When you've bent your wire round and soldered the ends to make a plain ring shank, what is the best method for flattening the ring? I'm currently laying it on a steel bench block, putting a brass plate on top and tapping the brass with a hide mallet. This sometimes bruises the ring ever so slightly and I'm not sure whether it's the orthodox way of doing it. Could anyone please tell me their system for flattening a ring shank, and should it be done after rounding on the mandrel or before? At present I usually round up a little before flattening and then round more thoroughly after.
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