Hydraulic Die Forming Discussion Group

Experience with Rio's new anticlastic bracelet forming kit

Michael Andrews
michael@thelindsaycollection.com
Fri Mar 27 '09

I am interested in making anticlastic bracelets and would like to know if anyone has used the new anticlastic bracelet forming kit (Rio #100598) for the Mark III , what they thought about it (is it easy to use, produce good results, etc.) and if anyone had instructions how to use it. I will be using the kit to form silver, 14k and 18k bracelets and had the following questions:

- What is the thinnest and thickest gauge of material that can be formed?
- How narrow or wide can the material be (from 3/4" to 2 1/2")?
- Will metal that has been textured prior to forming be affected?
- Can overlay or small bezels be soldered onto material prior to forming?

I'm also curious to know which method yields the best product (old school or Bonny Doon).

Any help in this matter is greatly appreciated.
Michael

Re: Experience with Rio's new anticlastic bracelet forming kit

Cynthia Eid
ceid@cynthiaeid.com
Fri Mar 27 '09

Hi Michael,
Bonny Doon makes two different anticlastic forming tool sets. Since each tool set has advantages and disadvantages, both anticlastic tool sets are being made by Bonny Doon.
•     DESIGN COMPARISON
o     New tool: The metal is formed/pushed by a steel anticlastic tool/form into urethane
o     Original tool: the metal is formed/pushed by urethane against delrin anticlastic forms/tools
•     MATERIALS the tools are made of affect the thickness of metal that can be formed with the tool
o     The newer tool set has an anticlastic form made of steel, which pushes the metal into urethane to form it. The advantage of this tool is that it is very strong, capable of forming wide, thick metal.
o     The original anticlastic forming set has 4 anticlastic forms made of delrin which push your metal into urethane. The delrin cannot form metal that is as thick as metals that the steel former can form.
o     BOTH tool sets have the advantage of being able to form metal with overlays, or texture, without damage.
o     David Anderson has successfully set small cabochons in bezels prior to forming with the similar synclastic steel tool. However, that is not advisable with the original delrin tool set.
•     WIDTHS and CURVATURES
o     The new steel tool set is one 2-inch wide curve of steel. Any width, up to 2”, can be formed with the same tool. However, they all have the same curvature.
o     The original delrin and aluminum set has 4 widths: ½”, ¾” 1” and 1.25”. The narrowest has the tightest curvature. The curvatures get progressively shallower, as the delrin formers get wider. It is difficult to form an anticlast wider than 1.25”
•     ABILITY TO SEE WATCH THE METAL AS IT IS FORMED
o     The new steel tool is very straightforward in how it is used. The press is used like a giant hammer, pushing the metal into the urethane, and you can make sure that the metal is centered as it is formed.
o     The forming with the original anticlastic tool occurs out of sight, making it tricky to be sure of symmetrically forming metal that is not a straight strip of the same width as the delrin former.
•     It is difficult to definitively state thickness and thinness limits, since every case is different. Both can form thin metal. The new steel tool is definitely capable of forming stiffer/thicker metal. I don’t think I’d recommend trying to form anything heavier than 14 gauge sterling with the original tool, but I’m not sure that it can do that, really; since anticlastic forms are so strong, I’ve never felt the need to use anything thicker than 18 gauge sterling silver, myself.
In terms of instructions, your question reminds me that I need to write them! I’ll try to get right on that. In the meantime, since the set works very similarly to the new Bonny Doon synclastic former, you could read those, and learn the main concepts.The instructions I wrote for the similar synclastic former are posted on the discussion group at www.bonnydoonengineering.com. Or, if you email me, I could send you a pdf.
Cynthia Eid
http://www.cynthiaeid.com/

Re^2: Experience with Rio's new anticlastic bracelet forming kit

Phil Poirier
poirier@newmex.com
Fri Mar 27 '09

Michael,
It looks like Cindy has given you lots of detailed information about the two different anticlastic bracelet formers. The one point I would make is that the old style will deform an overlay due to the urethane acting from the inside of the bracelet, forcing the thinner metal between overlaid layers into the void between overlays. This may be a desired affect although usually not.
The new version will not deform an overlay because the urethane is now on the outside of the bracelet forcing the base layer against the steel die.
Attached is a photo of an overlay formed with the synclastic former.
Sincerely,
Phil

Key pattern overlay 18 ga over 20 gauge

Re^2: Experience with Rio's new anticlastic bracelet forming kit

Phil Poirier
poirier@newmex.com
Fri Mar 27 '09

and another overlaid bracelet in 18k, ~0.8mm over 0.6mm, 2" wide

Re^2: Experience with Rio's new anticlastic bracelet forming kit

Phil Poirier
poirier@newmex.com
Fri Mar 27 '09

and here are a couple anticlasts