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E-BENCH <=> <=>
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The E-Mail Newsletter
for Bench Jewelers
June 2005
Volume 6 Issue 6
circulation over 3,600
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
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E-BENCH is a FREE monthly newsletter for Retail
Jewelry Store Owners, Shop Managers, Bench
Jewelers and Anyone Else That Is Interested.
We encourage you to forward this newsletter to
anyone that you think may benefit from it,
provided you forward all of it without
modification and not just portions of it.
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and all rights are reserved!
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E-BENCH is a BENCH MEDIA Publication
BENCH MEDIA is a B W Simon Company
Bradney W Simon – Publisher
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daniel@spirerjewelers.com
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<=>
<=> <=> TABLE OF CONTENTS <=>
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Tips for Jewelers,
Who Do Repairs from Alan Revere
FEATURE ARTICLE
Learn how to make your shop more profitable, a
new technique, or brush up on basic skills.
AT THE PLATINUM BENCH
Tips for working on Platinum from
Platinum Guild International
FAVORITE TIPS
Tips and Tricks to make your work on the bench
a little easier and more productive from
Bradney W. Simon CMBJ and E-BENCH Readers.
GERRY’S GEMZ
Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond
Setting
WORKSHOP SAFETY FOR JEWELERS
Tips from Charles Lewton-Brian
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101 Bench Tips for Jewelers by Alan Revere
Alan Revere—acclaimed designer, author, and
educator—now shares his most valuable bench
tips and tricks in 101 Bench Tips for Jewelers.
Based on the monthly column in AJM, this book
will help any jeweler speed production, improve
quality, and raise profits at the bench.
Filled with helpful illustrations, this
publication covers all aspects of bench work,
from soldering to stone setting, piercing to
final polish. This book is sure to be a
resource you’ll reference for years to come.
For more information, visit
www.ajm-magazine.com/pub_press.php
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Tips for Jewelers Who Do Repairs
From Alan Revere
AN EASY WAY TO FILL SMALL HOLES IN METAL
Let’s say that during the final polishing of a
cast, opal-set ring, you discover a pit in the
metal that’s too big to burnish closed. Or
maybe you fabricated a hollow ring with a small
air hole in the back, to allow gases to go in
and out during soldering, and you now need to
close the hole. In either case, you cannot
fill the hole with solder, nor can you bur out
and then solder in a plug. What do you do?
Here is a surefire way to fill a small hole in
metal, either in a fabricated or cast piece.
Begin by drilling through the hole with as
small a drill bit as possible. Now select a
piece of round wire made of the same alloy as
the piece, but slightly larger. Using a file,
taper the wire so the tip will go in the hole.
Now place the wire in a pin vise and slowly jam
it into the hole, twisting it as you force it
in. When the wire will not go in any further
and fits the hole tightly, cut it off and file
it down until it’s flush with the ring. Sand,
polish, and voilá—you have totally hidden the
hole. There isn’t even a solder seam to
discolor.
This Tip is from “101 Bench Tips for Jewelers"
written by Alan Revere and published by
MJSA/AJM Press.
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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Give away your life; you’ll find life given
back, but not merely given back – given back
with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting
is the way. Generosity
begets generosity.
Luke 11:36
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Jewelry Dealers
World Trade Network
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<=> Bench Jeweler Discussion Channel <=>
Ask questions, share tips, and take part in the
ongoing discussions, or just read and take in
all the advice from many excellent jewelers
from around the world.
Membership includes: Topical Discussion
Channels, including
Bench Work, CAD-CAM, Stone Setting, and many
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and trade on the
Buy/Sell Channels, Plus Much More.
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<=>
<=> <=> FEATURE ARTICLE <=>
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Flush Setting Baguette Stones
By Brad Simon
In this project we will discuss flush setting
baguette stones. The same process to set these
stones can be used to set any stone that has
straight sides and pointed corners. Years ago
this was a very popular style of setting
baguettes on the sides of gents’ rings, but now
it has become popular in many styles of
jewelry.
