Overview
An overview of my make-do studio after our move to Cincinnati. We will be in this house until about November of this year. While this setup is less than ideal I'm not going to make any major mods to a rental property. I have added a little bit of wiring and basic lighting but that's all I'm planing on doing. Below is a quick and dirty Studio Tour.
Soldering Bench
The soldering bench. I plan on making do without my O2/Propane torch since it is against fire and insurance code to have larger than 1# propane containers in a residence. After we move into our permanent home I will plumb an outside tank into my studio area. For now I will just use my Goss Acetylene/Air setup. I also have my kiln setup on this bench. I have always preferred soldering at a separate area away from my jeweler's bench.
My Bench
An overview of my jeweler's bench area. Since the move I have added the Meiji Stereo microscope to my bench. I had to do some major rearranging of the bench to accommodate it. The storage unit that was on my bench top has been moved to the top of the dental cabinet to the right. I am still in the process of rearranging my tools for the new setup. Believe it or not you can have too much storage. I now have trouble finding things until I get used to the new layout. LOL
Meiji Stereo Microscope
I am still modifying the Meiji setup. I believe I will like it a lot after everything gets to the point I want it. The LED ring light provides incredible lighting and the magnification range from 4.5 to 22 X magnification should really help these old eyes when setting stones and engraving. The whole thing swings out of the way when I don't need it.
Flexshafts
I have added a second flexshaft to my bench. The Foredom LX is a high power low speed (maximum 5000 RPM) unit. Great for control when stone setting. It also has a quick change handpiece. The handpiece is limited to 3/32" shafts but that covers 90% of what I use. I can always switch out to my other #30 hand piece if I need any other sizes.
Pedal Confusion
Having 2 flexshafts and a engraving machine at the bench can lead to pedal confusion if your not careful. LOL
Graver Sharpening.jpg
Behind my bench is my faceting machine which I use primarily fo sharpening gravers and cutting cabs. When I setup at my permanent studio I will create a separate area for stone cutting.
Hammer Rack
To left of my bench is my hammer storage rack as well as my cigar box storage.
Dental Cabinet
To the right is an antique dental cabinet. Lots of drawers and great tool storage but labeling is a must or I would never find anything.
Needle File Storage
A dental pick drawer makes locating and keeping needle files from dulling each other easy.
Pick Storage
A dental pick drawer also works well for dental picks. Go figure.
Tool Storage
I also have lots of tool box space for the larger mandrels and tools.
