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How To Build A Jewelry Box Part 2
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BETTERSTAINEDGLASS.COM |
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Last month we showed the first part of how to make a jewelry box. If you need to refresh your memory go to jewelry box 1. Our video on how to make picture frames is complete. You can learn about it at picture frame video. We are nearly done with our video on "Making Jewelry Boxes." |
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| Our student, Matt Noykos graduated from his three year program at the Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City. The Stained Glass panel he made was well received. | The recent change in the weather had us out weeding the strawberries and getting the garden ready for planting. |
| Last month we showed the first steps of jewelry box making and this month we complete the instruction. | |
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Building A Stained Glass Jewelry Box-Part 2 |
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Last month, we ended with the last step before soldering the box together permanently. (To see last month's article click here) We need to align both the top and the bottom of the box to insure that both halves are the same size. |
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To solder the box, you need to set up for 3D
soldering. This means that each time you solder a line, the edge must be
horizontal. Setting the box up on a 3" wide cardboard box works very
well. Then gravity will work for you, not against you.
Another way, which works well for boxes and lamp construction, is to fill a larger cardboard box with crushed and crumpled newspaper. Then as each edge is soldered, tip the jewel box to expose a different edge. |
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When the first pass of solder is complete and the
gaps are filled, go back and solder bit by bit, building up the edge.
You can turn down your rheostat to cool the iron or just keep wetting
the soldering iron on a sponge by cleaning the tip more often than
normal.
As you finish the edge, turn the box a quarter turn and solder the next edge. |
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The technique we use to solder the long edge of the
box is to lean the box up against a stack of cardboard pieces.
Lean the box so that the edge is as flat as possible so that solder won't try to run out of the hollow and down the sides of the box. Do the fill pass like before. |
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Then, do the beauty pass, adding a bit of solder a
little at a time.
Try to avoid heating up one spot too much or solder will drip through. When that happens (and it will) solder in a different place. Or just wait for that spot to cool off. |
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Once the outside is soldered, take your iron and run
it along the inner edge of the box, melting the solder, running the bead
to make the inner edge look nice.
If too much solder builds up, drag the excess out of the box while it's liquid and shake or tap it off of the soldering iron. Do this on the bottom edges then turn the next edge down till all have been completed. Now's the time to give the pieces of the box a good looking at, make sure that all the soldering looks nice. |
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Here are two parts of a "barrel hinge." An outer and an inner tube. The inner tube fits inside of the outer tube to form a hinge. |
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Slide both together and line up the piece with the edge of the box and mark where it will be cut. |
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Cut it on the saw, both the inner and the outer pieces at the same time. |
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Rub the cut edge against a piece of sandpaper to remove rough edges. |
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Then take a craft knife and spin it inside the holes at the ends of the tube to remove any burrs of metal. |
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Take the outer brass tube (only) and cut two short
pieces off of it. This will form the ends of the hinge and the left over
longer piece will form the center of the hinge.
Sand and clean the tube pieces like before and assemble the hinge. Short piece, long piece and then short piece threaded onto the inner brass. |
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Place the hinge onto the joint where it will be
soldered. Each of the three pieces of the hinge brass should be touching
each other. If you leave a gap, the box lid will be able to shift back and
forth.
Put a very small amount of flux on one side only of each of the short pieces (the same side). |
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Then tack solder the short pieces. The idea is to
only solder one side. If you solder both sides (top and bottom of
the lid) It won't work like a hinge. If you accidentally solder the center
piece at the same time, it won't work either.
If you make a mistake, just start over with a new hinge. The brass pieces aren't too costly and you'll soon be an expert at soldering the hinges. |
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Once, the end pieces are tacked, take a piece of paper and slide the corner of it up between the center hinge piece and the box edge. This will provide a guard to help you from accidentally soldering the center hinge to the wrong place. |
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Then you can solder the center tube to the other side
of the box. Stay away from the very edges of the hinge tube.
Beginners often get too close and "sweat" solder down into the space between the inner brass and the outer brass, and then the hinge won't operate. Don't get discouraged if you have to start over, this is a new skill and may take a little practice. |
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Once the hinge is properly soldered, remove the paper. If the lid opens and closes, you've got a good hinge. If it's slightly out of alignment you can bend it to one side or the other to get the right swing on the lid. |
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Next, take a piece of chain and solder the end link into the inside front corner of the box. It goes in the corner for strength and inside so the chain doesn't interfere with opening and closing the box. |
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Lean the lid backwards, a little past a 90 degree angle so that the lid can open and gravity will hold it there. Hold the chain where it should be cut. |
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Clip off the extra chain. |
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Hold the chain into the corner of the lid. |
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The solder should be on the inside of the box. |
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Then test the box to insure that the hinge works and that the lid closes properly. |
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| For the video instructions on this project and the other pdf pattern's that come with the video, go to our video section on this site (click here). | |
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Send us e-mail with your comments and suggestions. We enjoy the chance to share with others. | |||
Jewelry Boxes are
welcome gifts for
all occasions.
This month's featured decorator piece.