To begin, lay the stone table down on the
surface of the gold in the precise location
that you want to set it. You need to secure it
to the gold so that you can scribe around it
accurately. I like using just a little
superglue on the table of the stone to glue it
to the mounting. Once you are done you can
easily lift the stone off of the gold by
placing the point of your tweezers under the
girdle of the stone and a little pressure will
break the stone loose, or you can remove the
stone by placing the piece in acetone. You
want a line the exact shape and size of the
stone drawn onto the gold. It is very
important that this line is accurately drawn
because this will be your guideline for cutting
the seat for the stone.
Next, set your dividers to one half millimeter
and draw a line around the inside of your
guideline. The distance between the two lines
will create the seat for your stone to sit on.
Once you have this line drawn, drill a hole
through the gold to feed a saw blade through.
Cut out the center section with your saw, and
cut right up to the inside line. Piercing
through the gold will make it easier to clean
behind the stone after it is set and will make
cutting the seat easier. Be careful as you saw
that you saw straight through the gold or if
you have to saw on an angle be sure to saw
toward the center of the stone as you do not
want to cut on an angle and make the bottom of
the hole larger than the stone. If you are
setting the stone in a ring be careful as you
saw that you do not saw into the opposite side
of the shank.
The next step is to begin cutting the seat. I
use a regular straight-sided setting bur the
same diameter as the width of the stone. If
you are setting a straight baguette, cut
straight down in the center of the cutout to
the depth that you want the seat cut. The seat
should be cut so that the table of the stone is
level or ‘flush’ with the surface of the metal.
Then move the bur back and forth cutting the
seat to the length of the stone. Our objective
is to cut the seat the exact width and the
exact length of the stone. Because our burs
are round they cannot cut into the corners, but
we can cut the sides and the ends of the seat
at this time.
The next step is to remove the metal from the
corners. In this particular case I find it
easier to use a flat graver to trim the metal
out. You could use a hart bur held
perpendicular to cut the corners, but I find it
easier to just use a graver. You want a nice,
cleanly cut, seat that is even and smooth on
the sides and corners. At this point, place
your stone in the seat to be certain it fits
tightly and does not rock in the seat.
Then remove the stone and drill a small hole in
all four corners with a small drill bit. This
will keep any metal from touching the point of
the stone and protect it from chipping while
tightening the stone.
Now place your stone back into the seat. Using
a small steel burnisher begin to burnish the
edge of the metal down and out over the stone
on a 45 degree angle. Begin with your
burnisher at the center of the stone and rub
toward the corner. Do not rub back and forth
or you may burnish too much metal away from the
corners. You want as much metal as possible
over the corners at this point. If you end up
with extra metal you can always trim some away,
but if you finish setting the stone and the
corners are not covered it is difficult to
cover them with metal and make the setting look
neat and professional. Work from the center of
the stone to one corner then go to the opposite
corner and burnish metal over it. By working
opposite corners you will keep your stone
straight and level. Continue until metal is
over all four corners.
Then begin to rub back and forth along the
sides of the stone and the ends of the stone.
Burnish the entire length of the stone to make
sure that the metal is down over the stone
evenly and that you create a nice smooth bevel
from the surface of the metal down to the
stone.
This process is a little more time-consuming
than it is to flush set a round stone because
we do not have a bur to cut a square seat and
the corners present a little extra problem in
burnishing the metal over the stone. This
setting procedure takes precise craftsmanship
and is one of the more difficult setting jobs
that you'll encounter as a stone setter.
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a
living at what you love to do, there is only
scarcity of resolve to make it happen.
Wayne Dyer
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VISION
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Bench Jewelers on DVD
Each quarterly issue contains 1 hour of video
training including: Stone Setting, Jewelry
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Bench Tips, Bench Visits, and New Product
Reviews.
