What is the best way to work stainless steel for jewellery?
I've recently become interested in amateur jewellery-making, and have had some success making spoon rings. Silver is extremely expensive, so I've been working with stainless steel, which is, as I'm sure you're aware, very hard to bend. Does anyone have any suggestions for tools to make my life easier? Right now, I'm using a hacksaw to cut through the steel, and using a rubber mallet to pound the steel around a mandrel. This is time-consuming, tends to scratch up the surface, and I'm dulling or breaking a lot of hacksaw blades. Can anyone suggest better tools for working with stainless steel? (No expensive ring-forming machinery, please. If I can't afford silver, I surely can't afford $500 for a high-powered automatic mandrel.)
TELL US , if you have any answer