Wedding ring Cast

[JonLendrum]

Hello everyone,

Its been a while since I cried for help so thought I'd pop in and badger you all. So I've got another wedding ring commission same as before made from 9ct white. This time I would like to get it cast. So I want to make a 5mm wide band court shape but make it a little thicker than 2mm as the customer wants a bit more height. However he doesnt want it as high as 2.5mm. Also he wants it a little more round on the corners etc.

So my plan of action is to solder my 6mm x 2mm d shape silver wire down onto a 0.3mm sheet. cut the excess sheet off and file it back to the size of the wire. Then solder the ring to size, then sand down the sides of the wire to make it 5mm wide with a flat walls on both sides like the court shape. polish then send to casters to get cast in 9ct white gold.

So, how do I calculate how much shrinkage happens when its cast?

I cant get my head around whether its as simple as taking 4% off 2mm and 4% off 5mm to get a rough idea on how much you will loose or whether I have to calculate the overall volume of material....I'm confusing myself now.

Do I make the master to his size S then once its cast just bash it up to an S? Or make it larger to anticipate the shrinkage?

Or do I just make the ring bigger all around and then just take it off once its cast in white gold?

If anyone makes any sense of that then please feel free to answer, if not then I hope you have been amused by my ramblings.

Thanks

Jon

[Dennis]

I understand it Jon, the metal shrinks into itself. So for a ring shank the ring will become a little looser than intended.

Without wishing to poor cold water on your plan, or hurt your feelings, I think it is costly, convoluted and of uncertain income. A 0.3mm lining will make only the slightest difference to the appearance. But if you do this, there is no point in going on to have it cast, because it will be fine just like that.

Personally I would persuade the recipient to accept the 6.0x2.0 wire narrowed to 5.0mm, which will be quite substantial already.

Dennis.

[Aurarius]

So I want to make a 5mm wide band court shape but make it a little thicker than 2mm as the customer wants a bit more height. However he doesnt want it as high as 2.5mm. Also he wants it a little more round on the corners etc.

That's one very particular customer you've got there, Jon, if he wants the ring thicker than 2mm but not as thick as 2.5. When you give him the finished ring will he form a judgment by looking at the ring and trying it on, or will the sole basis of his appreciation (or dislike) be a caliper measurement?

Like Dennis I can't really see your purpose in wanting to go to all that effort with fabricating a prototype only to then get a cast done. And isn't casting usually employed for fairly complex designs rather than just plain wedding bands?

I've no experience of dealing with customers as a jewelry maker, but plenty in another craft. In a case like this I'd talk the customer into having 6x2. I've done a couple of these and even if left full width they still look fairly thick, certainly not disproportionately thin at any rate. At 5mm wide the 2mm thickness would look even thicker.

A rolling mill would allow you to satisfy the present customer by producing wire exactly to his spec. Maybe you should get one soon. It's on my list.

[josef1]

Maybe make the ring in carving wax and have that cast directly.

[Dennis]

A rolling mill would allow you to satisfy the present customer by producing wire exactly to his spec. Maybe you should get one soon. It's on my list.

Actually to have access to an infinite range of wires and free yourself from the constraints of the bullion dealers' catalogue for ever, what you need is a draw-bench, however primitive, and a good selection of draw-plates.

Maybe make the ring in carving wax and have that cast directly.

I tried to keep off the subject of wax, Joseph, because for a beginner that opens a whole new subject: specifically how to create an even band of the required dimensions. Dennis.

[Aurarius]

Actually to have access to an infinite range of wires and free yourself from the constraints of the bullion dealers' catalogue for ever, what you need is a draw-bench, however primitive, and a good selection of draw-plates.

Thanks, I didn't know that, Dennis.
Can you explain the essential difference in purpose between a rolling mill on the one hand and draw-plates + bench on the other? I've clearly not quite grasped it.
Thanks.
Mark.

[Dennis]

Well briefly:

The rolling mill will roll down metal into sheet thicknesses of your choosing. It will also texture sheet by adding textured metal, fabric, plastic or paper when rolling.

In addition there will be a limited number of grooves, of which the square ones are the most useful. These can be used for converting wires, squarish offcuts and wire ingots, into square wire. These wires can be converted into rectangular wire, between the smooth rollers, or used as a starting point for an infinite variety of thinner wires using draw plates.

The draw bench as the floor standing one from Cookson http://www.cooksongold.com/category_...ery=draw+bench, allows you to fix the drawplates at one end and pull the wires through, using tongs and a winch. By using different plates in succession, you can make non standard wires, as for instance cushion edged square wire.

There is also a wall hanging version, which is much cheaper, or you can just use a winch, a rope, some tongs and a vice. Dennis.

[JonLendrum]

Thanks for all the advice! Within the first few minutes talking to this customer I immediately new he was very picky. The decision to maybe cast it is so it wont have a soldar line as the last ring i made although the line was very thin you can see it (if looking for it) and I am worried about the customer thinking its a bit rubbish. I don't know what to do really, I think it might be a confidence issue with soldering.

[Dennis]

Well Jon, a wedding rig's a wedding ring. The only reason I would make one is if requested by someone in my family, for sentimental reasons.

Ask yourself, why he has chosen you. Is it because you are perceived as potentially cheaper, or is it because he sees you as a suitable victim to nag to death over this?

There are lots of jewellers' shops out there where he can pick and choose and then return it if he doesn't like it after all . In your place I would swallow my pride and make my excuses. Dennis.

[ps_bond]

If it's bog standard, buy a blank in and mark it up.