Pepe Tools Pepetools 187.00A 90mm Ultra Series Flat Rolling Mill, 3.5"

For the past 6 months I have been in a sort of apprenticeship for a well respected jeweler here in Roanoke. He had a much loved Rolling Mill that is most likely an antique (over 100 yrs old). It was given to him by a local jeweler whom he apprenticed for many years ago.If you notice in the 3rd pic (well it's 3rd according to how I loaded them) the drift pin (aka key) that's locking the gear into the shaft appears to be a horseshoe nail! Needless to say, this mill had seen better days. It just couldn't roll straight no matter how you placed the metal in between the rollers. And because the nail is so firmly placed in the gear, it's impossible to adjust the rollers. Bottom line, we were WAY overdue for a new mill!We did a lot of research into the kinds of mills available, what basic options we wanted, read quite a few reviews and settled on this PePe model. What sold us was the 4:1 reduction gear box. Not only does it require LESS effort to crank gold and silver through it, from the start it rolls STRAIGHT. Not a hint of a kink, twist, curve! (See pic!) In that particular pic of our new PePe Rolling Mill, we set a piece of just-rolled gold bezel in front of it. That piece started out as a wedding ring! And we already had taken about 1/3 off of the gold strip. WOW!And in order to get it this thin, it went through the mill quite a few times, with us annealing it periodically between rolls. And with all those times through the mill, that gold never tried to curve.In the next pic, there's a small piece of curved gold in front of the old mill. That was a good piece. We actually were taking our gold to a jeweler-friend and using his electric mill to get enough length to make bezels, etc. NICE FRIEND!But now we're consistently cranking out beautifully straight pieces with less effort and with much less frustration!Any drawbacks?Yup. One.When we got the mill we were like kids on Christmas tearing into a much-wanted present.I wish there had been a big sheet of paper on the top of the inside packaging that said. "S T O P !!!!" Alas, there wasn't.After removing the top layer of packaging, I reached in excitedly, and while Dan held the box I scooped my hand around handle and PULLED. Nothing OBVIOUS happened. (The mill is bolted to the bottom of the box.) BUT, in pulling the handle upwards, I inadvertently caused the rollers to shift and they were no longer properly aligned.And in the back of my mind, I remember seeing videos on PePe's website about unboxing the mill. Yup... LOTS of videos.Videos that not only cover the PROPER unboxing of the mill, but also videos on aligning the rollers! =) Thank God!Granted, we hadn't planned on disecting our mill quite so soon, but we now have an even better understanding of the great design behind this wonderful piece of machinery!

I Like my Pepe Rolling mill , however the dials came in a bag . They don't spin like they should when you turn the handle. Seem quite flimsy .Maybe they should have been from a heavier material so they would adjust with the handle better. They seem to float on the surface making me lose my place when trying to get the rollers back to where I need them to be.

I absolutely love this machine. I bought it to create custom metal designs for jewelry that I make. I was not interested in making wire so I chose the mill that had the larger flat rolling surface. I watched a few videos on how to un-box and set up the mill and then I was good to go. I chose the Pepetools brand because it was affordable and well made here in the US. I could not afford the top of the line mills and was hesitant to purchase the low end mills made abroad. When I found this model I was elated. It was the perfect price point for me. I roll thick copper wire into sheet and also work with brass bar. I have had the mill a month and I'm happy with my decision to purchase.The two photos I've included show some examples of my first ever attempts at using a mill. The two copper plates were rolled with paper cutouts...the brass cuff in the second picture was rolled with a fine brass filagree cutout.

Sold a 130mm Durstan to down size to this and it does everything I need!I only use it to flatten and expand/reduce sheet stock up to 12ga so have not done heavy ingot rolling. Smaller diameter always a less good idea if you want to do that but doable with patience I'm sure.Quality is pretty good! Rollers are highly polished and put all other including Duston to shame. I understand they are harder as well.Not crazy about the removable gauges on top but a little silicon will hold in place when I'm ready.Over all a very good to excellent rolling mill and considering price size and weight an incredible value for beginners of seasoned pros.

OMG. Could I love a tool more. Hardly. I had a Harbor Freight rolling mill and it was a bear to use. This is a gem. Absolutely the best for the money. Great for an older and not very strong woman who wants to texture earrings with a rolling mill.