My apologies, my dear readers, I've been 'finding' many older photographs during the past many weeks. These are now 'out of sequence', as these have been taken nearly 5-6 months ago!
Last year I splurged and bought a full tray of these cleaning burs. Luckily I'm using them continually just for these many 137 essays...WOW,eh!
This photo shows how the surface of the ring is being cleaned, this area is just below the Bezel. everything must be cleaned as the next step is the actual polishing on your polishing machine.
OVAL (shaped) BEZEL, Stone Setting!
I am using only one style of "Moores, Snap-On, Emory "Medium" grade wheels. The "FINE' grit is too soft and the "Course" is still too strong.
This leaves me with the "MEDIUM" grade paper wheel to do what is required in cleaning the 'hammering marks".
The 'cleaning process' removes all kinds of aberrations done to the surface of the Oval, Bezel wall.
If you wish to remove any further defects (due to the casting) you may do this with your FLAT SURFACE file, with a #2 grit.
GEMSTONE 'HISTORY LESSON' FROM 60 YEARS AGO!
In these photographs, I'll be showing you the many variations of gemstone setting Oval-shaped stones.
This is ranging from the metal easy to make hand-held mandrels inexpensive to the expensive "Adjustable tension, Reciprocating Hammers".
This essay is all about the varied techniques of Gemstones into an Oval Shaped Bezel!
As I was never trained (65+ years ago) in any form of soldering or manufacturing of Bezel fabrication. I will delve only into the actual 'Setting of a Bezel'. That process was left with a different department.
I was not permitted (then) to use a torch for the actual soldering, there would be loads of managerial problems.
There would be many ' department heads on the chopping block' to allow a Diamond Setter to do any torch fabrication in a factory scene.
Circa 1960, there could be as many as 10-12 individuals sitting at their benches, just to create one ring, this would be including the "polishing and steam cleaning".
Long before "Computer-Aided Design (CAD) came into vogue, I remember one model-maker actually take 4 DAYS to create just one ring!
"Ultra-Sonic Cleaning" machines were just being introduced in those earlier days.
"Magnetic Tumbler" only hit the factory scene (that I remember) 25 years ago!
The "Reciprocating Hammer" was again being a 'novelty item' just starting to be seen on the setters bench. Even the basic designs avoided any unusual designs that allowed any strange looking patterns in those earlier days. But 'we' forged ahead and made an effort to create designs that kept our minds working at top speed to make fantastic patterns.
Hence, we were incorporating newer gemstone setting devices to make again newer stone shapes. We had newer patterns coming from other countries to give 'us' greater ideas for us, the gemstone setter to figure out how to create these patterns. This wasn't an easy task, I know this for a fact!!!
As a 'Diamond Setter, in training", I had to develop newer setting techniques at a moment's notice. We had to listen to what the customers wanted, then decide how to create a ring to fit their budget & needs.
Engineers sitting in their laboratories created new 'setting machines' just to keep up with these newer patterns. Many times I would just go to my "many tool suppliers" and see what was made available. Changes were being made almost every month.
I suggest that you use these roughly drawn diagrams in the "sequence of setting" with the hand-held hammer.
One of the three hammers being shown here must be of a "sensible weight", but not to exceed the
85.0 grams rating...PLEASE!
Remember that your hand will be lifting much of the hammer weight!
This enormous yellow-coloured hammer weighs "exactly 545.3 grams" (that's just over
1/2 kilogram).
This is a very heavy hammer that is used "for building construction" not for gentle jewellery assembly.
Look at how large the hammer face is, it visually covers up the bezel-face from one side to the other.
The next hammer of some choosing is 'nearly' the type that could be used, but still not ready to be used. This has a weight of 245.3 grams, it's a fairly good choice, but still not ready to be used.
If your hammer is any heavier, you might 'collapse' your Oval-Bezel while it's in the hitting process.
Please remember to use your metal (not a plastic) mandrel, why so? This "hammer hitting process" gives both of your hands' freedom of use. If you are trying to use a plastic mandrel, forget it, the plastic mandrel will not allow the hitting to be forceful enough.
The plastic material absorbs all of the energy from the hammer face to the Bezel on the ring!
No matter what shape or style of setting, "Bright-Cutting" MUST BE DONE around each and every stone. Executing this kind of finishing is so darned important.
