Would like to contribute a hint to those who are just getting into
gemstone setting. Aside from bead raising which needs to be set in a
pitch bowl or set in “heat form”, just about all the other variety of
setting can be hand held and set with a hammer handpiece on a
flexible shaft machine…provided that the metal isn’t too thick. You
would hold the metal project in one hand with the thumb holding down
onto the stone and with the other hand use the hammer handpiece. The
same shape setting tools that you would use in manual setting, you
would make for the automatic hammer handpiece. For the more delicate
stones and smaller melee size stones I would like to recommend a
handpiece that I had picked up many years back on a trip to the USA.
It was and still is advertised as an engraving tool for use on a
flexshaft, called Magnagraver, but I have found it to be perfect for
setting stones. Its movement is not noticeable, yet it will
move metal smoothly and set prongs or bezels without any gap or space
between the stone and metal. I took their round stock material, cut
it in half and made two setting tool. Now, I have over a dozen size
and shape points to cover all my requirements. The short tool will
give you better control in setting stones. I still need my
automatic hammer handpiece to compress my castings, for texturing and
for setting thicker metal jewelry. I usually have to replace a hammer
handpiece every two year, they will wear easily. With the
Magnagraver, I am still using the same one for what
seems like 18 years or so. Min Azama in Tokyo.