[Jewelry making - Article 00368] - Re: [Orchid] Things I'd like to see invented or produced

[Karen Goeller]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

Brian et al,

    I usually don't point my pin stems until one of the last steps in
    the process, after it's been soldered to the piece and the spring has
    been bent into place. That's the first point (pardon the pun) where I
    can truly measure the length of the wire, determine exactly where I
    want the catch to be so it balances correctly, and file the point. As
    a result, it's far too late to use your approach, which would require
    chucking the entire piece on a dead center. Unfortunately, because
    it's an elegant solution. 

    Right now, I use a belt sander, followed by a finishing file and
    hand-sanding, but that's a pain, too -- and too frequently results
    in the "hook" you refer to, which has to get trimmed off and
    hand-finished. The process is a PITA that takes WAY too long! 

    I think I'm going to look at those dart-sharpeners that a couple of
    folks have mentioned, assuming I can find a source for them. Given
    their use, it seems like that could be ideal! I'll let you all know
    what I find. 

    Someone mentioned that the brass bristle balls may be available
    through machinists supply houses, but I haven't found any yet. Anyone
    have any reference points for suppliers to start with on that one?
    Any idea what they might be called in the machinist's trade... I'm
    guessing that asking for "brass balls" would just be asking for
    trouble ;-). 

    Finally - someone mentioned a "brass bristle cone brush" that was
    available as a possible answer to my desire for a brass bristle head
    for my electric toothbrush. If you're talking about the brass cone
    brush heads for the flex-shaft, then my answer would be "kinda." The
    cone brushes don't have bristles in toward the center of rotation and
    you can't (as far as I'm aware) use the flexshaft under running
    water. (Correct me if I'm wrong folks! I have a #30 handpiece and a
    Foredom S-series). The attraction of the electric toothbrush, for me,
    is that you get both vibration and rotation, a wider surface area of
    bristles, and you can use it under water, for example, as I'm working
    on a patina or trying to remove stubborn investment or flux. 

Thanks!
Karen Goeller
kgoeller AT nolimitations.com

____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________