[Jewelry making - Article 00108] - Re: [Orchid] Karat Gold bezel wire for cabachons

[R . E . Rourke]

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

    go with the 18gauge.. its quite forgiving yet not as easily damaged
    (if you buy a thin gauge) around the top of the bezel with a
    polishing wheel, or any type of attachment for working out scratches,
    pre-finishing, etc.& the extra bit of copper in the 18kt gives it
    both malleability and strength the 22kt lacks, though the colour is
    similar depending on which supplier you get your material from (as
    that's often where the colour differences come into play.).making
    your own is an excellent way to keep things consistant, barring that,
    you can always get 18kt round or shaped wire in 18-22g.and run it
    through your rolling mill to produce bezel strip, sizing strip, the
    original gauge wire and potentially a few more gauges without having
    to draw anything down- if you have a combination mill -from the same
    purchase in matching colours.Alternatively some ring stretchers work
    as mini-rolling mills.One just has to pay attention to keeping the
    wire taught when rolling it out more so than in a traditional/full
    size rolling mill...anyway, 18 karat doesn't require the heat 22 does
    to get a flow of solder so there is less chance of melt down as an
    added feature of going with the 18 karat stock. hope that helps.. 
____________________________________________________________________
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
____________________________________________________________________