Hello all. I have seen pictures posted in the past of people using I
white liquid that is applied inside the seat of a stone being set to
tell where it’s touching the metal that needs to be removed. Does
anyone know what this product is called? Is it homemade? A store
bought product like whiteout? Any help is appreciated.
Paul- I just wiggle the stone in place a little and then lift it put
to see where the harder stone has burnished a bright spot on the
inside of the mounting. I cut away the bright spots and then re do
that until the stone doesn’t rock in it’s seat.
Back in the stone age my sweetie Tim and I learned to use chinese
white paste watercolor. Actually i think it may be a gouache not a
watercolor. A sharpie can do the same. White out can be a bit thick.
I have also seen folks use the thin carbon paper that dentists use to
see if the bite is correct on a crown or filling. I find the paper a
bit cumbersome on smaller stones.
In reference to a white liquid being applied to inside of prongs
when setting a stone I have seen used. white out, white water color
paint, and zinc oxide(in most white products including sun screen. I
will use zinc oxide a lot of the time but sometimes permanent black
marker(Pilot Pen permanent marker. does not readily rub off which is
also good on wax carving patterns and slightly rocking or moving a
stone to see where a touch spot might be). And masking color would
work just what your vision can determine metal showing through then
dissolve or wash color away when done. Ron
We would simply hold the piece upside-down over a candle. The bezel
base gets coated with a very black layer of carbon (in the form of a
very fine powder). Quick. Easy to repeat. Easy to clean.
The liquid in question is “Seat Check”. Rio Grande has it in their
catalog. However, it is the same product as any number of brands of
disclosure spray, available through dental supply companies. I get
mine from Pearson Dental Supply.
in the ‘old’ days - a block of Chinese white watercolour paint was an
indicator of seat levels- It actually has a lot of uses from
piercing, to setting, to a kind of stop (zinc oxide based Chinese
white compared with titanium based watercolours has an effect like
yellow ocher, kaolin containing pigment based colours or some clays
in stopping heat diffusion- good for detailed enamel work)I still
keep some around for the odd pierced project checking seats, or
fabricating bezel settings when the cab is irregular (say, higher on
one side than the other, or similar unevenly cut stones or uncut
natural crystalline pieces. There are super expensive products like
"Seat Check Powder", but lampblack (the stuff that results when you
hold metal or a setting over a burning candle an inch above the
flame- it leaves a coating of pure carbon and if paraffin and stearic
acid are in the candle (stearic acid is an additive to make the
candle harder) it will be a bit oily -and ultimately stain anything
it comes in contact with if you touch it, it is surprisingly hard to
get off hands, etc but works great for disclosing info about a given
stone in a setting!..
(By the way, sorry for the late reply- I just turned on the computer
for the first time in probably 4 weeks (it was Carnival in New
Orleans)…and ha taken until now to recover- ah, age!). rer