2 hours I won't get back

[Neural]

The results of my work today really have me wondering if I should just stick with cutting stones and sell my silver stuff. 
Doesn't seem to matter what I do, the bezel wire fits perfect when I set it around the stone, but by the time the process is done, the stone either won't fit, or it's loose in the bezel (like this one is).

[Steve]

It  takes a whole bunch of working/practice to get smithing figured out.......I know I am self taught.

In the early days (when I walked uphill to my work bench both ways........in the snow) I sure 'burned a lot of sterling before I began to make 'jewelry'.  Then I started setting stones..........and burned a lot of fine silver bezel and sterling before I made stone jewelry.

Don't give up - remember, magic is as magic does.........the drawback here is that we weren't born magicians, we all had to learn.

[hulagrub]

Keep trying! I doubt if any of us ever get satisfied, with our own work!

[Taogem]

Jon..

Not that I do a whole lot of silver work, but I can relate completely. It still is not uncommon for me to have to re-work the perimeter of some stones to make them fit nicely.

I do like to hold my bezels in place with bailing wire. Bent so as there is a slight spring tensioning on the bezel.

I join/solder the bezel ends together, then place the stone in it. Lay that on the sheet and draw a pencil line around the bezel. The pencil mark gives me a guide as to exactly where I want my bezel to be placed and retain the desired shape.

[Melisa]

Never give up!! Ya gotta keep at it!!..........BTW, I love the quote.

[Rockoteer]

Me to, Love the Quote.

TOG

[Michael]

I have only been doing this hobby for about two years and have done about 10 silver pieces for my stones. most are good a few are ok.... one that I did for my daughter I screwed up over an ounce of silver, 26 ga plate and 28 ga bezel. she said that they looked good but I did not think so ,so I scraped them. I solder almost every day as my primary work involves chillers and industerial air conditiong, even so if it does not please me it goes into the recycle bin. the best teacher is time and the quality you  desire in your work.
:)
mike

[Neural]

Appreciate all the encouragement.  :)

It's just so hard when you keep running into the same problem over and over.

It seems ironic in some ways that I actually have no problem getting the bezel wire to solder properly to the back plate.  Of the 10 or so bezels I've done, only one has not been fully soldered all the way around, first time through.

I'm really apprehensive about using any sort of backing, but often times opals look best with a black backing anyway.

What I need is to find a black material that is about 1/4mm thick and has some squishyness to it.

As for my signature quote, it's one of my own ("N" is the initial of the name I go by in games and other non-business related stuff).
It's a funny quote, but I realized a few weeks ago that it's a bit pretentious as it makes me look like I'm bragging about being something I'm not (a genius you silly people.  Everyone knows I'm nuts :p  )

[doxallo]

Many people set their stones only on the upper half to upper third of the bezel. Somewhere in there and up to the top. If your bezel is loose - which is how a lot of smiths like them to be before setting, first use your pusher (or bezel rocker or whatever) and go around the  BASE of the bezel, right where it touches the backplate. Then work your way up and finally the top edge. What happens is this:

(pardon my crude drawing, graphics are NOT my thing)


[attachment deleted by admin]

[Taogem]

Thanks for that Janice.. 

[skystone]

Nice looking pendant. Never give up. The fact that you are not sattisfied with your work. Shows you have the eye & taste to improve. I've been playing/working with silver for about 20 years. I still melt some bezel etc once in a while. Usually my problem is just the opposite. I have to shave some off the stone to make it fit the bezel. I just hate a sloppy fit of the stone. Just keep at it. Heck I weighed the scrap I have accumulated (including scraped fiascoes) & it was over a pound. I'm gonna take up casting to use it up LOL (a process I haven't done till now)

[Neural]

You know.  It's not so much that I'm having this issue.

What makes me so livid I could do grave physical harm to myself is that I have so many examples right in front of me on my desk that prove I can do this crap.

I have rings, pendants, experiments and such all of them are set just fine, no backing needed, no special tools, NOTHING.  They simple WORK.

And now all of a sudden I'm putting out scrap that a blind cat could do better on.

[skystone]

We all go through spells like that. Right now I have a multi stone pendant I'm doing for a friend of mine. It's driving me nuts. I've started over a second time from scratch. Every time I think I've got it perfect.  Something crops up that has to be redone. If it was for me I'd have given up on it long ago. But it's actually for this friends customer. He's a gold smith & diamonds for high end customers. He " doesn't have time "to do silver (la dee da). So hang in there all artists go through such spells. Writers call it writers block. I call it (well I can't say here. Wouldn't want to offend the ladies LOL) all thumbs time.