Now you’ve all been wondering “How am I going to create a ‘seat’ for
a curved-sided, cabochon stone”…“Let alone create a curved-wall for
the stone to lay against”.
Wonder no more, my dear jewellery friends on Orchid, I have the
absolute, simple answer for you. It’s so easy you probably never knew
that you had this bur already*.
Imagine a very large, or series of round burs, each bur with sharp
edges for delicate metal cutting. Now take a bur that is similiar to
the curves of your cabochon stone. Secure it in a min-vise grip or
wooden handle with a vise for holding “bead-burnishers”.
Have this bur in your hand and place it against your favourite
bench-grinder…Here is the easy part! As you are rotating this bur
let the grinding wheel remove some of the tip of the bur (keep
turning the bur)…Keep this bur cool to your touch, you don’t want
this new bur to burn, or soften, if you do, it’s wasted!!!
Keep turning this new bur-tool, till you reach about half of the bur
being ground down. Please keep this steel bur cool, so-o important!
Do not grind beyond half of the bur tip. Try and keep the sharp
teeth edges exposed at all times, this are your new cutting teeth!
I have made a series of about 12 round, 1/2 burs all for all of the
different sizes of cabochon stones…These range from #014 to #50
round sized bur.
If you have to re-sharpen each bur just touch the bur to your
bench-grinder and voila a new setting bur that you cannot buy at any
tool supplier. Many of my burs are hand-made and to my own
specifications!
…Gerry!
