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.
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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.
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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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