r/Metalsmithing

I’ve been getting more serious about jewelry making lately and finally started understanding why so many people eventually buy rolling mills. At first I thought they were mostly for flattening sheet metal, but now I’m realizing they seem useful for shaping wire too. The confusing part is I can barely find rolling mills with grooves for true round wire.

Most of the ones I’ve looked at focus on sheet, square wire, or half round profiles. So now I’m sitting here wondering how jewelers consistently make smooth round wire without buying another completely separate machine. Do most people start with square wire and then pull it through a draw plate afterward?

I started reading more about industrial tube mill lines and wire rolling systems out of curiosity and suddenly the whole process seems way more technical than I realized. Some jewelry equipment discussions compared smaller rolling mills from Alibaba tool manufacturers versus premium brands, but nobody really explained the full wire shaping workflow clearly.

For people already experienced with rolling mills, how are you turning shaped stock into proper round wire without ending up uneven or twisted?

I use my miter vise every time I make a ring, but I only use it for filing the ends of the shanks. All the cutouts for wire make it tough to place the band. I really just need a flat vise for filing. Is there another alternative that's hand vise-like that can handle filing and will fit all sizes of ring bands?

Hello! I'm a high school art teacher who is trying to revive the sculpture program at my school. I'm also new to teaching in my district and have been enjoying it greatly. Anyway, my district requires vendors to supply a purchase order for supply lists.

I couldn't find on Rio Grande's website that purchase orders were a payment option. For instructors who have experience with Rio for schools, does it give a purchase order number when you go to check out and are given an invoice?

Otherwise, would anyone have any suggestions or recommendations for vendors that take purchase orders? I am looking for basic supplies, clamp bench pins, and casting grain.

Thank you!