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AT THE PLATINUM BENCH
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Tips that make working with Platinum or
working at the bench in general - easier from
Jurgen J. Maerz CMBJ,
Director of Technical Education
for Platinum Guild International
http://www.pgi-platinum-tech.com
Platinum Investment
Using the right investment is especially
critical when casting platinum. Imagine a
metal entering your flask with 20 to 40 G’s of
force, at temperatures exceeding 3,500 F into a
material that is expected to give you an exact
replica of the wax model without problems or
flaws. You can see why choosing the right
investment is a key to successful platinum
casting.
Platinum investment, which is much stronger and
can take higher heat and pressure than gypsum
investment, comes in two basic types:
phosphate-bonded and acid-bonded. Typically,
acid-bonded investments give you better
reproduction, but they have much longer mixing
and burnout cycles.
Some of the acid-bonded investments contain
acid powder (usually silicic acid or organic
acids such as oxalic, malaeic, or lactic),
which activates when mixed with water. Others
require the addition of liquid phosphoric acid
to work. Usually the acid is mixed with
distilled water at a specific ratio, with the
powder then added to the mixture. The acid
powder formulations are easier to prepare
because you only add water, but powder
particles can settle to the bottom of the
investment in the drum, requiring careful
mixing of the investment before use to ensure a
homogenous mix. Whichever one you choose,
mixing should take about 1 to 2 hours.
Either type of acid-bonded investment will
provide excellent reproduction, but both take a
long time to set and burn out. For that
reason, many smaller casters are turning to
phosphate-bonded investments. Widely used in
the dental industry, these investments set
quickly. Unfortunately, they are also
expensive and, because of the very short
setting time, cannot be mixed in large
quantities for high volume production. They
are well suited for the small shop, however.
While their reproduction quality is not as good
as those of other investments, they will serve
for most general designs.
The choice of investment is really a personal
decision. Try several brands under comparable
conditions before deciding on one; most
manufacturers will be happy to provide a small
quantity of their brands for you to sample at
no charge.
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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This one step, choosing a goal and sticking to
it, changes everything.
Scott Reed
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Plus Favorite
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<=> FAVORITE TIPS <=>
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Learn to separate the necessary from the
unimportant. Often we do
not have time to
complete the necessary work because we spent
too much time on trivial tasks and
interruptions.
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Describe
a stone by color, size, shape only —
never
write what type of stone you think it is
on the take in envelope.
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When using burs and drills keep the cutting
edges cool. To do this,
always use a lubricant
while using your burs and drills.
You can use
oil based or solid wax based cutting
lubricants. This helps keep
the cutting edges
cool, thereby prolonging tool life. Also it
helps the metal chips flow away from the
cutting edge preventing the teeth from
clogging.
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A small cotton buff for your flex-shaft can
easily be made to polish recesses, and other
areas that are small and difficult to access.
First, take an old ball bur small enough to fit
into the area. Then, wrap
cotton around the
bur by holding the bur against a small piece of
cotton while turning slowly in your flex-shaft.
Apply rouge to the cotton and use to polish the
area.
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Using
a yellow highlight marker, color the
label
on yellow gold paste solder. Then, while
working
it will be easy to distinguish between
the
tubes of yellow and white paste solder.
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If you have a tip you would like to share with
our readers send it in an e-mail to
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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The secret to productive goal setting is in
establishing clearly defined goals, writing
them down and then focusing on them several
times a day with words, pictures and emotions
as if we've already achieved them.
Denis Waitley
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The
Ganoksin Project
www.ganoksin.com
The Gem and Jewelry Pre-Eminent Online
Resources. Open to the
public
Free of
Charge.
A substantial library of articles,
publications, reports, and technical data on
gem and jewelry related topics; as well as a
sizable collection of art and jewelry
galleries, for both the casual visitor and the
professional, also host the popular Orchid
online forums for jewelers.
