Cased, Gold-Banded Antique Re-stem (pic heavy)
Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 4:46 am
Another tough one.
A serious oldie that was originally fitted with an amber stem that had gone the way of most amber stems after a century-plus.
The shank was threaded for a bone connector, so the first order of business was converting it to a modern-style push fit mortise before the new stem was started. This was done by request. (no pics showing it though, it's boring).
Next, the tenon was cut, the shank faced to square, and rod marked for roughing in (yes, the tape has a small twist in it... the shank was both tilted to the side and twisted slightly. Something that had to be compensated for during the shaping of the stem):
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Then, a "stem handle" was made to make some shaping steps easier (especially handy with full bents):
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Roughing in with the aid of guide lines (faceted stems are real punishers given half a chance... having lines helps a lot):
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The handle in use:
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Gettin' there:
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Further shaping after bending is almost always necessary when trying to fit a case, especially when the original stem is missing (no pattern to take measurements from).
Getting a "geometric" stem with facets to appear straight WHILE correcting the misalignments as much as possible is not for the faint-hearted. Some of that was also done at this time, after bending.
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Voila!
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Make and grade:
-
Some gold apparently didn't always use proof marks. (It's 18, not 8... the "1" is mostly lost in the gleam)
A serious oldie that was originally fitted with an amber stem that had gone the way of most amber stems after a century-plus.
The shank was threaded for a bone connector, so the first order of business was converting it to a modern-style push fit mortise before the new stem was started. This was done by request. (no pics showing it though, it's boring).
Next, the tenon was cut, the shank faced to square, and rod marked for roughing in (yes, the tape has a small twist in it... the shank was both tilted to the side and twisted slightly. Something that had to be compensated for during the shaping of the stem):
-
Then, a "stem handle" was made to make some shaping steps easier (especially handy with full bents):
-
Roughing in with the aid of guide lines (faceted stems are real punishers given half a chance... having lines helps a lot):
-
The handle in use:
-
Gettin' there:
-
Further shaping after bending is almost always necessary when trying to fit a case, especially when the original stem is missing (no pattern to take measurements from).
Getting a "geometric" stem with facets to appear straight WHILE correcting the misalignments as much as possible is not for the faint-hearted. Some of that was also done at this time, after bending.
-
Voila!
-
Make and grade:
-
Some gold apparently didn't always use proof marks. (It's 18, not 8... the "1" is mostly lost in the gleam)