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Pod
25-08-2011, 07:36 AM
Hi Everyone!
Can anyone help me with rubover collets? Im trying to attach a round rubover collet with tapered sides to a ring of d-shaped wire - sounds easy enough. Not sure whether to file the base of the collet to shape or drill into the wire and seat the collet that way, so I chose the former and ended up filing the collet away into nothing as I couldn't get the profile right. Can anyone help? I think this is the right way to do it - I probably just need to take more time to get the profile right I think, but any help would be appreciated! Thanks, Pod :ta:

Goldsmith
25-08-2011, 08:59 AM
If the tapered end of the collet is a larger diameter than the ring shank width cut the ring shank and solder it to the collet. If the ring shank is wider than the collet then you can solder the collet onto the shank.
See the sketch it's easier to show than explain.
James

3097

Pod
25-08-2011, 09:44 AM
Hi James, many thanks for your help. I hadn't thought of cutting the shank and soldering it to the sides of the collet - that might work. However, I was hoping to keep the collet as high as possible, if that makes sense, so I was trying to solder the collet onto the shank. The collet is slightly narrower than the d-shape wire shank - the problem is that the d-shape wire has quite a high profile and it's really difficult to get the profile right. As I said, in trying to get the profiles to meet, I've ended up filing away most of the collet. So perhaps the answer is wider d-shape wire for the shank? Thanks again, and anything else you think might be useful would be much appreciated! Pod

Goldsmith
25-08-2011, 10:31 AM
Pod, How about starting with a square ring shank and then filing the D shape after soldering on the collet. I made this ring for my daughter a while back, it has a silver collet soldered onto a flat ring shank, she likes high profile collets on her rings,it is probably a much larger stone than you are using at 10mm. diameter.
James

3098

Dennis
25-08-2011, 12:46 PM
James has covered most of it, but I think what puzzles you, whatever the shape of the ring may be, is how to make the curve in the base of the collet so as to fit the shank.

My suggestion would be to draw the curve roughly, with a waterproof pen so that you don’t lose track of where to file. Then look for a round file, a half round file, or the right size rod shaped object with sandpaper wrapped around it, and rub the base of the collet up and down until you have the curve you need.

For rod shaped objects, pencils, the stems of twist drills and the stems of doming punches come to mind, allowing for the added thickness of the sand paper.
Regards, Dennis.