the box is cracked 
 or dented. 'This is a difficult place to repair nicely, 
 as the edge of the gold is liable to melt when heated. 
 There have come to our notice many rings of this 
 kind which have been repaired with silver solder 
 and, consequently, show a white line. The best way 
 to repair these rings is to solder a thin, narrow strip 
 of gold over the break. In this way the gold will 
 
THE JEWELRY REPAIRER'S HANDBOOK. 
 
 cover the crack and fill it as the solder flows to the 
 piece of gold. If the solder were laid over the 
 crack, when melted, it would flow to either side and 
 a piece of gold would have to be placed over the 
 crack to draw it back. After the solder flows and 
 the gap is not closed entirely on the inside, place 
 several pieces of solder where needed and melt. 
 Then, after cleaning the ring in the sulphuric acid 
 pickle, remove the surplus gold and solder and. if 
 necessary, round up the ring. When filing do not 
 use the point of the file to remove marks or solder, 
 as this does not better the work in the least. File 
 with the full surface of the file and the polishing pro¬ 
 cess will be considerably easier and, at the same 
 time, will leave the repaired article in a better state. 
 
 Braid or Hair Chains to Repair.—The attach¬ 
 ments of braid or hair chains are made in two parts 
 and, in most cases, are soft soldered together. 
 When broken, the surface should be scraped or filed 
 clean and moistened with soft-soldering fluid. The 
 parts are, while being soldered, held in the split 
 tweezers over an alcohol flame. If the braid or 
 hair is badly worn and it is desired to put in new 
 silk, tie a piece of binding wire around each attach¬ 
 ment before heating it, preventing thereby its be¬ 
 coming unsoldered. All attachments should be 
 cleaned and polished before the braid is inserted. 
 
 To Repair Cuff Buttons.—Lever back cuff but¬ 
 tons are the most difficult to repair, because, us¬ 
 ually, the break is in the under part containing the 
 spring, which must be removed. But, if the but¬ 
 ton is broken anywhere else, the spring must be re¬ 
 moved before any hard soldering can be done. This 
 is accomplished by cementing the back on a cement 
 stick and taking up the edge with a knife or graver. 
 When the button is repaired, the back should be 
 
REPAIRING BRACELETS. 
 
 53 
 
 held on the cement stick while replacing the spring. 
 The edge can be bent over with the pusher or ham¬ 
 mered over with a square punch. There are some 
 buttons on the market the backs of which work on 
 a rivet, and these will not give the repairer any 
 trouble. Link and one-piece buttons are not diffi¬ 
 cult to repair, but it is advisable to leave as much 
 solder as possible on the joints to insure strength. 
 
 To Repair Buckles.—Cut steel buckles have the 
 attachments fastened with soft solder, and when 
 these become loosened the break should be scraped 
 and moistened with the soldering fluid. Then the 
 parts are easily soldered by holding them together 
 with the split tweezers over an alcohol flame. 
 Buckles of this kind are cleaned by brushing thor¬ 
 oughly with a brush with a plentiful use of tripoli 
 or Vienna lime. Putz-pomade can also be used to 
 advantage. It is hardly necessary to describe the 
 method of repairing any of the other cheap buckles, 
 excepting that all marks of soft soldering should 
 be covered, either by gilding or gold paint. 
 
 Bracelets to Repair.—Spring bracelets, broken in 
 the middle, are repaired by heating the ends until 
 they can be removed and the broken spring with¬ 
 drawn. Then the new spring is inserted and the 
 ends soldered in position. Care, however, should 
 be used that the soft solder does not bubble and 
 flow out upon the surface of the beads or spiral. 
 Snap bracelets are not considered difficult to repair, 
 but we would advise caution in the use of soft 
 solder. Nethersole and all hollow bracelets should 
 have an air hole drilled into them before any solder¬ 
 ing, which is liable to prevent the escape of the 
 heated air, is done. When the bracelet is boiled out, 
 a light green effervescence will be seen at the hole. 
 This is the sulphuric acid pickle. To remove this 
 
54 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 pickle, boil or lay the article into a strong solution 
 of washing soda. 
 
 To Make a Nethersole Bracelet Smaller.—If a 
 Nethersole bracelet measures 2)4 inches in diame¬ 
 ter and it should be 2 inches in diameter, multiply 
 each diameter by three, or, more exactly, by 3.1416. 
 This will give the circumferences of the bracelet be¬ 
 fore and after cutting, and the piece to be taken out 
 will be the difference between the two amounts. 
 For example, we have a bracelet measuring 2)4 
 inches in diameter and the customer wants it to 
 measure 2 inches in diameter, then we proceed as 
 follows: 
 
 3.1416 3.1416 7.0686 
 
 2J4 2 6.2832 
 
 6.2832 6.2832 .7854 which equals 78/100, or 
 
 •7854 
 
 7.0686 
 
 a trifle over Y\ of an inch. By using the number 3, 
 the process is greatly simplified, thus: 
 
 2)4 2 6 j 4 
 
 3 3 6 
 
 6j4 6 Yx of an inch. 
 
 Bonnet Brushes to Repair.—Broken bonnet 
 brushes are hard soldered whenever possible, but, 
 in some cases, beauty is often sacrificed for strength. 
 When the top is broken out, take a piece of silver 
 and cut it to cover the broken part. Then perpen¬ 
 dicularly on this, solder a heavy piece of brass 
 tubing, which should fit nicely into the handle of 
 the brush. Then the plate may either be soft or 
 hard soldered to the top of the brush. When this 
 is done the tube is cemented into the handle. 
 
REPAIRING WATCH CASE BEZEL. 
 
 oo 
 
 Silver Novelties to Repair.—Many novelties, and 
 especially those bought in department stores, are 
 not worth repairing, but it will not do to refuse this 
 work when it is brought in. As most of the handles 
 are filled with cement this must be removed before 
 any soldering can be done. If the article is a tooth 
 brush, which has broken off right at the mouth of 
 the handle, heat the handle at the other end until 
 the heated air and cement force out the broken end. 
 If it does not yield in this way, press it down into 
 the handle. After all cement has been removed, 
 clean the handle in sulphuric acid pickle, then wash 
 and dry. Now make a brass or German silver fer¬ 
 rule that will slip inside of the handle on either end 
 of the break and join the two ends. Then coat the 
 joint with borax and lay on the small pieces of easy 
 flowing silver solder. When the borax has dried, 
 heat the handle unfit the soft solder flows into the 
 joint. If the broken article has been filled with soft 
 solder the work is very much more difficult. Re¬ 
 move the excess of soft solder by holding the article 
 over the alcohol flame until the solder is melted, 
 when it can easily be poured out. The remaining 
 solder can be removed by allowing the article to lie 
 in the soft solder destroyer. It is advisable in some 
 cases to soft solder articles of this kind when the 
 silver is of an inferior quality or is very thin. In 
 either method, use the ferrule in the inside to 
 strengthen the article. 
 
 Watch Case Bezel to Repair.—Before soldering 
 the bezel, the place to be soldered should be careful¬ 
 ly filed to make a good joint. Binding wire is then 
 wrapped around the bezel several times; but before 
 drawing it tight take a piece of wire of such size 
 that it will fill the glass groove and extend a little 
 beyond the ends. Bend the wire to correspond to 
 the groove and lay it in, after which the binding 
 
56 
 
 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK 
 
 wire encircling it is tightly drawn. Anti-oxidize 
 the bezel, then apply the borax and a small piece of 
 solder. Next gradually heat the part opposite to 
 the break and slowly pass around to the joint with 
 a small and gentle flame. When soldered, remove 
 the wire and boil the article in pickle, after which 
 the solder, if any, is removed from the groove with 
 a graver and the outside filed and rubbed smooth 
 with fine emery paper. 
 
 Watch Bows to Refill.—Watch bows worn thin 
 in places are refilled by placing a small piece of 
 gold in the worn spot and flushing it with solder. 
 Solder, in itself, is too soft to stand the wear; so the 
 gold should be inserted to insure wearing. 
 
 Belcher Rings to Repair.—Repairing the setting 
 on a belcher ring is rather a difficult job, for there 
 should be a number of new claws, usually eight, 
 soldered in the right position. It must be borne in 
 mind that the old prongs are to be filed off suffi¬ 
 ciently to give the new ones a firm hold on the base; 
 otherwise when setting the stone they will be liable 
 to be broken off. Some repairers, after filing off 
 the old setting, make a ring of gold about 3-16 or 
 in. high and solder this in position. It is difficult 
 to make this ring, for the gold should be as thick as 
 the base on which it is to be soldered. When made 
 up it is rounded on the setting mandril described 
 in a previous chapter. When the ring is made it is 
 tied in position and charged with borax and solder. 
 After the borax has dried the ring is heated until 
 the solder flows and joins the two parts. This done, 
 file the top of the new setting flat and mark out the 
 number of new claws to be made. The gold be¬ 
 tween the prongs is sawed out by placing the saw 
 through the center of the setting and sawing down¬ 
 ward, but great care should be exercised that the 
 
REPAIRING CHAINS. 
 
 57 
 
 bottom is nicely rounded and the claws even and 
 straight. This is all a matter of practice, for, after 
 doing this work several times it becomes compara¬ 
 tively easy. When all sawing is done the sides of 
 the-prongs and the rounded parts of the scallops 
 should be smoothed with fine needle files. This will 
 greatly facilitate the polishing. The inside of a new 
 setting of this kind is polished by rubbing it back 
 and forth on a linen or cotton string or strips of 
 chamois skin which have been charged with tripoli 
 and oil, or, what is cleaner, the prepared tripoli 
 composition which can be secured from any material 
 dealer. It is not necessary to use one string only, 
 for several may be used at the same time. When 
 the parts have been thoroughly smoothed the ring 
 should be washed to remove all grease and grit, 
 after which the inside is polished in the same man¬ 
 ner as before, excepting that rouge is substituted 
 for the tripoli. In factories the sides and top fof 
 prongs are polished on wood-laps before being 
 brushed with rotary brushes, and it would be ad¬ 
 visable for the repairer to finish his work in this 
 way if he has the facilities for doing so. 
 
 Chains to Repair.—Silver fox-tail chains, when 
 broken at the swivel, are often attached by opening 
 the end link with a pin-tongue and inserting a jump 
 ring. When broken some distance from the swivel, 
 lav a piece of solder on each end of the break and 
 melt. Then cut off as much of the ends as possible, 
 leaving just sufficient to make two nice, solid sur¬ 
 faces which are joined and soldered together. This 
 is the best way of repairing this kind of chain, as it 
 prevents the solder from flowing any distance, 
 which would stiffen the chain. This chain is made 
 like new by drawing it through an alcohol flame 
 until it is thoroughly heated and then allowed to 
 -ool; after which it is allowed to lie in the sulphuric 
 
58 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER'S HANDBOOK. 
 
 acid pickle until it becomes perfectly white. Some 
 prefer the white finish, but, if the bright is desired, it 
 is necessary to polish the chain with the brass 
 scratch brush. It is also done by briskly brushing 
 the chain with bi-carbonate of soda, but the resu t 
 is not so good. Rope chains, made with unsoldered 
 links, are repaired by opening the two links at each 
 end and hooking together. This is not so difficult 
 with the larger size of chains, but a great deal more 
 so with very small chains. Care should be taken 
 that the break is repaired on the proper twist; oth¬ 
 erwise the repaired place will be noticeable. It is 
 not necessary to solder links in an unsoldered chain, 
 but it is necessary to do so in a soldered li ik chain. 
 To solder chains of this kind use very small pieces 
 of solder and, if possible, solder the ends of the 
 links together. This will mend the break and leave 
 the chain as pliable as before. Wherever possible, 
 save the color of these chains by using the anti-ox¬ 
 idizer; but if a pickle coating is visible it would be 
 well to gild the soldered parts before any polishing 
 is attempted. 
 
 Charms to Repair.—Charms and lockets may be 
 broken in so many different places that it would be 
 difficult to enumerate all at this time. Generally, 
 however, they are broken at the joints or at the top 
 ring. If the joints on a plated charm or locket are 
 broken, remove all parts that are soft soldered in 
 position. Then remove all soft solder re¬ 
 maining on the part to be repaired. If the joints 
 are split out or broken from the knuckle, remove 
 the rivet and insert a round steel broach and try to 
 hammer the joint back into its former shape and po¬ 
 sition. The tapping or hammering should be done 
 lightly, so as to leave as few marks as possible on 
 the joints. All being clean and the joints tied in 
 position, proceed to anti-oxidize the whole and 
 
REPAIRING WATCH CHAINS. 
 
 ■ 59 
 
 charge with borax and solder. Then solder with 
 an easy flame and as soon as the solder flows nice¬ 
 ly, withdraw the article and allow it to cool, after 
 which it should be cleaned in the sulphuric acid 
 pickle. As many of these lockets are gilded on the 
 inside, it would be well to clean the inside and coat 
 the outside with any resist—coach painters’ varnish 
 will do—and then dip the whole into the warmed 
 Roman coloring solution. This will produce a nice 
 finish on the inside, similar to that on the other 
 parts. The resist should be removed and the whole 
 put together, after which it is polished and washed. 
 If rings are broken ofif or worn on plated charms, 
 which are soft soldered together, it is advisable to 
 remove all the parts and clean off all soft solder 
 before any soldering is done. This may be removed 
 by scraping, which is by far the quickest method, 
 or by the use of the soft solder destroyer. If the 
 rings on solid gold lockets or charms, or plated 
 ones that are not soft soldered, are worn they can 
 easily be filled by wrapping the charm in moist tis¬ 
 sue paper and then holding it between the fore¬ 
 finger and thumb of the left hand. But when the 
 rings are broken off of an elk tooth or similar charm 
 the tooth or other destructible parts must be re¬ 
 moved. Wherever possible, use the anti-oxidizer, 
 as it will save both labor and the engraving on all 
 articles. When repairing anything containing ce¬ 
 ment or shellac be sure to have all removed before 
 attempting any soldering, as, otherwise, the cement 
 would boil out and prevent the solder from flowing. 
 
