Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Volcano Arts Part III -- A Ring

I had never made a ring prior to this project -- not even a wire-wrapped ring.  Sure, I've purchased plenty of lovely rings, but now it was time to make one.

Disclaimer:  this project was truly a joint effort between myself and Christine, the owner and instructor at Volcano Arts.  I screwed up enough aspects of this ring that I required her assistance more often than not.

Starting with 18 ga brass sheet, using the rolling mill, we rolled a texture onto both surfaces.  Then we cut the sheet to the desired width (about 5 mm).  I then filed all the edges and rounded the short edge that would be exposed on top.  A photo would be helpful at this point.


Working with a ring mandrel and rawhide hammer we  Christine finally made the ring round.  This took a verrrry long time.  Drilling holes for the rivets came next.  Making, inserting and setting the copper rivets was the last step.  This brief description makes this ring sound simple, but trust me, it was anything but.

The problems included a broken drill bit in one of the holes, unmatched rivets, a rougher-than-I'd-like interior where the rivets are.  Other than that, I LOVE this ring!


Will I make another?  Probably ... someday.

6 comments:

brokenteepee said...

Congratulations then on your very first ring.
I do love its simplicity.
And you always remember your first....

DVArtist said...

Ohhh Vicki you really learned a lot in these classes. I love this simple but sceaming boldness ring.
Great job.
Nicole/Beadwright

Brandi Hussey said...

Sometimes, the simplest design is the hardest to get right! I really love this - clean lines and so pretty. Great job, friend!

Brenda. said...

I love the simpleness of it! It's beautiful, and I think you should make another.;) Awesome job Vicki!

Cthings said...

That is simply yet elegant looking. These classes are worth taking. I wished I live closer. Seems like you have a great teacher!

ShinyAdornments said...

oooooo, getting those rivets set and smooth and even is a bugger isn't it?? I can commiserate friend. :-)

But look how nice it turned out and all the new 'skillz' you've acquired.

I can't wait to see what else you've got to show us. AND you've inspired me to find a class or two this summer.

Kristy
Simply Shiny Blog