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5 Minute Rings Tutorial
Created by: Polly Nobbs-Larue
Designer Tips
Cut a 20-gauge or 24-gauge 0.25" (wide) strip of copper, brass or sterling sheet approximately 2.75" long.
Smooth and straighten with a nylon hammer.
Optional: Texture or stamp if desired. (see "Creating a Stamped Metal Charm" technique sheet below)
File corners and edges smooth, using #2-cut needle file, so the ring fits comfortably.
Optional: Antique components if desired before assembling!
Use nylon-jaw ring-bending pliers to bend ring into shape. Overlap the ends at least 0.25"
Check the size on a ring mandrel. Adjust as necessary, using fingers, flat-nose nylon-jaw pliers, and/or nylon hammer as necessary.
Use the riveting system tool to punch a 3/32" hole in the center of the overlapped area. Re-straighten ring as necessary.
Continued Below...
Insert eyelet, beginning at inside of ring, and add embellishments to top.
Set 3/32" eyelet with other end of riveting system tool.
With a little practice, this fun ring takes just 5 minutes to make, and can be made with various gauges or patterns of sheet metal, and any embellishments you desire! The specialized tools allow you to make dozens of rings, quickly and painlessly without electricity or flame.
At the time this tutorial was created, we didn't carry any plain band rings ... but now we do! So you might prefer to rivet your embellishments onto a sterling, brass or pewter band ring that already has smooth edges, and is already the exact right size. Just be sure the band is at least 6mm wide, so you have reasonable space on each side of the eyelet (so the hole punched through the ring doesn't weaken the band excessively). Also, Crafted Findings hadn't yet developed their curved piercing base, which I highly recommend for piercing curved items. It's now added to the end of the parts list.
