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Does anyone know where I could get some fine silver tube for tube setting 4, 5, 6mm stones? I'm just trying to make the process as bit quicker rather than having to make step bezels each time.
Cooksons only seem to do sterling but that's quite tough to push over. I've Googled but not come up with much.
Thanks
Not a source for Fine Silver Tube I'm afraid. Does anyone make/sell it? However for 4mm stones I use 4.5mm tube with .5mm walls. Cut a step inside the tube with a 4mm ball burr and the now 2-2.5mm wall is a whole lot easier to roll over. The same principle for 5mm and 6mm. It only takes a few hand twists of the burr mounted in a handle, which tends towards being self-centering.
As Paul has already said, if you order a small assortment of sterling tubes, say 60mm of each so that you can try your stones on the ends, you can decide which one to use and thin it accordingly.
You only need about 0.3mm of wall remaining. For setting small tubes upto say 5.00mm o/s diameter, it is much easier to use round nosed pliers, or pliers with one beak slightly flattened.
The stone is inserted until its table is just barely flush. Then the pliers are applied gently to the very edge of the tube, it is quickly nudged together, first N/S, then E/W, etc. Finally finish with a burnisher. The best burnisher for this will be the sides of the beaks of the same pliers closed together.
If you want to go further, you can also rotate a collet closing tool on it to ensure a good round appearance.
Thanks guys for the replies and advice. Paul, been having a look and you can get the fine silver ones from Rio but of course the delivery, taxes etc. would make it very expensive. Yes I'll get some different sizes of the sterling and see how I get on. Dennis I have got one of those collet things, saw Andrew Berry using one and decided I needed it but I've been too scared to use it in case I damage the stones!!
I use it to true up the roundness, but don't have the strength to close a tube with it. In any case the pressure would most likely dent a delicate piece.
You won't break a stone, but if you choose one that is too big, you can make ghastly semicircular marks on the backplate with the rim. Dennis.
I have and use a similar bezel setting set to the one Dennis shows quite successfully for 3mm to 6mm tube settings. My tube settings to date have tended to be quite tall so I haven't had the problem with marking the backplate or ring shank, but can see that that would be a potential problem with shorter settings. Size/diameter selection is all important, as Dennis advises, but I have used them successfully with both faceted stones and proportionately quite high cabochons. I find that rather than just pressing straight down with the tool, rolling it around the bezel at a slight angle gives me good results needing less 'push power'/pressure. That Italian set that Dennis has posted the picture of is very tempting, it looks like the hole is somewhat wider than in the set I have so would be less of a worry with high-domed cabs. And, it goes up to 12mm! Expensive, but it's on my wish list, for the next bonus from the day-job.
Well, it wasn't that expensive when i bought it, a long time ago.
I must say it can be a thorough nuisance if upset it by mistake, but the sets available in boxes with lids, typically turn out to be too shallow for most cabochons.