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ScarlettoSara
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« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2015, 05:32:52 pm » |
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Beautiful:)
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"I tramp a perpetual journey.”
― Walt Whitman, Song of Myself
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john likes rocks!
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« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2015, 07:30:32 pm » |
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Sure if fun getting to see your new ring I like it a lot. That opal looks mysterious ... nice rock!
John
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hulagrub
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« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2015, 09:14:06 pm » |
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Awesome stone and great smithing job!
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Dave, a certified Rockaholic  |
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gemfeller
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« Reply #4 on: March 13, 2015, 09:21:15 pm » |
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Bezel-setting opal is tricky work. Nice job.
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Steve
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« Reply #6 on: March 14, 2015, 12:33:07 pm » |
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Very nice set up there............................  I have a few suggestions for your next encounter with twist wire: First be sure you anneal the wire. Twist wire has a mind of its own. Next, once you are in the correct size neighborhood, re-anneal the twist so one of the ends can be twisted as to have the two strands of round wire meet and continue the same symmetry in alignment. And last, when wrapping it around the bezel cup for measurement, it might take more than one attempt at soldering to get it tight enough to eliminate any spacing next to the bezel cup. If it is a little too large use a jeweler's saw to cut the ring apart. This leaves the ends much more parallel and easier to re-match the ends rather than using wire cutters. Keep it up..................................  |
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redrockrods
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« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2015, 09:38:40 am » |
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Very nice set up there............................ I have a few suggestions for your next encounter with twist wire: First be sure you anneal the wire. Twist wire has a mind of its own. Next, once you are in the correct size neighborhood, re-anneal the twist so one of the ends can be twisted as to have the two strands of round wire meet and continue the same symmetry in alignment. And last, when wrapping it around the bezel cup for measurement, it might take more than one attempt at soldering to get it tight enough to eliminate any spacing next to the bezel cup. If it is a little too large use a jeweler's saw to cut the ring apart. This leaves the ends much more parallel and easier to re-match the ends rather than using wire cutters. Keep it up.................................. Thanks for the tips Steve, I'll keep them in mind next time I work with twist wire. |
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redrockrods
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« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2015, 09:40:10 am » |
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Hi there! Looks like you have been busy. Nice piece!
Thanks! I'm working through the "culls" pile and this was one of them. have about a dozen or so worked up. tricky to photograph. |
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kjsspot
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« Reply #9 on: March 16, 2015, 04:59:03 pm » |
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Thanks! I'm working through the "culls" pile and this was one of them. have about a dozen or so worked up. tricky to photograph.
Try underexposing opals a notch or two. |
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Mark
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« Reply #10 on: March 17, 2015, 07:29:10 pm » |
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Even if it doesn't have "knock your socks off" fire, its still i nice colored stone. I like it.
The annealing tip from Steve is a good idea. On my last piece i made, i didn't have bezel strip high enough to work with a faceted stone. I had to cut a strip off of my sterling backing sheet and it is too thick to normally bend around to make a bezel for a small faceted stone. I tried annealing for the first time, and i was able to bend the strip all the way around to make an oval bezel and to get the ends to meet. I could have never done that without annealing. It was a first for me and i finally realized what annealing could do for you.
Mark
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Bennett
Full Member
 Offline
Gender: 
Posts: 206
The Blue Run, aka Rainbow River
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« Reply #11 on: March 18, 2015, 07:06:27 pm » |
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Great advice and explanation Steve. Now tell us what to do if it is a bit too tight as sometimes happens if it is too large the first time.
Thanks,
Bennett
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Bennett "Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment." Will Rogers |
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Mark
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« Reply #12 on: March 19, 2015, 06:42:58 pm » |
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Stretch it. I often get bezels a bit too tight, or a bit too loose. I would rather it be too tight than too loose. When it is too tight, depending on the shape, i will use like a mandrel if i have one that it fits over or if not, i look around the house until i find something else to stretch it with. My last bezel that i annealed, at first was too tight and i just put the nose of some needle nose pliers inside the bezel and spread them apart to stretch the bezel larger. Just be careful to not mess it up to the point that you have to throw it out and start it over.
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Val
Guest
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Very nice! I am fairly new to all this, but it seems my bezels look so much thinner and so flimsy compared to a lot of the rings I see posted. I have been buying ready made from Rio Grande. Do you just cut your own, and if so, what gauge silver do you use? Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
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redrockrods
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Hi Val, I cut my own bezels out of 26ga fine silver using a metal bench shear. I find the 30 gauge pre-fab bezel tape too thin for my liking.
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Steve
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Great advice and explanation Steve. Now tell us what to do if it is a bit too tight as sometimes happens if it is too large the first time.
Thanks,
Bennett
Wow, How did I miss this since the 18th of March.........................  Mark has got the stretching method down pretty much. The only thing I would add is to anneal the wire before stretching. I use a ring mandrel and a leather mallet for that. On one that is too large, well..................you've just got to guesstimate on how much to snip off the twist. Cut it at the solder joint and then snip off a bit - re-solder - and dry fit. It may take several times to get it to your satisfaction. I prefer this to stretching. Another little hint: The ends of the twist very seldom match up so take your pliers and twist the twist wire tighter a little until the individual strands line up. File both ends flat and solder - sparingly. |
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