Smykker gør det selv-værktøj

About John: John is a Syzjewelry jeweler and business owner with 13 years of jewelry-design experience. This guide shares how I file a casting and why I stop where I do.

I file in two grits: 240-400 to take out the file marks, then 600-1000 to refine.

The numbers I work to

• First pass, file marks out: 240-400 grit.
• Refining pass: 600-1000 grit.
• Prong diameter after filing: keep it above 0.45 mm.
• Shank: every 0.1 mm removed from a 1.5 mm shank takes off about 7% of its cross-section.

Why I stop early

Filing is where a ring is made thinner than it was drawn. A tenth of a millimetre looks like nothing on the bench. On a 1.5 mm shank it is about 7% of the metal, and it comes off the part that carries the ring.

What goes wrong

A prong filed under 0.45 mm looks fine and lets go of the stone later. I measure after I file.

Using this on a tools page

The tools on this page, such as burs, stone-setting pushers, a bezel roller and a wood ring clamp, are bench tools for setting and holding work. If you finish your own pieces, the rule above is the same: measure after you file, not before.

Figures are ranges from my own bench notes. Actual practice follows each workshop's process card, order requirements and the current standard.

The chart counts words in the 7 titles on this page.

How to choose

• Tools and settings share this page. The title says which.
• Read the length or size in the title.
• Open the listing for what is included.