Does anyone know how to use this tool?

Jewelry Discussion
1

Happy New Year to you all!

A few years ago I purchased a studio, lock, stock and barrel. As
part of the collection of tools there was a small, mysterious, wooden
box with the word India printed on the lid. There is a collection of
bits that form a kit in this box. I showed it to every silversmithing
teacher I took classes from (4 in total) and noone knew what it was.
I looked through catalogs and could not find it. Today was my lucky
day! Found it in the Otto Frei catalog. Part # 153.194.

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep7zw5

It is called a setting making jig. There are no instructions. There
is one product review from someone who states that he has this tool
and does not know how to use it. I spoke with a rep from Otto Frei,
who was most gracious in trying to help, but did not know how to use
it or who the manufacturer was for me to contact. So. …I am hoping
that someone from this illustrous group can shed some light on this
tool and its use.

Thank you for any response.
Mary Rose McQuillan

2

The jig is used to bend wire to make prong settings for gems. The
wire is laid into the grooves in the jig and then bent with the outer
sleeve to form the shape. The wires then have to be soldered or
welded together.

John

3

Hi Mary,

Coincidentally, I have just posted on that very subject.

Check out: http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep7zw8

Should give you an idea how they work.

Hans
meevis.com

4

As the name says, it’s a jig for making stone setting from wire.

The large block on the left of the picture is the base. The 5 small
conical items at the front are the guides; they each have grooves
for holding wires, and a stem that fits into the hole in the base.

The 4 cylindrical tubes each have an internal lip at one end, and
are used to hold the wires in the grooves.

To make a setting, choose a cone of the required size, with the
correct number of grooves, and put it onto the base. Cut pieces of
wire that will become the claws; they should be rather longer than
the final required length. Put the wires into the grooves of the cone
and place a tube on it so that the lip holds the wires in their
grooves. Adjust the wires so they meet (they will be cut to length
later). Alternatively, make the wires long enough so that you can
twist them together where they meet.

With the wires correctly oriented by the jig, you can then join the
ends where they meet. Otto Frei suggests using a blob of instant
glue, but a small hot flame will allow you to solder them without
damaging the jig; a PUK or laser welder is perfect.

Once the ends are soldered together, remove the assembly from the
jig and solder the supporting bezel into it. You can then trim the
original joined ends away.

IHTH
Regards, Gary Wooding

5 
As part of the collection of tools there was a small, mysterious,
wooden box with the word India printed on the lid.

Hahahaha As soon as I started reading, I guessed what your mystery
was. I have one of these too. I’ve never used it, but it’s for making
basket settings. I think there’s a photo tutorial somewhere on
Orchid. You solder the very ends of 4 or 6 wires together in a
cluster, then spread them out a bit (like a bouquet of flowers) and
use one of the little heads to hold them in position while you solder
on the rings that form the gallery (the horizontal element below the
girdle of the stone, that supports the prongs). Then you cut off the
extra, where you soldered it together.

That’s probably clear as mud-- I hope someone can link you to the
photos.

Noel

6

Neat tool…

Here is my take on how to use it…

Cut your wires a little longer then you need so they eat together at
the topand you can super glue them together to hold them in place.
Then you need to make a couple of o rings out of whatever metal you
might want to make yourhead out of. One small for the base and one
slightly larger to sit a little further down in the setting. Then us
something like "second hand fixture"toehold the wires in place while
you solder them together. wala. You have ahead. for stone setting
round stones…

7

Morning Mary,

While I haven’t used this tool, there are a couple of tutorials on
the internet

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep7zwd
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep7zwe

Cheers,
Eileen Procter

8

the set is for making prong/claw settings.: insert equal lengths of
wire into the smaller heads file and join.

pickle rinse and add on from the basic claw setting you have.

Then the larger heads are jigs to hold the collets for the wires.

Do Not solder the wires in the jigs- you will ruin them.

It’s basically sitting there in that box because they are more for
production lines where you are making a lot of one part of an
operation. then passing it on to the person next to you to tack it
or weld it before any embellishments are added or it is modified in
any way…

if you don’t want to use a cyanoacrylate to hold the wires together
or a dab of setting cement or the like (even a decent sealing wax
will work on a collet but getting them to stay in place without a
"glue" is at least, difficult…

Easier to make one-offs without the jigs as they can try your
patients. but do turn out an evenly spaced part.

As for the wires, you can modify the collets to take square or other
shapes with a diamond bur if round doesn’t add into your design
sensibilities. you can forge ends of round wires though before
setting them up in the collets in case you are making "v’ prongs for
a setting…

the bad news they aren’t great for pear, marquise kite shaped stones
-or any other fancy cut for that matter. and other than making prong
heads, require a base if you want to take the design past wire/claw
settings. Unless you modify the collets to accept a bezel strip, or
rectangular or half-round wire on the outside of the set-up.

you are limited to round stones, ovals, pearls and bullet cabs…
If manufacturers would make the collet heads hinged they could be
more useful simply requiring a squeeze inwards to release the
cemented setting- but they aren’t. This is a good example of a tool
that is simply excess for the small shop- one sees it in a catalogue
and thinks - oh, just the thing, until you receive it. and it’s
limitations are painfully clear after fooling around with it for two
hours trying to figure out how the wires are supposed to say in place
since its a complete set. then you realise " I could have done the
same thing on a charcoal block or fire brick start-to-finish in the
time I’ve been sitting here trying to make this thing work!!!.