 Watch Chains to Repair.—When any repairing 
 is to be done to a watch chain, the repairer should 
 examine all rings which compose the toggles to see 
 that the ends are perfectly joined. When the 
 swivel ring is drawn out of shape, it should be bent 
 back and the swivel itself put into first-class order. 
 
60 
 
 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER'S HANDBOOK. 
 
 If the catch does not spring back with sufficient 
 strength to close entirely, remove the rivet from the 
 swivel, stretch the spiral spring a trifle and replace 
 it. This, if carefully done, will remedy the defect. 
 Watch chains, as ordinarily broken in one or more 
 links, do not require so much patience as skill in 
 their repair, but where chains are to be entirely re¬ 
 filled, both patience and skill are required. Watch 
 chains which are worn thin are refilled by placing 
 small pieces of gold into the worn spots and flush¬ 
 ing the whole with the best solder that the chain 
 will stand. One will notice that a chain of this 
 kind is much shorter after it has been refilled than 
 it was before, and the result will be surprising if 
 one takes the trouble to measure the chain before 
 and after refilling it. We have heard of customers 
 asking if some of the links had not been removed 
 from the chain. If solder only were used for re¬ 
 filling the chain links it would be entirely too soft 
 and would wear out in a short time. To obviate 
 this the harder alloy is substituted. When doing 
 this work on a curb chain, take a flat piece of char¬ 
 coal in which a groove is cut to receive the second 
 link of the chain while the first lies perfectly flat 
 on a charcoal block. Of course the other end of the 
 chain is doubled up into the end of the block or al¬ 
 lowed to pass over the edge, in which case it is se¬ 
 cured by holding it with the index finger or thumb 
 of the left hand. This being understood, the re¬ 
 pairer will, after the chain is perfectly clean, lay a 
 small piece of gold, filed somewhat to the shape of 
 the worn spot, in position and charge with borax 
 and solder. Then the piece of gold is soldered in 
 place and the end of the chain dipped into the sul¬ 
 phuric acid pickle and rinsed in clean water. The 
 other end is then placed in the position of the first 
 and soldered in the same way. Then, by repeating 
 this, link after link, each one as it is refilled is 
 
REPATRING CORNETS. 
 
 fil 
 
 doubled back on the chain. The whole chain will 
 be refilled without much difficulty. After the en¬ 
 tire chain has been refilled it should be boiled out 
 in the sulphuric acid pickle and rinsed in clean 
 water. Then the links are filed into shape and as 
 the finishing is a matter of everyday practice, we 
 will not go into any details on that head. 
 
 The worn rings of the toggle cause much more 
 trouble than the larger links of the chain. In most 
 cases it is advisable to cut the rings apart to refill 
 the worn spots. In some chains there are two 
 links soldered together. Should this be the case, 
 cut the end link of the two and then every other 
 one in the same order. After being refilled the cut 
 link can easily be soldered by using a little care. 
 As these toggles are rather difficult to polish in¬ 
 side they may be cleaned and given a dip in the 
 Roman coloring solution. We have known repair¬ 
 ers to pursue the same method with the inside of 
 the larger chain links; but where polishing can be 
 done it would repay one to do a little extra work, 
 as the chain will look a great deal better for so 
 doing. 
 
 Cornets to Repair.—As jewelers are frequently 
 called upon to repair musical instruments and es¬ 
 pecially cornets, we will endeavor to state how the 
 more frequent breaks are repaired. The valves us¬ 
 ually cause the most trouble, either because they are 
 tight and cannot be moved or the slide will go down 
 and not spring up. To remedy this defect it is 
 necessary to take the valve apart, both below and 
 at the top. Then perfectly clean all the parts and 
 if it is seen that there is any considerable friction 
 anywhere, take powdered pumice stone and water 
 and place some inside the tube and insert and re¬ 
 volve the slide on the inside until all friction is 
 overcome, when it and the dirt are removed and the 
 
02 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER'S HANDBOOK. 
 
 parts re-adjusted. If it works easily the defect is 
 remedied, but if it does not it will be necessary to 
 use caution in the rubbing process so that the slide 
 or valve tube is not bent or dented. The slides and 
 caps of the valve should occasionally be oiled, both 
 above and below. No more oil than is absolutely 
 necessary should be used, as it would work into the 
 valves and cause trouble. Sometimes it would be 
 well if the repairer would pour several quarts of 
 water into the bell and turn the instrument so that 
 it would cleanse the inside, the water being then al¬ 
 lowed to flow out at the mouth-piece. The cork or 
 padding at the water-key should always fit tightly, 
 as the slightest leak at this point would impair the 
 tone of the instrument. Should the metal edge be 
 broken off, remove the spring and, after thoroughly 
 cleaning both parts, apply soldering fluid and soft 
 solder on the inside edge and solder with the blow¬ 
 pipe. If care be taken the solder will not flow on 
 the outside. Then apply a little non-gumming oil 
 to the spring and wipe it off thoroughly before re¬ 
 adjusting it. It is advisable to use as little on as 
 possible in a cornet and especially on the valves. 
 Saliva is the best lubricator we know of for this pur¬ 
 pose. 
 
 Combs to Repair.—When the silver backs of 
 combs are cracked the rivet holding them in posi¬ 
 tion should be removed by filing off the smallest 
 head and pushing it out by using the rivet pliers oi 
 a small punch. Then scrape the fractured edges 
 and join nicely on a piece of charcoal. Charge with 
 borax and solder on the inside, otherwise the solder 
 will flow or lump on the outside in the scroll work 
 or engraving. The solder on the inside will act as 
 a brace in places where before there was a strain. 
 Should there be but two rivets which secure the 
 back to the comb, it would be advisable to put in 
 one or two more to make the back more secure. 
 
MAKING CASTS. 
 
 03 
 
 When the comb itself is broken the repairer can- 
 noi do better than to put in a new one. Sometimes 
 celluloid combs are joined together, but it is better 
 to put a new one in at once. Tortoise shell combs 
 are quite frequently repaired. This is done by soft¬ 
 ening the parts in clean boiling water and then join¬ 
 ing them between heated plates in a vise. This is 
 a job which requires considerable skill and exper¬ 
 ience, but it is worth the repairer’s time to try it. 
 After the comb is repaired, or, for that matter, any 
 tortoise shell article which is brought in, it is pol¬ 
 ished by using a mixture of soap and whiting on the 
 rotary bristle brush and finally on the flannel buff. 
 Another and perhaps a cleaner polishing prepara¬ 
 tion is made by intimately mixing vaseline and rot¬ 
 ten stone or olive oil and rotten stone. The bristle 
 brush should be used first and care exercised that 
 the friction does not burn the shell. The buff is 
 used next, after which the article is briskly rubbed 
 with the palm of the hand. 
 
 Casts to Make.—Very often the repairer meets 
 with articles as heads, eagles, etc., of which it is de¬ 
 sirable to keep models. In order to do this he 
 should provide himself with a soft wax, usually 
 called impression wax, and fine calcium plaster. To 
 take an impression the article, if possible, is laid on 
 a flat surface, and after the wax has been moistened 
 on the tongue, it is pressed on to the article. Care, 
 however, should be taken that it is pressed down 
 evenly without a rocking motion, otherwise the im¬ 
 pression will be imperfect. After the wax impres¬ 
 sion has been obtained, mix calcium plaster with 
 water until it is the consistency of a medium thick 
 paste, and pour into the mould. In doing this it 
 would be well to stick a pin or point into the plaster, 
 to allow all air to escape. If this were not done, 
 small air bubbles or hollows in the model would be 
 
04 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER'S HANDBOOK. 
 
 the result. The plaster is allowed to dry slowly for 
 several hours, or until it is perfectly hardened. 
 Then the model can easily be removed by pressing 
 the wax away from it on all sides. * 
 
 If the workman can keep the article long enough, 
 it would be advisable for him to make a plaster im¬ 
 pression of the article instead of one of wax. Pro¬ 
 ceed in the manner outlined above, and after the 
 plaster has dried, which usually requires from two 
 to four hours, the article can be removed. This is 
 done by taking a point or knife and inserting it un¬ 
 der an edge where the metal will be poured when a 
 casting is made. For instance, we have an elk head 
 of which we desire to have a metal copy. Place it 
 on a flat surface, and pour the plaster paste over it. 
 When dry take a pointer and insert it at the neck 
 or what would be the base of the head. Then after 
 the head is removed from the plaster cast a groove 
 or trough is cut to the edge of the plaster to allow 
 the free passage of the molten metal. Another 
 plaster cast having a flat surface can be made, and 
 this should have a trough cut into it to correspond 
 to the other one. The trough should be larger at 
 the mouth than at the model, so as to receive the 
 metal better, and for the pressure. Then if it be so 
 desired, a leaden model can be made which will be 
 ready for use at all times. This is made by melt¬ 
 ing lead in a tin boxlid and pouring it into the 
 mould. Allow to cool for several minutes, and lift 
 the side with the flat surface. Then the leaden 
 model can be removed and cooled, after which it is 
 finished to correspond to the original. 
 
 Earrings to Repair.—The connecting rings on 
 earrings usually break where the rings rub to¬ 
 gether. If these are not worn too thin or broken 
 off, they can easily be refilled. To do this remove 
 
TO REMOVE ENGRAVING. 
 
 65 
 
 all stones that are likely to be injured when heated, 
 and anti-oxidize the setting. A suitable piece of 
 solder is then laid upon the worn spot and heated 
 until it melts and flushes the worn parts. Very lit¬ 
 tle filing is necessary if care has been taken in the 
 soldering, as the solder will conform to the shape 
 of the ring. When all the rings are refilled, boil 
 them in the sulphuric acid pickle and rinse in clean 
 water. Then join all the parts, and proceed with 
 the polishing. If the rings are broken off, make or 
 secure wire of the original thickness of the connect¬ 
 ing rings and take a piece of steel wire which 
 would pass through the original ring and fasten it 
 together with the end of the gold wire in a hand 
 vise. Then by holding the hand vise in the right 
 hand and the end of the gold wire with a pair of 
 pliers in the left hand, proceed to revolve the hand 
 vise away from the body. This will make a spring 
 which can easily be slipped from the steel wire. 
 Then with a saw-blade saw lengthwise on the top 
 of the spring until the rings separate. These are 
 called jump rings, a^d they are now ready to re¬ 
 place the worn or broken rings. 
 
 With the flat pliers join the ends of the jump ring 
 and file a flat surface right on the joint. These 
 rings are used on the bows or wires. Those used 
 on the settings have the flat surface filed to one 
 side of the joint, to allow the ring to be opened to 
 engage the top one. 
 
 Engraving to Remove.—The repairer is some¬ 
 times called upon to remove engraving from silver 
 handles, watch case shields, etc. The former can 
 be removed with a file having a curved end, the file 
 marks being removed by the use of a piece of Scotch 
 hone and water. 
 
 Engraving on the shields of gold or silver cases 
 can be removed in the manner just described, but 
 
GO THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 on filled or plated cases a piece of metal must be 
 placed over the engraving. 
 
 Take a print or pattern of the shield, and make 
 one out of a thin piece of gold or plate which will 
 cover the entire surface of the shield. Then lay the 
 under side of the piece on a fiat piece of charcoal and 
 flush it with a thin layer of silver solder. Then 
 clean the piece in pickle and rub a file over the 
 solder to smooth and remove any excess. The two 
 surfaces to be joined are then cleaned thoroughly, 
 boraxecl and joined. The piece is secured in posi¬ 
 tion by means of binding wire placed around the 
 back and drawn tight. Then one end is cut off right 
 inside the snap edge and bent down so as to hold 
 the wire in place. The other end is bent over and 
 cut off in the same manner. This method of tying 
 on a plate will prevent the back from being drawn 
 out of shape while being heated. Anti-oxiclize the 
 back inside and outside, and allow it to dry. Then 
 with a steady flame heat the entire back until the 
 solder melts and shows a white line at the edge of 
 the shield. The back is allowed to cool and the wire 
 removed, after which it is cleaned in pickle and 
 polished inside before it is fastened to the center. 
 
 Some repairers use soft solder for this work, but 
 wherever hard solder can be used it would be much 
 better to do so. After the shield is soldered in po¬ 
 sition and the back polished, the repairer should 
 bevel the edge of the plate by bright-cutting it with 
 a flat graver. 
 
 Fluxes.—Crystallized borax, obtainable in drug 
 stores, is one of the best fluxes for the jewelry re¬ 
 pairer's use. Prepared borax, containing sal am¬ 
 moniac, is very good and is used by very many re¬ 
 pairers. Liquid fluxes, used for anti-oxidizing as 
 well as for fluxing, are good, but they have a ten¬ 
 dency to cause the solder to spring away when the 
 
REPAIRING FOUNTAIN PENS. G7 
 
 flux is heated. Cyanide of potassium is a good flux, 
 but is entirely too dangerous to be used about the 
 work bench. Many repairers unconsciously hold 
 the fluxing brush between the teeth while working 
 on a job requiring several solders, and if cyanide of 
 potassium were used, the results might be fatal to 
 the workman. 
 
