Drilling Test
As I mentioned in my first post, I am working through the apprentice training program at Jewellery Training Solutions. Peter Keep has designed a wonderful program and has hundreds of tutorials available for purchase. He has four different levels of lessons, beginning with the Bronze level designed for hobbyists. This level has both beginning and advanced projects. His next level, Silver, is the apprentice training level and he has organized this into a progressive series. He then has a Gold level, which he considers his upskilling courses, and then finally Platinum, which is the stone-setting courses. You can purchase individual lessons from any of the programs at any time.
I have decided that I would work my way through the Silver level. This level is divided into ten different stages, each with 4-6 lessons each. One is required to finish at least two of the projects and submit photos for review in order to complete the certification. His lessons are so wonderful and thorough, and the progression is so logical, I have challenged myself to complete all of them, with only a couple of exceptions. I’m hoping to progress all the way through the Platinum level over time. I want to learn as much as I can! One of my favorite things about Peter’s lessons is that he is pretty old school and there isn’t a lot of specialized tools or equipment that are needed. I love doing things completely by hand, using the traditional techniques.
The first lesson is a drilling test. Now, I have to say, the lessons in Stage 1 are not very exciting, look simple and are very difficult! Upon initial viewing of this lesson I thought, yes, I can drill a hole. Uh huh. I realized that there is a lot of nuances to it that I had no idea of! Right off the bat, it’s clear that each project will require precision and absolute attention to detail.
With each project, I want to reflect on what was especially challenging, what I learned, and what I could do better. I must admit, this is challenging for me since I like to present things as polished as possible, and this very raw and exposed. But, I'm hoping it will help me really see what I need to do to progress as much as possible and hopefully help others along the way.
What were the challenges?
The challenge in this project was two-fold. First, the initial lines had to be completely accurate and the holes needed to be directly on the intersections. There was absolutely no wiggle room. The second was that the drill had to be completely perpendicular so that the holes on the reverse side would line up correctly as well.
Where could I improve?
The most glaring mistake I see in this is the large drill hole on the right hand side when viewing from the front (left image). That was my first drill hole. Next time I will start with the smaller holes and work my way out, since I find it more difficult to drill with a larger bit.
What did I learn?
I learned that I eyeball a lot of my work and that I have a challenge with absolute precision. I also learned the most effective way to hold my handpiece to drill.