Soldering Tube Bezel Rings

Had a friend over the other day and among other things we worked on tube settings.

Here are two rings I made and since the ring shank I used was really narrow (14 gauge wire), I want to show you the set up I used for soldering.

(BTW, that gorgeous prong set ring was made by my friend Kristi Taylor of Got Sparkles.)

Normally I solder with a third-arm holding the ring shank and then I just put the bezel on top and sweat solder.  (Like for these rings)

That wouldn't work with the tube bezels.  The bezels are too heavy and awkward to sit atop a thin piece of wire without falling.

So I got some greening pins (100% steel pins used in floral arrangements... easy to find on Amazon or at local craft supply stores).

I bent them into shape with pliers.  I bent the legs as shown and I made a dent (cubby hole or holder) in the top.  The legs went into holes in my soldering pad (you can also press them into charcoal soldering blocks).

I then placed the tube upside-down on the soldering pad and it was super easy to align the filed divots of my ring shank with the tube walls.

As I said, the pins are steel, so it's the same as when you use binding wire to hold things.

Everything stays in place during soldering.  It's wonderful!

If you try this out, I'd love to hear about your experience!  Leave me a comment.