Silicone Lubricant:
Lubricant is used with most grinding or cutting tools to ease the task and preserve the life of your tools.
For the hand tools I guide you to use for hand-crafting jewelry you want a dry stick version of silicone lubricant or bee’s wax. Liquid lubricant or soft lubricants can leave too much residue for this particular application, even though they are fabulous for other tasks within the world of making jewelry.
My choice:
Cut Lube,
Bur Life,
or Bee’s Wax
You can extend the life of your cutting tools and make the work easier by utilizing a good lubricant when using a grinding bit, drill bit, saw blades or any cutting tools.
There’s a wide array of lubricants available for use with making jewelry. They all have their rightful place, but for our purposes of using hand-tools to cut and grind the metal, you want a lubricant that is a dry stick. (Think of a push pop.) You don’t want anything too gooey, because as you work with hand tools, the softer lubricants can clump and impede your view of the job.
Where to purchase…
I like Bur Life from Rio Grande or Cut Lube from Euro Tools (which is often carried by jewelry supply stores). Even a good quality bee’s wax works well.