Funny, but this may be the single most passed around tool set I have
encountered over the years- I have seen more for sale or swap than
any other set of anything on the market. I think I have two of em
sitting around unused even by students or on an open studio night!
good luck!..rer

9

Hello Mary,

The link below should clear everything up.
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep7zwd

In my experience, it only works for making larger basket settings.

I hope I have been helpful
Kenneth

10

Mary,

I do have a set of instructions around here someplace for the
set-making tool. Drop me a note so I have your address and I will
see if I can find them.

John in Indiana

11 
Funny, but this may be the single most passed around tool set I
have encountered over the years-

More than this?

Paf Dvorak

12

Many Thanks to all who posted regarding my query. I feel quite
fortunate to belong to such a giving community of artisans.! I
received much more than I ever hoped to! I can’t wait to
play around with this tool, and all the posts have given me lots of
ideas. I am most grateful!

Thank you!
Mary Rose Mcquillan

13 
The link below should clear everything up.
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep7zwd

Sorry I wasn’t paying attention.

I use this tool, and it’s very good, you just have to make sure you
have good heat control, and as the tool is metal it sucks a lot of
the heat out of the setting.

Mine cost me around $20.

Regards Charles A.

Forgot to add, I’ve made small and large settings with it :wink: CIA

14

Mary Rose - I thought that I had seen that tool before. you are in
luck!

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep7zwd

Robyn Hawk

15

So cool i know little i’m such a newbie but this is a ring band
sizer on Youtube sorry i said that online place where there are
movies type in ring sizing tool for rings with stones. The reason
the tool is like that is for going up in size for rings that have
stones you don’t want to fall out.

sabra super novice

16

I have used this tool to make settings for solitaire rings as well
as for multiple identical settings once you know how to use it.

The wires are cut to size and set in to the grooves with their tips
touching then the the cylindrical part with a hole in the center
sits over the wires to hold them in place. Once the wires in place
you need an oxidizing flameto solder the wires because the jig being
in steel, absorbs a lot of heat that needs to be compensated.

Have fun!
Vasken

17

Is it possible to use these to make five prong settings at all? I
have these five-pointed star shaped stones in a couple of different
sizes that I haven’t seen setting for anywhere. The settings I saw in
finished jewelry had the prongs on the points, which just made the
stones look round & I’d rather have the prongs on the sides, to
emphasize the star shape.

Thanks!
Sharon,
Artist, Metalsmith, Chaos Magnet

18 
Funny, but this may be the single most passed around tool set I
encountered over the years-

I have this and it sits as I am not sure how to use it. Obviously,
it is forrings. Bands only? Pressure? Hate to ruin something if not
the tool itself. Modification is one thing on a tool but to misuse
it and screw it up is annoying.

Larry’s response to ‘the claw maker’ was brilliant. He left nothing
out.

Thanks Larry !
Peace
Carole

19

Ah, The old ring stretcher set. How could I have forgotten #2 !!!
However this one is ar good as substitute for a mini rolling mill of
sorts. I have used it beyond “stretching bands”(yeah, real accurate!)
to make stepped bezel, roll out insta-strips of x width and for a few
other short-cuts when reclaiming metals. and the beauty of this close
second most passed around item is that you can, without guilt, modify
the rollers and insert of etch a pattern into or onto them and end up
with easily customisable rollers for that instant gallery wire, bezel
strip or ez band…

If modifying for embossing use highly polished tooling (- a graver,
a carbide polishing bur, etc.) and the result will be
pre-polished,.If for debossing, I like the insert method. trick there
is to get a perfect fit and either drill through the roller and rivet
it in place then clean up the mark the rivet makes, or solder it by
puddling the solder under the decorated “insert”,then removing any
excess solder that might squish through the join or over the insert,
it is removed purely for minimizing any zinc containing solder
contamination, eliminating any “spinning” of the insert and
actually,*saving *some time in rolling out a length of 10-18 g. metal
(wire or strip, etc.) for a quick bangle or ring, if not a
pre-patterned insert to go into another setting…

So it does have some potential as opposed to the other set…

Funny, but after that post i looked into a catalogue that had
arrived that day and there was the ikohe claw setting kit in the
wooden box at a price of $179.00 US. so apparently there are some
people that haven’t yet crossed paths with a set- or two !!
;}…rer

20 
Is it possible to use these to make five prong settings at all? I
have these five-pointed star shaped stones in a couple of
different sizes that I haven't seen setting for anywhere. The
settings I saw in finished jewelry had the prongs on the points,
which just made the stones look round & I'd rather have the prongs
on the sides, to emphasize the star shape.

You could use the six claw tool and leave one of the claws off, then
manipulate the setting to make a five claw.

Regards Charles A.