Tools And Techniques For Crafting Wedding Rings

Making wedding rings requires a variety of tools, depending on the material used. For metal rings, tools such as a hand-cranked extruder, an oxy-acetylene torch, a mandrel, and various pliers and clamps are needed. For wooden rings, tools like a saw, drill bits, and sandpaper are used. More specialized tools like CNC machines and lathe can also be used for both metal and wooden rings.

Tools and Materials Needed to Make Wedding Rings

Basic tools for making a wooden wedding ring include sandpaper, polyurethane clear coat, a spade bit, a cut-off wheel, and a dremel

Sandpaper is used to smooth the wood and create a comfortable fit for the wearer. Polyurethane clear coat is applied as a finish to protect the wood and give it a polished look. A spade bit or a wood bit is used to drill the hole for the finger. A cut-off wheel is used to cut out the general shape of the ring. A dremel is a rotary tool that can be fitted with different bits, such as a sanding wheel, to shape and sand the ring.

In addition to these basic tools, other supplies that can be useful for making a wooden wedding ring include a block of dense wood, such as mahogany or Brazilian walnut, a drill, a vice or C-clamp, a pencil or marker for marking the wood, and a heat gun for tempering the wood.

It is important to follow the proper safety precautions when using any power tools or equipment and to take the time to plan and measure before beginning the project. With the right tools and some patience, it is possible to create a unique and meaningful wooden wedding ring.

A ring mandrel is a standard jeweller's tool used to reshape or enlarge rings

A ring mandrel is a useful tool to have if you need to know a customer's ring size, as it can be used to accurately measure an existing ring. This ensures that you can confidently create a ring that will be the perfect fit. When making a ring from scratch, you will need a ring mandrel to shape the band into a round ring shape after the soldering and pickling process. Place the ring onto the mandrel and use a rawhide mallet to tap around the ring to form its shape, frequently taking the ring off and turning it around to ensure it is evenly round.

If you only need to increase a ring size by one or two sizes, this can usually be done using a mandrel and a rawhide mallet. The mandrel ensures that the ring band maintains its shape. Place the ring onto the mandrel and hold your finger over any stone settings. Then, use the rawhide mallet to strike the back of the band and continue striking the ring in a downwards motion. Frequently take the ring off the mandrel and turn it upside down back onto the mandrel, then continue to strike the ring, ensuring it stretches evenly. Keep checking the size on the mandrel until you have reached the desired size.

There are different types of ring mandrels available, including expanding ring mandrels, non-expanding bentwood mandrels, and aluminium, brass and stainless steel mandrel sets.

Ring-bending pliers can be used to shape metal into a ring

Ring-bending pliers are an essential tool for shaping metal into a ring. They are particularly useful for bending wire or flat metal stock into a circle, especially when working with thicker pieces of metal that cannot be bent with your fingers.

When using ring-bending pliers, it is important to start by inserting just the very end of the metal stock into the pliers so that it can be gripped securely. The trick to getting a perfect circle is to bend the ends of the metal into a "cow horn" shape before working on the centre. This helps to ensure that the ends of the circle are not thicker than the middle, which is a common issue when bending metal.

By using ring-bending pliers, you can save time and achieve consistent results without having to hammer the metal, which can cause marring. These pliers are also useful for shaping large and small wires and stocks into almost perfect circles.

In addition to ring-bending pliers, some other tools that are commonly used for making wedding rings include a soldering pad, a torch, a steel ring mandrel, files, solder, wire cutters, and sandpaper for finishing.

Ring clamps hold a ring while you polish or grind it

Ring clamps are an essential tool for any jeweller making or repairing rings. They are used to hold rings securely in place while you polish or grind them.

A ring clamp is made of wood and has a steel hinge structure. It separates at its base by a screw knob, which gives added force to the parallel clamping. The clamp has a round side and a flat side, both with a leather-lined lower jaw. After placing the ring in the jaws, a wooden wedge is driven into either end to tighten the clamp and hold the ring firmly.

The wooden ring clamp is perfect for holding rings and other small items while you file, polish, or do other work on them. It can also be used to hold and lock small and delicate parts for various applications.

There are different types of ring clamps available, including hand-held clamps and tapered ring stick mandrels. The tapered ring stick mandrel is used for outside polishing and sanding, while the hand-held clamp is useful for inside grinding and polishing.

Hammers and mallets are used to resize rings

Hammers and mallets are used in the process of resizing rings. When resizing a ring, the first step is to determine the required finger size using a ring sizer. If the ring is being enlarged, a mandrel can be used to stretch the ring. The ring is slid onto the mandrel and gently tapped with a wooden, leather, or plastic mallet to stretch it. This process must be done slowly and carefully to avoid breaking the ring.

Mallets are typically made from materials such as rubber, nylon, rawhide, wood, plastic, copper, brass, or lead, and they are designed to impart force on another object without leaving marks or causing damage. In the context of ring resizing, mallets made of softer materials are preferred to avoid marring the ring.

When resizing a ring with a stone setting, special care must be taken to avoid damaging the stone. Mechanical stretching methods or tools like the Schwaan Ring Stretcher can be used to enlarge the ring without putting excessive pressure on the stone.

If the desired increase in ring size is too great, a piece of metal must be inserted into the shank of the ring. This process involves cutting the ring, inserting a matching piece of metal, and soldering the joint. For rings with heat-sensitive stones, additional precautions must be taken during the soldering process to protect the stones from heat damage.

When reducing the size of a ring, compression methods can be used if the change in size is small. Ring sizing machines with conical or hemispherical cavities are used to press and compress the ring. However, if the ring is made of multiple metals or has a faceted, chased, or engraved outer surface, additional measures must be taken to protect the ring from damage.

Frequently asked questions