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<=> GERRY’S GEMZ <=>
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Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond
Setting
http://www.gemzdiamondsetting.com/index.html
by Gerald N. Lewy
To flush set a stone in a ring, secure the ring
solidly into your ring clamp. Drill a hole
through the ring where you want the stone to be
set. Select a round bur 80% of the size of the
stone to be set and cut a hole to the depth of
the seat. Use an under-cutting bur and make a
seat for the girdle for the stone; remember
that the table of the diamond must be flush
with the surrounding metal once the stone is
set. Undercut a seat all around the hole and
check with a 10x loupe to make sure that the
seat is at the same level. Do not over drill
into the wall; you must only insert the bur
until you cannot see the rotating teeth. If
you are satisfied that the cutting is
satisfactory, then you can ‘snap’ in the stone.
Do not snap it straight in. Place the stone in
on an angle and slide it in side to side. You
will notice now that the diamond appears to be
lower than the surrounding metal. Proceed to
your brass pusher (don’t use a steel pusher as
it leaves deep marks in your gold). Push over
the metal in 4 equal sections around the stone.
You should not compress but only push to
tighten. Once the gold is evenly placed on the
stone, use a pumice wheel to clean up all of
the marks left by the brass pusher. For the
final stage of clean-up, use a #39 flat graver.
Bright-cut around the inner wall of the bezel
until you achieve a nice uniform cut.
((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))
Manual of Diamond
Setting by Gerry Lewy
This new book and CD set on diamond setting is
geared to the Hobbyist, Student, Beginner,
Intermediate and Advanced Jeweller/Setter. It
is a compendium of 5 years of writing for Bench
Magazine and has over 613 pictures taken during
the setting process. This Manual sell for
$69.95 US Special Price for all E-Bench Readers
is only $54.95 plus Shipping and Handling.
For more information or to order
E-Mail Gerry Lewy at: gemz@ican.net
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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You may have a fresh start any moment you
choose, for this thing that we call "failure"
is not the falling down, but the staying down
Mary Pickford
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Bench Jewelers SHOW
ME HOW Seminars
Bench Media is teaming up with Platinum Guild
International to bring you a fantastic line up
for a one day seminar.
This seminar will be
held in 4 cities across the
Instructors Include:
Topics Covered Include:
Platinum, Stone Setting, Jewelry Repair,
Fabrication, & Bench Tips
Doubletree Hotel San Francisco Airport
Come to the seminar and spend Labor Day weekend
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<=>
<=> WORKSHOP SAFETY FOR JEWELERS <=> <=>
Workshop Safety Tips From Charles Lewton-Brian
Using Safety Equipment Can Cause Risk Taking
Behavior
Let’s take the recent sneaker controversy.
Injuries and injury rates were compared between
the cheapest runners and expensive top brand
name sneakers. The rates of injury were often
higher with the more expensive, engineered,
'extra-safe' sneakers. This was not because
they weren’t safe-they were, it is just that
the psychological effect of using them was to
encourage people to behave less safely,
slamming the ground harder and so on, thus
increasing the rate of overall injury.
Respirators also encourage people to act in
hazardous ways because they think the equipment
will protect them. When you use safety
equipment make sure you are not doing worse
things than you were without it.
Rossol and McCann caution that some of the
supposedly safer substitutes for chemicals and
processes end up being as bad or worse as the
original. An example is that ceramic fibrous
cloth used to replace asbestos turns out to be
horrendous as well because of the small fibers
it is made of. Both of them feel that the
terpenes and ethyl glycols that have been
accepted by industry as 'non-toxic' substitutes
for solvents may have hidden dangers and lead
to bad surprises in the future. Check your use
of substitutes carefully.
For more information on Workshop safety from
Charles Lewton-Brian log onto:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/safety.htm
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Visit often, as we will be making changes to
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Information provided in this document is
provided ‘As Is’ without warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied.
This publication
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subject matter covered.
It is provided with
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For editorial suggestions, comments, ideas
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Copyrighted, 2005, BENCH MEDIA.
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