Question: Hollow pendant problem.

[golden forge]

Hi all, I am working on a project for a customer, even though I'm not doing any engraving on it, the setting I am doing on it would have a similar problem, so I thought I would ask for a bit of shared advice.
What the project is, is a hollow heart shaped pendant that I cast, and is to have several stones set onto the front. The customer wants to place some of her recently deceased husbands ashes into it to carry with her.
I carved the wax, and formed the mountings for the stones onto the front as part of the wax, so the mountings are part of the casting, and are half bezels with a single prong.
The question is, what would you recommend to use to fill the pendant so that when I am setting the stones and pushing down prongs I do not collapse the hollow body of it?
I was thinking of filling it with Orange Flake Shellac, and then after I am done setting stones, soaking the pice in Denatured Alcohol to dissolve the shellac, I have done it in the past with some success.
If anyone has any other helpful ideas or advise it would be appreciated.
Thank you,
David

 

[Willem Parel]

I did it the same way with shellac in the past David and I found it was a good method, the only thing I am thinking of is the ashes.
How are the settings made and how do you fit in the stones, will this be done so that the ashes can't come out like dust??? ( what we call here " blind settings" )
But setting the stones and covering the hollow pendant with shellac is in my opinion the best and easyest way.

 

[Southern Custom]

I have much better succes with this tan shellac. It dissolves more readily in alcohol than does flake shellac. Also has a bit more give than flake.
Layne
http://www.stuller.com/products/12-2300/167616/?groupId=3664

 

[Willem Parel]

You are right Layne, the sticks work better to melt and fill the object, flakes sometimes are a bit though.
I didn't know the difference in name in Englisch, I always use sticks.

 

[golden forge]

Willem,
Thank you,
I tried to create the settings so I do not create holes into the body of the pendant when setting the stones. I hope the ash will stay put, defiantly not a good thing if they fell out.
I created the settings in the wax by building up around the stones with a wax pen, and then carved it to shape, then cast it in .585 yellow gold, that way the seats for the stones are already pre fitted and I just need to do final fitting/setting and tighten the single prongs to hold the stones secure in there half bezels.
The body has a hollow neck at the top so it could be filled, kind of like a small gold perfume bottle, then I have a small shaped metal plug to be fitted into the neck and epoxy to seal that in place. After that the neck will have an articulated bail attached to it so the neck will be good and sealed,,,, I hope...
Layne,
Thanks, I have not tried tan shellac, I do have several kinds of dop wax for lapidary, but not sure if they would be any better to use. I'll have to look into the tan.
David

 

[Brian Marshall]

Ice... Precut the seats and prongs - do all the prep beforehand.

Fill it with water, freeze it - and be pretty damn quick about it!

No fuss, no mess...


Brian




Or you could wait a few months... get some long underwear and gloves and do it outdoors? (That "global warming" will help)

 

[silverchip]

What about piercing the heart shape with tubing and set stones on both sides?

 

[Eugene Carkoski]

How about a separate silver container about the size of a hearing aid battery mount it in the back with his initial on the face of it. Just an idea

 

[AdVirMachina]

Freezing it might make it bulge. Ice takes more volume than liquid water.

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 4

 

[Brian Marshall]

If you plug it with modeling clay as I've done (or simply use electrical/duct tape) - it'll move if expansion occurs...


B.

 

[golden forge]

Brian,
Ice eh? :thinking: I do not believe I would have thought of that one, that is a creative way to go about it. Unfortunately I'm not setting stones on a daily basis these days, so I'm not as fast as I once was , this became apparent to me when I pave` set four small diamonds into the bail yesterday, I think it took me as long to set one of them as it would have taken me to set all four a year ago. Oh well better to not rush some things, however I sure am going to try the ice idea in the future, just to see if I can get it to work for me.

Silverchip,
Thank you for an interesting idea and one that I will keep in mind for other projects, but I have this one already cast with the settings in place for the stones. This is one of those projects that I am having to use different kinds, sizes, and cuts of stones that were taken out of some old jewelry that the customer's late husband had made for her years ago. It's made designing something a bit of a challenge, and it does not help that this is one of those rare projects that I may find fugly, but it's what the customer wants, it's also one that I gave myself 3 months time line to do and have put it off for as long as I can,,, never a good sign.