CJ Tate

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Beautiful bracelet design and an exciting start.

Arnaud, I wanted to ask about your bench configuration. I recently purchased the grs microscope w/arm and keep staring at my setup trying to figure out where I am going to install it. I did not occur to me to put it at my jewelry bench.

Do you have 2 benches? one for regular jewelry work and one for engraving? I see you have the interchangable mount for bench pin/vice shelf. My best natural light is at the bench, so using one bench for both would be good. (I did get light ring for scope.) I guess it would mean moving the vice and shelf quite a bit - but I could use it for jewelry occasionally too. I don't do a lot of faceted stone setting but I do some.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and opinion. - Candy
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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Candy, I only use one bench, for regular bench work, stone setting and engraving.
Indeed I use the GRS interchangable mount for bench pin/vice, and that was my problem while engraving a bracelet. It could not be turned 360°, that is why I have put the vise on the shelf below with the interchangable mount removed.
That works just fine, the shelf is a bit to low, but the turnable vise will be just fine.
arnaud
 

Jane

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This may not work for you but when I engrave bracelets I typically glue it to a wood block which is the length of the bracelet. This gives great support and you could center your work in the block and have more room. Most of the time I give them a tiny bit of bend as well. Its easier to work with than completely flat since its a long surface. But those are just things I find that help me.
Good luck and have fun!
 

CJ Tate

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Thank you for reply, Arnaud. Now I understand the orignial 360 problem - and a solution.

And I get to rethink my rearrangement of shop to accomodate the scope. it will be less work than I originally thought. -

TYVM - Candy
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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We engravers must be crazy

As I said, I picked up the BIG positioning vise at the Alexandre tool shop in Antwerp. Had to carry it to my car about 800 meters, and now my arms are a bit longer.
In between my other work I'm still removing background, almost half way now.

The GRS positioning vise I enjoined it and it will save me some time and also will improve the smoothness of main lines and shading lines because I use a microscope. The vise although heavy wight, turns smooth and compared with the GRS micro vice I have been using for 1 1/2 years now, less vibrations etc.

I did not had to fix my bench setup, just had to put it a stage lower.

Here is the bracelet half finished removing the background, I want to finish the bracelet as good as I can, and it takes a lot of time. I'm wondering if one ever would be willing to pay for my time.

I have some idea to color the background as it is a Titanium bracelet. Still can make a diamond border and some in the center just to make it more expensive.

Thanks for looking, arnaud

 

BES

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New Vices New Way!

Hi Arnaud!
New Vices New Way!

I am glad that your work went faster after the new vice!
Very interesting treatment!
The height of the relief is almost there!
This blackening very rich!

Good luck to you and quality results!
And we all wait for the final photos!
BES
Eric S. Brezhitsky
 

Dennis Sprague

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Hello,Arnaud
The design looks great,and I am sure it will make a beautiful bracelet. If you are thinking about putting stone's flat set into the bracelet. Be very careful where you place them as this looks like you are making a cuff bracelet without a hinge and it will need to flex every time it is put on or taken off.It's been my experience that when you set stones into areas that flex you will have problems with stones falling out at some point.
Also when you design a cuff bracelet that is to be peirced, you have to think about how the bracelet flexes and try to maintain balance of metal so you don't create weak areas that will flex more than other's. Arnaud, with your experience you probably know this already but it may help someone who is thinking about making bracelet's.
Have a great day:tiphat:
Dennis
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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Thank you Fred, indeed I really like the Big vise

Bes, yes the new vise saves me some time and it also better cutting on bigger items.
When finished I will show.

Dennis, thanks for pointing on the flex of the bracelet. I have thought about it. Mostly I cut high beads so that won't be a problem.

I don't know if I'm that really slow, removing background if done properly needs the most time while engraving. I use 0,2 - 0,3 - 0,4 mm carbide burs, I could do it with only the 0,4 mm burs but then it wouldn't be that good, so I still have to find out the balance what is needed to finish "high end"

arnaud
 

Bunic

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Arnaud,

I'm really grateful you are sharing this project on the forum. All new to me!

I've been following this project and am eager to see the finished product. It looks really nice! How did you get the design onto the blank? Transfer?

With so many threads on bracelets lately, where do folks get the blanks, or are they fabricating them? Tnx!
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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Mike, I'm a goldsmith and that is why I make the blank by myself.
Just have a big plate of Titanium I use for a lot of jewelery, I make wire of it etc.

I also could make one in silver or gold, but as the gold does not sell that well, and young people prefer white metals, I sell a lot of Ti.

I design using a pencil, then trace it with vector design an transfer it to the object.
Sometimes like on a ring I do the design directly on the object using Sam's transfer wax.

arnaud

Sure I will show the final result.
 

Mario Sarto

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Hello Arnaud! That looks good - i am looking forward to see the result.
Does the new vice the job? ;-)
How will you shape it after finish?
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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Mario, the mini GRS vise worked for more than a year, but a bracelet is a bit bigger than a pet medal.
Centering the object the way turning the vise on the engraving part is post important as you probably know, the positing vise has it all, more stability, less vibration etc.
It was Cris DeCamillis who gave me the tip ordering the GRS position vise, but as St Nicolas don't come every week I have to take care about ordering new toys as I have to pay them.
But sure it saves time and will make the engravings better, just because rotating the vise, it will always centered without much effort.
On the micro vise, mostly centering the scroll was done by moving the vise, and that is not the best way.

I don't know what vise you are using, but it is a good idea to consider this one.

I will form it by hand, using a wooden cylinder to form, I already did some Ti bracelets for some customers, works fine

Thanks for participating, annaud
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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Sounds good - is it possible to have a picture? I ask because i thought about the Metal Former...

Mario, I will show a picture while forming the bracelet, but I'm sure you will laugh as I do it quite primitive, not even worth a photo but I will show one;

arnaud
 

KCSteve

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Really clean cutting Arnaud! :thumbs up:

Over on the Lindsay forum there's a thread about a nifty 'budget' former - a trailer hitch ball. You could just bolt one onto a stand (possibly even the edge of your bench).

As it happens, my van has what's called a 'receiver hitch' - the ball for attaching the trailer is on a short piece of heavy square tube and is removable. In fact, I don't normally have it attached, instead having a fun cover on in it's place. Mine's a skull with eyes that light up. There's a real reason for that: it keeps the electrical connection safely tucked up and lets me know it's working so when I do need to use my trailer I know the lights will work.

But the important thing is that I just need a bit of square tubing on a plate and I can drop my hitch ball on for forming things. Because it's a sphere you get the synclastic curve too, rather than the simple flat bend you get using a mandrel.
 

DKanger

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Never having made a bracelet, do they have wrist sizers like rings have finger sizers? Does one have to make allowances in the initial blank size before starting, or do you just make "fitzalls?"

Dave
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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Dave, I don't understand about "Does one have to make allowances in the initial blank size before starting, or do you just make "fitzalls?"

About the sizers like rings, yes there are.
This one is about 18,5 cm long, if one would like to buy it, I could have to make another by scaling it, so the designs will be smaller than, a bit shorter or longer and less / more wide.
I also learned that wrist of a woman is more round than the one of a man, men have more rectangle wrist. But this can be fixed after worths if the size of the bracelet is OK

arnaud
 

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