[Jewelry making - Article 00177] - Re: [Orchid] Jet Set Problems (Jett Sett Problems)

[JETT Research]

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>      Hi All, I've been trying out Jet Set (sold by Rio Grande) which
>     is a  new plastic for holding jewelry while setting. Unlike the
>     setting wax (Diamond cement) it do not dull drills. That is great
>     but the problem is I can get most of the stuff out with the sonic
>     and the steamer but there is still residue left in the hole behind
>     the diamonds. This is really annoying. Any got any solutions?" 

    Dear Jim, On rare occasion this situation has come up.  When I came
    up with the Jett Sett fixturing system I was making it for myself
    with no thought of selling it to anybody else.  I was just tired of
    having my pieces breaking out of the shellac, flying across the room,
    and then pulling my gravers out of my left hand.  I modified the
    formula to match the way that I did my work and the way that I did
    pave to give me specific properties.  I wanted the Jett Sett material
    to be hard, shock resistant (unbreakable), non shock absorbing (not
    bouncy), reusable, easy to work with, non-toxic, comparatively
    inexpensive, etc...  I had been using it for several years before I
    was actually encouraged to sell it.  I think it is pretty good stuff
    and of course I am a little prejudice.  It suited me.  Since I got my
    utility patent many years ago there have been some companies that
    have started selling similar products even though they are clear
    patent violations, but that is another story.  The good side of this
    is that because of the popularity and press that Jett Sett has
    gotten, many people have become aware of a safer and often better way
    to do many of their tasks even if it has been with the materials from
    companies that are violations of my patent. While not the perfect
    solution to all setting situations, it is certainly better than many
    options. 

    With all this said, it sounds like you are setting in a plate doing
    pave or flat plate setting.  I would never suggest that anyone change
    the method of setting that they have learned for the sake of a
    fixturing material but this same issue is one that may also help with
    cleaning issues later by your customer.  When you are cleaning out
    the hole that will eventually be the seat for your stone, the shape
    and size of the hole underneath the stone are very important issues. 
    If your hole is too small, dirt and oils can more easily collect
    between the stone pavilion and the seat and give the stone a poor
    appearance.  If the hole is too large, then it obviously makes
    setting the stone securely difficult if not impossible.  The thinness
    of the plate, the type of metal,  and the depth and shape of the
    stone dictate many things in your setting.  I try to organize things
    so that when I am setting a pave plate, I can use a drill bit or ball
    burr that is at least 75% of my stone girdle diameter to pass the
    hole completely through the plate.  After that I tend to switch to
    bud burrs rather than cone burrs to take the hole to just slightly
    less than the diameter of the stone. Then I use hart burrs to
    complete the seats, etc...   I choose bud burrs because of the
    rounded shape as compared to the cone burr.  The bud burr shape
    leaves a space that is easier to clean later because it does not so
    closely mimic the shape of the stone pavilion, for diamonds anyway. 
    Now in the case of Jett Sett sticking into those gaps, the smaller
    and closer the space shape is to the shape of the stone, the more
    difficult it will be to remove or clean.  So here are two methods
    that you can use that will work in different situations.  Keep in
    mind that Jett Sett is not soluble in water and resist most
    chemicals, by design. 

    1.  Put your jewelry item into the water that is in the heating pot
    that you use for the Jett Sett material.  Take another piece of Jett
    Sett that you have previously made into a mass and heat it up as
    well.  When sufficiently warm, remove both from the water and use the
    Jett Sett mass in a manner that is similar to taking lint off a
    sweater using tape, to stick to the the trapped Jett Sett and pull it
    out.  If this fails, go to method (2). 

    2. Jett Sett is soluble in a solvent that is commonly available to
    the jewelry business called "Attack".  After soaking in Attack,
    rinse, steam, and clean as usual.  I always offer this as a last
    resort because one of the main goals of using Jett Sett is to refrain
    from the use of chemicals. 

    That is a long answer to a seemingly simple question but I thought
    it was worth saying. 

Best Regards,
J. Tyler Teague
JETT Research
(Jewelry Engineering, Training, & Technology)


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