Please Log in or Subscribe
Rio Grande. A Berkshire Hathaway Company.
A Berkshire Hathaway Company.

Bonny Doon
July 14, 2014

Rolling Mill Know-How Part Two: Tips on Use, Care, and Maintenance

Written by Posted in Tools & Techniques Comments 0
patterns

Rolling mills are great tools to have in any jewelry shop. They provide quick and efficient ways to roll out metal stock as well as countless ways to texture, pattern, and rework your metal creations. If you’re still hunting for

Read more

July 3, 2014

Seamless Summer Rings with the Bonny Doon Split-Die Ring-Forming Kit!

Written by Posted in Tools & Techniques Comments 0
bonnydoon1

It’s hot outside!! In these temperatures, chunky necklaces and bracelets are shed in favor of simpler choices—like lightweight, easy-to-wear rings! Use the Bonny Doon Split-Die Ring-Forming Kit to create perfect, summertime rings, every time. Today, on The Studio, Phil Poirier demonstrates this ingenious tool—watch and then dream up your own line of summertime rings!

January 8, 2014

Look at What You Can Do with Bonny Doon Hydraulic Metal Forming!

Written by Posted in Designers & Inspiration, Tools & Techniques Comments 0
Copper-Silhouette-Die-Big-Pendant-PR

Ashli Brooke Taylor created her Baroque-inspired Copper Pendant using the Bonny Doon hydraulic press. This innovative and powerful tool allowed her to direct all hydraulic energy on the design rather than expending her own physical energy on forming the metal with a hammer. After you see Ashli’s beautiful results, you’ll be asking yourself what YOU can do with a Bonny Doon!

September 23, 2013

“Man, That’s a Hydraulic Hammer!” Bonny Doon’s Urethane Forming Hammers

Written by Posted in Tools & Techniques Comments 1

When Phil Poirier, of Bonny Doon Engineering, showed his new urethane hammer to Eddie Bell, vice president of manufacturing at Rio Grande, Eddie was immediately excited by its possibilities for jewelry-making and said, “Man, that’s a hydraulic hammer!” Although the Bonny Doon urethane forming hammer does rather look like a colorful plastic hammer, it is actually so much more than that! Take a look at today’s post on The Studio, and see what this dynamo can do for your metal forming!

June 5, 2013

Education at Rio: Hydraulic Forming Classes with Phil Poirier

Written by Posted in Tools & Techniques Comments 0

Years ago, I watched the founder of Bonny Doon turn a vase literally inside out using the ‘Old Gold’ press Bonny Doon manufactured back then. This many years later, G. Phil Poirier is still pushing the limits of hydraulic forming steadily outward—in this class I got a taste of just how far.

June 18, 2012

Bonny Doon Small Forming Tools: The Latest Innovation in Metal Forming

Written by Posted in Tools & Techniques Comments 0

At the 2011 SNAG Conference, Phil Poirier introduced his new hammer, vise, and stakes, to rave reviews. I’m happy to tell you that barely one year later…he’s done it again! At this year’s SNAG Conference Phil brought his brand new Bonny Doon Small Forming Tools, which take the innovations of his hammer and stakes to a whole new level. Check out today’s post to learn more!

April 23, 2012

Texturing Metal with the Bonny Doon Hammer

Written by Posted in Tools & Techniques Comments 2

When Phil Poirier designed the Bonny Doon Hammer, he was thinking about the ideal tools for anticlastic and synclastic raising. Since debuting the hammer at last year’s SNAG Conference, we have found that it is capable of much more than that.

November 14, 2011

Education at Rio: Bonny Doon Hydraulic Press Class

Written by Posted in Inside Rio, Tools & Techniques Comments 0

G. Phil Poirier from Bonny Doon Engineering came to Rio recently to teach us the basics of using his hydraulic presses. Join us for Rio in Motion in January and learn firsthand what makes these presses so cool!

August 11, 2011

New Bonny Doon Hammers and Stakes

Written by Posted in Tools & Techniques Comments 1

In the early 90s I created a line of jewelry which used anticlastic and synclastic shapes made from strips of gold and silver. The need for efficient hammers and stakes inspired me to develop and make a urethane-headed hammer and stakes which would form the shapes I needed. . .

March 30, 2011

Bonny Doon Rolling Mill Pattern Plates in Action!

Written by Posted in Tools & Techniques Comments 0

Phil Poirier of Bonny Doon recently paid us a visit here at Rio and we made a video to show off the popular Bonny Doon Rolling Mill Pattern Plates.
The creative possibilities are endless! Watch for a bunch of new designs on our website in April!

Load More