 Filigree Work to Clean.—Filigree work is cleaned 
 by laying it on charcoal and heating it to a dull red 
 with a steady, even flame. Then allow it to cool 
 before placing into the sulphuric acid pickle. If the 
 dead white finish is not desired, a bright finish can 
 be obtained by the use of the brass scratch brush, 
 which should be kept wet with water. If the edges 
 only are to be bright, put some moist baking soda 
 onto a towel and rub the parts to be made bright. 
 
 Fountain Pens to Repair.—Jewelers are fre¬ 
 quently called upon to unscrew fountain pen hold¬ 
 ers at the joint. To do this, hold the joint over an 
 alcohol flame until warmed and, then, by grasping 
 an end in each hand, suddenly twist as in unscrew¬ 
 ing. If sufficiently warmed the parts will separate 
 with ease. If the pen does not feed sufficiently take 
 it apart and clean thoroughly with alcohol. Grain 
 or wood alcohol can be used for this purpose. Then 
 put the pen together and, in many cases, it will be 
 all right. If this does not remedy the defect, the 
 capillary channels are too small, or the position of 
 the feeder should be changed. Very little enlarging 
 of the channel will often change the flow of the ink 
 from the barrel. It would be almost impossible for 
 a jeweler to repoint the nib, as this is a very diffi¬ 
 cult and tedious piece of work; therefore, when a 
 job of this kind is brought in, it should be sent to 
 a manufacturer, who is thoroughly equipped for this 
 work. If the barrel of a fountain pen becomes worn 
 
08 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 and it is to be repolished, smooth the surface with 
 pulverized pumice stone and oil. Wash this off and 
 polish the article with oil and rotten stone. If the 
 cap of a fountain pen becomes so large as to easily 
 slip off the barrel, it should be tightened. A piece 
 of heavy binding wire is taken and passed around 
 the cap about one-eighth of an inch from its ex¬ 
 tremity. Then by twisting the two ends the cap 
 can be contracted so as to fit the barrel tightly. 
 When it is as desired, gently heat the contracted 
 part over an alcohol flame and allow to cool, and re¬ 
 move the wire. If warmed sufficiently the cap will 
 be just as it was when bound by the wire. 
 
 Fobs to Repair.—Fobs usually have the silk worn 
 so that the putting in of new silk is all that is re¬ 
 quired. Before doing this the attachments should 
 be tested, and if found satisfactory, they are polish¬ 
 ed. See that all jump rings are evenly joined and 
 the swivel in good working order. Then, after in¬ 
 serting the silk, stitch it and the bar so that it will 
 stay in position. The lower ends may be cut square 
 and frayed or cut into an inverted V-shape. The 
 latter is preferable. 
 
 Ferrules to Make.—Cracked umbrella handles and 
 fountain pens are sometimes brought to the jeweler 
 to have ferrule placed around them. This is a job 
 that requires accuracy, for the ferrule should fit 
 tightly to overcome the trouble and should not be 
 higher than the surface of the article, if it is to be 
 placed on the end. To make a ferrule, secure a 
 piece of the metal—brass, silver, etc.—the desired 
 length and width. Then cut a groove around the 
 handle so that the depth will not be quite as much 
 as the thickness of the metal, and tie a piece of 
 binding wire around the grooved part and twist the 
 ends together. Cut this apart at the twist and the 
 
REDUCING FILINGS. 
 
 S9 
 
 piece will be the length of the strip for the ferrule. 
 Mark off the distance on the strip and bend up the 
 ends, as in making a ring. The joint is prepared, 
 joined and soldered, after which the solder on the 
 inside should be removed. The rounding up some¬ 
 times causes considerable trouble if one does not 
 have different sized mandrils, but by means of 
 screwdrivers—pieces of round steel—this can easily 
 be done. When the ferrule is round, fit it to the 
 piece and if it is a little tight it may be forced on. 
 It is better to have it this way than have it too 
 loose. If it is found to be all right, remove it and 
 file the surface and edges, and then, after removing 
 the file marks with emery and scotch-hone, polish 
 it. Place it on the edge of the prepared part and 
 strike the upper edge with a rawhide mallet to drive 
 it into position. When this is done file the top edge 
 smooth and even with the wood and smooth with a 
 burnisher. There are many kinds of ferrules to be 
 made, but by following the principle here given no 
 trouble will be found while making any of them. 
 
 Filings to Reduce.—Jewelers who do not save the 
 filings from their work bench would be surprised at 
 the amount of gold that is lost in a year. These 
 should be collected and cleaned every week. When 
 a sufficient quantity has been gathered, it may be 
 reduced and melted. The filings are placed into a 
 sheet-iron box, lined with a piece of tissue paper 
 and placed over a charcoal fire. This will cause the 
 wood filings and other foreign matters to be de¬ 
 stroyed. When the filings have undergone this 
 treatment sufficiently—which will be known when 
 they cease burning and become black—cool and 
 place them into an iron mortar. With a pestle 
 reduce very fine and go through them with a 
 strong magnet to remove all steel and iron filings. 
 The filings are then, thoroughly mixed with an 
 
70 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 equal amount of saltpetre and placed into a large 
 crucible which should be about three-fourths full 
 of the mixture and saltpetre added to entirely fill it. 
 This is placed in the melting forge until the metal 
 melts and flows to the bottom, where it forms into 
 a button. Many jewelers send the button thus ob¬ 
 tained to the mint or to a refiner. This is certainly 
 the best way of dealing with it; but as somd may 
 wish to separate the metals we will describe the 
 methods employed: 
 
 The button of gold is taken and to it is added 
 about one-half of its weight of silver and the two are 
 melted together and, when thoroughly incorporated, 
 are cast into an ingot mould. Borax or potash can 
 be used as a flux, when melting the two. The bar 
 of gold thus obtained is rolled until it is very thin, 
 after which it is cut up into small pieces and placed 
 in a glass jar or other suitable vessel to which ni¬ 
 tric acid and water in the following proportions are 
 added: 
 
 Gold . i oz. 
 
 Nitric Acid. i oz. (fluid oz.). 
 
 Water . 2 oz. “ 
 
 The acid should be slowly heated and allowed to 
 act for several hours when all the alloys excepting 
 the gold will become dissolved. The latter will be 
 found at the bottom of the vessel in the form of a 
 dark brown powder. When the acid fails to pre¬ 
 cipitate any more of the dark brown powder, it 
 should be decanted into another vessel and saved. 
 The dark brown powder should be thoroughly 
 washed with hot water to remove any trace of alloy 
 that still remains. The water is then poured off 
 and the powder allowed to dry. This is melted 
 with borax or potash and the resultant bar will be 
 pure gold or very nearly so. If, when working up, 
 the gold is brittle, it may be understood that the 
 baser metals were not all removed. In that case 
 
MAKING JUMP RINGS. 
 
 71 
 
 the refining process should be repeated. The 
 trouble and expense connected with this work is 
 greater than it would be if the jeweler would send 
 the filings, together with his polishing dirt and 
 sweepings, to a refiner, who would have all the dirt 
 and trouble and yet charge a very small sum for 
 its reduction. If salt is added to the decanted 
 liquid, previously mentioned, the silver will be pre¬ 
 cipitated to the bottom of the vessel as a nitrate. 
 This is washed with warm water to remove all for¬ 
 eign matter and dried. Melt with borax and cast 
 into ignot moulds. To make a silver plating solu¬ 
 tion add a saturated solution of cyanide of potas¬ 
 sium until all the silver is redissolved. 
 
 Impressions.—Engravers frequently desire to 
 take a print or impression of a fine piece of en¬ 
 graving. The best method that has come to our 
 notice for doing this is to touch the finger to the 
 tongue and slightly moisten the engraved surface. 
 Then heat a stick of good sealing wax and press it 
 onto the engraving. The piece of wax should be 
 large enough to cover the engraving without 
 spreading, otherwise the impression will be spoiled. 
 When the cement has cooled remove it from the en¬ 
 graving and coat it lightly with printer’s ink. Take 
 the print from this in the usual manner. 
 
 Jump Rings to Make.—Gold and silver as as well 
 plated jump rings of various sizes should be kept 
 on hand by every workman. Secure a piece of wire 
 of the metal needed and draw it to the desired 
 thickness. Then anneal and polish it with fine 
 emery paper, a chamois rubbed with tripoli com¬ 
 position, and , finally, with a rouged chamois. 
 After polishing the wire, fasten it and the desired 
 size of forming wire in a hand vise. Then hold the 
 end of the wire in the left hand and revolve the 
 
THE JEWELRY REPAIRER'S HANDBOOK. 
 
 r-2 
 
 hand vise in the right hand. This will form a spring 
 on the forming wire, which, when sawed apart 
 lengthwise will separate the rings, which are tech¬ 
 nically called jump rings. 
 
 Locks to Repair.—The tops of small bracelet 
 locks very often become loosened when the key is 
 withdrawn. To resolder these tops clean the sur¬ 
 faces thoroughly and apply the soldering fluid. 
 Very little or no extra solder is needed. Place the 
 top onto the lock and hold the two in position [w 
 means of the split tweezers and heat until the sol¬ 
 der flows and joins the two parts. The surplus 
 solder is easily removed with the scraper. 
 
 Mosaic Pins to Repair.—Broken mosaic pins and 
 brooches are soldered by placing them top down¬ 
 ward on a piece of sheet iron or other metal. It 
 would be advisable to tie the two together when¬ 
 ever this is practicable. Soft solder only can be 
 used. 
 
 Mercury to Remove.—Mercury on gold and sil¬ 
 ver articles is removed either by heat or by nitric 
 acid. The latter is the preferable method. Apply 
 the acid with the long stopper of the acid bottle and 
 after a moment or so rinse the article in water and 
 repolish it. 
 
 Mirror Backs to Wash.—Sterling silver mirrors, 
 after being polished, can be washed without any 
 danger of water getting back of the glass, by folding 
 a towel and laying it on a stool or table upon 
 which the mirror is laid with the glass downward. 
 When washing or brushing, the water which 
 passes over the edge of the mirror back will be ab¬ 
 sorbed by the towel. 
 
 Nuts to Tighten.—The holes in earring nuts are 
 closed by placing the nut in a vise and striking the 
 
REMOVING GILDING. 
 
 73 
 
 hole with a staking tool or punch. Afterward cut 
 a thread to correspond with the one on the post. 
 
 Fans to Repair.—Broken fan sticks are usually 
 repaired by riveting a strip of metal about i or i l / 2 
 inches long over the break. Another way is to cut 
 a groove on the under side of the stick, about of 
 an inch wide and about l / 2 inch long on either side 
 of the break. This groove should be from a 32d to 
 a 16th of an inch in depth. Into this groove is 
 fitted a piece of bone or other hard substance and 
 cemented with a strong glue. Major’s cement has 
 been found an excellent article for this purpose. 
 After drying thoroughly the surplus cement and 
 inserted bone can be removed with a file. This 
 method of repairing fan sticks is, no doubt, the best 
 and neatest. When the sticks part at the joints, 
 clean the edges and re-cement. Always allow the 
 glue or cement to become perfectly hardened be¬ 
 fore attempting to finish the repair job. For glu¬ 
 ing down lace, etc., a mere trifle of Major’s cement, 
 applied with a match stick, will secure it without 
 any of it showing through. 
 
 Gilding to Remove.—Gilding on articles can be 
 removed by the electrical process or by heating. 
 By the first method the article is attached to the 
 positive pole of a battery and immersed into a 
 saturated cyanide solution. Then attach a piece of 
 copper to the negative wire and immerse into the 
 solution. The gold will be dissolved from the gild¬ 
 ed article and a part held in solution, while some of 
 it will be deposited on to the copper plate. The 
 second method is the quickest and in many cases 
 the best. Lay the gilded article on a piece of char¬ 
 coal and heat to redness. Allow it to cool and im¬ 
 merse into the sulphuric acid pickle for an hour. 
 One heating often is sufficient, but if the gilding is 
 not perfectly removed proceed as before. 
 
74 
 
 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 Isinglass.—This substance is used instead of 
 glass for covering pictures, etc., in lockets and is 
 much easier to cut into the proper shape and size. 
 It is also used when soldering enameled articles. 
 Lay the isinglass on the charcoal and place the ar¬ 
 ticle on it. Thus, when the enamel becomes soft 
 it will adhere to the isinglass and not become cov¬ 
 ered with charcoal spots, etc. 
 
 Inkstand Tops to Remove.—Inkstand and vinia- 
 grette tops are removed by soaking the articles in 
 warm water for an hour or so to soften the calcium 
 plaster. Then with a screwdriver, knife, etc., 
 gently force the top upward. This method very 
 seldom fails to remove any top, no matter how se¬ 
 curely it is fastened. 
 
 Tooth Brushes to Fit.—Jewelers will find a cir¬ 
 cular disc of wood covered with coarse emery cloth 
 and nailed onto an old bristle brush very useful in 
 cutting down tooth brushes to fit into silver 
 handles. 
 
