|
Post by opalpyrexia on Dec 28, 2019 12:51:30 GMT -5
A friend of ours asked me some time ago to make a pair of my starfish earrings for her. I hadn't cast in months but I had several wax starfish that I had made earlier, so I decided to cast four pairs, hoping that at least two starfish would be good. The casting went well and all of the starfish turned out fine. (One had a small ball of silver on the backside due to an air bubble in the investment plaster, but it was easily removed.) These starfish have dimples (because I made my original wax model with a ball bur) rather than the usual bumpy starfish texture, but they're small enough that to the eye they still read as bumps. I soldered on jump rings formed to connect the earwires. I wish that the the rings had been cast with the starfish, but my original model was made for post earrings. Linda is a really nice, kind woman and friend, so I gave her a hell of a deal and set 2.5 mm champagne diamonds — which she wasn't expecting.
|
|
|
Post by fernwood on Dec 28, 2019 12:56:21 GMT -5
Beautiful earrings. Linda has a great friend.
|
|
|
Post by Pat on Dec 28, 2019 13:30:52 GMT -5
Wow!
|
|
|
Post by rockjunquie on Dec 28, 2019 14:08:26 GMT -5
Those came out very nice. She'll love them! The diamonds are icing on the cake.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,732
|
Post by gemfeller on Dec 28, 2019 14:16:37 GMT -5
Very nice job and a very lucky Linda. I'm curious about how you set the diamonds. Bead setting? I don't see any beads. Some other method?
I'm in the mood to do some casting. My shop's too chilly right now to allow me to work comfortably but I'm looking forward to doing some projects I have in mind. I'm thinking of buying an electric melting furnace -- I find torch-melting to be pretty imprecise. What method do you use?
|
|
|
Post by hummingbirdstones on Dec 28, 2019 14:34:12 GMT -5
Beautiful earrings! The diamonds are icing on the cake. Your friend Linda is one lucky gal.
|
|
|
Post by opalpyrexia on Dec 28, 2019 14:42:49 GMT -5
Very nice job and a very lucky Linda. I'm curious about how you set the diamonds. Bead setting? I don't see any beads. Some other method? I'm in the mood to do some casting. My shop's too chilly right now to allow me to work comfortably but I'm looking forward to doing some projects I have in mind. I'm thinking of buying an electric melting furnace -- I find torch-melting to be pretty imprecise. What method do you use?
Thank you!
The stones are flush set. I was going to set them the way I usually do using the "Blaine Lewis" flush-set method with a pusher, but because the metal slopes down from the center of the starfish I was concerned about the pusher slipping and scoring the surface. So I did some light hammer-setting first and then followed through with aggressive pushing at a steeper-than-normal angle. The photo doesn't really show it.
I wish that I had a furnace. I melt with a propane+oxygen torch using a mostly-yellow flame to minimize O2 absorption. As the metal begins to get slushy, I keep checking it with a quartz rod. At the very earliest moment that I detect that the metal feels and/or looks molten, I let the casting machine go.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,732
|
Post by gemfeller on Dec 28, 2019 15:00:05 GMT -5
Very nice job and a very lucky Linda. I'm curious about how you set the diamonds. Bead setting? I don't see any beads. Some other method? I'm in the mood to do some casting. My shop's too chilly right now to allow me to work comfortably but I'm looking forward to doing some projects I have in mind. I'm thinking of buying an electric melting furnace -- I find torch-melting to be pretty imprecise. What method do you use? Thank you! The stones are flush set. I was going to set them the way I usually do using the "Blaine Lewis" flush-set method with a pusher, but because the metal slopes down from the center of the starfish I was concerned about the pusher slipping and scoring the surface. So I did some light hammer-setting first and then followed through with aggressive pushing at a steeper-than-normal angle. The photo doesn't really show it.
I wish that I had a furnace. I melt with a propane+oxygen torch using a mostly-yellow flame to minimize O2 absorption. As the metal begins to get slushy, I keep checking it with a quartz rod. At the very earliest moment that I detect that the metal feels and/or looks molten, I let the casting machine go.
Nice job on the setting. I'll have to look up the Blaine Lewis method. It must have been "fun" keeping the starfish in place while you were hammering. My melting method is much the same as yours. I also use propane/oxy. I mostly get good results but there are times when I release the caster too soon -- or too late. Hopefully the electric melter will resolve that issue.
|
|
|
Post by opalpyrexia on Dec 28, 2019 15:19:51 GMT -5
Nice job on the setting. I'll have to look up the Blaine Lewis method. It must have been "fun" keeping the starfish in place while you were hammering. My melting method is much the same as yours. I also use propane/oxy. I mostly get good results but there are times when I release the caster too soon -- or too late. Hopefully the electric melter will resolve that issue.
