Ring made from scraps

We all have these small leftover pieces from past projects sitting on the bench or in a box. Its easy to turn them into a ring with just a little heat and beat. I chose a strip that is able to go around a finger twice and a square about 1 inch in diameter. If you don't have a ring size chart you can just wrap a piece of paper around your finger or a mandrel and mark where it overlaps  then double or triple the length.

Round the ends of the strip and smooth the edge with a file or emery cloth. Next mark a circle on the square if you want a round flower like shape.or leave it square if you want a more random form..

Sharp dividers mark the line and leave a center point to drill later.

I used a cross peen hammer to texture the metals pieces.

Here you can see how the rough hammer makes a petal like texture somewhat like a poppy.

The strip is also beaten to texture it.

Then using a torch anneal the strip. Note the color of the glowing metal..you want the color to be a dull orange red as you pass the torch back and forth along the strip. Let the strip coll for a few seconds the using tongs or fire tweezers transfer it to a container of cool water to quench it.

Do the same procedure with the disk. Next I put the disk in a dapping block to curve it.

When the strip is cool hold it against the mandrel with your thumb and wrap it around then pound it with a hammer or mallet to set the curve.

If it is a little wonky like this is , just adjust it with your fingers until it has a pleasing shape.

I next punched a hole in the tip of the strip through all layers and riveted it.

With the cup dapped its time to punch a hole in the bottom and then a matching one in the shank and rivet it together.

Before riveting I decided to polish the metal a bit and flattened the bowl shape. At this point it is time to decide on a treatment for the center. You could add patina or paint or fill with resin and add elements.

I had some cutoff wire pieces made of sterling wire and put the onto the soldering pad and heated them to the melting point at which time they became little spheres. Putting them and a little soft solder in the cup I heated the whole ring to melt the solder.

After pickling the ring it is time to finish. I used rotary tools in my flex shaft to polish the band and bowl.

This is the result. A simple ring made from scrap that you can copy and make in your own choice of metal and decoration. I will add patina with Swellegant products to further enhance the ring.