Shall we move on to the photo report? ;)
The workshop is located at the developing Crystal plant. Since it was already getting dark, it was raining and I was late, I didn’t take pictures of him. But it is very atmospheric, so I illustrate the story with a photo from the Internet:
The plant is located near Yauza, across the river from Winzavod and Artplay. Now, when I was looking for a photo, I saw that the plant will be reconstructed: they plan to create a pleasant public space with cafes, shops, creative offices and more. Already last summer there were fairs and festivals there, many people visited the new place. The concept and appearance are reminiscent of the Bottle design factory, isn't it? Competition! :)
But about the plant another time, I want to return there when the weather is better to explore a new party place;) And now let’s return to the master class, which took place in the creative workshop. It is combined with a small but nice photography studio, so there are a lot of cameras of varying degrees of vintage, paintings and paint-splattered easels. Atmospheric place!
This is what a jeweler's workplace looks like - nothing luxurious, but not only silver, but also gold and precious stones are processed here. At the bottom there is a pedal for the sanding machine.
First we took a small amount of silver and melted it.
After this, the molten mass was poured into a mold, where it froze, but not tightly. In general, silver is a fairly malleable metal and can be worked with for some time without further melting.
Having cooled the resulting “sausage” in cold water, we moved on to running-in. It occurs in two stages: first you need to set the width of the ring (the right side of the machine), and then the thickness (the left side). You insert the sausage into the opening, turn the handle and it crawls through the hole. The running-in takes place gradually, with approximately 30 spins at each stage. That is, you cannot immediately take and flatten the metal in one scroll - then it will crack and you will have to start over.
During the last scroll, it was possible to imprint some pattern on the metal (it's still soft, remember?). They offered me a piece of lace, something else - I chose a leaf, because just recently I got a ring in the form of a twig, and I decided to make this ring for the phalanx. It turned out to be such an eco-theme :)
After that, using a thread, I measured the circumference of my finger and cut off the required amount. This was difficult, because the jigsaw needs to be held strictly vertically and ensure that it does not “move” to the side. Here they helped me, since this is an important stage - the cuts must be perfectly even in order to be joined later.
Then a ring is formed from the strip around a cone-shaped stick using a soft hammer. I'm very focused and tense :)
Now it's time to bleach the silver in acid to return the original color - it darkens after remelting.
Next stage: sanding in several ways. First, the side edges of the ring are sanded using sandpaper.
Then the outer and inner sides are sanded with sandpaper rolled into a drill. The ring must be held tightly, otherwise it may fly out into the eye. And this is not so simple, because it vibrates strongly under the influence of the drill - it flew away a couple of times, so I preferred to photograph this stage :)
After this, the ring goes through the final stage of grinding on a machine with a rapidly spinning rubber “wheel”. Due to rapid friction, the ring instantly heats up and after each touch to the “wheel” it must be immersed in cold water.
That's it, the ring is ready! All that remains is to clean it in an ultrasonic bath - leave it there for 10 minutes. You can rest and wipe the sweat of zeal from your forehead :)
And here is the result!
An indescribable feeling when you make something yourself: now I wear this ring without taking it off - here it is, the power of handmade. So I advise you to go to the master class, it is not at all expensive. Or an option for guys: buy a certificate for MK and give it as a gift on February 14 or March 8;)
Thanks to my jewelry mentors who helped me create the photo report!
Did you know that you can make a finger ring with your own hands? This original and individual gift will become truly expensive and special for your loved one. He will be able to express the depth of feelings, or simply help you make an extraordinary decoration that everyone will pay attention to. This will be a source of pride!
Most common materials:
- metal;
- tree;
- resin;
- beads;
- buttons;
- paper;
- coins;
- wire;
- zipper;
- polymer clay.
All these materials can be used to make a finger ring at home.
The most attractive, but Metals are considered difficult to process. They will add durability and external gloss to the product. The characteristic metallic shine will only emphasize the uniqueness and unitarity of the ring.
Plastic and wood less durable, but will be able to create the effect of a “handmade product”, which is so appreciated by a certain segment of people. Such materials are more fragile and susceptible to corrosion and deformation. For example, wood may turn black and plastic may crack.
Ease of processing compensates for these shortcomings, which allows the use of these materials on a par with metals and others.
