MAKING A RINGBAND

1. GATHER MATERIALS Desired metal:

Use a length of metal that matches your desired ring size + a little extra for sanding away.

Silver solder You need a piece of silver solder wire that is a bit longer than the ring is wide.

RING MEASUREMENTS

Thickness + Diameter x (3.14) = p circumference

Size 4 ring: C=1.836 Size 5 ring: C=1.941 Size 6 ring: C= 2.042 Size 7 ring: C= 2.140 Size 8 ring: C=2.249 Size 9 ring: C= 2.350

2. PERSONALIZE RING (STAMP YOUR INITIALS INTO THE METAL ON THE INSIDE OF THE RING)

Tape or hold the metal.

Hold stamp in place, tap with metal hammer.

3. ADD SURFACE TEXTURE TO YOUR RING USING A HAMMER.

4. FILE OR GRIND THE ENDS OF THE METAL UNTIL THEY ARE COMPLETELY FLAT.

Be sure to hold the wire exactly perpendicular to the file or grinder.

Make sure to remove all traces of the shears from the ends of your ring metal. File or grind enough that no crimp marks show on the end of the metal.

Double check the length of your ring wire after sanding – make sure the ring will still fit!

5. ANNEAL YOUR RING METAL!

• Annealing or (heating) your metal will allow it to be more pliable or moveable when you go to bend it.

• 1.Apply a layer of flux evenly over the surface of the metal to prevent oxidation while you anneal the metal.

• 2.Place the metal on a fire safe work surface. Heat the metal with a torch until the entire piece of metal turns a cherry red color. The cherry red color indicates that the metal has heated up to the annealing temperature.

• 3.Once the metal reaches annealing temperature, quench the metal by placing it in a pickle bath to clean off any oxidation.

• 4.Remove the annealed metal from the warm pickle bath with a pair of copper tongs. Rinse off the pickle with water. Dry the annealed metal.

6. USING SMOOTH PLIERS, BEND THE ENDS OF THE RING METAL UNTIL THEY MEET IN A “D” SHAPE.

Make sure the ends are really touching! It helps to hold the joined section up to light and inspect the seam.

Don’t worry if the ring is not round yet. In fact, the joined ends will meet better if the ring is flat at the join.

7. PREPARE THE RING TO BE SOLDERED.

Place the ring in the third hand tweezers, or on the mesh screen, with the seam to be joined on the bottom.

Flux the entire ring, except for the part touching the tweezers.

Place the silver solder on the join.

8. LIGHT THE TORCH, AND DRY OUT THE FLUX.

Using the fluffy part of the flame, take your time & dry out the flux.

The flux will turn white & flaky. If you accidentally boil the flux

and the solder moves away from the join, use a soldering pick to move it back.

9. KEEP HEATING THE ENTIRE RING UNTIL THE FLUX MELTS. You can move the torch a little closer,

but still use the fluffy flame. The flux will turn clear when it melts. Flux melts at 900 degrees. If the solder moves at this point, you

can move it back with a soldering pick. (If it moves when the flux is melted, you probably have too much flux – next time use a thinner layer.)

10. MELT THE SOLDER !!! Move the torch even closer, until the end of

the blue flame is 1 -2 inches away from the join. Aim the flame straight at the seam. If it looks like the solder is sitting in a bubble of melted solder next to the join, you can use a soldering pick to slide the melted solder into the seam. Easy Silver Solder melts at 1100 degrees. Nickel melts around 2000 degrees.

Celebrate a little – you just made a soldered join!

11. PUT THE RING IN PICKLE FOR ABOUT 2 MINUTES.

Use copper tongs only!

So that you don’t lose your ring in the bottom of the crock pot, you may want to use a small glass jar with pickle.

Rinse the ring in the sink.

12. MAKE THE RING ROUND Form the ring on a metal mandrel. Use

a leather mallet & a smooth mandrel.

Place the ring on a flat surface & tap it on the sides to make sure that it is a perfect band.

13. SAND, SAND, SAND, & SAND.

Use all 4 grits of sand paper. Start with 220, then 320, then 400, then 600.

Sand everything, especially the join, until the ring is a perfectly smooth band all the way around. It will be difficult to tell where the join is when you do this correctly.

Run your fingernail around the edges of your ringband. If you can feel where the join is, keep sanding!

14. POLISH UNTIL GLEAMING!

Polish both the inside and the outside.

To polish the outside: Hold the ring with a wooden clamp or fingers.

To polish the inside: hold the ring with a piece of leather.

SO SHINY!!!

NOTE: STERLING SILVER RINGS & EXTRA CREDIT.

You can make a sterling silver ringband for extra credit any time during your first term of beginning jewelry. (5% of your final term grade.)

You must purchase the sterling silver, and let me know that you are intending to make a ring for extra credit.

FYI: Flux melts @ 900 Silver solder melts @ 1100Sterling Silver melts @ 1250 – 1500.

Yep, that’s close, & it’s a little tricky not to melt your sterling silver. Nope, you can’t get more silver for free to replace what you just melted.

Yeah, we know it costs between $2.00 - $9.00 to make a sterling silver ringband, that’s why it’s extra credit. But it’s still cool.