I just purchased everything to core by hand and I did about ten beads a few days ago and I LUV it! Easy Peasy too. Not all that expensive if using Harbor Freight for most of it.
Here is what I used:
1. Dapping set from Harbor Freight.
2. Double hammer from Harbor Freight has a nylon head and a brass head. I used the nylon and loved it. I also bought a rawhide mallet but didn't like that. The heads are removeable and replaceable on the one from Harbor Freight you see on the bench!!
3. Mini cut off saw at Harbor Freight. I didn't want to cut the tubeing by hand or use a tubing cutter...takes too long. The mini saw is FAST!!!! and easy.
4. Steel block from Monsterslayer, Charcoal block from Monsterslayer and the silver tubing of course......
The rest was found items from around the garage etc...a wood cutting board, pieces of sheet metal, a pyrex measuring cup for quenching the silver in, and a heavy piece of bent cardboard. It was what I could scrounge up, flat will do, doesn't have to be bent.
Tweezers for lifting the red hot silver core off of the charcoal to the cup of cold water and taking it out of the cup, and some files for taking the burrs off of the fresh cut silver which are not in the picture.
and a small torch my DH bought years ago. Jewelry torch? It has a very very small flame and attaches to a 1 pound propane bottle like a HH.
Here are some pics:
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