On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:36:02 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry "Georgia"
wrote:

I was surprised and disappointed to find, on Googling "sinusoidal stake," to
find only a handful of sources--Otto Frei, Walsh (all the way in the UK),
and Allcraft. Am I missing something obvious here?

Sinusoidal stakes, used mostly for anticlastic raising, are not a traditional
item found from traditional manufacturers. Keep in mind that the things were
pretty much devised by Michael Good, and for the most part, the demand for them
was originally limited to mostly the students who'd taken his workshops. It's
grown since then, but so far as I know, the ones available are still all being
pretty much custom made for the dealers who wish to carry them. Part of this
may also be that they're fairly easy to make on one's own if you've got a decent
torch capable of heating a steel tapered drift punch hot enough to bend. Usable
punches are easily found in automotive supply tools, or you can shape a bezel
mandrel or ring mandrel the same way. Your list is a little incomplete,
though, since Bill Fretz has added a miniature sinusoidal stake to his line of
miniature raising stakes, and these are carried by several dealers, including
Rio Grande and Gesswein.

Just for curiosity sake, though, why do you need more than this handfull of
sources? It's not like you're going to find and compare many different styles
or manufacturers... Take the handful you've found, pick the one you like best,
and order what you need. Done deal. Better, I'd think, than being faced with
40 pages of Googled sources and never being sure you've found the right and best
source among the thousands.... (grin). Just be glad there IS a source or
two, if you want, so you're not forced to make your own if you want one...
(though like I said, they're not hard to make. If you've got a decent
oxy/acetylene welding torch around, or something equally aggressive, you can
make one of those stakes from a drift punch in ten or fifteen minutes of
shaping, plus some time to repolish the thing...

Peter