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Sheen
08-09-2020, 11:56 AM
I cut my sterling silver teardrop bezel (made from L shaped bearer wire) I little bit short =:-O can I save it, stretch it perhaps? Or should I just start again? It was going so well but I knew that pointy bit might cause me trouble!

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alastairduncan
08-09-2020, 12:26 PM
If you have to some material the same thickness as the slot, you can shove it in and solder it up. It will mean you have 2 solder joints instead of one and you will need to trim up the seat for the stone.

CJ57
08-09-2020, 01:33 PM
You might be able to stretch the curved end just enough on a triblet. I know this sounds silly but have you tried turning the bezel over? Just sometimes it turns out slightly bigger on the other side and then of course sometimes it doesn’t! That may just be me though

Sheen
08-09-2020, 04:09 PM
You might be able to stretch the curved end just enough on a triblet. I know this sounds silly but have you tried turning the bezel over? Just sometimes it turns out slightly bigger on the other side and then of course sometimes it doesn’t! That may just be me though

No that makes sense. Nothing is ever the exact same length on both sides :) unfortunately I can't do this in this case because it has a preformed seat. I have been rolling it on a mandrel and it's marginally bigger but being sterling it's not very keen on being stretched. I might try a little more or go for Alastair's suggestion next.

CJ57
08-09-2020, 04:36 PM
No that makes sense. Nothing is ever the exact same length on both sides :) unfortunately I can't do this in this case because it has a preformed seat. I have been rolling it on a mandrel and it's marginally bigger but being sterling it's not very keen on being stretched. I might try a little more or go for Alastair's suggestion next.
I forgot you said it was bearer wire. The last time I did that on a pear I soldered a post at the end and made it a feature!

Sheen
08-09-2020, 05:43 PM
I forgot you said it was bearer wire. The last time I did that on a pear I soldered a post at the end and made it a feature!
Ahh, now that's an interesting thought. I like that idea! Mmm some sort of feature. That'll get me ruminating :D

CJ57
08-09-2020, 06:47 PM
Ahh, now that's an interesting thought. I like that idea! Mmm some sort of feature. That'll get me ruminating :D

Oh no! Ruminating where will it end:)

Dennis
08-09-2020, 07:13 PM
That's a brainwave from Caroline. You can have the gap wherever you choose, solder in a vertical wire and make it into one of your signature prongs. Dennis

CJ57
08-09-2020, 10:22 PM
That's a brainwave from Caroline. You can have the gap wherever you choose, solder in a vertical wire and make it into one of your signature prongs. Dennis
Thanks Dennis. I think that may be the only brainwave that is still working. I should maybe have saved it for myself!

Sheen
09-09-2020, 09:21 AM
Thanks Dennis. I think that may be the only brainwave that is still working. I should maybe have saved it for myself!

I will be forever grateful for your brainwave :ta: and we'll all fill that gap in our own particular way. I'll put a picture up when I finish mine ;) Though it may be a little while, having to lie down a lot at the moment which is rather inconvenient for the making.

Sheen
10-09-2020, 11:57 AM
Ah after a lot of faffing, realised I should use a piece of square wire :) was going to make it fancy now back to preferring it plain. Have put the bits away and will come back to it later when my brain's less pooped.

Ps this has been a really interesting thread. Big thankyou to everyone.

Sheen
16-09-2020, 04:28 PM
Okay folks I've got a wobbler on my hands. I thinks it's been caused by the L shaped bearer wire i used (i wouldn't recommend using it on anything but large settings, the differant rates of compression make it extremely difficult to control) to make an open backed setting. I put it in a vice and used a pusher and burnisher and it's still wobbling. The setting is going to be dipped in platinol. Is there anything I could use to gunge up the setting, as that's what's going to happen when someone wears it anyway.
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Sheen
16-09-2020, 04:53 PM
Just went over it with some light hammering. Feels firmer. Doesn't wobble but still rattles in it's setting.

alastairduncan
16-09-2020, 05:14 PM
You need to hold the base of the bezel firmly so that you can the push the top over. You've attempted to do this by holding in a vice but this will not be good enough.

