Pesky bezels

[Aurarius]

Just picking up on the detail here, you recommend (or at least use) flesh side out leather. Any particular reason for that? It's just, I'm reading Gerald Benney Goldsmith and he recommended flesh side in, but only on the basis that theoretically, the inside, in and the outside out, may be as nature intended, slightly more robust.

Yes, I have seen others advocate the "as nature intended" orientation for sticking the leather down - even one or two bookbinders I know strop their paring knives that way.

The primary reason for the flesh-side up orientation is that the fibrous structure of the inside surface is slightly better at holding the sharpening/polishing compound than the often rather shiny hair side of a piece of leather. Hide/calf-skin should be OK to use hair-side up because it typically has a somewhat duller and more absorbent outer surface in its tanned state than the outer surface of a piece of goatskin, which often has a fairly high polish when it leaves the tannery. On the other hand, the fibrous structure of the flesh side of goatskin is usually of a denser "weave" than that of the flesh side of a piece of hide/calf, so it provides a surface that is a good compromise, in my view, between absorbency/compound-retention on the one hand and smoothness on the other.

Whatever leather you use you don't want it to be too thick (0.5mm or below is about right), otherwise the knife may sink into the leather too much and its bevels/angles get rounded off when you want them to remain sharp.


Faith, there are many ways of achieving a sharp cutting tool and there's no agreement on which way is best, even for the same kind of cutting tool. A couple of general principles are that the blunter your cutting tool is to start with, the coarser the cutting material can and should be at first, and as your edge starts to get sharper you use progressively finer grades of whatever choice of things you're sharpening with, e.g. diamond stone, silicone carbide paper, water stone, arkansas stone, cutting/polishing compounds. The other principle, for novice sharpeners at any rate, is to keep a keen eye on the edge you're working on to make sure your sharpening is progressing properly; for tools as small as gravers this means using magnification. But you'll be used to that already.

[Faith]

Thanks Aurarius,

On that basis I'm thinking if I went for the pre-sharpened pre-shaped grs graver that's really a scorper (the link is a couple of posts back) I'll probably only need some of the finer sharpening items to keep it sharp, perhaps ankansas stone, the emery James recommended and either the rouge on paper Peter spoke about or rouge on goat skin (if I can find any).
That's my current subject-to-change plan anyway!

Thanks again Faith

[Goldsmith]

That's incredible looking James

Any advice on whether my 'cheat scorper' http://www.bettsmetalsales.com/p-Grs...aver-No-2/2797 might be okay to start practicing a little technique with the book you recommended? It would at least allow me to get up and running straight away as it comes shaped polished and with its own handle?

Thanks Faith

Faith the book is mainly about learning engraving which may be not what you want to know, you can probably learn how to use a graver/scorper quickly by watching some Youtube videos these days. this type of info was not available when I was learning my trade. I have no experience of the GRS tools so cannot comment. I do not know where you are based, a visit to a trade fair would be a good place to see what tools are available. If you are near London the IJL exhibition is worth a visit;http://www.jewellerylondon.com/ most of the jewel tool suppliers show there, along with many other suppliers to the trade.

James

[Faith]

Thanks James,

I have been looking at some internet tutorials and some of the engraving forums and think I have a rough idea of how to get started, and I've got plenty of scrap bits to practice scorpering the edges from and see how t works. I'll have a look at the book too though if I can find one I can leaf through first, and see if it might help

The show looks great but I'm much closer to Birmingham - so I'll keep a look out for anything on there, I guess there might be with the jewellery quarter.

Thanks again,
Faith

[Dennis]

There is a spring fair at NEC Birmingham in early February, but mainly of commercially made jewellery for jewellers' shops. Walsh are listed to be there this year, as are Sutton tools and no doubt a few gemstone companies and diamond suppliers.

IJL in September is far more relevant but even so, overwhelmingly for supplying shops. You might also look out for a RocknGem show near you. Dennis.

[Faith]

Thanks Dennis, I did notice the Jewllery and Watch one in Birmingham in Feb, it did look very buyer orientated but it could be an interesting day out all the same

Faith

[Patstone]

James, I havent got a hammer head on my Foredom, how do you support the ring while you are hammering it, its something I have been thinking about getting. I have a GRS system but apart from the bench pin, it doesnt get used a lot.

[Goldsmith]

James, I havent got a hammer head on my Foredom, how do you support the ring while you are hammering it, its something I have been thinking about getting. I have a GRS system but apart from the bench pin, it doesnt get used a lot.

Pat, If the ring shank is an even wire I hold it in wooden ring clamps like one of these;http://www.proopsbrothers.com/jewell...089-1424-p.asp if the ring has a shaped shank then I just slide it on my steel ring mandrel and rest it on a sand bag while using the hammer head to close settings.

James

[Patstone]

James, I have one of those ring clamps, never used it on a sandbag tho, I will definately give that a go. I have quite a few books if anyone wants to buy them, most of them are like new. Get most of the information that I need on this forum as very experienced people here.

[metalsmith]

I have quite a few books if anyone wants to buy them, most of them are like new. Get most of the information that I need on this forum as very experienced people here.

That is, once you'd learned the basics from the books eh? A valuable grounding. Where's that thread about salesmanship again? Sigh.