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Dec. 14th, 2008 06:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
afmetalsmithSometimes I really hate doing something new. Especially in gold.
I'm making a mother's pin that will have a large central stone, then 6 flanking stones. The flanking stones are round and I have appropriate tubing, so no problem. But- I have to build the setting for the central stone.
Now: I thought I had a jig set-up that would help me achieve 4 equally-spaced wires for the setting. And after searching for it for quite a while, I found it, and yes it'd do that... but only for a smaller stone than I have. Alas.
So, I'm back to the basics. I have a 22-ga. (about 0.65mm) strip for the bearing, and I'm soldering 4 wires onto it for prongs after making it into a circle. Once all the prongs are on, I'll squish it into the oval I need.
All the measurements have worked out perfectly, which is gratifying.
And I got 3 of the 4 prongs on before the adrenaline rush was such that my hand was shaking too much to place the solder for prong #4. Sigh. I KNOW next time i do this, it'll be cool... but this time, it's such a nuisance!
Still- the other 3 prongs are on very nicely, and #4 is ready to go tomorrow. Plus drilling the pin for the tubing for the other settings, and soldering them in.
The deadlline is approaching like a freight train, yes. And not being able to work Friday was NO help!
I'm making a mother's pin that will have a large central stone, then 6 flanking stones. The flanking stones are round and I have appropriate tubing, so no problem. But- I have to build the setting for the central stone.
Now: I thought I had a jig set-up that would help me achieve 4 equally-spaced wires for the setting. And after searching for it for quite a while, I found it, and yes it'd do that... but only for a smaller stone than I have. Alas.
So, I'm back to the basics. I have a 22-ga. (about 0.65mm) strip for the bearing, and I'm soldering 4 wires onto it for prongs after making it into a circle. Once all the prongs are on, I'll squish it into the oval I need.
All the measurements have worked out perfectly, which is gratifying.
And I got 3 of the 4 prongs on before the adrenaline rush was such that my hand was shaking too much to place the solder for prong #4. Sigh. I KNOW next time i do this, it'll be cool... but this time, it's such a nuisance!
Still- the other 3 prongs are on very nicely, and #4 is ready to go tomorrow. Plus drilling the pin for the tubing for the other settings, and soldering them in.
The deadlline is approaching like a freight train, yes. And not being able to work Friday was NO help!
