Tube & Claw Setting

[flowerpecker]

Anyone advice,videos,help for making those ring setting?
Thank you very much.

[Dennis]

The subject is too vast to give general advice on a forum, but when you get started we can no doubt answer more specific questions. In the mean time there is nothing better than going on a short course, or second best getting a good book.

I would suggest this rather general book, because it also lets you look at other aspects of jewellery making:
The workbench Guide to Jewellery Techniques, by Anastasia Young. She also gives short courses on stone setting in London.

The purpose of setting is to show off stones in the best possible way, not to cover them in unnecessary metalwork. So I find it rather disappointing, that beginners often use excessively long claws, or bury their stones too deeply in tubes and collets. Dennis.

[Vos]

I find ganoksin can be very handy, but you have to be a bit canny with your search terms sometimes as there's a LOT of information on there... This is one I have bookmarked for later use - http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/making-decorative-crown.htm

As for videos I can't think of a specific one but Soham Harrison, Todd Anderson and Luis F Moreno usually have some good construction vids. (Luis vids are a pain though as he doesn't title them according to project, but I absolutely love the almost stop frame filming. Reminds me of 'Watch' when I was growing up). And some of his methods are far from orthodox!

Cheers

Vos

[flowerpecker]

Thanks Dennis ,I did try the tube setting but bit confused with the pendant burr.Example I have a stone of 5 mm .What size and shape of burr I should used?
Teaching myself is my best option at the moment coz of budget.��

[enigma]

You need to measure each stone with your callipers as a 5mm stone will likely not be exactly 5mm.
I use a round burr very slightly smaller than the stone so if the stone is 5.2mm for example I would use a 5mm burr.
Its really a question of gradually taking a bit out at a time bearing in mind you can always remove more metal but you can't put it back :)

[emsterv]

Here are some links to some tutorials that I've bookmarked. I haven't looked through them all and bookmarked them quite a while ago, so sorry if some of them aren't useful/all that good. Some are geared towards the classic jeweler, some to the art jeweler.

http://aimeedomash.blogspot.ca/p/tutorial.html -tutorial is partway down the page

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfhycORmpPA#t=691 - Soham Harrison - simple claw setting

http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/tube-setting.htm - tube setting tutorial

http://etsymetal.blogspot.ca/2008/02/tube-setting-tutorial.html - tube setting tutorial

http://etsymetal.blogspot.ca/2010/07/how-to-make-simple-wire-claw-prong.html - claw setting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udIwgMh944w - prong setting for an odd shaped stone

http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/stone-setting-quality-assurance.htm - what to look for in a proper claw setting

http://www.jckonline.com/2012/04/25/practical-stone-setting-part-25-setting-oval-in-prongs - setting an oval into prongs

http://www.meevis.com/jewelery-making-class-making-six-claw-collet.htm - making a six claw collet by Hans Meevis (who is also a member here at the forum I believe)

http://www.professionaljeweler.com/archives/articles/2002/feb02/0202pb1.html - using a prong jig

http://www.guildofjewellerydesigners.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=846:tutorial-making-a-simple-basket-setting&catid=28&Itemid=66 - making a simple basket setting.

If anyone has any comments on any of these such as "Well I do it this way", or see any glaring 'errors' (although sometimes one man's error is another's tried and true method!) please feel free to share.

[Dennis]

First things first. Unless you have good vision, get a magnifying headband, or you will not succeed. Quite a cheap one will do.
Next as Sarah has said get callipers. Digital electronic ones can be had cheaply from Proops or Maplin, or sometimes Lidl.

Next , Sarah is right about the stones too. A 5.00 mm stone can actually measure say, from 4.85 to 5.15 mm in diameter. Tubing and burrs are generally smaller than listed and that is where the callipers come in.
Ideally, tubing should be about 0.75mm wider than the stone, or a little less, but not more. If more, setting will become difficult.

OK, now as you see, it would be useful to order a small selection of short tubes, so that you are not held up by this. Next you will need a file, to file the end of the tube flat.
If you are on a tight budget you can now seat the stone with round burrs alone, became they give you a wide range of sizes, according to how deeply you insert them.

I do recommend that you turn the burrs by hand in a universal handle Cookson 999AZM and lubricate them with a touch of oil. Even cooking oil would do.

For a 5.00mm stone, turn a 4.50mm round burr (Cookson 955 025) in the tube until it is about three quarters of the way in. This gives you depth.
Then change to a larger round burr (Cookson 955 030). This gives you width. So keep checking your stone until the girdle is completely in and there is a tiny, barely perceptible metal rim.

Obviously if you can afford them, setting burrs are helpful, but not essential. and you would need a selection, so as to match one to your stone. As before I turn mine by hand, just to refine what I have achieved with round burrs.

Cut off the required length of tubing, solder to your piece, polish and set. Dennis.

[enigma]

I love this forum, so much info!
I forgot to say you need to measure each burr too as the size is almost never the size given.
I use my pendant motor rather than turning by hand but you do need one that will go *really* slow so if you have a Dremel you are definitely better turning by hand as Dennis says.
Its also useful to have a selection of stones if possible, you can often get a 'selection' quite cheaply- I just bought rubies mixed from 1.5 to 3mm from Cooksons for example.
It just means if you get the setting slightly out you may be able to pick another stone to fit-useful when starting out !

[flowerpecker]

Thanks so much,I do have caliper, set of stone setting tools,dremel and chenier for cutting tube.

[Dennis]

Well if you are wise, you'll skip the Dremel and turn your burrs by hand. Dennis.

[flowerpecker]

Thank you vos I get nosey now