[Jewelry making - Article 00056] - Re: [Orchid] Setting - cone shaped hole

[The Doctor]

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>      When I hear the word seat, I think of the way valves seat in an
>     engine head. They are lapped in to produce identical angles on
>     each part. 

    Now it's starting to make a little sense to you, Jack. Automotive
    valves aren't faceted, so they fit perfectly flush in their seats.
    Your original question asked about bead setting faceted stones. I
    tried to explain that the seat involved in flush- or bead-setting is
    necessary to support the stone under the girdle with said girdle
    slightly below the surface of the metal. That is the function you've
    been missing here. This is necessary to allow the bead to be raised
    and set over the girdle from the top to hold the stone in place. I
    suppose if your hands are strong enough, the metal is thick enough
    and you're willing to gouge deeply enough, you could set a stone the
    way you imagined, but I think once you've tried it, you'll see what
    I mean. 

>     My collets arrived in the mail a little later and I found the
>     Dremel totally useless for this tool.  I have a speed control on it
>     but it is still too fast and just chatters and screams.  The drill
>     runs about 200 RPM so I gather most commercial flex tools can be
>     run very slow for this operation. Is this correct?  The ones I see
>     in the catalogs don't say anything about speed other than variable. 

    Yes, that's essentially correct. Also, the flex tool most jewelers
    use is usually (but not solely) rated between 1/10 and 1/4 HP which
    provides more torque (and thus, control) at lower RPMs. Most are
    also used with a variable foot pedal. The problem with a hand-held
    Dremel is that the lowest setting is still running. A Foredom (or
    other brand) flex shaft is off when your foot is off, and turns at
    speed as you step on the pedal. It allows a lot more control. There
    are so many attachments and handpieces for these, it would make for
    an entire discussion board. 

    To help with the screaming and chattering, a bit of lube on the bur
    may or may not help. Spit will work, but beeswax is better. Dave
    Sebaste mentioned a product called Bur-life. I got mine just last
    week and screwed the holder onto the front of my bench. The
    difference with sawing, filing, bur use, etc is really significant. 

    A good quality flex shaft is expensive, but worth every penny. Mine
    is the $60 version that can be found just about anywhere, including
    Harbor Freight. However, I've used Phingst, Foredom, et al and can
    attest to their superiority, especially where it comes to the
    handpiece. Mine has some wobble in it that doesn't occur with the
    $250 and up friends' Foredoms I've used. If you're serious about a
    flex shaft, buy quality. You won't use it only for setting, I
    promise. 

James in SoFl where a lot of the weeds have burrs

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