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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips |
2016-06-16, 4:46am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jan 14, 2007
Location: Fullerton, CA
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Bezel settings
Hi!
I am looking to take a class on learning how to set cabs in bezel settings. Doing the soldering and stuff. What type of class would this be? What's the name of this craft? I know, this probably seems like a very basic question, but I have no clue about this stuff or where to begin.
Can these settings and soldering be done/taught in brass? I love brass. It's cheap and I could make a million things without spending a lot, lol.
Thank you!!!!
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Patti T.
Fullerton, CA
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2016-06-16, 4:52am
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Hi Patti. It's called smithing, and you'll mostly find classes for silver and gold smithing. You can use brass, same tools and actions, but the solder is different from gold. I believe you can use silver solder on brass, but they make one that matches the color better.
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2016-06-16, 5:20am
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See if you have a Gem and Mineral society in your area. They usually give classes in metal work. This is our local society as an example.
http://www.jaxgemandmineral.org/class-descriptions.html
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2016-06-16, 7:28am
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There are no classes here so I found a craftsy class (Sponsored by Rio Grande) on-line and learned a lot from it. Other then that, I watch a lot of video tutorials (Soham Harrison is excellent!).
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2016-06-16, 11:54pm
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Great info, thank you!
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Patti T.
Fullerton, CA
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2016-06-17, 5:16am
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Patti, of course you can use brass, and copper as well. These can be bought in sheets in various gauges (thickness of the sheet) in quite a lot of places in USA - retailers of stained glass, juwelry supplies, modelling (avia, ship, etc). These sheets can be cut into forms and stripes as desired with regular scissors for metal. Also some assortment of precuts is usually available - ready circles, ovals, etc but these are more expensive.
And may be it is better to start from brass and copper since these materials are relatively inexpensive (comparing to silver).
You will probably want lead-free solder if you want to make juwelry. Though brass and copper can be soldered with solders containing lead (as it is done in stained glass) and it is easier to deal with them since they melt at lower temperatures, you hardly want to wear a piece containing lead. Lead-free solders are also available from the same suppliers - Delphi glass has it for sure, Rio Grande as well, I suppose. They can advise you on the flux you will need as well.
Also you will need a portable butane torch to start with - an inexpensive one that is filled from these small bottles of gas for refilling gas lighters.
Also you will need something as a burnisher (to push the edge of metal towards the glass smothly and evenly and to lock the glass in the metal rim), files (to file the edges of metal), sanding paper of different grits (to sand and polish the finished piece). And some kind of finishing - patina, glider's paste, etc to protect the metals and create decorative effects though this is not obligatory right from the start and can be purchased later (copper can get shades of patina if you put your clean finished piece in a plastic bag with a freshly boiled egg free from eggshell and cut in 2 parts - there is enough sulfur to gently react with copper and develop natural patina).
Silver will need a different solder and may be flux as well. Both metal and solder are considerably more expensive.
Rio Grande seems to be a good place to start at. And on youtube you can find a lot of videos demonstrating how to cut, clean, bend and fit the metal parts to provide good conditions for the solder to "suck into" the joints and make them strong - it is really easier to see than to read. Just search for something like "solder bezel setting copper" (brass is pretty similar).
Good luck
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2016-06-17, 6:18am
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The important thing to remember about soldering is that solder won't fill gaps. Your pieces need to fit flat together. Flux is important and heat entire piece to temperature before concentrating flame where you want solder to flow. Rio Grande has utube videos that are very good.
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2016-06-19, 7:16am
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The adult ed classes taught around here have classes that cover that. I even took one on lost wax casting once.
dj
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2016-06-19, 11:00am
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I'm meeeeelting
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There are a lot of beginning jewelry-making classes (generally, weekend-long or multi-session) where the main project is a bezel-set ring, at least around here. That would give you not only a cool ring at the end of class but the skills for bezel setting cabs. Look at jewelry studios or stores with classes, community colleges, art schools and community colleges with adult/continuing education courses.
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2016-06-20, 4:36am
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Yes! Great help! Thanks so much!
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Patti T.
Fullerton, CA
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2016-06-22, 6:29am
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Hi Patti,
All good tips above. At the risk of tooting my own horn, I covered this in a couple of posts on my blog--I think bezel mounted dichroic cabochons look awesome. Here are the links:
http://www.steveghilliard.com/making...ng-bezel-cups/
http://www.steveghilliard.com/mounti...in-bezel-cups/
I'm far from an expert, but I can't resist writing up what I learn, for myself and others.
Good luck, and beware, silversmithing can be just as addictive (and expensive) as lampworking.
Steve
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Steve Hilliard, sghilliard glass studio
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2016-06-23, 5:46am
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Great tutorials!
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2016-06-24, 6:27am
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Thanks Vicki!
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Steve Hilliard, sghilliard glass studio
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