[Jewelry making - Article 01538] - Re: [Orchid] Using bezel blocks

[Neilthejeweler]

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

    For awhile a few years back I used bezel blocks quite a bit. So much
    that my boss at the time called me The Bezelmeister. For my way of
    working their biggest advantage is the ability to make things out of
    non standard gauge and alloy. Commercially available bezels come
    pretty much with just one idea of thickness, which is usually
    around.015-.025" depending. I like a nice chubby bezel
    wall..040-.060" or more. This is pretty thick wire stock if you
    making for a half carat diamond, and so its a bear to bend into a
    weensie circle but it straightens out nicely with a few good whacks
    of a beefy hammer. 

    Sometimes I would form with a 17 degree punch and block then follow
    up with a few taps using the 17 block and the 28 punch. This not only
    rams the top edge of bezel tight to the 17 block but gives you a
    taper in the top 1/3 or so of the inside of the bezel, reducing the
    amount you have to grind with a bud bur for preseating. 

    With the square block, the bezel corners don't seem to go completely
    into the block corners, you wind up with rounded corners.. One way
    around this(if you want sharp corners) is to run a filet of solder
    along the inside of the corners after you have the bezel preformed.
    The extra thickness allows the punch to ram the corners tightly into
    the block. I've used this method for making models that would then
    be molded and cast. Its debatable whether this is OK to use directly
    on a finished piece. Solder under a prong could be problematic.
____________________________________________________________________
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
____________________________________________________________________