How to lengthen or shorten a chain at home

The lock on the chain is broken: how to fix it

There are mainly 3 types of locks used in jewelry:

• carabiner, in which the pin or spring may break;
• springel - practically cannot be repaired, only replaced with a new one;
• box - the tongue or insurance breaks.

It is easy to repair a lock on a chain with your own hands if its individual parts are not broken, but somewhat deformed, for example, in the case of a box lock. You just need to press a little and return them to their previous position. You can repair the carabiner by replacing the pin or spring (if available).

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You can make a clasp on a gold or silver chain yourself, just by replacing it with a new one. In other cases, it is better to repair the clasp on the chain in a jewelry workshop. The specialist will select the necessary spare parts and regulate their interaction during installation.

What instruments and devices will be needed for home soldering?

To understand how to solder a gold chain at home, you need to carefully examine the place of the chip or break. And also prepare all the necessary tools and equipment for work:

• a small gas burner with a thin torch - needed to heat the alloy;
• special gold solder, which is needed for correct soldering;
• homemade or purchased flux;
• small pliers and tweezers for gripping the product;
• a set of needle files of various shapes;
• a drill and a small vice for fixing the chain.

The soldering process is no different from working with other metals. The only peculiarity is the miniaturization of the product parts that need to be soldered to each other.

Important! If you have not worked with a blowtorch or soldered other metals before, you should not practice on gold jewelry. You can completely ruin the product. And then even the master will not be able to restore it.

Where to repair a lock on a gold or silver chain in Rostov

Jewelers from the ArtBazar workshop perform quality and professional repairs and replacement of locks on jewelry, clean and adjust locks. At the same time, you receive free advice on caring for your jewelry so that your chains and earrings do not break for as long as possible. Most often we have to carry out the following types of repairs on locks of chains, earrings and bracelets:

• solder chain links when broken by placing one end on the other;
• solder a torn or frayed ear by adding metal or narrowing the hole;
• make a new ear instead of a broken one;
• unsolder and insert a new spring instead of a broken one into the lock of the product.

In some cases, we use laser welding to restore parts of jewelry locks and to secure new clasps. In this case, the seam remains invisible and the metal is not damaged. If the lock on a chain, earrings or bracelet breaks, bring the jewelry to the ArtBazar jewelry workshop in the city of Rostov. We will quickly, efficiently and inexpensively repair or replace jewelry locks of any complexity.

What defects can you fix yourself at home?

1. Small cracks on the inside of the product. The location of the chip is especially important for wide chains, on which poor-quality seams after soldering are clearly visible.
2. Break of one link in a multi-level weave. The chain did not break completely. One edge of the link has bent, which needs to be bent (soldered) so that it does not cling.
3. The ring on the lock was bent and torn. You can solder it yourself, since it is located at the back of the decoration. And even if your gold seam is not the most beautiful, it will not be visible.

Complete breaks, defects on the outer side of the weaving, loss of several links - all these situations are best left to the shoulders of the master. A jeweler can not only solder a gold chain, but also add a little metal to recreate the original appearance of the threads.

Pin lock

Having heard such a name, it is difficult to imagine how the product is fixed. In fact, the lock looks almost the same as magnetic rectangles. The only difference is that on one side there is a small pin with a thread, and on the other there is an inlet hole.

At first, the lock closes and opens with effort, but after some use the process becomes noticeably easier. How to make a clasp on a pin bracelet? It is attached in the now familiar way: by gluing it to the base of the product. It is worth noting that this type of lock is most suitable for men's bracelets or those made in a classic style.

There is an even simpler version of the pin. A ring is attached to one side of the jewelry, and a horizontal pin is attached to the other. The lock is fastened by threading the second part into the hole.

Design – Classic hook

Our next design is a very simple hook and ring clasp. This is the simplest design among the four - if you're a beginner, be sure to try this one first.

Bend a piece of wire using the largest diameter of step pliers or a marker as shown in Figure 2. Then bend the longer end into a small loop using the pliers and trim off the excess. Do the same for the other end, but make sure that these loops are not the same size and are slightly different lengths. Use a hammer to knock out the hole between the two loops; it should be very narrow.

We connect the hook with the ring - your classic hook is ready for use.

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Repair of lock in jewelry, Podol. Jewelry workshop in Kyiv “Ametist”, Center, Kyiv

Repairing a lock on a piece of jewelry , in particular repairing a lock on a chain in Kiev or repairing a lock on a bracelet in Kiev is one of the types of repairing jewelry chains or repairing bracelets, which is carried out in our jewelry workshop in Kiev “Ametist” . Jewelry chains and bracelets are the most common jewelry that each of us probably has. They can be gold, silver, jewelry, or consist of different metals. Also, jewelry chains and bracelets come in different weaves, and can be solid or hollow (they have become popular recently due to their low weight). Chains are usually worn every day. Therefore, they are prone to frequent breakdowns. One of the parts that is very often the first to break is the lock.

