Repairing jewellery for your customers is often a large part of business that comes through your doors unexpectedly, and can be a good fashion of making some extra coin alongside your jewellery designs. And then it pays to know the ins and outs of jewellery chain repair. From basic repairs to soldering concatenation links, we've put together this jewellery chain repair guide and so that you can make groovy, professional chain repairs for your customers.

How to prepare a broken necklace chain

There are many different types of chain out there, and some are much easier to gear up than others. Learning the basic principles of a necklace chain repair volition help you progress to some more than circuitous jewellery chain repair techniques such equally soldering fine jewellery chain links together.

Not sure how to tell the difference between the diverse styles of chain? Have a look at our Beginner's Guide to Unlike Types of Chain to learn more.

And so, let'south showtime with the basic principles of how to repair chain. This can simply be washed with chains such every bit cable chain or curb chain where the chain itself is made up of interlocking links. Other more than complex patterns such as rope chain or brawl chain may need more intricate work.

  1. Identify the trouble. Where has the chain cleaved? Is information technology the clasp or a chain link? Nearly article of clothing and tear on jewellery chains occurs at the point where the clasp joins the necklace as this is where the virtually stress is placed. If the spring on the squeeze is broken or the clasp itself has come loose, yous may need to find a clasp that closely matches and reattach. If it's the chain link that's cleaved, read on!
  2. Study the chain. You'll need to take a close look at the concatenation you're working on to see how each link has been fixed together. If it's a basic link through link attachment, you're in luck!
  3. Is there an open link remaining? If there is, yous can make the chain link repair straight. If not, you may need to buy or make a new link to replace the old 1. If there's an open chain link remaining, merely loop it through the link at the other end of the necklace. Once deeply in identify, have your snipe olfactory organ pliers and close the chain link in the same way you would shut a spring ring. Apply a twisting motion to bring the two ends together. That way you don't lose the overall course of the concatenation link.
  4. Need to replace the concatenation link? No problem. Effort to match up the chain link as all-time you can so that you can make your repair as above. If y'all're struggling to find a match, you can make your own new link with fine gauge wire.
  5. Neatly close the chain link. Whether you've fabricated a new chain link or just repaired the cleaved 1, the virtually important affair to remember is to secure the link as tightly as you perhaps can. Take your pliers and gently squeeze the chain link closed until the bring together is completely flush.

Our basic serpent chain repair fob

There are some chains that seem impossible to repair! But in that location are some basic tricks you can use to get around this. For example, snake chain appears impossible to repair because of the fashion it's constructed. Then instead of repairing the tiny concatenation links themselves, we'd recommend repairing the cease of the snake chain past calculation a chain extender to information technology instead. That style you lot'll maintain the rest of the chain and set up the trouble surface area where it'southward weakest – at the clasp.

Soldering snake chain can be catchy. Only it can exist done! Y'all'll just need a steady mitt, patience and a lot of exercise to go this right. You'll need to solder your concatenation extender to each end of the ophidian chain to make the repair. One time you've mastered this, this adjacent scrap of advice on soldering chain links will be a breeze!

Soldering chain links: Tips and tricks

Soldering chain links can seem very fiddly at first but once y'all've gotten to grips with these tips and tricks your customers volition come dorsum to you again and again for jewellery chain repairs.

Don't forget to stock upward on soldering tools and supplies before you practice soldering chain links together.

  • Are you lot repairing a very fine chain with small links? Use a black marker to make a marking on the chain links shut to where the solder bring together should exist. This will help you solder as accurately equally y'all mayhap can.
  • Make certain the ends of each chain link are as flush as possible. The better the join in each concatenation link the amend the solder volition run and the stronger the solder joint will be. One flim-flam you lot tin can employ to make sure you have a straight, flush join, is to bring all of your damaged jewellery chain links together. Line them all upwards with the joins of each one facing the same way and clamp them tightly in a pair of parallel pliers. Once in identify, run your jeweller'south saw down the line of chain links and start sawing along the joins. One time you've accurately sawn through each chain link you should have a straight, flush bring together ready for soldering.
  • Now for the soldering office! When working on such a small calibration information technology's not surprising that the power of your torch can blow your solder out of place. Non to mention, information technology can leave your solder balled up messily on your chain link, making your chain link repair await messy. The all-time fashion of getting an accurate solder join on your chain links without soldering them together is past using a soldering probe. Paint a small-scale amount of flux onto the join of your concatenation link. And then take a pocket-sized amount of solder and place it onto the finish of your soldering probe. Heat this with your torch until the solder flows onto the end of the soldering probe. Now gently bear on the solder-covered probe to the bring together of the chain link and apply heat to the soldering probe, non directly at the join. That way the heat will travel down the soldering probe enough to re-cook the solder, helping it menses through the join. In one case the solder flows, remove the choice from the concatenation and quench, pickle and rinse your work.

Now y'all've learnt the basics of jewellery chain repair you lot tin add this to your jewellery making repertoire, and even brand it a permanent service for your existing customers.

For your latest chain designs make certain you stock upward at Cooksongold. We stock loose chain and finished chain in a variety of alloys and styles to help you speed up your jewellery manufacturing procedure.

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Author: Cooksongold