Hi there, I am having trouble obtaining a clean and secure method of
channel setting. Can anybody please give me on the best process
of channel setting stones? Michael
Hi there, I am having trouble obtaining a clean and secure method of
channel setting. Can anybody please give me on the bestprocess
of channel setting stones? Michael
Michael: check the Orchid archives, there was a good thread on channel
setting a few months back …Dave
http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/lwgate/lwgate.cgi/ORCHID/archives/
Art Jewelry for Conscious People
http://www.opendoor.com/stephensdesign/crystalguy.html
You’ll undoubtedly get a large response to this question, so I’ll just put
in my 2 cents worth.
The cleanest looking channel setting (for diamond melee anyway) occurs
when you hammer as little metal over the stone girdles as possible. One
very well known company in Chicago (I forget the name…) uses a
fascinating technique. They only very slightly bur the seat with a bud bur,
then tightly force the stone in with a brass pusher. The metal is then
hammered over the girdle. Because of the absence of metal over the stones
(enough to hold them very securely however), the brightness of the stones
is retained, and the edge of the channel is beautifully straight. And of
course, the inside of the channel should be bright and polished if
possible.
Personally, I really like the way Stuller sets up their mountings for
channel setting. The stones can frequently be fitted in with any bur work,
or just a very light amount, and the depth is perfect to get an
appropriate amount of metal above the girdle. It would be worth your while
to order one just to study it (as long as you get one of the mountings set
up that way).
Jeffrey Everett
I am in the set it deeper camp. We make the channel just too narrow for
the stone to fall in. Use a 45 degree bur to cut a seat on either side
equal to the diameter of the stone, the top edge of the seat should be
about 1/2 mm below the surface. You should be able to just click the stone
in, if not gently lift one side just a tiny bit with the tip of your round
nose pleirs and lay the stone in. Hammer the channel to tighten the stone,
but don’t overhammer, if you do it right your are basically returning the
channel to its original level. When setting rounds I like to set each
individually rather than cutting a bearing and sliding them in. Its easier
to tighten them and place them precisely. Hammering with a swiss hammer on
your flex shaft is the way to go, (or air tools), you can actually smooth
the surface. Its important to bevel the channel away, or keep it level in
relationship to the stones. The tendency for beginners is to pitch the edge
of the channel down against the stone to tighten it, this is a no-no. What
you want is to leave that nice fat 1/2 mm edge so you can use your sharp
flat graver and your nice sharp barrett file to remove any irregularities.
Your objective is to get that edge as verticle as possible. Then on the top
of the channel, file it smooth, rubber wheel it with a nice flat blue wheel
(no ripples please), followed by a pink silicon high polish wheel. This
gives you a lapped look, and if you did it right you have a nice crisp edge
with the beautiful sparkling melee slightly less than a 1/2 mm below. Thats
how we do it, square stones are different. Good Luck!
Mark P.