It is worth considering that there are entire training master classes from famous decorators. In classes, under the strict guidance of a decorator, you can study the topic and make the ring with your own hands even more attractive and complex!
Paper and resin- less interesting material to work with. The appearance of the product may look interesting. The flight of skills and imagination is unlimited!
Various rings
Today we will look at several options (instructions) on how to make a ring with your own hands.
From a coin
You can make a ring from a coin. It is necessary to have such tools and materials, and follow the instructions.
Decorators recommend using 10-ruble Russian coin, It has the right size and a pleasant silver color. However, no one limits the choice of coin, there are only recommendations. You can use foreign coins, which will allow you to leave unusual inscriptions from coins on the product (names of foreign banks, names of historical figures, etc.).
Necessary drill a hole inside the coin, on which the coin must be placed on the rod.
Putting a coin on a metal rod, it must be periodically heated so that it loses its “solid properties” and the metal can be deformed using targeted hammer blows. You need to hit the “ribs” (edges), flattening the ends.
Using an incandescent lamp I, the coin must be given a static, heated temperature, which made it possible to make a ring.
After all manipulations, the finished product must be cooled and polished with (fine-grained) sandpaper using a commercial polish (to a shine).
Made of wood and plastic
A ring made of wood or plastic is made by giving the product a certain shape desired by the master.
For this You can use drills and sandpaper.
Need to take a small piece of wood or plastic and drill an entrance for your finger in it. Next, you need to treat the entire surface of the product to create a pleasant appearance (shine). Ready!
The master can make a product for two fingers simply by taking the appropriate shape of the workpiece.
Above You can glue decorative elements(cut from the manufacturing material and processed with sandpaper), which are manufactured separately (depending on the desired model). You can use commercial glue to attach them.
Made from paper and resin
To make a model from paper, resin, ring blank required(original mold).
You can use a cheap, purchased ring, which is placed in liquid smog, and after thickening is removed, leaving behind a ready-made mold for making a new model from any material (“gel”). For example, the paper can be finely shredded and mixed with glue, which will create a kind of “gel”, which is poured into the mold.
The advantage of this method is that The mold can be used an unlimited number of times. This will allow you to recreate the product if it is accidentally lost or damaged.
After the “gel” has thickened, the product must be processed until it is shiny. The ring is ready!
These were some simple ring making instructions that any crafter or person with a desire to create something with their own hands can use! Experiment, imagine and create!
We have been making custom-made, exclusive jewelry for over 20 years.
You will not find our jewelry in stores, as they are made in single copies for our customers.
We make custom products taking into account all the preferences of our client.
We don't sell you what everyone else has - we invite you to be individual.
Highly qualified craftsmen
All our specialists are highly qualified. And, despite the serious level of skill, they do not stop improving. To achieve this, Golden Phoenix jewelers constantly attend thematic master classes and improve their skills.
Exclusively handmade
We do not sell consumer goods. Our assortment exclusively includes handmade jewelry. Each product is unique and inimitable. And this is exactly what real jewelry should be like.
The advantages of the “Golden Phoenix” include the following.
Affordable price
The cost of all our products is approximately 40-80% lower than that of competitors in the market. How do we manage to set such prices? Everything is very simple. We do not rent huge areas for our stores, we do not employ a large staff of workers. This allows us to offer competitive prices.
We make custom jewelry from your gold
Do you have old jewelry lying around at home that you are unlikely to wear? Come to us - we will make for you a completely new product from your gold.
Work according to your sketches
Do you know exactly what kind of decoration you want? Perhaps you even have a sketch? Excellent - our masters will understand exactly what you want and will do it for you. You will receive a completely original decoration. And it will look exactly the way you wanted.
What can you order from us?
Our assortment includes a huge variety of products:
- etc.
How to make an order?
- First, decide whether you want a ready-made product or whether our craftsmen should create it for you to order.
- If you want a finished product, then go to our catalog and choose what you like.
- To make a custom product, contact us and we will discuss all the details.
- Have you chosen a product? Order it and we will deliver it.
- If you want to receive an original piece of jewelry created to order, you will have to wait 2-3 weeks. We agree that this is a lot. But good decoration is worth it!
