Dopping

Jewelry Discussion
1

What is the best to do. Dop the pavillion in a cup with no dop
in the brass cup and then dop around the stone? Or - to add dop
into the cup and then push the stone into the hot dop. Any
suggestions? Bob in Ks

2

Hello Bob in Ks,

Assuming you are faceting, put wax in the cup heat the stick
until it melts and hold the stone in place still heating the
stick. When the stone is up to temperature the wax meniscus will
become concave, curved inwards, not beading up on the outside.
Remove from heat and allow to cool with pressure holding the
stone against the dop. The wax shrinks as it cools causing a
partial vacuum which assists in holding the stone.

May I suggest that you also subscribe to the faceters digest for
a wealth of faceting tips and hints. send your e-mail address to
Jerry;

Jerry Dewbre
faceters@ix.netcom.com

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web site: http://www.opalsinthebag.com
e-mail: cutter@nospam@opalsinthebag.com

Vancouver, B.C. CANADA.

3 
  What is the best to do.  Dop the pavillion in a cup with no
dop in the brass cup and then dop around the stone?  Or - to
add dop into the cup and then push the stone into the hot dop. 
Any suggestions?

I’m not sure I understand your question. It sounds like you’re
wanting to dop a stone that has its pavilion already cut in order
to cut the crown.

If that’s the case here’s what I’d do.

  1. Select a dop stick that has a cone shape hollow (for round
    stones, use a Vee for others) in one end.

  2. Place the selected dop stick in the transfer stand.

  3. Place the dop stick with the stone still attached into the
    other side of the transfer stand.

  4. Warm the dop stick & melt dopping wax into the cone.

  5. While the wax is still warm & soft, close the transfer stand
    & press the pavilion into the soft wax.

  6. Form the wax that squeezes out of the cone so it adds
    addition support to the pavilion.

  7. Leave the transfer stand until the wax has had a chance to
    cool to room temp (about 10 min).

  8. Loosen the transfer stand clamps on both dop sticks.

  9. Wrap the stone & a small portion of the pavilion dop stick
    with wet tissue paper.

  10. Heat the crown dop to soften the wax & twist the dop off the
    stone.

  11. The wax remaining on the crown can be removed with an Exacto
    knife.

HTH

4

if i am using wax to dop astone. i use the dark beown dard type.
make a solution of it in lacquor thiner. coat the stone by
dipping it in the solution. i then fill the cup with wax and sit
the stone in the cup and heat the dop until the wax flows and the
stone is heated. this is for stones i intend to facet crown
first. if i am going to do the pavillion first i flatten the spot
i intend for the table then coat the stone as above and use use
a flat topped dop. you will, however, lose fewer stones in the
long run if you use the thick type super-glue and super-glue
accellerant. Oh yes coat the glue with clear fingernail polish.
super glue is water soluable. please excuse the spelling ,as i am
dislexic. larry s

5

Larry, it wasn’t my question and I don’t do stone work but I
know exactly what you mean about spelling. In my day, I was
simply a bad speller and after the tenth grade I quit trying
studying for the weekly spelling tests. It didn’t make sense to
work so hard to make a D or F. Fortunately I am a very good
reader and paid people to type papers and spell check for me even
in high school. It relieved me a great deal when I learned about
dyslexia. I really like Netscape Communicator…it has a built in
spell check! I also have a separate program to check spelling for
programs without.

Marilyn Smith ICQ # 9529587
Indiana, USA, east of the Mississippi and west of the Appalachians and
where we’ve had so much rain this year that I have black stuff growing
outside on the cement patio