I'm going to post the moral to this story upfront. Ask about things you are interested in and you never know what you'll get or find out. I got the amazing jewelry tools you see posted above and found out that my children's orthodontist (a man) makes lamp-work beads!
Now, I guess I'll need to be a little more upfront about the price of these cool jewelry tools. Maybe I should say "Spend $5,000 on braces, get cool tools for free", but that wouldn't be quite as eye catching - would it? But that is the story. My son't braces went on about 2 months ago. I watched the whole time thinking "Hey - I could do that..." with gems on them even! But today, when my daughter's braces went on, I couldn't keep my eyes off the pliers and wire cutters!!
The one in the right center is the prize. I don't remember the name, but it flush cuts the wire and keeps the
cut wire end in the jaws (no more flying bits!). It also seems to flatten the wire about 1/8" from where it's cut so it's not pointy and sharp. Can you say Fab-U- lous!! (you're actually supposed to sing it)
The other two pliers have rounded noses, but paddle tips. One is angled out like a bent nose plier and the other is a square paddle. I'm not quite sure how to use them yet, but I'll post when I've figured it out.
The last two tools are probably going to be good for metal clay work and pushing wires into tight spots to finish wraps. My orthodontist says the pliers cost about $150 each, so I am very glad I asked about them. Not only that, but I discovered that my orthodontist makes lampwork beads. Love that!
I'll post more later... going to play with my new tools now!
Sweet deal !!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on this, Lisa. My grandsons' orthodontist just happened to be a former student of mine when I first started teaching. I may go visit him though the grandsons are all grown up now and out of the braces. Worth a try, if they throw these things out.
ReplyDeleteFrankie Harvener
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI was "googling" and found a website that sells these dental tools at good prices. Here's the link...
https://www.orthomechanic.com/store/home.php?cat=9
best regards,
Debi