This kind of finishing separates (the true) Professional Diamond Setters from just ordinary 'claw pushers'. Examine each photograph that I'm showing you, on what every Bright-Cutting should look like.
I'm now showing the 'side-view of my Oval settings', all of the stones are sitting flat, not crooked, or slanted!
In this diagram, I inserted numbers "7 & "8 as an option at the ends of the curve. This is only used as if extra hammer-hitting is absolutely warranted, in the size and width of the bezel walls.
For your understanding, I'm showing various photo's of rings for you to see how the stone is sitting.
(In this demonstration, I, unfortunately, had only 2 stones in my inventory.)
This is my "High-Speed-Steel" Cutting bur, otherwise, known as an "H.S.S." This bur has a cutting shape angle of 45 degrees. DO NOT BUY A SHAPE OF 70 degrees as no known stone with a 70 degree shaped Pavillion.
I prefer the 45 degrees as it is similar to the shape of the Pavillion-cut, (stay with this cutting angle).
The Reciprocating Hammer-Anvil will not cause you any problems. I have had my hammer for the past 15 YEARS. A hand-held hammer might cause you some 'pain and any anguish', why? You will not have a uniform hitting power.
My favourite "Power-Hammer made by 'Badeco' is a fantastic piece of metal hammer art, treat it well and it will serve you for many...decades!!!
As you can see in the many photographs, all of the "Table-Facets" are flat, and none of them is crooked. This is what I can see as a correct and level stone facet.
I used to polish my Onglette by rubbing the graver on Polishing Paper, with a #800 grit. If you still prefer a grit of #600 grit so be it! The #600 grit of the polishing paper, might be too rough.
In this photo, I'm allowing the anvil to sit 'sideways' and proceed to put a wider coverage of the anvil to the bezel metal.
(I nearly forgot to explain that) I use a round bur shape of #006. I prefer to use this even prior to using my HSS bur, why NOW? I use this round bur to act as a 'guide' for my HSS bur!
Again, you can see just how level the Red-Oval stone is sitting.
This photo shows how my ring is sitting in this "novel designed" ring-clamp. This ring is now clamped very tight as in the wooden clamp, the ring might very easily get loose if you can't get the 'ring-peg' in tight!
I'm just showing my selection of abrasive mini-wheels, many of them are bought separately, then left in a 'mini-peg, display tool-tray.
After some decisions, I feel it was necessary to show the varied styles of hammers if you don't have your Reciprocating Hammer at your disposal. These strong hammers are not cheap as they come at a high price of $500.00 plus taxes.
I like to use one or the other all depending on the style of the ring! My 84.9-gram hammer is my best lightweight hammer.
I used an inexpensive tool that is used for a mandrel with your basic hammer! This 'little tool' is actually a 3-inch nail, but it is re-designed to be used in the hammering process.
I prefer to use my steel mandrel just for two purposes only, and they are to give my hand extra freedom while in the hitting process. The second reason is to not have the wooden clamp a chance to have the hitting be absorbed into the clamp.
The hammer is resting inside my bench table-top and both hands are now free to do what is now needed.
You can see the other opportunity is the hand hitting mandrel and along with the hammer.
This "Medium" paper is now equivalent to a #220 grit paper!
This 'Medium' Emory paper has now stopped, but the residual and remaining hitting marks now have to be removed. This is done with your "Emory, Snap-On" paper wheel.
Many times your steel mandrel can now sit inside your bench, table-top!
In this photograph, one hand is actually holding the iPhone camera and as well another hand is holding the hammer. This sequence of events can be quite a difficult time.
Now you can see up close how the Reciprocating Hammer-anvil can be sitting inside my bench-top table. The position of the metal anvil is now hitting a thin section of the Bezel.
If I turn the anvil, a 90-degree position, the width of the anvil can be made quite thicker.
This is my "Reciprocating Hammer" along with its Duplex shaft. This extra duplex addition gives me extra bending action while in motion.
I now have three options in this hammering sequence.
The options are:
1) I'm now using the power-assisted hammer,
2) I'm now using a wide-angle hitting head.
3) The remaining is a thin anvil sitting in a thin position. These are all depending on if the Bezel that is requiring a thinner Bezel head.
If I used all of this hammering in a wooden clamp every bit of the action would get lost in the wooden clamp.