Making jewelry is a long and painstaking process that requires several years of training, knowledge of physics, chemistry and the availability of expensive special equipment. We know this and spend hours searching for the jewelry we want in stores. Many people even develop a sketch on their own and go to a jewelry workshop to have a craftsman make the jewelry of their dreams.
Times are changing, and now anyone can be a jewelry maker. In order to make a real silver ring with our own design, we turned to a jewelry school ARGENTARIUM and made sure that it is not only interesting and exciting, but also really easy.
(Total 26 photos)
Before starting work, we were shown decorations made by instructors and students of the school. There are many decoration options, and you can do it all yourself.
Despite such a variety of possibilities, we still wanted a ring. We decided that if we liked it, we’d come back a little later for the pendant.
The first surprise: it turned out that it was not necessary to melt the silver to give it the desired shape. The decoration is made from plastic silver Precious Metal Clay (PMC), which was invented by specialists from the Japanese company Mitsubishi Materials Corporation. PMC mass consists of a mixture of tiny particles of silver, water and a non-toxic plasticizer, and it is as easy to work with as regular plasticine.
The whole process is simple and straightforward: you need to come up with a piece of jewelry, make it, fire it in a kiln (the water and plasticizer will burn, and the silver particles will be firmly sintered with each other), and at the end you will receive a 999-carat silver product. Modern alchemy at its finest! Before starting work, the head of the school, Evgenia, showed us what tools we could use to create exactly the decoration we wanted.
The second surprise: most of the tools for work are at hand for everyone: any texture can be “imprinted”, and to cut out the desired shape, an awl or blade will do.
Various stamps for making imprints and imprints on the silver mass before firing.
To create volumetric products, you can use liquid silver in a syringe. Silver paste is squeezed onto the cork base using a syringe. The firing process burns away this base, leaving you with a hollow silver bead similar to those created by silversmiths hundreds of years ago called “filigree.”
There are thin plates-leaves made of plastic silver, from which you can fold any figure, for example origami. Isn't it a miracle to make a crane or a boat out of pure silver?
You can also use dried leaves as a preparation for future decoration. If you cover a leaf with liquid silver and burn it, the leaf will burn, and you will get a unique pendant or pendant that completely replicates all the natural curves and texture, which is simply impossible to make on your own.
In the jewelry business, there is no place without precious stones. You can add multi-colored inserts to the design of any jewelry: cubic zircons (cubic zirconia) or other laboratory stones that can withstand high temperatures.
Of course, it was very tempting to make ourselves a unique pendant, but we came for the ring and decided to make it anyway.
Before you start working with ductile silver, you need to correctly calculate the size of the ring, because during the firing process the mass shrinks by 16%.
Lubricate the board with a special compound so that the silver does not stick, and go ahead!
Roll out the RMS into a pancake of the calculated size. Cards glued together in several pieces on the sides of the blank allow us to adjust the thickness of the future ring and roll out the silver in an even layer. A simple life hack, proven by practice :)
PMC silver can be cut, rolled, added texture and given absolutely any shape. The third surprise: it is especially pleasant that ductile silver forgives any mistakes - after drying, it is easily restored with water and returns to its working condition. You have the opportunity to remake the decoration before firing if you don’t like something in the original piece, or add additional elements.
We created a ring with a floral design using a rubber stamp.
After we have received the desired impression and closed the ring, it needs to be dried.
Firing can be carried out in different ways. Pros use a jewelry muffle furnace, while for beginners, a more budget-friendly “home” option is suitable - a specially designed ceramic burner that runs on dry alcohol.
We fired the ring in a muffle furnace. At the right temperature and time conditions, the water is completely evaporated, the organic plasticizer burns out, and the silver particles are fused with each other, forming a solid metal that preserves the entire design down to the fingerprints.
After 25 minutes our ring was “baked” :)
Now we remove the oxide film - a white coating that appears on the surface of the product during combustion. Next, using jewelry tools, we finish the decoration.
The fourth surprise: after firing, you can do whatever you want with the metal. Drill, saw, grind, enamell, blacken and, of course, polish to a mirror shine!
Using a steel brush, remove the oxide film.
Sand with sandpaper.
