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Kwant
19-04-2011, 11:23 AM
I have spent a fair bit of time trying to get this little yellow beryl into this pod, and my problem has been being able to hold the thing will trying to rub over the metal. I could not put it in a vice as the pod thing is curved. Is there some way of holding awkward shapes like this to make setting easier?

28992900

ps_bond
19-04-2011, 11:45 AM
Setters wax or setters cement is what I usually use - a shellac-based mix that softens when it is heated. Needs gentle warming with a torch - to avoid it catching fire - or, my usual method is with a heat gun (so less fire risk). You build up a gob of the stuff on a short section of broom handle, or a flat piece of plywood; I usually allow it to set then. Then warm up the surface of the wax, press the item you want held into it and allow it to cool. You might want to mound it up slightly for some things; use a suitable steel tool, not your fingers (it's hot, it sticks and it hurts).

You can then hold your bit of broomstick against the bench pin, or clamp the slab of wood in a vice, while you work on the object. When you're done, warm the object very slightly (watching out for particularly heat sensitive stones of course) and pull it out of the wax; any residue can be cleaned off with meths or IPA.

Hot melt glue also sort-of works, as does Polymorph or GRS' Thermoloc.

Kwant
19-04-2011, 12:02 PM
Perfect Peter thank you, will be added to next order from Cooksons.

ps_bond
19-04-2011, 12:43 PM
NP. If you do go for the setters wax, knock a bit off the corner of the block with a hammer (it shatters BTW - might be worth wrapping it in an old t shirt or something) and have a play with it to see how it behaves under heat. You want to get it to the consistency of thick syrup - too much heat and it fizzles, which is the start of it burning.

Kwant
19-04-2011, 01:16 PM
I get the idea it is a bit like old fashioned sealing wax.

Joe
19-04-2011, 04:03 PM
I use straight button shellac. It behaves much the same but it's very brittle. Though this can be a negative, in terms of removing the item it can be a plus in that it usually just need a sharp rap on the bench to loosen it. It's also very cheap!

Dennis
19-04-2011, 07:53 PM
Hi Kwant.
Is that a faceted oval stone? If it is, then a hidden bearer, smaller than the girdle, would steady it sufficiently to simplify the setting. Just a short piece of tube squeezed to be oval, would be enough. After that you might not even need to use setters wax .
I also find the end of a bezel pusher is the wrong shape to close a pod, so I would use the side of it, or more likely the side of some round/round pliers, which would be broader. I might also start the closing process in the fibre jaws (not rubber jaws) of my vice.
Lastly, but first really, as this is not a roughly used item, I would choose fine silver which would make the whole thing a doddle.
Regards, Dennis.

Kwant
19-04-2011, 08:03 PM
Yes it is Dennis, and I did try pliers curling round the top then slipping the stone in and finishing off with a pusher and burnisher, It is fold formed 0.3mm sterling, but I can see it would have been much easier with fine. Still the setters wax does seem like something that may prove useful in all manner of cases, so I think I might invest in some for future use anyway.