What is a Bud bur used for? (text only) )

 This particular essay was co-authored by my close friend Charles Wechsler from Brooklyn, New York. USA.

=>His office business is for handpiece repairs & sales:

1420 KINGS HIGHWAY

BROOKLYN, 11229. USA

telephone number: 718 - 339 - 2640

cell phone: 718 - 339 - 7901

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Bud-shaped diamond setter's burs (often named as 'Bud Burs' in setting tools) are mainly used in stone-setting to cut or refine seats and contours for round burs. These are used especially when you need a 'curved, tapered cavity' rather than a flat seat.

                                  MAIN APPLICATIONS:

A) => BEZEL SETTINGS

1) Bud burs are used to open and shape the inner wall of the bezel.

2) They help to create a smooth curved seat where the girdle of the diamond will eventually sit.

3) The tapered bud shape allows controlled cutting without widening the bezel too much.

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B) => FLUSH / GYPSY SETTING

1) These burs are used to refine the curved cavity inside the drilled

hole before the stone is inserted into the metal.

2) This helps the girdle curve of the diamond to sit properly.

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C) => BURNISH / TUBE SETTING 

1) The Bud shaped burs greatly shape the inside of the tube before setting of the stone.

2) This is very useful for creating a rounded seat that supports the pavilion of the selected stone.

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D) => GENERAL SEAT REFINING

  After drilling or using a round as well as a "156C" bearing bur, stone setters usually use a bud bur to do the following steps:

1) Contour the seat!

2) Slightly taper the cavity!

3) Adjust the fitting of the stone!

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E) => WHY DO STONE SETTERS USE BUD BURS?

 1) A tapered shape gives a better control in tight areas.

2) It creates a more natural curved seat for round stones.

3) A Bud bur assists in avoiding over-cutting the setting wall.

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F: => COMPARISONS WITH OTHER SETTING BURS.

1) 156C burs => Gives a precise girdle seat for Faceted stones.

2) Hart, (HSS) shaped burs => Prepares the seat for claw setting.

3) Bud burs => these are excellent in shaping curved or tapered cavities and Bezel interiors.

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IN CONCLUSION: 

Bud shaped burs are mostly used with the following techniques:

1) Bezel Settings.

2) Gypsy / Flush Setting.

3) Tube Settings.

 These burs are used to shape or refine the seat for the stone. These burs are primarily excellent for round gemstones.

What does a Bud bur look like? => 8 photos

  Bud burs, as one travelling student said to me, these are my "Buddy burs". These are so very important that every jeweller should use them as well as in stone setting.

 This bur is also named "Flame bur". This elongated shape is also important in metal carving. You'll notice that this shape is fantastic for cleaning the inner frame of End Bezels. 

  Bud burs come in all sizes. When the gemstone setter requires a certain size, it must be made available without any time lost.
 During my hectic stone setting days, I needed a large selection of these burs. Cost was not the critical aspect, but just having them available made up for the cost of purchasing them. 

             Here is my inventory of Bud Burs:

 From a small size bur #003 and then resting against a #050. WOW! Quite a difference in size, agree?

 

  These are my 'mid-range' of Bud burs. I won't mix a large size of bur with a small one. My purpose is to save time looking for one bur among 'hundreds' in my collection.

 These two packages of Bud burs, starting at #003 on the left, then on the right is a size #015.

These 'often-used' Bud burs are well defined as 'good to have'.

 In this bur box are all of my extremely large sizes of burs. I keep them separate from other smaller shapes, and they are well-lubricated.  These are very expensive and sometimes hard to find at a moment's notice.

 Here is a variety of smaller burs. They tend to get well-used, so I'll just place them together with the other 'often-used' burs.

End Bezels for Baguette stones => 18 photos

  When the need arises to set either a 'Tapered' or a 'Straight baguette', the technique is still the same. Plus, in this type of stone setting, there are simply NO POSSIBLE SHORTCUTS.

 The inside 'End Bezel' is GENTLY moved backwards with the aid of your pliers. This process 'will be corrected' when the stone is set. What we are doing is gently increasing access to the End Bezel for the stone-setting process.

 What must happen now is to widen the opening for the selected stone shape. If the stone is of a 'tapered shape', thus the opening must be shaped to that stone. 

 The inside of the bezel should be filed and trimmed, as all of the bezel claws must be cleaned. There shouldn't be any rough edges to be seen, as with the blue stone.

 The 'End Bezels' should be filed smooth. Both of the end claws should be filed equally on both ends.

 I think that a Triangular file #4 will be the best file to use in these tight areas.

 The "Reciprocating Hammer, Anvil' should lightly tap the bezel end claws. If the Hammer touches the stone with too much force, the stone will quickly shatter.

  Have the Anvil lightly 'tap-touch' the corners of the bezel claw first. As this will secure & prevent the stone from moving.

  I marked the metal exactly where the anvil will touch. DON'T HAVE THE HAMMER ANVIL HIT THE VERY FRONT OF THE METAL BAR.

 It is permitted to have a slight incline of the stone. Why is this? The angle of this stone will merge with the shoulder stone and the main (unsoldered) stone.

 The Hammer Anvil is not pounding the metal; it is only GENTLY keeping the stone secure in the bezel.

 You can see that the Hammer Anvil is not coming close to the stone. It is only gently moving the metal towards the stone, but not touching the soft stone.

 You can now see the stone as it blends in with the Bezel.

                        IMPORTANT NOTES ON STONE SETTING

  I suggest using a round bur to prepare a seat for the stone. DON'T LET THE STONE SEAT GO BEYOND THE  BEZEL.

  My other suggestion is to drill three little holes. These holes should not exceed the width of the stone.

 Please use a 'bud-shaped' bur to excavate the Pavilion where the stone will sit. Clean out the corners and have the Bud Bur clean all along the Pavilion of the setting.

 Clean out the plugged opening of the bezel; if not, the stone will not sit well as expected. Before the stone is finally set, it is imperative to pre-polish the bezel frame.

 The inside of the bezel should look like a long square. The Pavilion will sit accordingly, and when the hammering starts, there won't be any problems while the stone is being 'tightened'.

 From the beginning to the final finish, this will make any client happy with the results.

Go to this blog essay dated => "AUGUST 22. 2025 ESSAY". It covers the cleaning aspect of this essay.