Thanks. I'll post a photo of my pusher. The earrings were held fast in thermoplastic, and I kept a pointed, wood coffee stirrer on the diamonds while hammering. The hammer force was really light.
|
|
|
Post by opalpyrexia on Dec 28, 2019 16:01:15 GMT -5
Here's my flush-set pusher. It's a tine from a stainless steel dinner fork: A closeup of the business end shows its curved, polished profile. The arrow indicates the direction in which the tip of the pusher moves. And this simple diagram shows where the pusher tip makes contact with the metal of the setting hole. The arrow indicates the direction of force, which will force deformed metal down onto the crown of the stone to secure it:
|
|
|
Post by rockjunquie on Dec 28, 2019 16:53:09 GMT -5
Here's my flush-set pusher. It's a tine from a stainless steel dinner fork: A closeup of the business end shows its curved, polished profile. The arrow indicates the direction in which the tip of the pusher moves. And this simple diagram shows where the pusher tip makes contact with the metal of the setting hole. The arrow indicates the direction of force, which will force deformed metal down onto the crown of the stone to secure it:
You are always so informative. Thank you for sharing.
|
|
julieooly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2018
Posts: 714
|
Post by julieooly on Dec 28, 2019 17:36:51 GMT -5
Amazing earrings Gary, so much to learn with jewelry making. I had no idea! Plus so many of us do our work in our homes (garages basements), that's what I love most.
|
|
|
Post by toiv0 on Dec 28, 2019 19:10:02 GMT -5
Amazing as usual, my sluggo type setting can't even compare. Lucky woman to get those.
I always get nervous for some reason soldering on cast.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,732
|
Post by gemfeller on Dec 28, 2019 19:19:34 GMT -5
opalpyrexia , Thanks for the info. You have great skill with computer imagery in addition to your stone and jewelry work. I need to update some of my methods. I'm stuck in the shellac-stick era. I have some of the thermoplastic material but have yet to try it for holding small objects except for stone-drilling. Your tiny pusher is quite clever. I'll have to try to make one. Is stainless hard enough to push silver or does it need to be tempered? I guess I'm asking whether it was filed to shape or heat-forged.
|
|
|
Post by opalpyrexia on Dec 28, 2019 19:36:58 GMT -5
opalpyrexia , Thanks for the info. You have great skill with computer imagery in addition to your stone and jewelry work. I need to update some of my methods. I'm stuck in the shellac-stick era. I have some of the thermoplastic material but have yet to try it for holding small objects except for stone-drilling. Your tiny pusher is quite clever. I'll have to try to make one. Is stainless hard enough to push silver or does it need to be tempered? I guess I'm asking whether it was filed to shape or heat-forged.
Thanks, the stainless tine is plenty hard for pushing silver. I filed the curves on the tip.
To make it I simply bought a dinner fork at Goodwill. You can see the pusher's taper in the photo. That's the original taper of the tine, so the orientation is just like you're moving a fork sideways — if that makes sense.
|
|
|
Post by MsAli on Dec 28, 2019 19:46:14 GMT -5
Those are fricking incredible!
|
|
|
Post by hummingbirdstones on Dec 28, 2019 21:03:24 GMT -5
I'm always learning something new from all of you. Thanks for the great descriptions and photos!
|
|
|
Post by opalpyrexia on Dec 28, 2019 21:17:24 GMT -5
Thank you all for your nice comments. I really appreciate them.
|
|
|
Post by RocksInNJ on Dec 28, 2019 22:15:12 GMT -5
Wow another amazing project. You never cease to amaze me.
|
|
|
Post by knave on Dec 29, 2019 2:08:53 GMT -5
Very nice job and a very lucky Linda. I'm curious about how you set the diamonds. Bead setting? I don't see any beads. Some other method? I'm in the mood to do some casting. My shop's too chilly right now to allow me to work comfortably but I'm looking forward to doing some projects I have in mind. I'm thinking of buying an electric melting furnace -- I find torch-melting to be pretty imprecise. What method do you use?
Thank you!
The stones are flush set. I was going to set them the way I usually do using the "Blaine Lewis" flush-set method with a pusher, but because the metal slopes down from the center of the starfish I was concerned about the pusher slipping and scoring the surface. So I did some light hammer-setting first and then followed through with aggressive pushing at a steeper-than-normal angle. The photo doesn't really show it.
I wish that I had a furnace. I melt with a propane+oxygen torch using a mostly-yellow flame to minimize O2 absorption. As the metal begins to get slushy, I keep checking it with a quartz rod. At the very earliest moment that I detect that the metal feels and/or looks molten, I let the casting machine go.
It’s crazy how much a trade can overlap into a hobby. With oxy/acetylene brazing that is a “carburizing” flame. You have really good skills. Wow
|
|