Chasers Cement?

[newbie2012]

Hello

I purchased this from cooksons but have never used setting cement before. There aren't any intructions... can anyone tell me how to use it please?

http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...rcode-999-0104

Thanks!

[Kwant]

Hi, you need a bit of rough wood to sit it on, the grain of the wood helps it stay in place, I seem to remember Dennis suggested the broken end of a broom handle was useful as this also helped to hold while setting, I just use a bit of old palet. Break off a bit of the wax and melt it carefully with a feathery flame, till it just flows, too close or too hot and it will spit and hiss and catch fire. push your work gently into the softened wax and leave it to sit for a while to harden, being careful of your fingers as it does get very hot. Once hardened you can now work on your piece, which will be held firmly in place. When you have finished you can either gently reheat the wax to release the piece, though this I have found to be rather messy, or do what I do and that is to give the wood a good hard rap with a hammer near the wax the work jumps out of the wax ( and a few pieces of wax break off). Any residue of wax can be simply wiped off with acetone, which dissolves it completely. This info is referring to the red setters wax, which I hope is the same as the yellow you have shown.

[Goldsmith]

Hello

I purchased this from cooksons but have never used setting cement before. There aren't any intructions... can anyone tell me how to use it please?

http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...rcode-999-0104

Thanks!

You mention setting cement but you seem to have purchased chasers cement. First question what do you want to do with it?
If you intend having a go at chasing, then you will need to melt the cement onto a chasing block, this can be anything from a piece of wood or a chasers bowl block. Mind you for chasing I use a black chasing pitch mixture so I am not sure what Cookson are selling as chasers cement. If you want to do setting then you need something like Kwant suggests, but I would use setters cement stick for this use and not the chasers cement.

To make chasing blocks I would gently melt the chasers cement in an old saucepan and pour the melted cement into a hollow dome of metal, you can buy chasers blocks which are cast iron and like half a cannon ball hollowed out.
James

[newbie2012]

Thanks both, for your replies. I want to do various types of setting (claw and bezel) but the ring shanks I have made are the "spirally" type that won't hold in a standard ring clamp. So I was thinking I need a large block of cement to sink the shank into...

[Dennis]

Well most of my shanks are unsuitable for ring clamps and I have tried the external and the internal (expanding) type. So now I just hold them for setting and if necessary brace the mount against my bench peg.

Knowing that these cements are extremely messy and liable to let you down unless you use generous amounts, nothing would persuade me to go down that route.
The worst case scenario is that your ring will suddenly fly across the room and be badly damaged Dennis.

[Goldsmith]

When I am setting large band rings that won't grip well in ring clamps, I just push them onto a ring triblet for support and set the stones while supporting the ring and triblet on a leather pad, this is usually for rings with odd shaped shanks with large oval bezel set cabs, for my daughter's demands.

I also make my own wooden clamps for holding larger pieces, I use sash screws to make these.see the bottom of this page; http://www.inbrass.co.uk/acatalog/Window_Locks.html Cheap and easy to make.

Below is one of my home made block clamps.
James

[Dennis]

I think what Newbee is saying, James is that his/her shanks are unsuitable for clamping (as are the ones in my album: http://www.cooksongold.com/forum/album.php?albumid=182) So if he/she needs support, your suggestion of a triblet would be best. Dennis

[mizgeorge]

You might want to try thermolock or friendly plastic pellets. You heat these with a hot air gun or very hot water, make into a big blob and put your piece into them. When it cools, it sets hard and lets you manipulate to your heart's content. Then just reheat to release.

[Julian]

I also make my own wooden clamps for holding larger pieces, I use sash screws to make these.see the bottom of this page; http://www.inbrass.co.uk/acatalog/Window_Locks.html Cheap and easy to make.

Below is one of my home made block clamps.
James

Wow a great piece on innovation, i will have to remember that one

Julian

[Goldsmith]

[QUOTE=Julian;48048]Wow a great piece on innovation, i will have to remember that one

Not my original idea Julian, my grandfather was an engraver and in his engraver's workshop they had dozens of these in all sizes and shapes. They used to make them out of children's toy wooden building blocks. This was way back in the 1960s before the likes of GRS started making engraver's vices and such like. My granfather's engraving company used to have many repeat jobs of certain items for his main customer, Alfred Dunhill ,so some of these blocks had brass pierced sections to hold certain shapes of cigarette lighters, cigarette boxes, key chains, pens and such like in place for the engraving of mostly monograms and family crests. I was lucky because while I was serving my goldsmiths apprenticeship between 1961 and 1967 I was based just round the corner from my grandfather's workshop so he also taught me hand engraving and carving during this period.


James