A black special solution - jewelers call it “sulfur liver”, and mere mortals have access to another remedy - sulfur ointment, which is sold in any pharmacy. By the way, blackening a piece of jewelry is also an art. Blackening emphasizes the structure and ornament of the decoration: depending on the technique, the result can be so different that a separate master class was dedicated to this matter.
We polish the ring using an agate tool to give it shine.
And here it is - the ring of your dreams! Made according to your own design and with your own hands!
If you wish, you can learn to knit, sew, weave beads and fire pots. It seems that creating jewelry is something beyond ordinary human capabilities, somewhere at the intersection of alchemy and magic. In fact, anyone can take a master class and make their own jewelry. The technology turns out to be surprisingly simple, especially when a good master explains it. Our teacher Evgenia was able to interest even skeptical students. It seems that now half of the group will definitely return for the pendant for their signature collection.
Perhaps we do too :) And for the first visit to any master class, we give our readers a 10% discount using the promotional code BIGJEWEL (this must be entered in the class registration form).
Everyone brainiacs greetings! Today I'll tell you like with your own hands turn an ordinary nut into a ring, well, maybe not quite a ring, but definitely into a signet ring.
Step 1: Materials
Nut (to fit your finger, my nut is 2cm)
Angle grinder (grinder)
dremel
file
sandpaper (220, 600)
masking tape
sharp knife
power unit
common salt solution
cotton buds
varnish
Step 2: Stitching Corners
Carefully, observing safety regulations when working with power tools, grind off the corners of the nut. You can tighten the nut in brain tests and use a grinder to round the corners one by one. Be sure to check that the material is removed evenly, and do not forget that one plane of the nut remains intact.
Step 3: Tapering
When the corners are removed, we proceed to narrowing, that is, giving the nut the shape of a ring. We cut/stitch the material from the sides, narrowing it towards the bottom. We constantly check for symmetry, do not grind down too much, so as not to spoil it.
After narrowing it down under the tree Enough, we remove small chamfers along the edges of the signet and modify the shape at your discretion.
Step 4: Hole
At this stage, we pick up a suitable tool for removing the internal thread and forming a hole for the finger. I took my trusty “friend” - a Dremel, and grinded the threads for 15 minutes, so that the nut became hot.
We grind the material evenly, maintain symmetry, be sure to make internal chamfers and check how homemade sits on your finger.
Step 5: Sanding
We replace the Dremel with a file and clean and polish our brain trick, smooth out the grooves from the grinder and Dremel. After this, we complete the sanding with sandpaper of various grits, starting from 220 and up to 600.
I don't like rings that are too shiny, so I went with the level of polish shown in the photo, but you can bring the ring as smooth as you like.
Step 6: Print Design
Turn on brain fantasy and develop a design that we will apply to the ring. For example, I stylized my initials, reflected them symmetrically and drew them better so that the print was clear.
Step 7: Preparing for Etching
We will carry out the etching process by electrolysis, so we cover the surface of the ring that should be untouched with nail polish, adhesive tape or something similar. To do this, I chose masking tape, which I tightly glued to the ring, and then evenly and carefully cut out the previously invented design on it with a sharp knife.
Step 8: Etching
The etching process is quite interesting. I did it several times and I will say that everything is not as difficult and dangerous as it seems, although the smell is not very pleasant, but you can just close your mouth. And as a source brain flow I use a 12V charger.
So, we dilute the salt solution and connect the positive charger wire to the ring. We dip a cotton swab in a saline solution and attach a negative wire to it in a wet place, then use the resulting “electrode” stick to pass through those places crafts that need to be etched. At the same time, the longer you hold the stick, the more this place will be etched. Since this homemade not just a ring, but a signet, then I etched quite deep grooves so that the imprint would be clear. And the whole process took about 5 minutes and 7 sticks.
After etching is complete, disconnect the wires, wipe the signet in water and remove the tape. Perhaps in those places where the tape did not stick well, unnecessary etching resulted, but I think this is not critical.
Step 9: Varnishing
After the first day of wearing the ring, my finger became “rusty”, that is, the homemade product has oxidized, so I recommend that you cover the signet with colorless varnish. That's what I did - covered brainprinter polyurethane varnish.
Step 10: Craft ready!
The signet ring made from a regular nut is ready, thank you for your attention.
Good luck in brain creativity!
