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 Dec 31, 2013 20:05:41 GMT -5
Hi All, As suggested by Gemfellow I shortened the prongs and man it does look better IMO. Ok first of all that white string that perfectly connect the two close prongs is a dog hair I did not see until after the pictures were taken. I gave it a quick buff on my shirt and that hair stuck, so ignore that and the little white specks of stuff. Never ever get a hair to line up perfect like that if I tried LOL. Anyway, NO, the prongs are not nicely rounded but they are smooth to the cab and I can rub it on my shirt and have zero snagging:) For sure if they pull up they will be sharp but the best I can do right now, still learning, guess we all are. I do really like the finish on the silver (silver that is NOT centered proper grrrrrrrr), anyway I love that finish with is truly super nice in hand vs. the high res pic. You can compare the long prongs vs. short prongs in the images and you decide what you like better. Thanks for looking. I took Susan's idea of a glue on bail and Conrock's (I think) idea of prongs and made this. First time soldering prongs, I am getting better at the game but still learning. This is Flint Ridge Flint from Toad (Todd), this is a cab cut from an end cut, damb stuff is very hard!!!!!! I love the rock though. Does anyone have any suggestions for making the prongs less catchy? I have sanded them down, but not flush with the stone. Please forgive the spots of white and other contaminants on my pictures:(
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2013 21:06:00 GMT -5
I dig the "jewelling" on the back. Sorta hides scratches for the long term. Also digging the rounded corners of the square tube. Softens the rubbing on the skin. Nice work Mr. Tom from the north pole!
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gemfeller
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Member since June 2011
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Post by gemfeller on Dec 31, 2013 21:50:56 GMT -5
Hi All, I took Susan's idea of a glue on bail and Conrock's (I think) idea of prongs and made this. First time soldering prongs, I am getting better at the game but still learning. This is Flint Ridge Flint from Toad (Todd), this is a cab cut from an end cut, damb stuff is very hard!!!!!! I love the rock though. Does anyone have any suggestions for making the prongs less catchy? I have sanded them down, but not flush with the stone. Great smithing and stone, Tom. I love that Flint Ridge but have never worked with it. For smoothing prongs, try cup burs in the sizes of stock you work with. I went through years of filing and frustration before I found out they even existed -- when I was learning no one would tell you anything. Here's an example of what I mean: www.seattlefindings.com/Cup-Burs---_p_515.html?origin=pla&unique_id=515&gdftrk=gdfV24081_a_7c2124_a_7c8825_a_7c18_d_Burs_a2s_Cup&gclid=CLCT-5j627sCFWZyQgodBTQAqQ
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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 Dec 31, 2013 22:00:25 GMT -5
Thanks guys, so Rick these cup burrs round the ends of the wires? Will that help the prongs from snagging in a sweater? I was almost thinking of glueing them down, but then that is kind of cheating
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Dec 31, 2013 22:25:40 GMT -5
Yes, the burs will help with the snagging but taking a closer look at your images it's clear you're not getting the tips of the prongs flush with the stone's surface. There's more to setting prongs than simply pushing them down. There has to be some filing or burring of the inside of the prong to make it conform to the angle of the stone's girdle. Also make sure your prong stock is annealed so it isn't springy.
Rick
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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 Jan 1, 2014 0:45:48 GMT -5
Thanks Rick
I did file them down but will hit them again tomorrow to get them flush with the stone. Thanks again.
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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 Jan 1, 2014 9:15:17 GMT -5
I like that finish as well, might have to touch it up. i was shown that technique by a very talented auto body guy (RIP Tom) about 30 years ago. He would do that on some parts of dash boards he made. I think I am going to use it more, the lazy in me coming out AGAIN!
