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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 10, 2021 8:54:16 GMT -5
Nice work, well done! I quickly scanned over the thread so I may be suggesting something previously mentioned. For the bezel wrap I use fine 28 gauge fine silver (99%). It is softer than sterling and very malleable. It takes very little pressure to roll. When making the bezel make it as tight as possible to prevent it bunching up at the corners. Depending on the circumference of the stone, make the bezel strip between 1/64 - 1/32 of an inch shorter than the circumference. Then after soldering you can stretch the bezel to get an exact fit. Stretching can be accomplished by rolling a punch along the surface of the bezel wire. Good luck, you are well on your way! Thanks for the tips. Your tip n stretching would have been great on this one. Once I got it soldered it was a little tight but I could still pass the stone through it. After soldering to backplate it was a no go. Still don't know why that happened. Luckily I had the cab machine s just took it to the 220 soft wheel and a couple times around the edge made a good fit. I did get some fine silver strip for my next attempts. Steven Most likely it was solder inside the bezel cup that inhibited your fit. Another tip is to use only enough solder to do the job. To solder the bezel to the back plate does not take much so be frugal with the solder and use your torch to draw the solder around the bezel.
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Post by lpl on May 10, 2021 17:46:24 GMT -5
That’s a great looking first piece! Pointy spots are tricky, but once you get the height of the bezel correct to the stone, it’s a snap! Great job!
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