 Polishing.—The finishing of work after being re¬ 
 paired is as important as the repairing itself. As 
 polishing is nothing more than removing all 
 scratches and marks from the surfaces, we will 
 consider the abrasives used for this purpose. Gen¬ 
 erally speaking, tripoli and rouge are all that most 
 repairers use, and in many cases are all that are 
 necessary. Before going further it may be well to 
 mention that the very coarse file marks and 
 scratches are removed with an emery stick or by 
 using a piece of moistened Scotch-hone. The latter 
 is obtained in square sticks about four inches long 
 and about j^-inch square. When in it shotdd 
 be kept wet, and as it is softer than V vnotal op¬ 
 erated upon a mudlike mixture will form on the Sur- 
 
POLISHING. 
 
 75 
 
 face, which must be washed off frequently to as¬ 
 certain the progress made. When all marks are re¬ 
 moved the articles are ready to be polished on the 
 lathe. 
 
 Tripoli is the first abrasive used in connection 
 with an inside felt ring buff or on a bristle brush. 
 This substance can be obtained in the form of 
 lumps, which are covered with oil before using. 
 A more desirable tripoli mixture is to be obtained 
 from all material dealers and is known as tripoli 
 composition. If the repairer desires to make it 
 himself, he can do so by melting nine parts of sperm 
 candle and into this stir 12 parts of powdered tri¬ 
 poli. When thoroughly mixed it can be poured 
 into boxes or moulds and kept for use. Rouge, 
 which is oxide of iron, would be too troublesome 
 for the repairer to make himself, and, besides, it 
 can be bought cheaper than he could make it him¬ 
 self. The kind preferred is hard rouge, known as 
 XXG. Soft rouge mixed with alcohol is used for 
 finishing fine silver pieces before dry-buffing them. 
 
 As a rule, most jewelers use a foot-lathe for their 
 polishing, which answers very well, but many 
 others are now running their lathes with electric 
 motors, which, without a doubt, is a great ad¬ 
 vantage to the polisher, especially if he is called 
 upon to repolish the gold and silver stock of the 
 store. In connection with the lathe very few buffs, 
 brushes, etc., are needed by the average repairer, 
 and generally these are: 
 
 2 cotton wheel buffs; 
 
 2 canton flannel wheel buffs ; 
 
 2 felt buffs; 
 
 2 taper felt buffs for inside of rings; 
 
 1 taper cotton buff for inside of rings; 
 
 2 2-row black bristle brushes. 
 
 2 4-row black bristle brushes. 
 
 With these brushes and buffs nearly all repair work 
 
76 
 
 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 can be polished, but for some jobs special buffs, 
 brushes, etc., can be obtained and in many cases 
 the repairer can make them himself. 
 
 A metallic lap, composed of a mixture of two 
 parts of pure grain tin and one part of pure lead— 
 will be found very useful for giving band rings or 
 new ring shanks the appearance and polish they 
 had when new. Lapping is rather difficult for any¬ 
 one who does not have much of this work to do, 
 but when one has mastered the art very satisfac¬ 
 tory work will be the result. When lapping a 
 band ring it is held between the thumb and fore¬ 
 finger of the right hand and applied to the surface 
 of the lap so that all parts of the ring surface will 
 touch evenly. Then when on the lap give the ring 
 a circular, up and down motion so as to smooth or 
 lap as much of the surface as possible. When one 
 part is done satisfactorily take the ring from the 
 lap with a quick motion and apply another part of 
 the surface to be polished. A wooden lap, which 
 would answer the repairer’s needs, can be made by 
 taking a disc of wood six or eight inches in diam¬ 
 eter and cutting a hole in the center of it to fit the 
 spindle of the lathe head. Polishing lathe spindles 
 usually have a thread cut on them to receive a nut 
 with which the lap is held in position against the 
 shoulder cut into the spindle. When cut and 
 shaped as desired the disc of wood is placed on the 
 lathe and smoothed with fine sandpaper. This lap, 
 with the use of the tripoli composition, will assist 
 the polisher considerably in producing nice, sharp 
 work. Another small wooden lap having its in¬ 
 ner side cut down so as to form a knife edge on 
 the lap, will, with the use of the tripoli composi¬ 
 tion, be found very useful for lapping the sides of 
 prongs in new settings, etc. This lap should be 
 considerably smaller than the first one and can be 
 nailed on to the side of a worn-out four row brush. 
 
POLISHING. 
 
 77 
 
 The polishing outht would not be complete with¬ 
 out brass and steel wire brushes. The former is 
 used to clean work before gilding and to finish it 
 after being colored. The steel wire brush is used 
 for satin finishing or “frosting” silver work. All 
 that need be explained about satin finishing is that 
 the surfaces should be free from all scratches and 
 of a dead white color. This is obtained by heating 
 the article to redness and, after cooling, it is placed 
 in the sulphuric acid pickle until it is perfectly 
 white. Then hold the article between the index 
 fingers and thumbs of both hands and present its 
 surfaces to the brush in such a manner that the ends 
 of the wires will strike equally and evenly. It is 
 advisable to keep the brush and articles moistened 
 with water or stale beer to produce a nice finish. 
 With these preliminary explanations we are ready 
 to proceed with the subject of polishing—for in¬ 
 stance, of one day’s repair work, which usually con¬ 
 sists of rings, brooches, etc. This method of des¬ 
 cribing the polishing process is taken in order to 
 avoid a separate description of the buffs, brushes, 
 etc., that are used and which can be obtained by 
 carefully following the method described below. 
 The repair jobs, as a rule, are kept in envelopes, 
 and, to prevent mistakes, each article is taken from 
 its envelope and a brief description made of it on the 
 inside of the envelope flap, which will assist the re¬ 
 pairer to quickly replace the job when polished. 
 When sealed the brief description will be covered 
 and a nice, clean envelope can be presented to the 
 customer. Then cover the lathe bed with a news- 
 Daper to catch all polishing dirt, tripoli, rouge, etc., 
 and to one side the jobs can be sorted into several 
 piles in the order of their needs. For instance, rings 
 which have been stretched, pieced or soldered arc 
 placed in the first pile. Brooches, spectacles, etc., 
 that have been soldered or had new pintongues at' 
 
78 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 tached are laid on the second pile, and articles as 
 rings, pins, watch cases, etc., which need polishing 
 are placed on the third pile. 
 
 Before doing any polishing on the lathe Tiffany 
 ring mountings should be polished between the 
 prongs and through the hole at the base of the stone 
 by drawing the setting back and forth on a rouged 
 chamois strip. Likewise it is advisable co recolor 
 the insides or backs of cluster rings, etc., which had 
 the original color ruined in the soldering. This 
 done, the polisher is ready to proceed. Place the 
 tapering felt buff on the lathe and give it a light 
 coating of the tripoli composition, and take the 
 rings of the first pile and, holding each between 
 the forefinger and thumb of the right hand, rub 
 back and forth on the buff until all file marks and 
 scratches are removed. Then join the first and 
 second piles and proceed to tripoli brush the pickle 
 coated or filed surfaces until smooth. Avoid round¬ 
 ing edges of the work. In this connection it is ad¬ 
 visable to use black bristle brushes, as, from our ex¬ 
 perience, it is found that they are tougher and last 
 considerably longer than those made from white 
 bristles. When the surfaces have been thoroughly 
 brushed in two or more directions and are smooth 
 proceed to wash off all tripoli and dirt, as otherwise 
 this would prevent the articles taking a high polish. 
 Benzine is the best preparation for removing tripoli 
 that has yet come to our notice. When all the ar¬ 
 ticles that were tripolied are dried in the sawdust 
 or by means of tissue paper or a towel, separate the 
 rings to make one pile and all of the other articles 
 will constitute the second pile. 
 
 The rings of the first pile are rouged on the inside 
 rouge buff in the same manner in which they were 
 tripolied. Be very careful not to allow the rouge 
 and tripoli brushes, buffs, etc., to become mixed: 
 otherwise there would be trouble. Then brush all 
 
REPAIRING STUD SPIRALS. 
 
 70 
 
 the articles with the bristle brushes to which the 
 cake of rouge has been applied and finally finish 
 them on the canton flannel or cotton wheel buffs. 
 After washing the articles with soap, ammonia and 
 warm water, dry them in warm boxwood sawdust. 
 Diamonds should be dipped into alcohol to remove 
 all grease before they are dried in the sawdust. The 
 dry buff—usually canton flannel—is used for dry 
 buffing, without the use of rouge, all silver pieces, 
 as bonbon dishes, etc. The articles that were 
 brushed or cleaned with the brass or steel wire 
 brushes should be brushed briskly with baking soda 
 to impart a nice luster to the work. 
 
 Stud Spirals to Repair.—When stud spirals are 
 broken off at the setting it is advisable to anti-oxi- 
 dize both parts. Then clean the surfaces to be 
 united; borax and lay on the solder. Place the set¬ 
 ting on a piece of charcoal and hold the spiral with 
 a pair of tweezers in the left hand. Great care must 
 be taken in soldering so that the setting or spiral 
 is not melted or burned. When the stud is broken 
 in the curve of the spiral anneal and straighten it. 
 When soldered, smooth it nicely with a fine file and 
 polish. After this it should be bent perpendicularly 
 at a distance of 3-16 of an inch from the setting. 
 Then the spiral wire is placed into the spiral turner 
 groove and the fastening pin inserted. When it is 
 seen that the setting would be in the middle of the 
 spiral or circle, grasp the end of the wire in a pair 
 of pliers held in the left hand and turn the spiral 
 turner away from the body with the right hand. 
 When spirals are “sprung” or pulled out of shape, 
 draw the coils together and bind in three or four 
 places with strong or doubled binding wire. When 
 drawn into the proper shape anti-oxidize the spiral 
 and heat to redness with the blow-pipe or over an 
 alcohol flame. After cooling, the wire should be 
 removed and the stud boiled in the acid pickle. 
 
80 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 Stone Setting.—In connection with this brief des¬ 
 cription of stone setting it is desirable that the re¬ 
 pairer examine every piece of nice work of this kind 
 that comes his way. Very few tools are needed for 
 setting and resetting stones, and these are: A ring 
 clamp, for holding rings; a cement stick for holding 
 earring and stud settings; a fine barrette needle file; 
 a fine barrette file (larger size) ; a shad belly graver, 
 No. 4; a flat graver, No. 41; one-half dozen pearl 
 drills, assorted sizes, which can be obtained from 
 any material dealer and are used in the drill pump; 
 two or three beading tools of small size. The shad 
 belly graver is ground back on the left side so as to 
 form an angle of about 45 degrees. This tool is 
 used for cutting the bearing in the settings. With 
 these tools the repairer is able to set or reset almost 
 any stone which may be brought to him. 
 
 As very many stores carry an assortment of Tif¬ 
 fany and belcher diamond mountings for mounting 
 loose stones, we will briefly describe how stones are 
 set in rings of this kind. The first thing necessary 
 is to see that the mounting is the right size for the 
 stone; that is, the outer edge or girdle of the stone 
 should cover about one-half of the tops of the 
 prongs when placed on the setting. This is a pretty 
 good rule to follow with Tiffany and belcher mount¬ 
 ings, because if the prongs were bent inward the 
 gold or base of the setting would show considerably 
 all about the stone, and if the prongs were bent out¬ 
 ward the effect would be equally as bad, if not worse. 
 Care, also, should be taken that the top of the set¬ 
 ting is perfectly straight, for if this defect is not 
 remedied the stone, when set, would be found to be 
 crooked. This will be understood if one will hold 
 a mounted stone up before him and see whether or 
 not the table of the stone is or is not at right angles 
 with imaginary lines drawn from the bottom of the 
 ring. If the surface of the table, on all sides, does 
 
STONE SETTING. 
 
 81 
 
 not form a right angle with the lines the stone is 
 set crooked and the job is not creditable to the 
 workman. Thus it can be readily seen that the set¬ 
 ting should be perfectly straight before attempting 
 to set any stone. If stones are uneven or are cut 
 crooked, allowance is made when cutting the bear¬ 
 ing in the setting so that one side would be cut 
 deeper than the other. A great deal depends upon 
 the skill and judgment of the setter. 
 
 After the setting has been straightened the setter 
 opens or closes the setting, if necessary, to suit the 
 stone. This can easily be done with the pointed 
 flat pliers in the Tiffany mountings, but very 
 little, if any, bending can be done on belcher 
 mountings. Hence the importance of seeing that 
 the stone and the mounting are of a corre¬ 
 sponding size. When the setting is the right 
 
 size the setter prepares the bearing or bed of 
 
 the stone by cutting out about one-half of 
 
 the thickness of the prongs to the depth of one 
 millimeter. This is done either with the shad belly 
 graver described above or with the needle barrette 
 file. Many workmen use the graver exclusively, 
 but, wherever the file can be used, it is advisable 
 to do so, as the work can be done much more rapid¬ 
 ly and easily. When all the prongs have been cut 
 in this manner, see that the stone fits into the berth 
 thus prepared,. If it does not, remove it and cut 
 away the gold that prevents it from fitting into the 
 setting. Care, however, should be taken that too 
 much of the prongs is not cut away, as this would 
 weaken them. Very often this impediment can be 
 removed by slightly bending one or more prongs 
 with the pointed flat pliers. 
 
