Choosing the right bur

 

 

Vanadium Steel: Least expensive but wears quickly. Precise cutting. Can be operated at low speeds.

High Speed Steel: Good balance of cost and durability. Maintains hardness (temper) at high speeds.

Tungsten Carbide Steel: Most expensive and longest lasting. Maintains sharp edges. For use at high speeds.

 

Available in the widest range of diameters. Uses include: drilling, deburring holes, enlarging holes, carving recesses for sweat soldering, and refining bezels/seats for stone setting, because of its shape it can be used at any angle and can get into tight areas easily.

Similar in shape to the hart bur, but with straight sides, can also be referred to as a “Q” bur. Available in a wide range of diameters. Primarily used for cutting seats in prong settings and bezels and for tube settings. It is often used to rough out a seat that is refined later with a hart bur.

This is the most commonly used bur for stone setting, also called undercutting HD bur. Its shape makes it perfect for cutting seats in prongs, channel and flush settings. Hart burs can also be used for scoring lines or as an alternative to flywheels for bright-cutting.

The standard cone bur has a straight taper that comes to a point at its tip. It is useful for enlarging and deburring holes and, in flush setting, for re positioning a hole before refining the seat. Cone burs are also available with a rounded end.

Shaped like an upside-down cone, this bur is well-suited for making undercuts for stone setting. The wide diameter and flat top allow it to get into tight areas and remove excess solder.

With flutes on the inside of its cup-shaped head, this bur is used to round the ends of wires, refine the shape of prong tips or create domed rivet heads. Because it tends to clog easily, the cup bur should always be used with lubrication.

The straight sides of this bur make it a good alternative to a file, especially when removing large amounts of material. Large diameter cylinder burs are primarily used for grinding the insides of ring shanks.

Bud burs and flame burs have a gently curved taper that comes to a point. Similar to a cone bur, they are useful for tapering, enlarging, re positioning holes and for a variety of stone setting tasks.

Similar to a cylinder bur, but with a much lower profile. This bur has cutting flutes along its outside edge as well as the top surface. It is perfectly suited for removing material from a thick bezel when setting a cabochon.

As its name suggests, this bur tapers to a sharp knife-like edge along its circumference. It has cutting flutes on both top and bottom surfaces for grinding in tight areas such as prong seats. Can also be used to remove material from flat surfaces and for scoring lines.

Shaped to get into the tightest of spaces, this bur has many uses, including: enlarging and tapering hinge pin holes, repositioning drilled holes, removing excess solder from joints, and fine tuning openings in box clasps and other mechanisms.

Available in many shapes, including drill bits. Instead of metal cutting surfaces, these grinding burs have surfaces that are impregnated with diamond particles. They work by grinding away material and are ideal for carving glass, stone, ceramic and metal. Must be used with water as a lubricant.

We also sell bur lube to help longevity of all burs.  Great selection of holders like the rotary style,  bur blocks or portable boxes with lids for your burs too.

We also sell HSS drill bits , a wide variety of other shaped burs, silicon mounted abrasives & bristle brushes for in your rotary motor. Even handy storage for them! Quality brands like Edenta, Eve, Vallorbe, Foredom, Komet & many more!