Nylon nosed pliers

[Aurarius]

Like others, I just buy fine silver sheet for making bezels. I generally use 0.5mm for smaller stones and 0.7 for large ones where I prefer to file a bevelled edge. I have my own shear, but before I did, I simply bought it in pre-cut half metre lengths, in 3, 4 and 5mm widths. So it could be said that fine silver bezel strip is available from pretty much all bullions suppliers in whatever gauge of fine silver they stock.

http://www.cooksongold.com/Sheet/Fin...prcode-CSF-050

That's exactly the information I was after, George, thanks. So if you ordered some 0.5mm thick fine silver sheet with dimensions 5mm x 1000mm, Cookson's, Palmers et al. wouldn't have any problem supplying that?

[mizgeorge]

I think the max length for fine sheet is usually 500mm, but yes, bullion suppliers will cut that for you. You may find there's a slight bevel on one edge where they're guillotined, but this can actually be helpful. If you don't want it, it's very quick to run a file across.

[Aurarius]

I think the max length for fine sheet is usually 500mm, but yes, bullion suppliers will cut that for you. You may find there's a slight bevel on one edge where they're guillotined, but this can actually be helpful. If you don't want it, it's very quick to run a file across.

Thanks for the extra information; very useful. At the moment I use either the Cooksons 0.3mm bezel strip (which I do find too thin for most purposes) or I cut a strip from a square sheet of 0.5 mm fine silver I bought.

[Wallace]

my penneth on the bezel wires, strips.....


2mm or 3mm fine silver wire through a mill to your preferred thickness works a treat.

As per Chris's view - I now go thicker on my walls, and can say it makes a huge difference. I have a small hammer and flat ended nail I use, if I can't use my hammer action drill (obviously not with soft stones though - that requires thinning out). Thicker works! It is nicer, better when soldering, and allows for stones that are slightly uneven to be forgiving.


How about using the strip bezel for helping with step bezels? There is still enough metal to make a small lip. Although 1mm fine silver rolled out seems to work well for that too. For those without a mill, then the only way is to buy sheet at smaller .5mm if that is your preference.

[Patstone]

Well I havent got a mill, so I would have to buy it ready cut as I also am not much good at cutting strips, so would have to buy mine ready cut too. I will give 0.5mm a try, then go up the scale a bit to see which thickness suits me best. I didnt realise that was why I was getting a serrated edge, my daughter also uses 0.3mm and files the outside to get the "knife" edge, but she does that before she solders it onto the base plate, she said then she can file around the inside edge to get all the burrs out before she solders the base as when the base is on its difficult to tidy the inside of the bezel, which makes sense, but hers are perfect, whereas mine do look a bit serrated.

[Wallace]

Well I havent got a mill, so I would have to buy it ready cut as I also am not much good at cutting strips, so would have to buy mine ready cut too. I will give 0.5mm a try, then go up the scale a bit to see which thickness suits me best. I didnt realise that was why I was getting a serrated edge, my daughter also uses 0.3mm and files the outside to get the "knife" edge, but she does that before she solders it onto the base plate, she said then she can file around the inside edge to get all the burrs out before she solders the base as when the base is on its difficult to tidy the inside of the bezel, which makes sense, but hers are perfect, whereas mine do look a bit serrated.

If you want to send me some fine silver wire, I can do you a test batch

[Patstone]

If you want to send me some fine silver wire, I can do you a test batch

May take you up on that, sounds good. Thanks Wallace.

[Dennis]

I really like the clean way that wire rolls down into bezels, particularly the very narrow ones. When I wrote about it about a year ago, these were my results:

[Stacey]

I use the pliers to make sure the stone is seated correctly (I am talking about cabs, not faceted). If you put one half of the jaws on the top of the stone and the bottom jaw under the bezel and gently close the jaws, the stone is tight into the base, then push the top of the bezel with a pusher as normal. I normally use 3mm or 5mm bezel silver from Cookies for the walls but sometimes have used 0.3mm fine silver sheet instead, most times using 0.8mm or 1mm for the base. What thickness walls should I use then, if it was much thicker I wouldnt have the strength to push it over the stone.

Tried using the plastic pliers this morning to push a stone into a snug bezel and it worked brilliantly. Much better than using my fingers or risking scratching it with metal tools.

[Dennis]

Well I'm being a bit contrary here, but that's just me, and no offence intended:

I have no idea why anyone should want to force a stone into a bezel, when it is just as easy to expand the bezel in the first place (before it is soldered onto its backing) by tapping it on a mandrel. The stone should fit well, but still come out on the end of a wax cone, or BluTack.

For me one of the essentials is to try the stone in place before finally setting it, with the option of lowering the rim a little more, or raising the stone with a jump ring. To be sure, I try it in with a length of dental floss underneath, so that I can yank it out again if it sticks. Dennis.