 When the setting is cut so that the stone fits in 
 between the prongs, proceed to cut away the sharp 
 angle underneath the stone to correspond to the un¬ 
 der slope of the stone. The fiat graver is used for 
 
82 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 this work. When this is done, fit the stone into the 
 setting and if it is straight and rests securely and 
 evenly without unduly pressing against one or 
 more of the prongs—which would cause the stone to 
 “rock” when touched on the table with a pair of 
 tweezers—the prongs are ready to be bent over the 
 stone. If, however, the stone should “rock,” cut 
 away the slope where the stone presses the most 
 and refit. If this were not done there would be 
 danger of chipping the stone when the prong was 
 bent over it. Before bending the gold over the 
 stone remove the latter and file the sides of the 
 prongs, at the tops, to a point so as to form a tri¬ 
 angle whose base would be about one millimeter 
 from the top. Then file the outside face of the tri¬ 
 angle so that the top would be thin while the base 
 would retain its original thickness. The top of the 
 prong, when filed in this manner, will look like a 
 right angled triangle when viewed from the side. 
 Many setters do not prepare the setting in this man¬ 
 ner when setting stones, but for the repairer who 
 must do repairing, stone setting, etc., it is advisable 
 to follow this method, as very little filing need be 
 done after the prong is bent over and the bright cut¬ 
 ting will be easier to cut even and straight. 
 
 The stone is now placed into the setting and, by 
 holding it in position with the forefinger of the left 
 hand, proceed to push over the prong opposite to the 
 finger. The greatest pressure is applied to the low¬ 
 er portion of the slope or bent part so that the 
 prong will rest snugly upon the stone. Be particu¬ 
 lar that the part that is bent over the stone is not 
 curved in the middle, in which case the gold at the 
 girdle of the stone and at the point of the prong 
 only would touch the stone. This should not be, as 
 all the gold above the girdle should rest upon the 
 stone. When the first prong has been bent over the 
 stone, remove the finger and bend over the prong 
 
STONE SETTING. 
 
 83 
 
 opposite to the first one that was pressed over. Now 
 if the table is perfectly level and the stone does not 
 “rock,” bend over all the prongs. If all is not right, 
 remedy the trouble before going any farther. After 
 all the prongs are bent over, the “bent over” parts 
 are finished by bright cutting. With a polished flat 
 graver which has been rubbed dead flat on the under 
 size and then polished on a boxwood diamantine or 
 crocus paper block, start at the top or point of the 
 prong and cut a beveled edge in one continuous cut. 
 Then cut the other size in the same manner and 
 finally with one cut brighten the face of the clamp. 
 This done on all prongs, see that all the points are 
 pressed down tightly upon the stone. 
 
 The above description will apply to all prong set¬ 
 tings. The ring clamp is used for holding all rings 
 in which stones are to be set, but earring and stud 
 settings are held by cementing them onto a cement 
 stick. Before doing this, dip a small camel’s hair 
 brush into oil and brush the parts which the cement 
 will cover. By so doing the cement can be very 
 easily removed after the stones are set. 
 
 Turquoise, half pearls and opals should have the 
 settings prepared as described above, with the excep¬ 
 tion that the under slope should be cut away very 
 little. Whole pearls and moonstone ball settings are 
 prepared by gouging out the gold from the inner 
 surface of the prong to correspond to the curvature 
 of the gem. Great care must be exercised while 
 bright cutting the prongs on pearl mountings so 
 that the pearl is not scratched or injured in any 
 way. Stones set in Gypsy and other mountings 
 have the gold hammered over them or they are held 
 in position by little beads which are forced up over 
 them. Care must be taken with both methods so 
 that the stone is not chipped or broken. 
 
 In brooches, lockets, etc., the half pearl and tur¬ 
 quoise settings are made by centering and drilling 
 
84 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 a hollow the size required, by means of a pearl drill. 
 Then the number of beads, usually five, are marked 
 off and the star or other ornament cut almost to the 
 edge of the hollow. As the cutting proceeds the 
 graver is allowed to pass to the side of the bead so 
 as to make a continuous bright cut from the point 
 to the stone. After this is done, the stone is placed 
 into the hollow and the beads worked over it with 
 the beading tools. This is done by fastening the 
 tool in a graver handle, so that it may be placed on 
 to the bead so as to slope away from the stone, after 
 which, by giving it a rolling, rocking motion, the 
 head is worked upward and over the stone. Genu¬ 
 ine whole pearls are fastened on pegs with gum 
 mastic. Carbuncles and stones cut cn cabochon are 
 burnished into the settings with a burnisher or with 
 the Hat graver. 
 
 In connection with this description of stone set¬ 
 ting the following diamond table will be found use¬ 
 ful when ordering mountings for stones and also to 
 find the approximate weight of mounted stones: 
 
 Diameter 
 
 Mm. 
 
 Weight Diameter 
 Kt. Mm. 
 
 Weight 
 
 Kt. 
 
 I . 
 
 . Vet 
 
 7 
 
 ij 4 . 
 
 .v„ 
 
 754 
 
 2 
 
 . Vie 
 
 8 
 
 3 . 
 
 . X 
 
 814 
 
 3^4 . 
 
 . M 
 
 834 
 
 4 . 
 
 . x 
 
 m 
 
 4^ . 
 
 . 34 
 
 034 
 
 4 H . 
 
 . x 
 
 9 34 
 
 5 . 
 
 . H 
 
 10 
 
 5 J 4 . 
 
 . X 
 
 1034 
 
 6 . 
 
 . T 
 
 ioj 4 
 
 . 
 
 . 1 44 
 
 1034 
 
 6 J 4 . 
 
 . 134 
 
 11 
 
 1 $4 
 
 2 
 
 2 j 4 
 
 2J4 
 
 3 
 
 3/4 
 
 3/2 
 
 4 
 
 414 
 
 4/2 
 
 4 .)4 
 
 5 
 
 The “table” referred to in this description is the 
 fiat top or top surface of the stone. In a perfectly 
 
ROMAN COLORING. 
 
 85 
 
 cut stone this “table” should measure 2-5 of the 
 diameter of the stone. The “girdle” is the edge 
 which fits into the setting and should, in a perfectly 
 cut stone, be one-third of the distance from the 
 table to the lower flat surface of the stone. The part 
 between the table and girdle is the crown. Below 
 the “girdle” is the "collet,” which extends down 
 to the “culet,” or lower table of the stone. 
 The latter is equal to one-sixth the diameter 
 of the “table.” The number of facets on a perfectly 
 cut diamond is 56, but sometimes the number is 64. 
 
 Roman Coloring.—The beautiful finish known as 
 Roman gold is obtained in various ways. The old¬ 
 er methods known as the dry and wet coloring pro¬ 
 cesses were much employed for coloring new work, 
 and, as the articles were immersed in the solutions, 
 the acids, etc., dissolved the baser metals on the 
 surface and left the gold in a pure state. These 
 methods cannot be employed in the repair shop be¬ 
 cause most articles.are not able to undergo the dis¬ 
 solving process more than once or so. If this should 
 be done, the articles would become honey-combed 
 and liable to break with the least pressure. 
 
 For repairing purposes, Roman coloring is done 
 by the electrical process—just the reverse of the 
 former, for in that case the alloy was dissolved from 
 the article to be colored, while by this method the 
 gold is dissolved from the anode and deposited in 
 a uniform coating upon the article. The solutions 
 for this purpose are made in several ways. The 
 easiest method is to dissolve three 15-grain bottles 
 of chloride of gold and one-half ounce of cyanide of 
 potassium in a pint of distilled water. Another 
 method is to dissolve the gold from the anode di¬ 
 rectly into the cyanide solution. To do this, dis¬ 
 solve an ounce of cyanide of potassium in a quart of 
 distilled water. Then procure a porous cup—a 
 
86 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 crucible will answer—and nearly fill it with some 
 of the cyanide solution. The porous cup is then 
 placed in the liquid in the larger vessel so that the 
 two solutions are on the same level, but do not 
 come in contact. This done, weigh the gold anode 
 (a flattened gold coin is used by many for repair 
 work) and, after attaching it to the positive wire, 
 suspend it into the solution contained in the larger 
 vessel. Then attach a piece of sheet copper to the 
 negative wire and suspend it into the solution in 
 the porous cup. Heat the solution and allow the 
 current to pass through it until one and a half or 
 two pennyweights of gold are dissolved from it. 
 This is determined by weighing the anode after it 
 has been in the solution for some time. Very little 
 trouble will be experienced in making the solution, 
 but in keeping it constant, so as to procure a nice 
 color from day to day, requires the watchful care 
 of the workman. As cyanide of potassium plays an 
 important part in the solution, care must be taken 
 that not too much is added nor too little allowed 
 to be in the solution. If there is not sufficient held 
 in the solution, the anode will become grayish and 
 dirty, but if there is au excess of cyanide the anode 
 will become very clear and bright. So, to keep the 
 solution in good working order, it should be kept 
 clean and the anode should have the natural color 
 of a piece of pure gold. 
 
 Work that is to be Roman-colored or gilded must 
 be absolutely clean. Don’t attempt to color dirty or 
 greasy articles. To clean work, brush it with the 
 steel or brass wire, with a brush upon which water 
 is allowed to drop. Before dipping it into the solu- 
 ' tion wash it with baking soda and ammonia. Then 
 attach the article to the negative wire of the bat¬ 
 tery and immerse it into the solution. A short time 
 only is required to give the article a dull yellow 
 color, which, when brushed with the moistened 
 
ROMAN COLORING. 
 
 87 
 
 brass brush becomes the Roman color. But this is 
 easier said than done, for the workman often must 
 manipulate the solution, etc., to obtain good results. 
 The articles will receive a nicer coating if they are 
 kept in motion in the solution, which should be 
 heated until the water in the surrounding vessel 
 reaches the boiling point. Better results are ob¬ 
 tained by keeping the anode and cathode separated 
 as much as possible. In the case of large articles, 
 the anode should be held deep in the solution, but 
 for small objects it is advisable to immerse only one- 
 quarter to one-half of it to obtain a nice color. In 
 finishing, the brushing should be done as lightly as 
 possible, to avoid giving the work a brassy appear¬ 
 ance. Then wash the articles with ammonia and 
 baking soda, and dry them in Avarmed boxwood saw¬ 
 dust. A green gilding can be obtained by taking 
 some of the Roman coloring solution and substi¬ 
 tuting a silver anode for the gold one. 
 
 SIMPLE METHOD FOR MAKING UP A 
 GILDING SOLUTION. 
 
 To start with, you must be sure to follow instruc¬ 
 tions implicitly. First, you must have pure gold. Any 
 old piece of gold that you have around the shop will 
 not do, as, if there is any silver in the alloy, the silver 
 will take on so much faster than the gold that you will 
 get a greenish color instead of the clean yellow that 
 is so desirable. 
 
 Then, you must have clean receptacles, and if you 
 should use granite ware or enameled ware of any 
 kind, be sure that there are no checks or cracks in the 
 enamel where the solutions could come in contact with 
 the metal, generally iron, base, as this would ruin your 
 solution at once. Clean water, that has no mineral 
 content, distilled, is the best. 
 
 Now, for building the solution:—Take 6 dwt. C. P. 
 
88 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER'S HANDBOOK. 
 
 Cyanide of Potash, and 8 oz. of water. Place this in 
 your enameled dish and heat to about 175 0 to 200° F. 
 Do not let it boil. 
 
 Hard solder the piece of pure gold that you are 
 going to use as an anode to a piece of copper wire, 
 one or two feet long and about one millimeter in diam¬ 
 eter, and attach to the side of your battery or dynamo, 
 from which the least bubbles are freed. 
 
 Take another piece of wire the same size and length, 
 and attach to the other pole of the battery or dynamo, 
 and run for ten or fifteen minutes, and you will have 
 built up a good solution and are all ready to put in 
 articles to be colored. 
 
 GREEN GOLD PLATING SOLUTION. 
 
 To three parts of gold solution in good working 
 order, add one part silver solution. Use 17 K. Anode 
 of fine gold, alloyed only with silver. This plates light 
 green. To obtain dark green, add few grains of 
 powdered white arsenic until desired shade is obtained. 
 
 ENGLISH OR GUINEA FINISH. 
 
 Put a high polish on the work to receive this finish. 
 Wash good and rinse. Then dip in a new Roman so¬ 
 lution for a few seconds. 
 
 It is sometimes necessary to refinish old gold filled 
 jewelry such as chains, brooches and watch cases, 
 which have no intrinsic value, but because of some 
 sentiment attached to it, the customer desires the piece 
 put in first class condition. 
 
 This can be done by first polishing carefully and 
 boiling in a solution of water with a few drops of 
 ammonia and a pinch of soap added. Brush off any 
 dirt that remains, and rinse before placing in the solu¬ 
 tion. Do not handle any more than necessary after 
 
ENGLISH OR GUINEA FINISH. 
 
 89 
 
 rinsing. Give article to be plated two or three dips 
 of about five minutes each, brushing with soft brush 
 and soda between dips. Polish with a soft wool buff, 
 and fine rouge. Wash the article and dry in sawdust. 
 
 12 K. RED GOLD SOLUTION. 
 
 To a pint of gold solution, add a teaspoon of copper 
 trysalt or copper acetate, and use 12 K. anode alloyed 
 only with copper. 
 
 BEADED OR MILGRAIN SETTING. 
 
 Lay out the work so the seat for the stone is ex¬ 
 actly in the center of the plate in which the stone is 
 to be set. This is very important as a small difference 
 one way or the other makes the whole piece look out 
 of true. 
 
 Next, drill the hole for the stone 3/10 to 5/10 of 
 a millimeter smaller than the stone. The amount of 
 surplus left for the seat depends on the size of the 
 stone, about 3/10 millimeter for small stones, 4/10 mil¬ 
 limeter for medium stones, and 5/10 millimeter for 
 large stones of a carat or over. 
 
