Making a Small Four Claw Collet. Making a four claw collet is a very handy skill to have. These collets are quite readily available from the supply houses and the smaller sizes are very cheap. But knowing how to make then is not really about saving money, but rather it's about getting the job done. This tutorial shows how to make the entire collet, all the while still attached to the parent metal rod. With a bit of practice, making one when you use this method takes about fifteen minutes. Instead of having to wait for the jewellery supplier to deliver, or having to drive to them to collect it, fifteen minutes later you are completing the job. Much more efficient.
I have a ring that needs to be set with two 2.5 mm round gemstones. So I start with a piece of rod 3.5 mm in diameter. Image No.1 I first drill a 1.5 mm hole about 4 mm deep in the center. Image No.2 Page No. 1
Then first with a scriber and then with your piercing saw, I make a cut about 4.5 mm from the end. Not to deep, just the depth of the blade. I use this groove as a guide for my barrette file in the next step. Image No.3 I take my barrette needle file and file a cone shape as shown in the picture. The nice thing with this method of making a collet is that the collet is worked until the final finish and only then is it cut off. So it is very easy to manipulate while you are working it. Image No.4 Page No. 2
Once the cone is neat and round, I cut down about two thirds, thus making the start of four claws. Image No.5 Then I take a 2 mm ball frazer and expand the inner diameter of the collet. Image No.6 Page No. 3
I use a 1mm barrel burr to expand the saw cuts down. The burr also leaves the bottom of the claws rounded. Image No.7 A pre cut is made as to where the collet will be trimmed off. A sanding disk is also now used to finish the claws on the inside. Also before cutting the collet off, it is completely polished. This is easy when the collet is still attached to the rod. The depth of the claws 2/3 to 1/3, is also shown in the picture. Image No.8 Page No. 4
I have not polished this example, because the polished surface give off to many reflections. However, normally it would be polished before it is soldered into the setting. Image No.9 The collet is held in place with binding wire. Image No.10 Page No. 5
Normally, if it is possible, the collet is soldered in from behind. Image No.11 Here is the collet set with a 2.5 mm gemstone. Image No.12 Page No. 6
Additional Notes. Here is a picture of the hanging motor sanding mandrels I speak of in my tutorials. I have three of each, ( tapered, barrel, straight ) in each of the grit of sand papers listed below. Image No.13 This is a handy way of storing your sand paper strips. I simply make then by cutting them with an old pair of scissors. And to speed things up, I cut three sheets at once. Then I clip them in a bulldog clip and hang then on the side of my bench. I use 220, 1200,and 5000 grit. 5000 grit is great when you can get it. For what it's worth, I got mine at Polierblock.de The other grits I buy at a normal hardware store. Image No.14 Page No. 7
Files are generally sold without handles, as shown in the picture above. The tapered part on the right hand side is called the tang. Swiss files are graded on the tang according to their roughness. OOO--very coarse, OO- less coarse,o-medium coarse, 1-- medium 2-- fine 3-finest, or also known as dead smooth. Always buy the best quality files you can afford, because they last longer and work quicker. At the bottom of the page to my Half Round Filing tutorial are two GIF images showing the correct filing motion when filing a ring. In the picture above are shown medium length files,about 150 mm ( 6 inches) tooth area, which is the most common size used for jewellery making. I like the new type handles that have a screw nut in them, so that all that is required is to put the tang in and screw them tight. Image No.15 The top three files are needle files. Needle files come in all shapes and lengths and generally don't require handles, although they are available, and if your hands are small, can be required for better file control. The fourth and fifth files from the top are escapement files, also known as watch makers files. They are used for fine work. The bottom file is a specialist file called a round edge pillar file. It has teeth only on the edges and is one of those tools you use only once a year. Image No.16 I show it only for demonstrative purposes. Page No. 8
Here are some samples of the burrs most often mentioned in my tutorials. The barrel burrs come in many sizes. As a professional, I use barrel burrs, ball frazers and setting burrs from 11 mm to 0.5 mm in size. But for practical and purposes, 5 mm to 0.5 mm are all that is really needed. I use the large sizes very seldom. Drills come in sizes from 2.3 mm down to 0.5mm. Tapered frazers are less important but I show them for demonstration purposes. Image No.17 Just to show what a piercing saw looks like. The most common size of blade I use is 3/0. The blades are graded from 8/0 which are the finest to 1/0, the coarsest. There are many other different types of blades, including ones designed to cut wax, wood, plastics and diamond impregnated ones to cut stone. Blades generally are sold in bundles of twelve or in packets of twelve bundles. (144) Practically spoken, a packet of 3/0 and 8/0 will last you a very long time. Image No.18 Page No. 9
Often, when people start out with jewellery making, they want to own every single tool in existence. ( I include myself) However, as your skill level increases, it becomes apparent that more tools are not really needed, and in fact, less is more. The pliers shown below are enough to start someone off and excluding a few specialty pliers not shown, are more than adequate to make a wide range of jewellery. I have drawn the nose profiles in above and in front of the individual pliers. Tube bender for bending round circles from 2 mm to 5 mm. Double round for bending jump rings. Flat for bending things 90º Half round flat for bending rings round. Chain nose for bending jump rings. Fine flat same as flat, but smaller. Image No.19 Parallel Jaw, very handy pliers and also made in different sizes and shapes. Ring benders are used to close rings up. Side cutters for cutting thin wire. Solder snips for cutting your solder into tiny pieces. Image No.20 Page No. 10
I am always striving to make my tutorials better and better and a large part of that improvement comes from you, the person who uses them. Any suggestions, comments and ideas that could improve the tutorials are greatly appreciated. I answer every question that is asked and I am more than willing to give advice if you find yourself with a problem in the tutorial. Another thing that gives me great pleasure is when my students send me pictures of the finished jewellery. So don't be shy, send them to me at hansmeevis@gmail.com Sincerely yours, Hans Meevis Page No. 11