Nechamkin Chasing Tools Set

Otto Frei is proud to offer Nechamkin Chasing Tools Sets to the jewelry industry. For years, students and professionals alike have gone without an accessible, ready-to-use source for quality chasing tools. Available evidence suggests the last time a set of this type was available commercially was the mid-19th century. Nechamkin Chasing Tools™ fill that long-standing gap with a 25-piece core set, designed by a working professional chaser and supplied through a top tool distributor.

The set was developed by Liza Nechamkin over several years, inspired by her personal antique collection of over 2,000 individual chasing and repoussé tools formerly belonging to generations of Tiffany & Co. and Gorham chasers. Rather than reinventing the craft, Nechamkin has restored it: "I have not made an improved chasing and repoussé tool or invented a new one. I have simply brought back a great thing from the past." The result is a curated core set capable of spanning a wide range of chasing requirements, suited for Western-style jewelry and silver chasing — the tradition seen in 19th- and early 20th-century work by Tiffany & Co., Gorham, Kirk Steiff, and Danish silversmith Georg Jensen.

"These tools are made to very precise specifications within extremely close tolerances. They are expertly crafted for grace and balance. I personally final polish and inspect each one. A substandard tool will never leave my workbench." — Liza Nechamkin

Features

• Formed from W1 tool steel with tips heat treated in a controlled environment for consistent Rockwell hardness
• Square shanks, 4.25" (108 mm) long, provide precision and control superior to round shanks
• Chamfered corners and satin finish for comfort in hand
• Each tool individually numbered for easy identification
• All working faces precisely shaped and polished to travel smoothly across metalwork
• Long, balanced tapers for excellent sightlines down to the working face
• 25-piece set housed in a durable stainless steel container with non-marking Delrin™ lid and bottom
• Container designed with room for future augmentation of your tool collection
• Fine lacquer coat applied to inhibit rust during storage

Specifications

Notes

Chasing Style Suitability: These tools are best suited for Western-style jewelry and silver chasing — low to moderately high relief, outlined from the front and subsequently embossed with repoussé, then final chased and modeled. A respectable degree of high relief repoussage can be achieved with the embossers included. Japanese high-relief chasing requires a different tool style.

Care & Maintenance — Always wear eye protection while using these tools.

• Regularly file or grind off any mushrooming at the striking end to prevent injury from flying fragments.
• The lacquer finish will wear during use; keep tools clean, dry, and stored in their container when not in use.
• For extended storage, lightly coat with machine oil to inhibit rust.
• Remove minor shank rust with steel wool, fine sandpaper, or a coarse synthetic scrubby pad.
• Maintain polish on working faces with green rouge or steel polish on a small soft buff. Do not over-polish — delicate tools can be reduced to stumps by careless polishing.
• For better control: apply a small amount of linseed oil to flannel, rub across green rouge or steel polish, then rub the tool face vigorously across the cloth on a flat surface.

Tool Modification Warning: Modifying these tools voids the warranty and should only be attempted by experienced metalsmiths. For slight reshaping of tool faces, use a 3M light deburring wheel or medium-grit emery paper, then a compressed felt buff with steel polish. Do not allow the tool to become hot, as heat will compromise the temper.

California Prop 65 Warning:
Cancer and Reproductive Harm. www.P65warnings.ca.gov.