Silver Bee joins the JETT SETT!

JETT SETT, another tool that I've always wondered about. I'm amazed that I've waited this long to work with it and discover the extent of its uses. It's one of those products that I am so excited about I can hardly get the words out.

I should back up a bit though to fill you in on what this new to me miracle product is. First it's not new and has been around for awhile although I don't know for how long exactly. It is a unique combination of  plastic and ceramic compounds that when heated in hot water becomes moldable. It wasn't until I started to see what I could mold it around that I became really excited about its possibilities. JETT SETT can be used to secure stone settings in place so you can finish the job more easily. Use it to create ergonomic handles for gravers and files. The same can be done with pliers so the handles sit more comfortably and secure in your hands. If you want to bend wire without marring  mold some JETT SETT around the jaws of the pliers. It's easily applied and just as easily removed. It's a completely reusable  product which makes the initial investment more economical considering its uses and longevity. 

I was like a mad scientist trying all the possibilities I'd read about or thought of using this product. Unfortunately I didn't think of taking photos until I was just about finished setting a stone into a toggle clasp.  

The photo to the right is JETT SETT pellets straight out of the bag. After putting it in water that has been heated to between 65 - 75 degrees C (145 - 170 degrees F) let it sit for a moment to absorb the heat. The photo on the left (below) is what it looks like when it's had just a few seconds in hot water. Remove it from the hot water (I used a chopstick to pull the mass out) and carefully squeeze the hot water from it. You'll see that it starts to become a solid moldable mass. While it is warm you need to start to molding it. As it cools down it becomes less pliable so you want to work fairly quickly but not with a sense of panic! (I did the first time I used it.) When you've
used it a couple of times you get to know how long it takes to harden. Once it is hard you can hit it with a hammer and you won't damage it. The possibilities seem endless to me 

 
You can make pieces that you will use over and over such as the perfect size dapping punch for your dapping block. Another option for shaping metal would be creating a 2-part mold. Put a flat annealed metal sheet between them and using a leather or plastic mallet hammer the two shapes so they fit together again. The sheet in between takes on that shape. I really could go on and on but I think you get the idea. 

When you are finished using it simply heat it up again and flatten it into a thin sheet. This makes it easier to reheat when the time comes to reuse it. 

Obviously I'm enamoured of this product and I'm sure you will be too when you have the opportunity to join the JETT SETT!

Comments

[J. Tyler Teague]

I think I'm in love with the Silver Bee. I'm Tyler Teague, the inventor of Jett Sett and I really appreciate your very kind words. Originally I made this stuff for my own personal use when my shellac broke under pressure when I was doing a pave plate. My #1 bevel edge graver went about 1" into my left hand, right about the knuckle (TMI). Being only 2 weeks before Christmas, the rush was on so there was no time to whine. I wrapped up and kept on working but I was determined to come up with an alternative. You're using it. One of my most pleasing things is how many older setters, of which I am now one, have been able to continue setting by making custom graver handles with the same material. Keep up the good work and again, thanks!

[Silver Bee]

Thank you Tyler for your kind words and for such an amazing product! How fortunate for us that you took what sounds like quite a serious injury and turned it into an opportunity to create/invent something that is not only incredibly useful but fun to find uses for.