 Then ream the hole large enough so that the girdle 
 of the stone sets slightly below the surface of the metal. 
 Raise a bead in each corner with a square graver. 
 Start this bead about one millimeter back from the hole. 
 Then cut a groove with a knife edge graver on each 
 side of the bead, starting in the same cut made by the 
 square graver and cutting off to an angle and depth of 
 45 0 . After this is done, bright cut the bevel between 
 the beads with a flat graver. 
 
 The way to determine the number of rows of bevels 
 to milgrain is to measure the space left after the 
 hole for the seat is cut, and allow about one millimeter 
 space for each row of milgraining. Do not leave too 
 
90 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER'S HANDBOOK. 
 
 much space between the rows of milgraining as this 
 will make the job look crude and rough. 
 
 Now, with a round bottom graver or a scraper, un¬ 
 dercut each bead slightly so that the stone fits snugly, 
 not too loose or too tight. Inspect it carefully to see 
 that the stone sets level all the way round. If it does 
 not, remove the stone and cut the seat lower at the 
 point where it was high. 
 
 After the stone sets level press the beads over the 
 stone with a beading tool or purler. This is done by 
 placing the beading tool on the bead, leaning the tool 
 away from the stone at 45 degrees angle, and then 
 pressing firmly on the handle of the tool and with a 
 rotary motion gradually bring the tool to an upright 
 position. Do not force the beads down too tightly at 
 first, as you may have to straighten the stone on one 
 side or the other. Press one bead down on one side, 
 then directly opposite tighten another and so on until 
 all the beads are over the stone loosely. 
 
 Now, examine the stone again to see if it still sets 
 level. If it does, go over all the beads again and tighten 
 them securely, taking care that your header does not 
 slip, as this may chip the stone. This done, go over 
 all the bright cut bevels with a highly polished flat 
 graver and trim ofif any surplus metal that may still be 
 left around the bead. Good results are obtained on 
 this last bright cutting by using a little oil on the point 
 of the graver when cutting gold, a little turpentine for 
 white gold, and a little oil of wintergreen for platinum. 
 
 Next, take the job to the polishing lathe, and with a 
 very short single or two row bristle brush, polish the 
 bright cuts around the stone very lightly with tripoli, 
 and then with rouge. The bristles on these brushes 
 should not be over one-fourth inch long. 
 
 Wash the job and milgrain the edges of the bevels. 
 Rouge the whole job and wash again. 
 
 To determine whether or not the stone is set tightly, 
 
BEADED OR MILGRAIN SETTING. 
 
 91 
 
 take a soft pointed stick, such as a match or piece of 
 pegwood, and try to push the stone out from the under 
 side. Do not use a piece of metal for this as it is apt to 
 chip the stone. If this does not loosen the stone, try 
 pushing on the table and crown of the stone. If this 
 does not loosen it, you may rest assured that it is set 
 securely. 
 
HAND PAINTING ON ARTIFICIAL IVORY. 
 
 COLOR SCHEMES. 
 
 In painting colored letters or monograms, the color 
 scheme is of great importance, for no matter how 
 neatly you may have the letter designed, if the color 
 scheme is not right your work will be in vain. A good 
 rule to follow is that two shades of the same color are 
 always good taste: then again, such combinations as 
 black and gold, purple and gold or silver are always in 
 harmony. If two colors are desired, choose a bright 
 and a somber color, such as blue and brown, green 
 and gray, crimson and black. These will be found to 
 give pleasing contrasts and will not jar like mixtures 
 of purple and orange or blue and yellow. When using 
 two colors always see that they are in harmony and 
 do not clash. If in doubt as to a combination try it 
 out on the piece of waste ivory. An effective letter 
 may be made by painting a circle of solid color on a 
 piece of ivory and then engraving the letter through the 
 color, when you will have a white letter on a dark 
 background. This method can also be used for border 
 and panel designs with great effect and will be of great 
 use when ornamenting ivory clock cases and photo 
 frames. 
 
 The designer should know something about the 
 harmony of color and hence the following table will 
 be of use: 
 
 COLORS THAT HARMONIZE. 
 
 Scarlet, with blue and green; Gold or yellow, with 
 blue or green; Violet with green or yellow—bright 
 green; Blue with yellow or red; Carmine with green 
 or orange; Brown with blue or red; Wine with yellow 
 or green; Rose with light blue or yellow; Neutral tint 
 with red or yellow; Orange with violet or blue; Blue 
 gray with buff or pink ; Olive green with red or orange ; 
 Flesh with blue or dark green; Dark green with 
 
COLORS THAT HARMONIZE. 
 
 93 
 
 crimson or orange; Light green with rose or violet; 
 Light brown with bine or green. 
 
 RULES FOR MIXING AND BLENDING COLORS. 
 
 Rose—diluted magenta ; Brick red—brown and 
 magenta; Golden brown—yellow and violet; Seal 
 brown—yellow and violet; Reddish brown—brown and 
 pink; Dark reddish brown—brown and red; Wine— 
 purple and magenta; Royal purple—magenta and light 
 blue; French red—magenta and flesh; Navy blue— 
 purple and blue ; Indigo blue—violet and blue ; Plum— 
 magenta and blue; Drab—yellow and purple; Myrtle 
 green—blue and green ; Landscape green—blue and 
 yellow; Olive green—blue and yellow ; Bottle green ; 
 —green and blue; Light green—yellow and green; 
 Dark green—blue and green ; Foliage green—green 
 and violet; Mauve—blue and pink ; Crimson—black 
 and red ; Crimson—red and blue ; Bronze—brown and 
 blue; Lavender—pink and blue ; Garnet—red and 
 green; Old gold—brown and yellow; Terra Cotta— 
 pink and brown ; Maroon—red and brown ; Salmon—- 
 orange and red ; Orange—red and yellow ; Gray—black 
 and white. 
 
 ORNAMENTED WITH ARTIFICIAL JEWELS, 
 MOTHER-OF-PEARL, ETC. 
 
 Ornamenting with jewels and pearls is another way 
 of decorating ivory which is becoming very popular. 
 These stones may be obtained from any dealer in jewel¬ 
 ers’ material. 
 
 The white foil backs may be set in any color of a 
 background but the colored stones must be set in a 
 background of the same color. 
 
 To make a design with artificial stones in it, proceed 
 as follows: First, lay out the design as already de- 
 
94 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 scribed and outline it with the graver. Then paint the 
 colors in good solid coats and make the outlines, either 
 gold or silver, sufficiently bold to stand up. When this 
 is all dry and hard, and not before, the holes may be 
 drilled for the stones. For this purpose, you will re¬ 
 quire a pearl drill for flat bottom stones, and an ordi¬ 
 nary drill for gem cut stones, of the size of the hole 
 required to hold the stone. This is important, as the 
 stones must fit snug or else they will not stay in. To 
 fasten the stones, use celluloid cement, dropping it in 
 the hole by means of a pointed stick, press the stone 
 down good, and allow two hours or more to dry. 
 
 Abalone pearl is also used and if the thin cut is used, 
 it may be cemented on the surface without cutting the 
 ivory, while for jet and coral the ivory is required to 
 be cut out to hold it. Artistic effects may be had with 
 small shell cameos, also coral cameos. These are very 
 effective if inlaid on hair ornaments such as combs and 
 barrettes, also frames for hand bags and umbrella 
 handles. Beautiful raised effects may be had by pierc¬ 
 ing out a design and then cementing it on to the article 
 to be decorated. This method can be used on toilet 
 sets, jewel boxes, etc., with admirable results. Photo 
 frames and clock cases may be made very pretty by 
 simply washing over with large brushfuls of color 
 blended into each other. In doing this, you may use 
 all the colors in the box. 
 
 FORMULA FOR CELLULOID CEMENT. 
 
 Cut into small pieces some transparent celluloid. 
 Place in a bottle and add equal parts of amyl acetate 
 or c. p. acetone. 
 
 Another, and in many cases, the best formula:— 
 Glacial Acetic Acid—one part, Acetone—three parts, 
 Alcohol—three parts. Moisten the surfaces to be 
 united with above solution and when the surfaces be¬ 
 come slightly soft, place in contact with each other and 
 
FORMULA FOR CELLULOID CEMENT. 95 
 
 clamp with slight pressure, or bind with cord. Let 
 stand forty-eight hours. 
 
 For the colors used in ivory or celluloid paints, use 
 the regular aniline dyes that are soluble in alcohol, dis¬ 
 solved in pure acetone. Do not get your colors too 
 strong. If the color is not deep enough with the first 
 coating, you can put on a second or third coating, and 
 in this way get the desired shade. Whereas, if you 
 get it too dark, it cannot be remedied only by scraping 
 out, and the scraping out process ruins the surface. 
 
 Be sure that your aniline dyes are soluble in alcohol, 
 and use pure acetone for the solvent. Some use amyl 
 acetate. 
 
DISPOSING OF UNCALLED FOR REPAIR 
 
 WORK. 
 
 Many jewelers have a large amount of repair 
 work on hand that has been brought in and, al¬ 
 though wanted within a few days, has never been 
 called for. This causes the jeweler considerable an¬ 
 noyance, for aside from the space occupied by the 
 jobs and the trouble of examining them every time 
 another job is called for, he has a considerable 
 amount invested in their repairing on which he can¬ 
 not realize. 
 
 The question has often been asked: How one is 
 to place these articles into the possession of the own¬ 
 ers and secure the cost of repairs? This is easily 
 done if the jeweler will adopt and maintain a system 
 by which each envelope containing a job will be 
 marked with the instructions for the repairer: the 
 owner’s name and address and the date when re¬ 
 ceived and when promised. 
 
 Most jewelers use repair envelopes that have 
 marked spaces for these items, but for some reasons, 
 such as haste, hesitancy in asking names, etc., the 
 filling out is not done, and, as a result, if the articles 
 are not called for, they can hardly be sent to the 
 owners or the owners reminded of them. 
 
 After the repairer has finished the repairs the ar¬ 
 ticle should be replaced in the envelope, which 
 should be carefully sealed and the cost of repairs 
 marked on the outside. 
 
 A drawer containing a compartment for each let¬ 
 ter of the alphabet can be used for storing all jobs 
 until called for. At the end of each month the jew¬ 
 eler should send a postal card, of which the accom¬ 
 panying is a specimen, to each person whose job has 
 been in the store a month or more. If at the end of 
 another month the owner does not call, another pos- 
 
UNCALLED FOR REPAIR WORK. 
 
 97 
 
 FORM FOR POSTAL CARD. 
 
98 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK. 
 
 tal should be sent, which usually will have the de¬ 
 sired effect. 
 
 At the end of one year another postal should be. 
 
 An 
 
 Announcement 
 
 To Our Patrons 
 
 TYT E have concluded an in- 
 vv ventory of our stock and 
 find a number of pieces of jew¬ 
 elry, that have been left here for 
 repairs, which have never been 
 called for. 
 
 As we desire to make room 
 for new goods, and thinking that 
 many of these articles have been 
 forgotten, we take this means of 
 recalling them to memory. 
 
 An early call by the owners 
 of these articles will be appreci¬ 
 ated by 
 
 J. B. Samson 
 
 322 E. Orange St. 
 
 FORM FOR NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 sent to those persons whose jobs have remained in 
 the store for a year or more, reminding them of the 
 articles and stating that the repairer cannot be held 
 
UNCALLED FOR REPAIR WORK. 
 
 99 
 
 responsible for articles remaining for more than one 
 year. But this will hardly be necessary, as the 
 other postal cards will usually accomplish the de¬ 
 sired result. 
 
 If a newspaper announcement is desired, which 
 we would advise immediately after taking an inven¬ 
 tory of the stock, the accompanying can be used. 
 
