From time to time I attempt things in my studio that defy logic or good sense. Sometimes they are a success and other times, well, not so much.

I enjoy the freedom to play in the studio and so when I had a lot of holes to drill in some copper disks, I decided to break the rules and experiment.

From time to time I will share record these tests and share them here. Today’s test has to do with drilling. Take a look.

(In addition, at the end I added some commentary about lubrication and my drilling surfaces. )

I should add that this ‘worked’ only because the stack was round. Had it been another shape it would have been trash!

Although I am quite the tool junkie, I certainly don’t own them all. And although a quick change handpiece would be lovely, my current handpiece works quite well so I don’t see an upgrade in my near future.  For anyone else without a quick change, here is a quick tip showing how to use your flexshaft a little quicker.

Enjoy!

Another topic that came up recently on the FB page had to do with shaping wire. Specifically someone was asking about marquise shapes. There was a lot of great discussion and there are MANY ways to do this, as with most things, there isn’t ONE right way. Also, different techniques work well for different wire types and intended outcomes – say the different between round wire to make a decorative shape and sheet to make a setting for a marquise stone.

This video shows just one way to go about shaping wire into a marquise.

We had a question come up the other day on the Network FB group page about drilling and controlling the drill as you go through the metal. Specifically, how do you keep from slamming through and damaging the piece you are working on. One way to avoid this is to stabilize your drill with your drilling hand. Please see the video for details: