Which handgraver for cleaning bezel after setting.

[Steved]

Hello all. I'm wondering what shape and size of hand graver I should use to clean up bezel edges, like this ring (made from brass)or earring. I mainly work in silver now and this part of my making is a bit of a mystery to me. The bezel thicknesses I usually work with are between 0.3 and 0.6 mm. I'm also curious how makers avoid scratching the stone which seems a tricky task.

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[Dennis]

You can use a narrow square graver, but they need setting up, sharpening and keeping sharp.
However if you are not used to using them, you might find it easier to use half round needle files which have been ground and polished along the side nearest the stone.
Hard and medium stones will resist marking, if you are careful not to go on too long or too hard, but soft stones will inevitably become grooved.
The only way out is to make a close fitting bezel, and finish the edge before setting. Then continue with a burnisher, and/or soft silicone points.

It's always a good idea to have the bezel height correct before setting, rather than carve it down afterwards. In your examples they are a fraction too high. Dennis.

[Goldsmith]

I use a scorper with a polished cutting face to cut and clean up bezel settings.



James

[alastairduncan]

I use a scorper with a polished cutting face to cut and clean up bezel settings.

Me too. Sometimes I also use a polished spitstick occasionally. I find that good magnification helps as well.

[Steved]

Me too. Sometimes I also use a polished spitstick occasionally. I find that good magnification helps as well.

Ok, these will be on my shopping list.

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[Steved]

I use a scorper with a polished cutting face to cut and clean up bezel settings.



James

Great, thanks for your answer.

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[theresa]

I use a scorper with a polished cutting face to cut and clean up bezel settings.



James

James - your work is always perfect, I have yet to see any flaws. Wonderful

[misspond]

Yes, you don't need a 0.5mm bezel, just 0.5mm from were the stone starts to curve. I have some very flat rose cut slices where the side of the stone is around 1mm or less, they can be set with a bezel that's just over 1mm high made from slightly flattened fine silver wire, but for regular cabochons I'd be very surprised if they started to curve from the base and didn't need a little bit of height in the bezel. Just to reiterate, it was the visual representation of what to look for that I was trying to get across with the graphic I posted earlier in the thread.

[Steved]

You can use a narrow square graver, but they need setting up, sharpening and keeping sharp.
However if you are not used to using them, you might find it easier to use half round needle files which have been ground and polished along the side nearest the stone.
Hard and medium stones will resist marking, if you are careful not to go on too long or too hard, but soft stones will inevitably become grooved.
The only way out is to make a close fitting bezel, and finish the edge before setting. Then continue with a burnisher, and/or soft silicone points.

It's always a good idea to have the bezel height correct before setting, rather than carve it down afterwards. In your examples they are a fraction too high. Dennis.

I really appreciate the sound advice. I am still at the stage where I'm afraid of having my bezel to low and no being able to catch the stone. I'm basically guessing and I know theoretically a shorter bezel would be fine, if not better, but I afraid to waste all that time just to have to remake it again.cheers.

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[china]

It is a much simpler exercise to make the bezel correct rather than having to cut all the excess away with a graver, using the graver should basically be a clean up operation.