Settings for Cabochons

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Mornington Peninsula
I'm thinking of going a step further with the cabs I'm making and would like to make some simple settings for them similar to this with open backs

1595030951_107424847_10157391747987703_7026446081935228950_o.jpg


So I've made a list of what I think I'll need ( bare minimum ) not what I'd like :eek:

mini blow torch
soldering paste
pickle
soldering block
plastic tweezers
diamond files
snips

Not sure about

3rd hand with locking tweezers ?
dremel & polishing buffs ?

Is there anything I've missed that is absolutely, positively required ?

Cheers Keith
 
Various shaped jewellers pliers, flats, rounds, long-nose
Soldering tweezers for getting the hot stuff to your pickle. Use plastic one to remove it (third hand not necessary to get you started)
Soldering pick to move solder and parts around
Paint stirrer, emery paper and a couple of elastic bands for shaping/sanding.
Scribe for marking saw marks and jewellers saw (saw better than snips as you get a square edge to butt your soldering joints together, otherwise file longer length back, definitely recommended for thicker metal)
 
You had me thinking about 3rd hands and I upgraded a simple wire tripod jig to help with my soldering. It is all about a tiny bit of pressure so the flux does not separate the parts when heated or bezels do not lift due to no-uniform heating.

1595203228_e79370e7-2da6-46b9-8f21-87f4f0af5df0.jpg
 
I do my best to recover them in good condition with my metal detector, but sometimes my pick hits a hole deadset in the middle of the coin. 8.(

Still Have not worked out how to use the ones damaged by Councils lawnmower, but thinking about it.
 
Dont forget to add a Good Grip to your list of tools.

Stayed up last night to make a setting for a nice snowflake obsidian cab I made for someone as a gift, the darn thing cracked as it flew off the polishing buffer at 100mph and hit my ball-vice. :awful: 8.( :awful:

1595466431_ee41eede-e004-432e-b896-a4b9776c50bd.jpg
 
Dont forget to add a Good Grip to your list of tools :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

It is not nice to have a master piece shatter with the sudden impact on contact with hard objects in the cave :awful:
I to wally, have had to stand and raise a glass(or can )on too many occasions to the suddenly dearly departed, off the polishing buffer at great speed 8.(
 
sand surfer said:
Dont forget to add a Good Grip to your list of tools :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

It is not nice to have a master piece shatter with the sudden impact on contact with hard objects in the cave :awful:
I to wally, have had to stand and raise a glass(or can )on too many occasions to the suddenly dearly departed, off the polishing buffer at great speed 8.(

You're not alone, 20hrs of work on a gem and it takes to the sky off the dop is even more painful :8 :awful:
 
What does everybody use for soldering blocks, nearly every place I've looked is out of stock. Would a couple of ceramic floor tiles be ok, even stacked on top of each other ?
 

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