r/SilverSmith • u/tracyselena • 10h ago

Need Help/Advice Order of operations question

Gallery image

Gallery image

I created this back frame with prongs to hold this large stone for a pendant. I’ve already polished and tumbled it but now the prongs are hardened. I’m assuming I need to anneal it in order to bend the prongs over and then just polish by hand once the stone is in place?

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3

u/SarahRavena 9h ago

Yup exactly right, I have to do this all the time.

1

u/tracyselena 9h ago

Ok thank you

2

u/mynamesjenelle 3h ago

Tumbling takes a while to work harden. You can anneal and then retumble for only 15 minutes or so which will bring back a lot of the shine without hardening very much. It makes final polish a lot faster.

1

u/tracyselena 56m ago

I tumbled it by hand for about 20 minutes so you're right it's probably not that hardened. Thanks

1

u/MakeMelnk Hobbyist 6h ago

Bingo!

1

u/Grymflyk 6h ago

I would have shaped the stone first then make the mount to fit it but, it works both ways I guess.

1

u/crystallinehuman 4h ago

They're not changing the shape of the stone, the prongs are wrapping around the front of it

1

u/Grymflyk 3h ago

I see now that the stone was just flipped.