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Holding a Bangle in a Bench Vise for Stone Setting
Learn how to secure a large sterling bangle in a bench vise with thick leather pads to protect its texture while setting a stone and hammer setting.
Posted about 3 hours ago
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40 likes
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3 comments
Was this the perfect workholding solution? Not quite, but it worked really well for what I needed! ๐
Sometimes being a jeweler means getting a little creative with your workholding!
I needed to set a stone on this large sterling silver bangle, and figuring out how to securely hold it while I worked was half the challenge.
My solution? A good old-fashioned bench vise!
I used two thick pieces of leather between the vise jaws and my bangle to protect the hammered texture from getting marred or scratched while I worked.
This particular vise is from @durstontools (not sponsored, but I do love it!), and itโs one of their more affordable models. Any standard bench vise could do the job!
Ideally, I would have liked a little more support directly underneath the stone setting, but this setup held everything securely enough for me to get the job done. I also ended up needing to do a little hammer setting and I could work with both hands while the vise held my piece!
The copper prong pusher I used to initially tighten my bezel is from @grstools LOVE that tool.
I think one of the most underrated skills we develop as jewelers is problem-solving. Every project presents its own challenges, and sometimes the best solution is simply figuring out how to make the tools you already have work for you!
Iโd LOVE to hear about your creative workholding solutions! Have you ever had to improvise a setup for a tricky project?
And if you have a jewelry-making tip youโd like to share with the Metalsmith Society community, please send it my way at tips@metalsmithsociety.com! ๐
#benchvisetips #JewelryMakingTips #stonesettingtip #workholdingtip #BenchJewelerTips
Sometimes being a jeweler means getting a little creative with your workholding!
I needed to set a stone on this large sterling silver bangle, and figuring out how to securely hold it while I worked was half the challenge.
My solution? A good old-fashioned bench vise!
I used two thick pieces of leather between the vise jaws and my bangle to protect the hammered texture from getting marred or scratched while I worked.
This particular vise is from @durstontools (not sponsored, but I do love it!), and itโs one of their more affordable models. Any standard bench vise could do the job!
Ideally, I would have liked a little more support directly underneath the stone setting, but this setup held everything securely enough for me to get the job done. I also ended up needing to do a little hammer setting and I could work with both hands while the vise held my piece!
The copper prong pusher I used to initially tighten my bezel is from @grstools LOVE that tool.
I think one of the most underrated skills we develop as jewelers is problem-solving. Every project presents its own challenges, and sometimes the best solution is simply figuring out how to make the tools you already have work for you!
Iโd LOVE to hear about your creative workholding solutions! Have you ever had to improvise a setup for a tricky project?
And if you have a jewelry-making tip youโd like to share with the Metalsmith Society community, please send it my way at tips@metalsmithsociety.com! ๐
#benchvisetips #JewelryMakingTips #stonesettingtip #workholdingtip #BenchJewelerTips
