rings
- Thread starter bubsbug
- Start date
cutter said:
me too - John Robinson uses aluminium for his silver ring work too.
I'm not sure which they use, but My guess would be aluminum also. I use both, but the sterling silver is way more expensive, so I don't use much of It yet, and when I do It's usually really thin due to the cost being so high. It's cut from sheets I believe. I've been trying to find a source for sheets to make My own, and It's not really any cheaper from the sources I've seen so far.
Greg
Greg
Cue Crazy said:
Sterling sheets are no problem but I've got no punch press.
http://www.ccsilver.com/gold/gold.html
Dick
rhncue said:
Thanks for the link, don't think I had that one yet. The gold is nice too.
So the silver sheet has to be punched out? Since you mention it, The rings I have may well be punched from the looks of them. I was hoping I could use My panto, using another ring as My template. The end mills won't work to cut them out?
Thanks, Greg
Before I quit using the washer type of rings and went to silver stitch, I used sterling instead of nickle. Here is how I did it. I bought the sterling discs in diameter and thickness I wanted. I then stacked about 25 of them together and chucked up on all of them at the same time and drilled a hole through all of them at once. It really doesn't cost much more to buy the round discs than to buy the sheet when you figure waste.rhncue said:
Hey Greg,
Why would you want to punch your own rings? This would actually be more expensive than just buying them. If you figure how much silver you are wasting, and then the fact that you are getting burned at both ends (both buying the sheet and re-selling the scrap) if you don't buy in large bulk.... You should do the math before getting into this. Probably not worth the few pennies saved (if any) when you consider the hassle involved.
JMHO... Happy Cueing!
Why would you want to punch your own rings? This would actually be more expensive than just buying them. If you figure how much silver you are wasting, and then the fact that you are getting burned at both ends (both buying the sheet and re-selling the scrap) if you don't buy in large bulk.... You should do the math before getting into this. Probably not worth the few pennies saved (if any) when you consider the hassle involved.
JMHO... Happy Cueing!
I buy silver disks and have a punch. Cheaper than buying the pre-made stuff and you have a wider choice of thickness. I do like Chris's idea of stacking them up and then drilling. Punching holes can get tedious.
Definitely not worth your while to make your own aluminum or Nickel rings.
Definitely not worth your while to make your own aluminum or Nickel rings.
cheese_ball said:
That was the thing, finding the material at a low enough cost to make it worth while. I looked at some places that press their own sheets, but it was still expensive, and like you say with waste it would have hardly been worth It, unless I find it cheaper. I was'nt aware you could buy the discs already punched.
I like the method chris mentioned for boring them. The other day I cut a tenon bigger then normal for a project, and My standard dash ring's bore was too small. My jaws would'nt hold the ring By It'self to open the inside bore up alittle without breaking it in the proccess, so I backed it with a piece of maple behind It, then bored the ring. worked like a charm.
Greg
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rhncue said:
Dick
I researched it. Got a punch press, had to have some work done on it, my brother in law took it to his shop to fix it. It nearly killed him. Fell when it was being unloaded and landed on him. It is really heavy. Thank God he is ok. I use it a little but am careful with it - can take your hand off when using it.
I spent quite a bit of money on just rings from atlas. I purchased a butt load of nickle rings. I purchased them in all thickness that they have. I even purchased the black phonolic rings in all thicknesses. I think I wasted a lot of money because I didnt ask questions first. The nickle rings that I have, have a slight bronze color to them. The preditor rings are very shiney. Will these nickles ring shine once cut and gloss aplied to them. Where Do I get rings that are appeox. same thickness as preditors. Atlas carries only up to .090. I did also purchase the phonolic tubes which are probably my best bet for custom work.
Thanks a bunch.
Thanks a bunch.
Hey Bubs...
A couple of pointers... the rings you buy pre-made from Atlas are not phenolic; they are vulcanized fiber. They are not structural, purely decorative. Most people will create a stack that contains a thick vulcanized fiber ring, followed by the nickel silver ring, followed by a double-black linen tube. This will give you the structural support from not splitting as well as the aesthetics you are looking for. You CAN slice tiny rings off of the double-black as well, but it's a real pain in the a#$ if you have to do any quantity of them. That's why I use the vulcanized rings above the metal ring for deco.
A couple of pointers... the rings you buy pre-made from Atlas are not phenolic; they are vulcanized fiber. They are not structural, purely decorative. Most people will create a stack that contains a thick vulcanized fiber ring, followed by the nickel silver ring, followed by a double-black linen tube. This will give you the structural support from not splitting as well as the aesthetics you are looking for. You CAN slice tiny rings off of the double-black as well, but it's a real pain in the a#$ if you have to do any quantity of them. That's why I use the vulcanized rings above the metal ring for deco.
Jack Madden said:
Although it's been years I used to run a punch press. You are absolutely right in having to know where your hands are at all times. I was punching bolt holes in .250" angle ring flanges for industrial blow pipe. That was almost 45 years ago and OSHA has mandated the use of very many safety features since then. Now that I think back on it it was very dangerous as you had to use both hands to hold these rings in place and your foot tripped the press.
A very big punch press is not needed but even small ones are quite heavy as a heavy fly-wheel keeps the machine in motion. I've looked for small hand punches but they don't seem to come in 1.375 size for butts.
The price of silver fluctuates with the market price and here lately it is very high. It's price has probably doubled in the last year and a half.
Dick