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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jan 30, 2016 19:29:01 GMT -5
All of my tools got delivered today but my dead soft copper sheet wont be here till next week so I went to Lowes and picked up a small piece of copper. No idea what hardness it is but it was about 22-23 gauge (.0250) Thanks goes out to Pat rockjunquie and micellular for the idea and tips. My cad layout glued to the copper I fully expected to break a blade making such tight turns but I had beginners luck on my side and made through with one blade. Tabs bent 90 degrees to accurately measure the cab size needed stone fitting pretty good Too early to say if I liked it or not. Stay tuned. Chuck
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Post by Pat on Jan 30, 2016 20:03:55 GMT -5
Very nice! Like the big "prongs". No soldering. Wonderful luck with the sawing. Took me forever to get the hang of sawing!
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jan 30, 2016 20:41:13 GMT -5
Very nice! Like the big "prongs". No soldering. Wonderful luck with the sawing. Took me forever to get the hang of sawing! Thanks pat. I played with different sized prongs on the model and like the bold look of the larger ones. Chuck
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Jan 30, 2016 22:55:22 GMT -5
Woohoo nice job Chuck. I like the copper mineral cab too! Y'all have inspired me to try this too. I'm about half way thru it.
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Post by Pat on Jan 31, 2016 0:55:53 GMT -5
How did you like working with 22 gauge? We usually use 24 or 26 for smaller pieces. Easier to bend.
I bet that if you hooked up that CAD? machine to a 3D printer..... You could have a lot of fun : )
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icatz
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2015
Posts: 453
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Post by icatz on Jan 31, 2016 6:34:07 GMT -5
Great work, first try or 10th! Smooth as a baby's bottom.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jan 31, 2016 8:20:13 GMT -5
How did you like working with 22 gauge? We usually use 24 or 26 for smaller pieces. Easier to bend. I bet that if you hooked up that CAD? machine to a 3D printer..... You could have a lot of fun : ) We send stuff sheet metal stuff like this out to be laser cut at my work all the time. They come back flawless. No idea what it would cost to have a dozen done that way but it would eliminate a lot of filing. Using the 22 gauge was pretty difficult. I could not get those tabs to budge by hand. I had to put the main body in the jaws of a vice and pound the tabs to get them 90 degrees. Keep in mind the tabs are really wide and I also have no idea about the hardness of the piece I used so those could be factors. Should be able to try one more today. Chuck
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Post by orrum on Jan 31, 2016 8:41:09 GMT -5
Chuck you can heat then put it in water. This will anneal the copper n make it very soft. Also b4 you clamp the cabochon down u need to put a piece of plastic under it. This cushions the cab plus gives it some expansion contraction protection so the cab won't break from the stress. Plastic tub lids work great. They are different thickness, u can use more than one layer if needed. I like the bezel or prongs to just grasp the cab but that's personal preference. If you anneal the copper then you definitely need to put it in clean steel shot to work harden the piece. Use whatever additive you prefer to the shot. I use a Loto for it. After work harden you can polish it if you like but I prefer to let it sTay normal and gradually darken. Hope this helps.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jan 31, 2016 9:11:02 GMT -5
Chuck you can heat then put it in water. This will anneal the copper n make it very soft. Also b4 you clamp the cabochon down u need to put a piece of plastic under it. This cushions the cab plus gives it some expansion contraction protection so the cab won't break from the stress. Plastic tub lids work great. They are different thickness, u can use more than one layer if needed. I like the bezel or prongs to just grasp the cab but that's personal preference. If you anneal the copper then you definitely need to put it in clean steel shot to work harden the piece. Use whatever additive you prefer to the shot. I use a Loto for it. After work harden you can polish it if you like but I prefer to let it sTay normal and gradually darken. Hope this helps. I knew about annealing (thanks youtube) but do not have the torches and equipment for that. I was trying to keep expenses down on supplies till I decide if I even like doing it. I did run this one through steel shot just to clean it before adding patina. I find LOS works better on a really clean piece with no oily finger prints all over it. On this one I did want the prongs to be prominent features. By having the main square on a 45 degree angle then having the 45's on each prong visible to create an effect. Chuck
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jan 31, 2016 9:14:59 GMT -5
Also b4 you clamp the cabochon down u need to put a piece of plastic under it. This cushions the cab plus gives it some expansion contraction protection so the cab won't break from the stress. Never heard that little tidbit. Makes sense on full solder bezels but I would be worried the plastic would be visible or even the gap between the stone and backplate when looking at the side of the prong pendants? Chuck
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 31, 2016 9:37:57 GMT -5
Great job, Chuck!! Yeah, that 22 g seems so much harder than the 24. I just ordered some 22g copper, myself. I had everything but.
I really like the square at that angle!
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Post by Pat on Jan 31, 2016 10:51:21 GMT -5
Also b4 you clamp the cabochon down u need to put a piece of plastic under it. This cushions the cab plus gives it some expansion contraction protection so the cab won't break from the stress. Never heard that little tidbit. Makes sense on full solder bezels but I would be worried the plastic would be visible or even the gap between the stone and backplate when looking at the side of the prong pendants? Chuck We use a piece of clear plastic to put under cabs when set in a full bezel when the bezel is a little bit too tall for the cab. The plastic raises the cab up just a smidge. The cushioning effect is a plus. I would be concerned about it showing on your partial bezel/prongs as well. Some plastics work better than others. We use the lids of ice cream containers. They are soft and pliable --- have some give to them.
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Post by Pat on Jan 31, 2016 14:15:06 GMT -5
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2016 15:06:46 GMT -5
Very nicely done.you could also anneal with a map gas torch from homedepot.it will get hot enough to anneal that sheet. Dave
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 31, 2016 16:00:50 GMT -5
The green stone with the copper is a great combo. To help to get the metal to crease you could score a line and deepen it with a triangular file or graver.
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Tom
fully equipped rock polisher
My dad Tom suddenly passed away yesterday, Just wanted his "rock" family to know.
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,557
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Post by Tom on Feb 1, 2016 23:28:07 GMT -5
Nice piece Chuck. Funny how that sawing works, I went 4 months with the same blade. Now seems like I can't cut an inch without changing blades. The plus? I am now good and fast at changing blades.
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