[Jewelry making - Article 00353] - Re: [Orchid] Tricky Layout

[Peter W . Rowe]

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

    I'd not be making this from flat stock pierced or otherwise. I'd
    draw triangle wire, or file it from round wire, then filing in the
    desired tapers. Precisely measure the required number of lengths so
    they're all identical lengths. Any mating surfaces at the base are
    also filed into each prong so they'll meet correctly. To assemble,
    sometimes you can just prop them up on a charcoal block, but I find
    it a bit more secure to make a ring of iron binding wire, or by
    drilling the correct hole in a bit of sheet steel or similar high
    melting metal, and placing that on the soldering block. The ends of
    the prongs can rest in there, being prevented from "splaying out" by
    the ring. If you have trouble getting them all to rest their bases
    together without the whole teepee falling over, another binding wire
    ring, about the diameter of the head halfway up the prongs, can just
    slip down over the pile, like a belt. A variant would have you shape
    the prong wires so the juntion of them all is taller than what the
    heat will end up as, coming to a point. A small jump ring is slipped
    over the point, and soldered to the heat along with soldering the
    prongs together. Then that jump ring is trimmed off with the rest of
    the excess. Takes a bit of care to get everyting set up right. If you
    get too frustrated, you can always set it up in plaster to solder.
    When positioned/fixtured, weld or solder the base joint where
    everthing meets. with the hardest solder you dare use. Such a head
    will be strongest if you also solder in an undergallery wire, inside
    the prongs, but depending on how you make it, and in what metal, that
    might be optional. Doing the head like this from seperate wires lets
    you be sure the tapers are exactly the same, and if you like,
    prepolish the prong wires before soldering together. If you have
    access to a laser or any flavor of tack welder, (flash, PKU, etc),
    then setting this solder joint up becomes quite easy. The main key
    to getting this to come out straight is starting with all wires
    exactly the same length, and having them sit on the soldering surface
    exactly within the confining circle and evenly spaced. Do that, have
    all the points equal in the joint, and your head will come out dead 
on
    straight. 

    You can also buy a couple different types of nifty cheating little
    jigs that hold wires set up like this, in position for soldering
    without such precise positioning needed (the jig does the
    positioning. Here's one such: 

    http://www.contenti.com/products/stone-setting/410-785.html 

    the tools are not unlimited, in that the grooves only hold wires up
    to a certain size/shape, but when they fit, they're a cool time
    saver... 

Peter
____________________________________________________________________
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
____________________________________________________________________