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Thread: Gravers, scorpers etc

  1. #1
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    Default Gravers, scorpers etc

    Hi - can anyone suggest the best tool to use for cutting away a corner from a bezel? Most of my books suggest using gravers/scorpers/bullsticks but not the exact shape needed. I have set an uneven square Ocean Jasper cab with sloping sides but I can see it needs fine adjustment at the corners. I filed them down slightly but they really need cutting to make them tidy and I do not possess any of the afore mentioned tools.

    Many thanks
    Theresa

  2. #2
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    Hi Theresa, to deal with puckering your bezel does not need to be the same height all the way round. The corners can be partially cut through and filed to a curved V (like a flying gull) leaving the sides a scalloped shape. Dennis.

  3. #3
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    Hi Dennis, I have attached a pic showing the stone. I have stopped setting it because I think I am going to remove it and start again by raising the stone slightly and tidying up the bezel before I put it back. I may also try your idea, haven't decided yet! (Do you think a bezel looks amateurish if it is uneven?)
    Thank you
    TheresaClick image for larger version. 

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  4. #4
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    What a beautiful stone. I don't see any indication of size, but presumably this is a ring, not a bracelet. I don't think there is any reason to abandon this bezel. It is a little taller than it need be and you will no doubt learn to save work by finishing the edges as perfectly as possible before inserting the stone.

    The camera shows that there are many gaps which require closing and the corners are no worse than the sides. Also each time you push on your bezel, the metal becomes more resistant, so make each push count. It is best to rest the other side of the setting against a firm wooden wooden object such as your bench peg so that you can push really hard. You might even have to resort to tapping your setting tool with a hammer, but for a beginner this usually takes two operators, one to hold and one to tap.

    For this reason I suggest beginners use 0.4 or 0.5 thickness strip cut from fine silver, which is much easier to manage.

    Once the bezel is well adapted it is not difficult to file the edges level with a medium cut needle file of your choice, either a flat one or the flat side of another shape. However, the edges of files do mark stones, so you need to grind and polish one edge to make it suitable. The final finish and removal of setting marks is with small rubber wheels. Dennis.

  5. #5
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    I assumed it was a bracelet because of the hinge and clasp.....

    Still it is a lovely stone and I would not dismantle either as the bezel as it is seems to be in the right place, often vigorous burnishing can sort those little bumps and kinks out, I a steel or an agate burnisher and just take my time going round and round concentrating the most effort on the stubborn wrinkles first, and as Dennis said a file is all that is needed on the corners. I find placing a finger on the stone in the corner protects it (if not my finger) from accidental scrapes.

  6. #6
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    i have a special burnisher i made from 999 AKT (http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...prcode-999-AKT)

    Basicly there is a very fine grove in the end that fits the metal at the edge of the setting as sorts out all the wrinkles.

    Click image for larger version. 

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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kwant View Post
    I assumed it was a bracelet because of the hinge and clasp.....
    I'm waiting to be corrected, but if it were a bracelet with a diameter near 6 cm, then judging by the picture the stone would be a clonking 3- 3½ cm square. Apart from anything else that would require a bezel way too long for a beginner to manage.

    Well I'm waiting to be shot down. Any bets, anyone? Dennis.

  8. #8
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    Thanks guys for your input.
    Yes it is a bracelet and yes the stone is approx 3cms square, it's Ocean Jasper. I have set bigger stones but in different types of settings as I am trying to learn as many as I can.
    I may be a novice but I like a challenge and certainly don't let the size put me off! I tend to buy stones that I like and then think about how to set them later. (Doesn't everybody?)

    Theresa

    PS I would still like to know what type of gravers/scorpers I should be using to tidy up bezels. In a lot of my books they are shown but not described in detail.
    Last edited by theresa; 21-09-2012 at 03:32 PM.

  9. #9
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    Yup same here re stones and not rarely have my eyes been bigger than my belly as is sometimes said, and ebing mean with my silver has led to some very creative settings using minimal silver for the OTT large ones :0)

  10. #10
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    PS I would still like to know what type of gravers/scorpers I should be using to tidy up bezels. In a lot of my books they are shown but not described in detail.[/QUOTE]

    Theresa,
    I use many sizes and shapes of scorpers, for cleaning up your bezel I would use a flat scorper with a polished cutting face. I would suggest this size as a start a 1.4mm. flat scorper and a handle, see;
    http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...prcode-999-AYF
    http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...prcode-999-ALO

    If you do not know how to prepare scorpers for use here is a photo tutorial that I prepared a while back. I always harden and temper my scorpers after shaping them, these photos show the process.
    James

    Click image for larger version. 

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