New tools

[Patstone]

Can anyone tell me how to use one of these, I know what it's for, but no Instructions with it. Cookies website product code 999 250. Don't know how to post link.

[trialuser]

here's the link
I've never used one but my understanding is that it swages a parallel sided tube into a tapered collet, you make or buy the required size of tube and drop it in the appropriate hole and give it a few taps of the tapered punch and bob's your uncle. If you were being really fancy you could make the collet as a collet (truncated cone) and use the punch to smarten it up or adjust the size slightly. I suspect it's not as easy as I think. Probably other things you could use it for if you wanted to give them a taper.

[Patstone]

I thought I could make a cone shape with it, you would think the secret santa would bring instructions wouldn't you. Good idea to make tube pointy, could be useful if you needed a bigger tube. Thanks, cleared a mystery. I have another set that I use for making pointy circles for decoration but it's 32 deg and you can cut circles and then make them pointy but the angle isn't so acute. .

[trialuser]

Actually, just read the description on the website, it says this
"To use: place the collet into the appropriate hole, insert the punch and tap carefully with a hammer. Collets should be annealed and gradually stretched or reduced. hole size 5-14mm"
So, more or less what I said :-)

[Dennis]

This is a traditional collet plate for making round tapered collets from ordinary tubing. The advantage of tapered collets is that they are pretty to look at and will adapt to several diameters of stones with very little need to cut a bearer.

If you were a bench trained jeweller you would know how to use this, so why fuss with instructions?

Well my method is:
Select a short length of annealed tube, a little smaller in diameter than the stone.
Rest it on a flat part of the plate and only gently tap in the punch to start the taper.
Then insert it into a hole for which it is only just too tall and use the punch and a light hammer to complete the job.
You might need to change holes.
It can wedge in the hole and need to be tapped out with a rod or nail from the back.
Try in the stone and cut off unwanted surplus.
You might prefer to cut a slight bearer with a burr or scorper.

You will waste some tubing until you learn better, but the secret is to be fairly gentle. Dennis.

[Patstone]

Without seeming rude, if I was trained as a bench trained jeweller I wouldn't be asking. Like I have mentioned lots of times before, two hours once a week in a local college for 10 weeks doesn't teach you much. The rest you learn from other sources, and in my case its you guys.