Collet plates / stone setting

[Nick martin]

Thanks for the replies everyone, but my original questions havent been answered, sorry.

Im not trying to achieve anything at present other than expand my knowledge and understanding on stone setting.

If the collet plates / punch were used as an aid or shortcut to help create a bezel ( I.E. a roughly round bezel then formed into a perfect pear shaped bezel using the punch ) then I can totally understand their usage. If on the other hand, you need to form the bezel by hand in the traditional way and the collet plates are simply used to produce the taper part, then they seem a bit redundant to me, not to mention expensive.

So which is it? They clearly exist for a reason dont they and thats my point and question.

I suppose a rough analagy I could use is the process whereby you'd cut out a disc of metal then use a doming block to help turn it into a sphere. This would be much easier than cutting a disc then trying to form the sphere by planishing it with a hammer on a domed stake.

Hope I'm making more sense now and not infuriating everyone too much ha ha!

Nick

[Gemsetterchris]

As far as I know, the shaped plates are to aid the sharpness of shapes..not a shortcut per se.
All tools are expensive Nick

[ps_bond]

I use mine to true up shapes. So, for round & oval I make them as Chris has described (which produces a taper), then squish the sides for ovals and drop it in a collet plate. If you try to form a square collet from round tube, the odds of tearing the corners are very high; forming round collets from tubing only really expands the top, it doesn't compress the bottom appreciably so results in too much thinning at the top.

[Goldsmith]

Nick, I think the shaped collet plates and punches are great if you are producing multiples of shaped collets, but for single pear shaped collet then you are correct, they are an expensive option unless you have cash to spare. When I have needed an odd shaped small bezel, I have a collection of brass rods that I file into shape and do the punching in either a lead block or a block of wood. As for punching I actually use my small arbor press for this process, now if you want to buy a useful tool one of these can be good. My press is a small Warco press; http://www.warco.co.uk/sheet-metal-f...bor-press.html and I make punch tools to fit this press for many useful shaping jobs.



James

[CJ57]

Nick, I think the shaped collet plates and punches are great if you are producing multiples of shaped collets, but for single pear shaped collet then you are correct, they are an expensive option unless you have cash to spare. When I have needed an odd shaped small bezel, I have a collection of brass rods that I file into shape and do the punching in either a lead block or a block of wood. As for punching I actually use my small arbor press for this process, now if you want to buy a useful tool one of these can be good. My press is a small Warco press; http://www.warco.co.uk/sheet-metal-f...bor-press.html and I make punch tools to fit this press for many useful shaping jobs.



James

Sorry to hijack your post Nick but this seems a useful bit of equipment to have at a reasonable price. I see there are 3 sizes James which would I be looking at for jewellery needs and do you have any examples of what you've done with the press?Maybe show in another post so not to hijack this one further

[Nick martin]

Chris / Peter / James... you've now answered my questions, many thanks! The way forward is to manual form the shapes and to then use the plates to true up the overall shape. Brilliant.

Caroline: Hijack away as I was about to ask the exact same question! That small Arbor press looks like ridiculously good value for money. James, am I correct in thinking that it simply pushes your custom shaped rods into a flat bit of sheet to say form a marquise bezel that has no joins?

Cheers,

Nick

[CJ57]

I do like a bit of equipment that does a job but doesn't cost a vast amount of money for a change. As I've said in James's new post my problem would be making the necessary punches