Use some polymorph, coolmorph etc and pack this around the shank and base of the bezel. While it is still soft squeeze the polymorph around the shank in the vice, not too tight. When the polymorph is set firmly, tighten the vice and then you can push the bezel over.

When firmly set remove the polymorph.

Sheen
16-09-2020, 07:37 PM
Mmm had a go, but it still moves in it's setting slightly, I think that bearer wire has made the space roomier on the seat and no amount of hammering from me has quite sorted it. I might just have to settle.

alastairduncan
16-09-2020, 09:34 PM
It sounds like you have work hardened metal and it's getting springy. When you say hammering, is it a hammer you are using or is it a hammer handpiece with a punch?

Sheen
17-09-2020, 09:52 AM
Morning Alistair, i took the ring out of the coolmorph last night and actual the stone is pretty good now. i was using a square pusher with a rawhide mallet. it thought i wouldn't need the coolmorph because i had it in a vice but it really does make the difference! twice you've recommened that to me and twice it's worked :)

Sheen
17-09-2020, 09:55 AM
In making this ring with a sterling silver bezel rather than a fine silver one, i was wanting to ask everyone under what circumstances people use sterling for their bezel rather than fine silver?

Dennis
17-09-2020, 11:03 AM
I use fine silver bezels all the time. They harden very quickly, and as I have been able to observe my work for 25years, I can say with confidence that it gives no trouble.
The exception is tube setting, because you cant buy fine silver tubes and I am reluctant to make them. Dennis.

CJ57
17-09-2020, 12:47 PM
I use fine silver as well. On a few forums over the years bearer wire hasn’t been much thought of. Is there not also a problem using it if the base of the cabochon isn’t completely flat?

Apologies if this post has reposted as tinternet went off just as I clicked send as just because I’m not seeing it doesn’t mean it won’t appear in half an hour:/

Dennis
17-09-2020, 03:07 PM
I use fine silver as well. On a few forums over the years bearer wire hasn’t been much thought of. Is there not also a problem using it if the base of the cabochon isn’t completely flat?
Apologies if this post has reposted as tinternet went off just as I clicked send as just because I’m not seeing it doesn’t mean it won’t appear in half an hour:/

Well it did appear, Caroline.
I for one find bearer wire awkward to handle, and inevitably it's too deep and has to be cut down, creating waste. So if I want to raise the stone, I insert a jump ring, or a tube within a tube. Mostly no soldering required, unless the back is to be left open. Dennis.

CJ57
17-09-2020, 03:33 PM
Well it did appear, Caroline.
I for one find bearer wire awkward to handle, and inevitably it's too deep and has to be cut down, creating waste. So if I want to raise the stone, I insert a jump ring, or a tube within a tube. Mostly no soldering required, unless the back is to be left open. Dennis.

That’s what I thought Dennis and as Sheena appears quite proficient in bezel making after her last one I wouldn’t see the point in using it

Sheen
17-09-2020, 04:17 PM
One of the jewellers I follow on insta recommended bearer wire a while back so I had some in my supplies. I've used it twice now and it's not for me. I think it's taking me a lot longer to get it to behave than if i just made a bezel then then solder a bearer in. Always worth trying everything available but in this case it's a no from me :)

CJ57
17-09-2020, 04:53 PM
I’ve not seen many who do like it and as Dennis said you don’t have to solder a bearer in unless necessary

Sheen
17-09-2020, 07:54 PM
When you're doing deep open backed bezels do you make the ledge out of fine silver too?

Dennis
17-09-2020, 08:10 PM
When you're doing deep open backed bezels do you make the ledge out of fine silver too?

Yes if like me you are pure as the driven snow. Dennis.