Pyramid Bead Cap

vj found this in rec.crafts.jewelry, from "Charlie"
:

]I'm sad - I like following instructions. Well, I like not reading them,
]getting it wrong and then reading them.

Charlie, we must be sisters!


--
@vicki [SnuggleWench]
(Books) http://www.booksnbytes.com
(Jewelry) http://www.vickijean.com
(Metalsmithing) http://www.snugglewench.com
[it's a Callahan's thing]
yahooID: vjean95967
-----------
"How many ADD kids does it take to change a lightbulb?"
...........
"Let's go ride bikes!"

Charlie wrote:
Mile and bit up hill isn't bad! (I pretend to be an aerobics instructor and
lifeguard in my day job...)

Suttons tool shop sounds like I could spend far too much money on things I
don't need! Hang on, I already do that via the cooksons web site! I can't
wait until I can find someone willing to loan me a garage to work in. Then
I can buy lots of kit that I really don't need!

I'd love to do my own casting, but I certainly don't have room at the
moment. But we are possibly moving to a cottage in August, rather than a
first floor flat. How much floor space does a casting kiln take up? Could
you have it indoors, or would you need a proper workshop? I've just had a
thought, can you get kilns that are suitable for both casting, and for
annealing lampwork beads in? Would save floor space eventually. What's the
learning curve like for casting?

Charlie.

"William Black" wrote in message
...

"Charlie" wrote in message
. ..

Well, I have been meaning to go for a day out shopping in Birmingham

with

the boyfriend. How close to New Street Station is the Jewellery

Quarter?

Walking distance?

About a mile and a bit, all up hill.

Take a cab.

You'll need it going back as well. If you've never been before you'll

find

yourself buying jewellers 'toys' at Sutton's tool shop, and the

inevitable

vast and heavy Cookson's catalogue...

But if you want to start doing your own casting Walsh's shop do a better
range of pro casting equipment.

--
William Black

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe
Barbeques on fire by chalets past the headland
I've watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off Newborough
All this will pass like ice-cream on the beach
Time for tea






Hi Charlie,
Ive followed yor search for a solution to your bead cap design,
and with all metalworking problems, theres generally an answer out
there somewhere.
From what has been written so far all the suggestions are out of your
league so to speak.
I always enjoy the buzz of finding a solution to a problem and have been
thinking what could be a simple, easy to make for you that is, and
economical in material costs and time.
to make a cap out of solid metal is difficult tho not impossible. for
example,Imperial Metal Industries had the gov. Contract to make all the
..303 rifle ammunition cartridge cases in the second world war. they
started out with a 1 in by 1/8 in brass blank and with about 15
different operations finished up with the standard cartidge case.
you could do the same for your bead caps if you had the capital and tooling.
We all know thats not for you.
what is a possibility is the following.
You need to make them out of wire. fully annealed.
you need to make a simple jig from small nails driven into the end of
a piece of broom handle. these nails are in a circle with anothe smaller
circle of the same no of nails in side the outer circle.
So if you wind the wire in and out over the nails youll finish up with
a daisy petal pattern in wire. How many petals is up to you, 4 would be
the minimum.
Now the size of the wire daisy can be any size you want. the smaller
would need thinner wire and closer spaced nails.
the nails would need to have their heads cut off so you could remove
the daisy..
this can then be bent into a piramid shape to fit the bead size.
I assumme you would then araldite (2 part epoxy resin) the caps onto the
beads.? Setting up the jigs for this operation is another story.
Then jump ring link them together.
It should be possible to make up each wire daisy in about 2 minuites.
and the wire ends could be turned into a ring for stringing up after.
A similar setup to what one used to do as kids called French knitting on
a cotton reel.
Hope you get the idea.
Do experiment, youll soon get the hang of it.
regards and keep us informed how you progress.
Ted Frater Dorset UK.

"Ted Frater" wrote in message
...

You need to make them out of wire. fully annealed.
you need to make a simple jig from small nails driven into the end of
a piece of broom handle. these nails are in a circle with anothe smaller
circle of the same no of nails in side the outer circle.
So if you wind the wire in and out over the nails youll finish up with
a daisy petal pattern in wire. How many petals is up to you, 4 would be
the minimum.

Ah, I wanted solid castings. Not see through. If it's any help with the
brainstorming, it's one of the cubes from www.lampwork.net. They're from
the "cocomint" set of beads and they're beautiful! I've just got to do
these beads justice!

I assumme you would then araldite (2 part epoxy resin) the caps onto the
beads.?

Do jewellers really use epoxy? I assumed that would be cheating! I was
going to wire them onto a head pin and then onto an ear wire. Or would that
not work?

Charlie.

Setting up the jigs for this operation is another story.
Then jump ring link them together.
It should be possible to make up each wire daisy in about 2 minuites.
and the wire ends could be turned into a ring for stringing up after.
A similar setup to what one used to do as kids called French knitting on
a cotton reel.
Hope you get the idea.
Do experiment, youll soon get the hang of it.
regards and keep us informed how you progress.
Ted Frater Dorset UK.

"Charlie" wrote in message
...

I want to cast all sorts of other things too eventually! I've got a
sketchbook full of ideas that I can't wait to get started on when I get
the
skill and equipment.

Anyone in the UK want an apprentice?

Not yet, try in a year or so :-)

Alternatively you could try looking at the short courses at the Central
School of Jewellery in Birmingham, It's part of UCE and is directly
opposite Cooksons trade counter.

I know that there's at least one lost wax casting course this year, but if
you go in they'll give you a course schedule.

--
William Black

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe
Barbeques on fire by chalets past the headland
I've watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off Newborough
All this will pass like ice-cream on the beach
Time for tea

"Charlie" wrote in message
...
Do jewellers really use epoxy? I assumed that would be cheating! I was
going to wire them onto a head pin and then onto an ear wire. Or would
that
not work?

Jewellers use what works...

As a rule they use industrial adhesives that really work but are slightly
dangerous, as opposed to the stuff you can buy in B&Q

--
William Black

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe
Barbeques on fire by chalets past the headland
I've watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off Newborough
All this will pass like ice-cream on the beach
Time for tea