[Jewelry making - Article 01286] - Re: [Orchid] Appropriate gauge for flush setting

[John Donivan]

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>     Personally, I always found the allset to be a rather clumsy tool.
>     I prefer a good true running quick change handpiece over the #30 

    Yeah, Peter, I wanted to say that.... I've never used one, but then
    again I've never wanted to, either. 

>     Can you explain the actual steps and tools used to do it right? 

    Peter explained it pretty well in his post, as far as it goes. Some
    setters like bud burs, some like ball burs. I use a hart bur because
    I'm lazy - I'm not kidding, I tend to sacrifice the time it takes to
    do what Peter says in favor of speed and brute force. I get
    reasonable results but again when I need "that certain touch", I
    give it to a real setter. No pride there.... 

    The man who by all accounts is the best setter in Northern
    California taught me how to flush set properly (he's the kind of guy
    who uses acid to make 1/3 size burs): Make a seat for the stone in
    some fashion such as Peter laid out in his post. Push in the stone
    hard, as he said, making sure it's straight, of course. Then I've
    heard some various ways of pushing the metal, but my friend Jimmy
    makes a tool out of an old bur with a point on the end at around a
    45 degree angle, puts into a handle, and pushes HARD down on the
    stone while moving around in a circle, seating the stone and making
    a perfectly burnished round edge around the stone. This method only
    works if the stone is tight to begin with, be aware. If it's loose
    it will just tumble under the tool. Plus it takes all of 30 seconds
    one the stone is in place. The essential ingredient to all of this
    is as Peter said - it is precision setting if done properly, and
    it's easy but the precision part is the tricky thing. 

    BTW, I worked with an ex-manager of Longines, and he told us that's
    how diamonds are set into watch dials, except they are press fit and
    that's all - no rubbing, no burnishing. The seats are
    drilled/reamed, and micrometer-graded diamonds are pressed into
    them, and that's it... 

http://www.donivanandmaggiora.com
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