Into the Groove
Create a grooved surface in a soft soldering board to save time when making chain
By Helen I. Driggs
I’ve been making a lot of chain recently, and there are probably as many time- and effort-saving tips associated with chain creation as there are jump rings on your average Byzantine style necklace chain. Most of these tips focus on the metalsmithing part of the process, but my favorite one centers on the Solderite surface I work on to join the links once I’ve connected them. This simple tip is a true timesaver. All you need is a metal straight edge (preferably a T-square), a ruler, a graphite pencil, linoleum cutters or an X-Acto knife, and a mask to prevent breathing in the Solderite dust.