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Post by connrock on Jan 1, 2014 11:07:49 GMT -5
Tom,,, prong settings take a little "finesseing"(and a lot of practice) to hold the stone yet not be intrusive while not catching on clothing. The more you "play" with them by opening and closing them the harder the silver gets and it becomes difficult to get them to sit flush on the stone. Also,long prongs don't look very nice and create more surface to get caught on clothes. Here's my very first attempt at a prong "type" setting and as you can see it's a total disaster,,, The prongs are WAY too long and don't lay flat on the stone at all! While I'm "confessing" I might as well show you the back too and how the whole design was VERY weak and had poor solder joints,,, I doubt if anyone can be successful in doing this the first time unless they go to school where an instructor can show them how it's done and even then it's still not an easy thing to do. EVERYTHING we attempt here,from rock tumbling ,cabbing,knives/swords,carving ,jewelery making,etc, takes a LOT of trial and error and mostly patience. I have a HUGE problem with expecting EVERYTHING to come out perfect the first time and am CONSTANTLY pushing my patience button! LOL Try top picture how the prongs should look in you mind and then try to copy that picture. This is NOT my work,,,,I copied the photo off of the web,,,,but (to me) it looks like a very nice prong setting,,,, The prongs are nice and rounded and smooth as silk yet hold the stones very well. This is the picture I get in my mind but transferring it to the prongs I make is another story! LOL connrock
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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 Jan 1, 2014 11:26:06 GMT -5
I filed them down more this morning and they are much better, do you think I should clip them shorter and try again? Thanks for the advice
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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 Jan 1, 2014 11:29:19 GMT -5
Now I can see why the burrs Rick recommends would help, nice and round ends would help with not snagging. Perfect thanks again, I will order some prongs, I will check prices at Rio as I have an order already to go, but if they are too high I will get from your source Rick:)
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 1, 2014 11:29:30 GMT -5
Worked with big metal all my life. I got a real whipping when attempting clean jewelry level work.
I was amazed at how much effort it takes to achieve flawless work as viewed at the macro level.
Hats off to you people that can perform such. The amount of patience and time is rarely rewarded enough monetarily.
If you have a piece of my work it is probably cause you are a relative, a wife, a dear friend or blackmailer.LOL.
I ended up making stuff w/hammer and anvil or heat processes.
I hope to create a way to mount stones in metal that is unconventional.
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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 Jan 1, 2014 13:30:07 GMT -5
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gemfeller
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Posts: 3,773
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Post by gemfeller on Jan 1, 2014 14:31:40 GMT -5
Now I can see why the burrs Rick recommends would help, nice and round ends would help with not snagging. Perfect thanks again, I will order some prongs, I will check prices at Rio as I have an order already to go, but if they are too high I will get from your source Rick:) That's just a source I got from Googling for an example. I like Contenti but there are many other sources -- shop around. www.contenti.com/products/burs/331-077B-009.html Edit: whoops, I should have read to the end of the thread before replying.
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Post by radio on Jan 1, 2014 14:46:45 GMT -5
Nice looking piece there Tom! I also like the pattern on the back. The burr cups are a great suggestion
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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 Jan 1, 2014 14:47:21 GMT -5
LOL no problem, they should work. I cut off the prongs and made them shorter, broke one off so have to take it apart and put a new prong on. Good practice for soldering, which obviously I need. BTW cutting the prongs has improved the look a ton, I will post a pic with it finished. I don't think your first attempt at prong setting was a total disaster at all.
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gemfeller
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Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,773
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Post by gemfeller on Jan 1, 2014 14:55:44 GMT -5
Worked with big metal all my life. I got a real whipping when attempting clean jewelry level work. I was amazed at how much effort it takes to achieve flawless work as viewed at the macro level. James, getting jewelry pieces finished well enough to appear "clean" to the naked eye is difficult. But when you go "macro," as you suggest, all bets are off. Even totally insignificant flaws become monsters. It's very tough to get a clean finish that will stand up to the scrutiny of even a standard (not macro) lens in ordinary photography. Rick
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 1, 2014 15:01:45 GMT -5
That is a very fair statement Rick. You jewelers deserve a lot of respect. Nothing like trying it yourself before judging in this field.
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Post by pghram on Jan 1, 2014 18:44:53 GMT -5
That's a very nice setting, looking forward to the updated photos, in order to be able to see the difference btw the two.
Rich
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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 Jan 2, 2014 9:09:18 GMT -5
Bump
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 2, 2014 11:17:47 GMT -5
Worked with big metal all my life. I got a real whipping when attempting clean jewelry level work. I was amazed at how much effort it takes to achieve flawless work as viewed at the macro level. James, getting jewelry pieces finished well enough to appear "clean" to the naked eye is difficult. But when you go "macro," as you suggest, all bets are off. Even totally insignificant flaws become monsters. It's very tough to get a clean finish that will stand up to the scrutiny of even a standard (not macro) lens in ordinary photography. Rick Many times... many, many times, I was unaware of a flaw until I saw the close up picture. Whether it be in the stone or setting, sometimes I actually count on a macro to catch problems.
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