stone setters with a meiji.....

Gemsetterchris

Elite Cafe Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
820
Location
Finland
Before i pull the trigger on a scope, how do you find it? epescially with the benchmate...
Does it take long to adjust to it coming from an optivisor, and is there some kind of protection cover for the lens against all the burrs from drilling?

Thanks in advance.
 

RoycroftRon

Elite Cafe Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2007
Messages
265
Location
Buffalo, New York, United States
I only set a few stones , but I found the microscope conversion to make a world of difference. It took only a short time for me to get used to the scope. Once you get your hands placed in the right spot you will be surprised how quickly the hand eye coordination adapts.

My back feels better too being able to work with better posture. I used to hunch over the work for my focal distance to be correct.
 

jimzim75

Elite Cafe Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2006
Messages
808
Location
Canada
I pretty much have a scope on every bench I work at in the Jewellery Field. Diamond
setting, Engraving, and Wax work. The scope is or can be easier on your eyes because
your focus is infinite.

I'm a diamond setter by trade, so I not only use the scope on bead work but prong and
bezels also. I still use an optivisor to do most thing like lay out stone placement.

I use the scope much as old time setter used to use a loop for fine detail work.
The only difference is the scope has a zoom to get you in and then out of small area.

Your work area may change a bit in that for most jobs a bench mate will be all you need.
But with some larger jobs a positions vice is a god send. It also allows you to move down
a row of pave set stones without having to move the item.

You will have a bell curve in your experience with a scope, see a lot of improvement at
first and then it tapers down but never really stops. I still finding new stuff it helps with
and I have been using it for years.

Talk to ya later,
Jim
 
Last edited:

monk

Moderator
Staff member
::::Pledge Member::::
Joined
Feb 11, 2007
Messages
10,857
Location
washington, pa
don't know about stone setting. but if it's anything like engraving, you'll acclimate yourself within an hour or so. it wont take too long before you'll likely wonder why it took you so long to get one.
 

Gemsetterchris

Elite Cafe Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
820
Location
Finland
don't know about stone setting. but if it's anything like engraving, you'll acclimate yourself within an hour or so. it wont take too long before you'll likely wonder why it took you so long to get one.

Thanks for the replies, same thing thing happened with the benchmate, was scared to set it up during a busy period of work, but after 2 hours :cool:
would hate to go back to a normal bench pin now.
 

Mario Sarto

Elite Cafe Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2008
Messages
611
Location
Bad Salzuflen
I've done it two years ago and i never looked back. It took me a few weeks to ease into it. There was a problem with the working distance, i remember. I changed the setup (supplementary lens) to have a greater one while setting. It seems, my hands are to big for a normal working distance ;) Take care of that and check it out before.
I can say it is a huge difference (like day and night) and until now didn't have problems because of drilling burs. Before i used the microscope, i used the benchmate system of GRS and a optivisor. Today i use the vice and a turntable only.
Mario
 
Top