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Thread: Ring bending?

  1. #1
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    Lightbulb Ring bending?

    Hi,

    I am new and make a few pieces every now and then as an interest and for friends/presents. These are usually very simple rings and other jewellery that is as far as my expertise takes me.

    I am now faced with a challenge and hoped someone might give me a bit of advice please. My son is getting married in July and has asked me to make silver wedding rings for them both. His is easy and, apart from a few nerves about getting it right, it is a plain band. However, hers is a little more complicated. Having ordered a bespoke engagement ring I need to form the wedding ring slightly to fit the curve of the stone setting. It is not a sharp or very deep curve, not like the beautiful example of the red engagement ring and companion on the forum. Is there any way of being able to bend D shaped wire rather than make a mould. I don't have the equipment for that but do have most of the usual and basic kit for making rings etc.

    I hope this make sense and that someone can advise. Many thanks and this forum may get me more involved in the craft and a little more adventurous!

    Sara

  2. #2
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    If I was doing it, I'd be doing plenty of annealing and use either ring pliers to put the bend in (just holding them at right angles to how you'd normally hold them), or use a small jump ring mandrel and hide mallet. If you put the solder join at the apex of the curve, then you only need to half the bend at each end of the ring, so might make it easier.
    I'm sure someone more experienced and useful will come along though! x

    ETA: And hello and welcome! My brain misses out the obvious pleasantries sometimes *hides in shame* x

  3. #3
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    I'm sure others have better ideas, but perhaps a pair of pliers like these would help. You'd have to be careful how you use them though as I expect they could easily mark the metal.

  4. #4
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    I have four unrelated comments then Sara.

    1. If I understand you right, you want to make a kink in the wedding band so that it fits snugly to the setting of the engagement ring. There are several ways to attempt this, but the challenge is making it neat enough to look professional:
    a. Carve it in wax and have it cast.
    b. Bend the wire into a detour with ring pliers as suggested by Lydia, but first cut matching grooves in the beaks, so that the wire is easily gripped by its sides and cannot slip. You should be able to do this with a saw and then the edge of a half round needle file. If your Pliers are just too hard to saw, use a separating disk, or a diamond disk. The pliers so customised will still function normally for the future.

    2. I would suggest you also consider oval wire instead, as it is more comfortable to wear. An alternative is to use slightly wider D-shaped wire than intended an rub each side of the ring on flat sandpaper, to make the edges less sharp.

    3. Silver rings become extremely battered and unsightly if worn constantly for years. If you can run to 9ct white gold, which is more expensive, but not impossibly so, you will be sure of a better outcome. The appearance is similar to that of silver, but it only has a slight yellow cast if compared side by side.

    4. Lastly be sure to make test rings in copper or brass first, to be sure of the size and comfort. Having suffered the making of them, you don't want to fiddle with re-sizing in a month or two. Welcome to the forum, Dennis.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Dennis.jpg  

  5. #5

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    I had the same problem a while back. My solution was to put a piece of paper round my triblet and then slip the engagement ring over it and then draw around the ring onto the paper. I then removed the paper and of course now had the profile of the ring flat on my bench. I could then form the wire to fit the paper pattern with it all flat and then worry about wrapping it up into a ring at the end. To do the forming I made the wire much longer than needed so I had leverage and then I just bent it over an appropriately round object (a 3/8 engineers pin punch if I remember). I think I started off with about two and a half times as much wire as the ring would eventually use so that the bending was easy. (bending wire at the end is always hard. Its so much easier to use a longer wire and cut off the excess.)

  6. #6
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    Yes Peter, but with precious metals you are always challenged to reduce waste.
    The answer if you haven't tried it, is this ring bending tool which will cope with the exact length needed. But for reasons you have stated, it's best to bend the ends first and then the middle. Apply a narrow leather strap to protect the outer surface of the ring too.
    In addition the tool will close the join for soldering. Dennis.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails pl Ring Bending Tool.jpg  

  7. #7
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    I've got that ring bending tool. My question is, what's the maximum thickness for a flat profile ring that it's possible to bend? The rings will be about 5mm wide and the size is M. I may need to make some white gold rings with diamonds sent into them, so they'll need to be quite thick. Actually, now I'm thinking about it, I may buy a ring and solder another one inside to thicken it up.

  8. #8
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    I have one too Carole and I have often wondered if you can get slightly bigger wheels to go on it, could make a steel ring and put it on the tools ring I suppose, may try that.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by caroleallen View Post
    I've got that ring bending tool. My question is, what's the maximum thickness for a flat profile ring that it's possible to bend?
    I think the real limitation on the thickness of a ring is when it becomes uncomfortable to wear. I would put it at around 2.0mm and the ring bending tool can cope with more than that. Of course that restricts the size of the stones too, because they must not poke through at the back.

    Quote Originally Posted by Patstone View Post
    I have one too Carole and I have often wondered if you can get slightly bigger wheels to go on it, could make a steel ring and put it on the tools ring I suppose, may try that.
    i avoid that problem by making rings as follows:

    Get a piece of stock wire and starting at one end make about one and a half turns. Then put it on a ring sick and push it along until I have the size required. Cut and solder.
    If you only have a short piece of wire, curl the ends first as that is easier. Then continue in the centre until you have a coil and a bit, before expanding on the ring stick. Dennis.
    Last edited by Dennis; 21-05-2014 at 06:51 AM.

  10. #10
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    It's all very well being able to bend that thickness, but making a join would be very difficult, especially on so small a ring.

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