INDEX TO THE CONTENTS 
 
 A 
 
 Acids for testing gold.18 
 
 B 
 
 Band rings.47 
 
 Belcher rings.—To repair.56 
 
 Bench.—Size and parts of work. 7 
 
 Bezel.—Repairing watch case.55 
 
 Bifocal lenses.—To clean.36 
 
 Bonnet brushes.—To repair.54 
 
 Bows.—Refilling watch.56 
 
 Bracelet locks.—To repair.72 
 
 Bracelets.—To make a Nethersole, smaller.54 
 
 To repair.53 
 
 Braid or hair chains.—To repair.52 
 
 Brushes.—To fit tooth.74 
 
 To repair bonnet.54 
 
 Buckles.—To repair.53 
 
 Buttons.—To repair cuff.52 
 
 C 
 
 Casts.—To make.63 
 
 Chains.—To repair.57 
 
 To repair braid or hair.52 
 
 To repair silver fox-tail. . . .57 
 
 Charms.—To repair.58 
 
 Chemicals needed by a jobbing jeweler.12 
 
 Cleaning bifocal lenses.36 
 
 Filigree work.67 
 
 Combs.—To repair.62 
 
 Cornets.—To repair.61 
 
 Cuff buttons.—To repair . 52 
 
INDEX TO THE CONTENTS 101 
 
 D 
 
 Diamond table of sizes and weights, old method.84 
 
 Drilling hole in eyeglass lens.35 
 
 Disposing of uncalled-for repair work.88 
 
 E 
 
 Earrings.—To repair.64 
 
 Engravers’ impressions.—How to make...71 
 
 Engraving.—To remove.65 
 
 F 
 
 Fans.—Repairing.73 
 
 Ferrules.—To make.68 
 
 Filigree work.—To clean .67 
 
 Filings.—How to save. 7 
 
 To reduce.69 
 
 Fitting tooth brushes.74 
 
 Fluxes.66 
 
 Fobs.—To repair.68 
 
 Fountain pens.—To repair.67 
 
 G 
 
 Gallery settings.—New.50 
 
 Gilding.—Or Roman coloring.85 
 
 To remove.73 
 
 H 
 
 Hair or braid chains.—To repair.52 
 
 I 
 
 Impressions.—How to make.71 
 
 Initial rings.—Repairing.51 
 
 Inkstand tops.—To remove.74 
 
 Isinglass.—Uses of. 74 
 
 J 
 
 Jewelry repairing.38 
 
 Jump rings.—To make.71 
 
 L 
 
 Lenses.—To clean bifocal.36 
 
 To drill holes in.•..35 
 
 Locks.—To repair bracelet.72 
 
102 
 
 INDEX TO THE CONTENTS 
 
 M 
 
 Making casts.63 
 
 Ferrules.68 
 
 Jump rings.71 
 
 Mercury.—To remove.72 
 
 Mirror backs.—To wash.72 
 
 Mosaic pins.—To repair.72 
 
 N 
 
 Nethersole bracelet smaller.—To make a.54 
 
 Novelties.—To repair silver.55 
 
 Nuts.—To tighten.72 
 
 P 
 
 Pin Stem.—To make a. 39 
 
 Pin tongue.—To repair a.38 
 
 Pins.—To repair scarf.41 
 
 To straighten.40 
 
 Pintongs.—Twists in.42 
 
 Polishing. 74- 
 
 Metallic lap for.76 
 
 Materials used for.75 
 
 Outfit.77 
 
 R 
 
 Receipt for anti-oxidizer.16 
 
 Blue remover.16 
 
 Lens drilling fluids.17 
 
 Oxidizing solution.16 
 
 Pickle.16 
 
 Soft-solder destroyer..17 
 
 Soft-soldering fluid .17 
 
 Solution for removing cement.18 
 
 Silver cleanser.18 
 
 Reducing filings.69 
 
 Refilling watch bows.56 
 
 Removing engravings.65 
 
 Gilding.73 
 
 Inkstand tops.74 
 
 Mercury.72 
 
INDEX TO THE CONTENTS 103 
 
 R —Continued 
 
 Rings.—Initial.51 
 
 Lining band.51 
 
 New shanks on.49 
 
 Repairing belcher. 56 
 
 Repairing broken band.47 
 
 Repairing set.42 
 
 Sizing.50 
 
 Sizing of.48 
 
 The making of.19 
 
 To make jump.71 
 
 To repair, broken at set.43 
 
 Repairing.—- 
 
 Belcher rings.56 
 
 Bracelet locks.72 
 
 Bracelets.53 
 
 Broken band rings.47 
 
 Buckles.53 
 
 Chains.57 
 
 Charms.58 
 
 Combs.62 
 
 Cornets.61 
 
 Cuff buttons.52 
 
 Earrings. 64 
 
 Fans. 73 
 
 Fobs.68 
 
 Fountain pens.67 
 
 Frameless spectacles.33 
 
 Hair or braid chains.. . . . ..52 
 
 Initial rings.51 
 
 Jewelry.38 
 
 Mosaic pins.72 
 
 Pin tongues.38 
 
 Rings broken at the set.43 
 
 Scarf pins.41 
 
 Set rings..'.42 
 
 Silver novelties.55 
 
 Spectacle and eyeglass frames.27 
 
 Stud spirals.79 
 
 Watch case bezel.55 
 
 Watch chains.57 
 
 Roman coloring.85 
 
 S 
 
 Scarf pins.—To repair.41 
 
 Set rings.—Repairing.42 
 
104 INDEX TO THE CONTENTS 
 
 S —Continued 
 
 Settings.—Belcher.80 
 
 New gallery.50 
 
 New prongs on.45 
 
 Tiffany.....80 
 
 Shank on rings.—New .49 
 
 Silver novelties.—To repair.55 
 
 Sizing rings.48 
 
 Soda for washing silver ware.14 
 
 Spectacle and eyeglass frame repairing.27 
 
 Spirals.—To repair stud.79 
 
 Stone setting.80 
 
 Stud spirals.—To repair.79 
 
 T 
 
 Table of assays.15 
 
 Table of diamond sizes and weights.84 
 
 Tables for gold and silver.15 
 
 Testing acids.18 
 
 Tiffany settings.80 
 
 Tools needed. 8 
 
 Tooth brushes.—To fit.74 
 
 Troy weights.15 
 
 Twists in pintongs.42 
 
 W 
 
 Washing mirror backs.72 
 
 Watch bows.—Refilling.56 
 
 Case bezel.—To repair.55 
 
 Chains.—To repair.59 
 
 Hand Painting on Artificial Ivory. 92 
 
 Color Schemes. 92 
 
 Colors That Harmonize. 92 
 
 Rules for Mixing and Blending Colors. 93 
 
 Ornamented with Artificial Jewels, Mother of Pearl, 
 
 etc. 93 
 
 Formula for Celluloid Cement. 94 
 
THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK 105 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 THE METRIC CARAT. 
 
 From Circular issued by Bureau of Standards. 
 
 Beginning July 1, 1913, the Bureau of Standards put into force 
 the international metric carat of 200 milligrams as the unit of 
 weight for diamonds and other precious stones, and will use this 
 unit for purposes of certification of all carat weights submitted 
 to the Bureau for test. On the same date the Treasury Depart¬ 
 ment of the United States Government also began the use of this 
 unit in the customs service for the levying of import duties on 
 precious stones. This unit was also put into commercial use in 
 the United States on this date by practically all the dealers in 
 gems and precious stones through the efforts of a committee 
 representing all the principal firms handling gems. 
 
 Recently the movement for the adoption of a uniform stand¬ 
 ard has met with increasing success, and the new carat of 200 
 milligrams has been adopted by Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Denmark, 
 Norway, Japan, Portugal, Roumania, Switzerland, Sweden, 
 France, Germany, Holland, and Belgium, while considerable 
 progress has been made toward its adoption in England. 
 
 The carat which has been in use heretofore in the United 
 States, while varying, has been nearer the value 205.3 milligrams 
 than any other. This value has therefore been taken in making 
 up the tables of equivalents given in this circular. The old carat 
 has usually been subdivided on the binary system, the smallest 
 subdivision used being usually one sixty-fourth of the carat. 
 The equivalents in fractions of a carat in these tables are, there¬ 
 fore, given in sixty-fourths. One of the improvements intro¬ 
 duced with the new carat is the subdivision of it on the decimal 
 system. The fractions of the new carat in these tables are 
 accordingly given to hundredths of a carat. 
 
 Tables 1 and 2 are for the conversion of quantities in the old 
 unit to the equivalent weight in terms of the new metric carat, 
 while Tables 3 and 4 are for the reverse process of converting 
 quantities stated in the new system to old carats of 205.3 milli¬ 
 grams. Table 1 is used for the conversion of fractions of a carat, 
 while Table 2 gives the equivalent of each unit or whole carat 
 from 1 to 100 of the old system in metric carats and hundredths 
 of a carat. If it is desired to convert whole carats and fractions 
 of a carat of the old unit to the new, the two tables can be used in 
 combination; that is, by adding the quantities obtained from each, 
 
106 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK 
 
 thus: Suppose it is desired to obtain the equivalent of 28 45/64 
 old carats in terms of the metric carats. 
 
 From Table 1. 45/64 old carats = 0.72 metric carats 
 
 From Table 2.28 old carats =28.74 metric carats 
 
 Adding.28 45/64 old carats =29.46 metric carats 
 
 Or, if it is desired to convert a larger quantity involving several 
 hundred or thousand carats, one uses the equivalents in the last 
 column of Table 2 for each hundred and thousand of the old 
 carats up to ten hundred and ten thousand—thus, to convert 
 3225f old carats to metric carats. 
 
 From Table 1. f old carats = 0.77 metric carats 
 
 From Table 2. 25 old carats = 25.66 metric carats 
 
 200 old carats = 205.30 metric carats 
 3000 old carats =3079.50 metric carats 
 
 Adding. . . ,3225| old carats =3311.23 metric carats 
 
 Table 3, instead of giving the equivalent of each 0.01 metric 
 carat in sixty-fourths of an old carat, gives the limits, shown by 
 a brace, of the successive sixty-fourths of the old carat, so that 
 any decimal fraction of a metric carat is equivalent to the sixty- 
 fourth of the old carat shown opposite the limits between which 
 it lies, the limits being given to thousandths of a metric carat. 
 Thus, any fraction of a metric carat between 0.698 and 0.714 is 
 equivalent to 44/64 old carats, according to Table 3. In Table 
 4 the equivalent of each whole metric carat from 1 to 100 is given 
 in whole carats and sixty fourths of the old unit. For example, 
 to obtain the equivalent of 58.71 metric carats in old carats— 
 
 From Table 3. 0.71 metric carats = 44/64 old carats 
 
 From Table 4.58 metric carats =56 32/64 old carats 
 
 Adding. . . .58.71 metric carats =56 76/64 old carats 
 
 =57 12/64 old carats 
 
 Similarily, if it is desired to convert 3974.15 metric carats to 
 old carats— 
 
 From Table 3. . . . 0.15 metric carats = 9/64 old carats 
 
 From Table 4. . . . 74 metric carats = 72 6/64 old carats 
 
 900 metric carats = 876 49/64 old carats 
 
 3000 metric carats =2922 35/64 old carats 
 
 Adding. . . .3974.15 metric carats =3870 99/64 old carats 
 
 =3871 35/64 old carats 
 
THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK 107 
 
 TABLE 1 
 
 Equivalents of fractions of the old carat weight in new decimal 
 
 metirc carats. 
 
 Computed on the basis— 
 
 1 old carat=205.3 milligrams. 
 
 1 new metric carat=200 milligrams 
 
 OLD CARAT 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 OLD CARAT 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 CO 
 
 He* 
 
 JO 
 
 CO 
 
 -a 
 
 oo 
 
 16ths 
 
 32nds 
 
 CO 
 
 -a 
 
 T* 
 
 CO 
 
 1 carat 
 
 jo 
 
 CO 
 
 hW 
 
 co 
 
 M 
 
 00 
 
 CO 
 
 J3 
 
 co 
 
 • rH 
 
 co 
 
 -a 
 
 a 
 
 04 
 
 CO 
 
 64ths 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 =0.02 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 33 
 
 =0.53 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 = .03 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 17 
 
 34 
 
 = .55 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 = .05 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 35 
 
 = .56 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 = .06 
 
 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 18 
 
 36 
 
 = .58 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 = .08 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 37 
 
 = .59 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 = .10 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 19 
 
 38 
 
 = .61 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 = .11 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 39 
 
 = .63 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 8 
 
 = .13 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 40 
 
 = .64 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 = .14 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 41 
 
 = .66 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 = .16 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 21 
 
 42 
 
 = .67 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 = .18 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 43 
 
 = .69 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 12 
 
 = .19 
 
 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 22 
 
 44 
 
 = .71 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 = .21 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 45 
 
 = .72 
 
 
 
 
 
 / 
 
 14 
 
 — 22 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 23 
 
 46 
 
 = .74 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 = .24 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 47 
 
 = .75 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 8 
 
 16 
 
 = .26 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 12 
 
 24 
 
 48 
 
 = .77 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 17 
 
 = .27 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 49 
 
 = .79 
 
 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 18 
 
 = .29 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 25 
 
 50 
 
 = .80 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 19 
 
 = .30 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 51 
 
 = .82 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 = .32 
 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 26 
 
 52 
 
 = .83 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 21 
 
 = .34 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 53 
 
 = .85 
 
 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 22 
 
 = .35 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 27 
 
 54 
 
 = .87 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 23 
 
 = .37 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 55 
 
 = .88 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 12 
 
 24 
 
 = .38 
 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 14 
 
 28 
 
 56 
 
 = .90 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 25 
 
 = .40 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 57 
 
 = .91 
 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 26 
 
 = .42 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 29 
 
 58 
 
 = .93 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 27 
 
 = .43 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 59 
 
 = .95 
 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 14 
 
 28 
 
 = .45 
 
 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 30 
 
 60 
 
 = .96 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 29 
 
 = .47 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 61 
 
 = .98 
 
 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 30 
 
 = .48 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 31 
 
 62 
 
 = .99 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 31 
 
 = .50 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 63 
 
 =1.01 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 8 
 
 16 
 
 32 
 
 = .51 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 8 
 
 16 
 
 32 
 
 04 
 
 =1.03 
 
108 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK 
 
 TABLE 2 
 
 Equivalents of the old carats in new decimal metric carats. 
 Computed on the basis— 
 
