gems in scales?

Dantor

Dantor

Joined
Dec 14, 2006
Messages
1,350
Hi guys, I thought someone here could give me a few pointers. I'm getting a BF knife, it will be my first custom and I'm getting it without handles/scales so I can do it myself. I'm thinking wood, and for a few years I've collected gems, all kinds, all colors so I have tons and tons (carrots) of stones valued at a dollar or two each, tiny stuff, under half a carrot each.
I was thinking of using some to inlay in the handles, any suggestions or tips? I've never done the scales let alone inlaid stones but I was hoping to get some advice from the ones who know here, thank you for your imput...

here's a sample picture of some of my topaz:
4pjuphc.jpg
 
The easiest way to set a stone into a handle or blade is a bezel (in my limited experience). The stone goes in the bezel and the bezel goes in the woos or metal. Often bezels cut out most light so I would shy away from using them on a stone that needs light to hit it (e.g. diamonds) and stick with darker stones with good color. I am beyond a novice when it comes to jeweling so I'm shure the real jewelers will jump in and give more/better options and good advice on how to start. Check a few jeweling supply sites for bezels though.
 
thanks guys, I do have bezels and know where to get more, thanks Jim. I will check out the other suggestions too. I'm not going crazy with them just one or two on each side, I got em might as well use em!
lapis lazuli, I have two like this, same size:
61u4eo6.jpg
 
Beautiful choice with the lapus! I, like you, went through a jewel phase picking up stones from bidz.com, etc. And also have a ton! I was going to the same thing to use some up, even though that style isn't really to my liking as much. In the past, I've simply used a small bit with the flexshaft and then light epoxy or CA to hold in place. The tough part is make sure you have the handle finished and buffed prior to working on the setting. And BigJim was correct, use bright stones that don't need backlight for brilliance. Or deep colors that stand on their own like the lapis lazuli. Good luck and make sure you post the finished product!
 
thx Tek, I have so many small ones it would be nice to use em in something I enjoy, just for an accent, thanks again for the tips :)
 
As far as bezels cutting out the light to gemstones, that is bad information. correctly cut gemstones don't need backlight to shine properly.a correctly cut stone will reflect over 95% of the light entering the table. putting a tube set stone into a handle isn't much different than a mosiac pin,the handle must be finished first though.
 
Shakudo said it. All the light a diamond needs can enter through the top. All light that enters a properly cut diamond exits through the top (regardless of where it enters).
You can bezel set a stone and mount the bezel in the scale, or mount the bezel on the liner and fit the scale hole over it.

The diamonds on the MOP folder are screwed to the liner and the MOP fits over them. The Black Star Sapphires on the small MOP fixed blade knife are glued in recessed seats, cut in the MOP.
Stacy
 

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On a diamond, yes, but what about some of the other semi-precious stones? I was told in my classes that a lot of the stones need some form of secondary light entry in the setting, i.e. side or reflective lighting. Is this correct or am I thinking wrong? Let me know because I hate giving wrong advice...
 
If the stone has a low RI them it needs all the light it can get. Most popular gemstones have more than high enough RI to bezel set. Small stones (a scale can't take a very deep stone) should not be a problem in almost any normal gemstone. Cabochon stones are the easiest, since refraction does not enter into the picture at all.
Stacy
 
The diamonds on the MOP folder are screwed to the liner and the MOP fits over them. The Black Star Sapphires on the small MOP fixed blade knife are glued in recessed seats, cut in the MOP.
Stacy
Click to expand...


Stacy

First let me say, you posted some very pretty pictures.

I have trouble picturing what you mean with the diamond setting on the folder.

Is this a preprepared setting or did you fabricate it yourself?

can you give a photo or description ?
I'm sure that what i am imagining is way off base-
(stone set into a bezel that is soldered to a small flat sheet base and the sheet screwed down to the liner...)


Q# 2

What kind of glue would you use on the fixed blade :
that is secure on hard surfaces like MOP and jems
won't interfere with the light transmission and reflection

when you say recessed seat, is this a shoulder that the stone sets down on (when viewed form the top)
or does the shoulder trap the stone into place with the top of the stone against the shoulder from the back of the MOP


Steve
 
Stacy,

Thank you for clearing that up. After I read it, I understand it a lot better. I went down and looked at some of my stones and dang if you weren't right again.
 
The diamond bezel is hand made, and threaded on the inside. A screw holds it to the liner (just like the thumb stud). The scale has a hole that fits over the bezel. I have also just soldered the bezel to the scale and done the same thing.

Cabochon stones do not usually refract light, only reflect it, so there is no problem with setting them down in a slight recess and gluing them in on an art knife. Any high grade cyanoacrylic or epoxy should work well. Faceted gems will look funny if glued in, so you will have to have some sort of a head or bezel for them.
Stacy
 
Sorry for the incorrect info. I was just relating info passed to me when I got some bezels. It made sense to me but I was assuming they had better info than me, not a good policy. Thanks for the correction.
 
I've drilled the right size hole into the screws of the scales in advance of screwing them in and then attatched the gem stones with a very small drop of crazy glue or epoxy. If the screws are gold plated and a little oversize you will have a gold ring showing around the stone. Frank
 
If you are going to use the blue lapis lazuli, they might look very good in nice red knifescales. Pink Ivory can be found very red.
 
while everyones showing off their rocks, I may as well join in :D the shell next to it is a .22lr for size comparision, can't remember the caratage (edit 13.7 carats by the little multi-mode electric scale u use for reloading ammo), but it's pretty reasonable. Apologies for the poor quality, but my webcams not the best there is :P

494407727_8efa619dc0.jpg


How hard is it to set an oval cut stone in a pommel? I've had this ruby for several years now and haven't managed to think of anything to make with it... Cost me just a few bucks on ebay.

It's a real ruby in that it's the same chemical composition, same weight, hardness, colour etc, etc. but it was made in a lab and is pretty much worthless compared to a real out-of-the-ground ruby. I believe the term is manufactured, rather than synthetic. As I understand it, Synthetic gems are plastic or glass, coloured and cut to resemble gems, but which are different chemically, while Manufactured gems are made from the same chemical compounds as the real gems, but with the forces supplied in a lab, not by geological stresses.
 
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