We solder chains, bracelets and spoons

A chain or bracelet breaks for several reasons - the metal has worn out over time, you got caught on something. Or the pendant was too heavy for the chain. A spoon breaks - from old age, from a fall, or because the master made mistakes during its production.

Prices

What does the price depend on?

The price depends on the complexity of the master’s work. From the type and standard of the metal of the product, the presence of inserts, fasteners and engravings, from the amount of solder that will be used for welding. The price will rise if additional services are needed - cleaning the jewelry, restoring the coating, or changing the clasps on chains or bracelets.

Chains and bracelets

If several links of a chain are broken or stretched at once, the craftsman will spend more time and solder restoring the product - check with the craftsman about the timing.

If the chain is very thin, it is important for the master to correctly distribute the solder on it so that it does not spread and flood the adjacent links and spoil them - this is a difficult job, it requires the special attention of the master.

If a hollow chain or bracelet breaks, the jeweler fills the damaged link with solder or makes and inserts special pins inside to assemble the jewelry. In this case, the complexity of the master’s work is higher.

If the jewelry has gilding, rhodium or blackening, when hot soldering, this coating will peel off from the entire product. To prevent this from happening, we use laser soldering.

If a chain or bracelet contains precious stones, in order not to damage them, the master works with a microscope - this increases the cost of repairs. Emerald, sapphire and ruby ​​cannot withstand heat from open flames during soldering and become discolored. To prevent this from happening, we use laser soldering, which is more expensive.

Domestic gold jewelry has 585 metal standard and standard colors: red, yellow and white. We make solder for each color of the product; we always have it in stock. European gold jewelry comes in a different standard (750, 375, etc.) and colors: lemon yellow, light yellow, green. Solder for 585 test is not suitable for such products - traces of soldering will be visible. To prevent this from happening, we make individual solder for each foreign jewelry. Therefore, repairing imported chains and bracelets is more expensive.

When a jeweler solders a product, it heats up entirely. If there is a lock at the end of the product, the spring inside often cannot withstand the heat and breaks. To prevent this from happening, the jeweler removes the locks and puts them back on after soldering. This is an additional service if needed.

Attention. Sometimes repairs are not practical. This happens if the decoration is damaged along its entire length. Or there are so many broken links that once the jeweler removes them, the piece becomes too short to wear. Or if the chain is too worn and is often in repair, then after fixing one ring, another may soon fall apart. We will offer to scrap such chains in order to make a new decoration from this metal for you.

Spoons

If the spoon is pre-revolutionary or the foundry worker violated the technology during production, there may be pores inside the product. These are empty cavities that become visible when the jeweler has already heated the soldering spoon. In order to fill these voids, the craftsman needs more solder, as well as time to work.

If there is enamel or precious stones on the spoon, in order not to damage the elements of the product, laser soldering is needed, the price for it is slightly higher, and at the same time the type of product is more expensive. If there is an engraving on the item, the jeweler will restore it after welding.

If the spoon had previously been repaired by another craftsman, he could use tin to repair it. When heated, tin spreads and “eats” the precious metal from which the product is made. It is difficult for a jeweler to work with such a spoon, so check the working time with the master.

The thickness of the spoon is about 3-4 mm, and the width, depending on the location of the break, is up to 10 - this is a massive product for a jeweler. To boil a piece of cutlery, it takes a craftsman several hours of work and a large amount of solder. The wider and thicker the surface that needs to be restored, the higher the price.

Our guarantees

We provide a 1 year warranty on the product.

All jewelers have higher specialized education. The work experience of the craftsmen ranges from 8 to 40 years.

All items we repair are inspected before being returned to you (there will be a link to the inspection at this point). It guarantees that the decoration or cutlery after repair in our workshop will be free of defects and will not break.

Deadlines

The master will repair a simple chain or bracelet in 5 minutes in your presence. You can put the jewelry on right away and leave in it, it will be like new. Repairing the spoon will take 20 minutes. The spoon can be used the same day. If the product is complex (with stones, enamel, engraving), the jeweler will inform you about the production time of the product. On average, such repairs take one day.

How to order?

Call our specialist by phone or write to WhatsApp and Viber at +79052228878, he will advise you specifically on your product and will be able to make a preliminary assessment of the work.