 1 old carat=205.3 milligrams 
 1 new metric carat=200 milligrams 
 
 Old 
 
 Carats 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 Old 
 
 Carats 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 Old 
 
 Carats 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 Old 
 
 Carats 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 1 
 
 1.03 
 
 31 
 
 31.82 
 
 61 
 
 62.62 
 
 90 
 
 92.38 
 
 2 
 
 2.05 
 
 32 
 
 32.85 
 
 62 
 
 63.64 
 
 91 
 
 93.41 
 
 3 
 
 3.08 
 
 33 
 
 33.87 
 
 63 
 
 64.67 
 
 92 
 
 94.44 
 
 4 
 
 4.11 
 
 34 
 
 34.90 
 
 64 
 
 65.70 
 
 93 
 
 95.46 
 
 5 
 
 5.13 
 
 35 
 
 35.93 
 
 65 
 
 66.72 
 
 94 
 
 96.49 
 
 6 
 
 6.16 
 
 36 
 
 36.95 
 
 66 
 
 67.75 
 
 95 
 
 97.52 
 
 7 
 
 7 19 
 
 37 
 
 37.98 
 
 67 
 
 68.78 
 
 96 
 
 98.54 
 
 8 
 
 8.21 
 
 38 
 
 39.01 
 
 68 
 
 69.80 
 
 97 
 
 99.57 
 
 9 
 
 9.24 
 
 39 
 
 40.03 
 
 69 
 
 70.83 
 
 98 
 
 100.60 
 
 10 
 
 10.26 
 
 40 
 
 41.06 
 
 70 
 
 71.86 
 
 99 
 
 101.62 
 
 11 
 
 11.29 
 
 41 
 
 42.09 
 
 71 
 
 72.88 
 
 100 
 
 102.65 
 
 12 
 
 12.32 
 
 42 
 
 43.11 
 
 72 
 
 73.91 
 
 200 
 
 205.30 
 
 13 
 
 13.34 
 
 43 
 
 44.14 
 
 73 
 
 74.93 
 
 300 
 
 307.95 
 
 14 
 
 14.37 
 
 44 
 
 45.17 
 
 74 
 
 75.96 
 
 400 
 
 410.60 
 
 15 
 
 15.40 
 
 45 
 
 46.19 
 
 75 
 
 76.99 
 
 500 
 
 513.25 
 
 16 
 
 16.42 
 
 46 
 
 47.22 
 
 76 
 
 78.01 
 
 600 
 
 615.90 
 
 17 
 
 17.45 
 
 47 
 
 48.25 
 
 77 
 
 79.04 
 
 700 
 
 718.55 
 
 18 
 
 18.48 
 
 48 
 
 49.27 
 
 78 
 
 80.07 
 
 800 
 
 821.20 
 
 19 
 
 19.50 
 
 49 
 
 50.30 
 
 79 
 
 81.09 
 
 900 
 
 923.85 
 
 20 
 
 20.53 
 
 50 
 
 51.32 
 
 80 
 
 82.12 
 
 1000 
 
 1026.50 
 
 21 
 
 21.56 
 
 51 
 
 52.35 
 
 81 
 
 83.15 
 
 2000 
 
 2053.00 
 
 22 
 
 22.58 
 
 52 
 
 53.38 
 
 82 
 
 84.17 
 
 3000 
 
 3079.50 
 
 23 
 
 23.61 
 
 53 
 
 54.40 
 
 83 
 
 85.20 
 
 4000 
 
 4106.00 
 
 24 
 
 24.64 
 
 54 
 
 55.43 
 
 84 
 
 86.23 
 
 5000 
 
 5132.50 
 
 25 
 
 25.66 
 
 55 
 
 56.46 
 
 85 
 
 87.25 
 
 6000 
 
 6159.00 
 
 26 
 
 26.69 
 
 56 
 
 57.48 
 
 86 
 
 88.28 
 
 7000 
 
 7185.50 
 
 27 
 
 27.72 
 
 57 
 
 58.51 
 
 87 
 
 89.31 
 
 sooo 
 
 8212.00 
 
 28 
 
 28.74 
 
 58 
 
 59.54 
 
 88 
 
 90.33 
 
 9000 
 
 9238.50 
 
 29 
 
 29.77 
 
 59 
 
 60.56 
 
 89 
 
 91.36 
 
 10000 
 
 10265.00 
 
 30 
 
 30.80 
 
 60 
 
 61.59 
 
 
 
 
 
THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK 109 
 
 TABLE 3 
 
 Equivalents of decimals of the new metric carat in 64ths of the old 
 carat. Computed on the basis— 
 
 1 new metric carat=200 milligrams 
 1 old carat=205.3 milligrams 
 
 (All the values between the two connected by each brace are 
 equivalent to the number of 64ths of an old carat given opposite 
 the brace.) 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 0 . 00 8 
 0 . 02 4 
 0 ■ 04, 
 0.05 6 
 0.07 2 
 0.08 8 
 0 . 10 4 
 0 . 12 0 
 0.13, 
 0.15, 
 0.16, 
 0.18* 
 0 . 20 0 
 0 . 21 7 
 0.23 3 
 0.24, 
 0.26 5 
 
 Old 
 
 Carats 
 
 } 1/64 
 } 2/64 
 } 3/64 
 | 4/64 
 | 5/64 
 } 6/64 
 } 7/64 
 } 8/64 
 } 9/64 
 | 10/64 
 } H/64 
 | 12/64 
 J13/64 
 114/64 
 ] 15/64 
 |16/64 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 0 
 
 26 5 
 
 0 
 
 28, 
 
 0 
 
 29 7 
 
 0 
 
 31 3 
 
 0 
 
 32, 
 
 0 
 
 34 5 
 
 0 
 
 36, 
 
 0 
 
 37, 
 
 0 
 
 39, 
 
 0 
 
 40, 
 
 0 
 
 42 5 
 
 0 
 
 44, 
 
 0 
 
 45, 
 
 0 
 
 47 3 
 
 0 
 
 48, 
 
 0 
 
 50 5 
 
 0 
 
 52, 
 
 Old 
 
 Carats 
 
 } 17/64 
 j18/64 
 | 19/64 
 | 20/64 
 | 21/64 
 j 22/64 
 | 23/64 
 | 24/64 
 J 25/64 
 j 26/64 
 } 27/64 
 J 28/64 
 J 29/64 
 j 30/64 
 j 31/64 
 | 32/64 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 0.52, 
 0.53 7 
 0.55 ; j 
 0.56, 
 0.58 5 
 0.60, 
 0 ■ 61 8 
 0.63 4 
 0.65 0 
 0 . 68 , 
 0 . 68 , 
 0.69, 
 0.71 4 
 0.73 0 
 0.74 6 
 0.76, 
 0.77 g 
 
 Old 
 
 Carats 
 
 J 33/64 
 J 34/64 
 ] 35/64 
 | 36/64 
 | 37/64 
 | 38/64 
 ] 39/64 
 | 40/64 
 | 41/64 
 | 42/64 
 J 43/64 
 j44/64 
 | 45/64 
 | 46/64 
 ] 47/64 
 } 48/64 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 0 
 
 77 s 
 
 0 
 
 79 4 
 
 0 
 
 81 0 
 
 0 
 
 82, 
 
 0 
 
 84, 
 
 0 
 
 85, 
 
 0 
 
 87 4 
 
 0 
 
 89 0 
 
 0 
 
 90 6 
 
 0 
 
 92, 
 
 0 
 
 93 8 
 
 0 
 
 95 4 
 
 0 
 
 97 0 
 
 0 
 
 98 6 
 
 1 
 
 00, 
 
 1 
 
 01 8 
 
 1 
 
 03 5 
 
 Old 
 
 Carats 
 
 } 49/64 
 | 50/64 
 ] 51/64 
 | 52/64 
 | 53/64 
 | 54/64 
 } 55/64 
 } 56/64 
 j 57/64 
 J 58/64 
 | 59/64 
 | 60/64 
 j 61/64 
 j62/64 
 | 63/64 
 | 64/64 
 
110 
 
 THE JEWELRY REPAIRER’S HANDBOOK 
 
 TABLE 4 
 
 Equivalents of the new metric carats in old metric carats. 
 Computed on the basis 
 
 1 new metric carat=200 milligrams 
 1 old carat=205.3 milligrams 
 
 Sets of weights for the new metric carat may be obtained from 
 your jobbers. 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 Old 
 
 Carats 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 Old 
 
 Carats 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 Old 
 
 Carats 
 
 New 
 
 Metric 
 
 Carats 
 
 Old 
 
 Carats 
 
 1 
 
 62/64 
 
 31 
 
 30 13/64 
 
 61 
 
 59 27/64 
 
 90 
 
 87 43/64 
 
 2 
 
 1 61/64 
 
 32 
 
 31 11/64 
 
 62 
 
 60 26/64 
 
 91 
 
 88 42/84 
 
 3 
 
 2 59/64 
 
 33 
 
 32 9/64 
 
 63 
 
 61 24/64 
 
 92 
 
 89 40/64 
 
 4 
 
 3 57/64 
 
 34 
 
 33 8/64 
 
 64 
 
 62 22/64 
 
 93 
 
 90 38/64 
 
 5 
 
 4 56/64 
 
 35 
 
 34 6/64 
 
 65 
 
 63 21/64 
 
 94 
 
 91 37/84 
 
 6 
 
 5 54/64 
 
 36 
 
 35 5/64 
 
 66 
 
 64 19/64 
 
 95 
 
 92 35/64 
 
 7 
 
 6 52/64 
 
 37 
 
 36 3/64 
 
 67 
 
 65 17/64 
 
 96 
 
 93 33/64 
 
 8 
 
 7 51/64 
 
 38 
 
 37 1/64 
 
 68 
 
 66 16/64 
 
 97 
 
 94 32/64 
 
 9 
 
 8 49/64 
 
 39 
 
 38 
 
 69 
 
 67 14/64 
 
 98 
 
 95 30/64 
 
 10 
 
 9 47/64 
 
 40 
 
 38 62/64 
 
 70 
 
 68 12/64 
 
 99 
 
 96 28/64 
 
 11 
 
 10 46/64 
 
 41 
 
 39 60/64 
 
 71 
 
 69 11/64 
 
 100 
 
 97 27/64 
 
 12 
 
 11 44/64 
 
 42 
 
 40 59/64 
 
 72 
 
 70 9/64 
 
 200 
 
 194 54/64 
 
 13 
 
 12 43/64 
 
 43 
 
 41 57/64 
 
 73 
 
 71 7/64 
 
 300 
 
 292 16/64 
 
 14 
 
 13 41/64 
 
 44 
 
 42 55/64 
 
 74 
 
 72 6/64 
 
 400 
 
 389 43/64 
 
 15 
 
 14 39/64 
 
 45 
 
 43 54/64 
 
 75 
 
 73 4/64 
 
 500 
 
 487 6/64 
 
 16 
 
 15 38/64 
 
 46 
 
 44 52/64 
 
 76 
 
 74 2/64 
 
 600 
 
 584 33/64 
 
 17 
 
 16 36/64 
 
 47 
 
 45 50/64 
 
 77 
 
 75 1/64 
 
 700 
 
 681 59/64 
 
 18 
 
 17 34/64 
 
 48 
 
 46 49/64 
 
 78 
 
 75 63/64 
 
 800 
 
 779 22/64 
 
 19 
 
 18 33/64 
 
 49 
 
 47 47/64 
 
 79 
 
 76 61/64 
 
 900 
 
 876 49/64 
 
 20 
 
 19 31/64 
 
 50 
 
 48 45/64 
 
 80 
 
 77 60/64 
 
 1000 
 
 974 12/64 
 
 21 
 
 20 29/64 
 
 51 
 
 49 44/64 
 
 81 
 
 78 58/64 
 
 2000 
 
 1948 24/64 
 
 22 
 
 21 28/64 
 
 52 
 
 50 42/64 
 
 82 
 
 79 57/64 
 
 3000 
 
 2922 35/64 
 
 23 
 
 22 26/64 
 
 53 
 
 51 40/64 
 
 83 
 
 80 55/64 
 
 4000 
 
 3896 47/64 
 
 24 
 
 23 24/64 
 
 54 
 
 52 39/64 
 
 84 
 
 81 53/64 
 
 5000 
 
 4870 59/64 
 
 25 
 
 24 23/64 
 
 55 
 
 53 37/64 
 
 85 
 
 82 52/64 
 
 6000 
 
 5845 7/64 
 
 26 
 
 25 21/64 
 
 56 
 
 54 35/64 
 
 86 
 
 83 50/64 
 
 7000 
 
 6819 18/64 
 
 27 
 
 26 19/64 
 
 57 
 
 55 34/64 
 
 87 
 
 84 48/64 
 
 8000 
 
 7793 30/64 
 
 28 
 
 27 18/64 
 
 58 
 
 56 32/64 
 
 88 
 
 85 47/64 
 
 9000 
 
 8767 42/64 
 
 29 
 
 28 16/64 
 
 59 
 
 57 31/64 
 
 89 
 
 86 45/64 
 
 10000 
 
 9741 54/64 
 
 30 
 
 29 14/64 
 
 60 
 
 58 29/64 
 
 
 
 
 
HOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT 
 
 (School for Watchmakers) 
 
 BRADLEY 
 
 Polytechnic Institute 
 
 PEORIA, ILLINOIS 
 
 This Entire Building Used Exclusively for Horological Work 
 
 HOROLOGY HALL 
 
 Offers the most complete course in Watchwork, Jewelry, 
 Engraving and Optics. 
 
 Most efficient corps of instructors at a price most rea¬ 
 sonable. 
 
 One of our General Catalogues will interest you. Ad¬ 
 dress: “Horological Department, Bradley Polytechnic 
 Institute, Peoria, Illinois.” 
 
 We have several other bulletins which will be sent on request: 
 
 1. Annual Catalogue of the Institute. 
 
 2. Illustrated Bulletin. 
 
 3. Vocational Courses in Automobile Me¬ 
 
 chanics, Drafting, Electricity, Machinists 
 and Woodworkers. 
 
 4. Summer Session. 
 
 3. Short Courses in Tractor Repair. 
 
 6. Conservatory of Music. 
 
* 
 
 
r