Tapered collet step by step

[Kwant]

An illustrated step by step for making a tapered collet for a faceted stone.

http://kwantessentials.blogspot.com/

[ShinyLauren]

Ah, we learned this at college, but I'd totally forgotten how to work out the measurements - thanks!

Any ideas how to do the same for an oval stone...?

[Kwant]

Though I have not made an oval one, I would use something like this http://www.csgnetwork.com/circumellipse.html to get the circumference make it as if it was going to be round and then gently hammer it to an oval once soldered.


Edited to add: though having not tried it I might be completely wrong :0)

[mizgeorge]

Goodness!

I just cut a washer (two whacks in the disc cutter) and chop bits out of it until the size is right

[Dennis]

That’s interesting George, but not everyone has a disk cutter that will make neat washers. I must say for smaller stones up to 5.0 mm I get out a piece of tubing and my collet block.

For large stones I use my compass. The system is not as intimidating once you realise that all you are doing is to multiply the diameter by pi to get the circumference and adding a taper of your choice. My only difference from Kwant is to stick my label onto metal with Pritt stick as it comes off quickly with water.

For ovals as Kwant says in his presentation, you treat it as round, but I would gently squeeze to shape when soldered to avoid marking the metal. The diameter used for ovals is simply the mean of the length and width, by adding the them and dividing by two.

Below another variant, where I just gave up and made a template from stiff paper. Dennis

[Patstone]

Thanks for that, I havent tried anything so difficult as that yet, but I am learning from people like you, really appreciate it.