For Alastair Bax, one of the most important – and most irritating and time wasting – jobs in the jewellery studio is having to top up your sonic. So today, he shares his DIY ultrasonic top up system.
I made this little float valve years ago, Alastair says. It is fed from a Brita filter jug through aquarium tubing. This is important as mineral build-up can result in flooding.
The frame is attached to the sonic with a 3M Command Velcro-like picture hanging strip so it can be removed and adjusted up and down.
The float is a ball from a roll-on deodorant. The frame is made from stainless steel food grade welding rod.
The ‘chenier’ is a veterinary size canula needle with the pin a 1.6mm s/s welding rod.
A word of caution: silver soldered joins on stainless steel should be covered in Araldite as the join will eventually corrode and fail.
Alastair is the master jeweller at Forest Lake Jewellers near Brisbane, Queensland. Working from a private studio, Forest Lake Jewellers are a traditional ‘family jeweller’ specialising in bespoke wedding jewellery, remodelling, repairs and resizes, and custom makes.
www.forestlakejewellers.com.au
facebook.com/fljewellers
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