Riveted Spinner Ring. Last summer I took a weekend workshop. eye-catching. quick cold connection. online exclusive. Make a simple, ring with a

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1 online exclusive beginner metal Make a simple, eye-catching ring with a quick cold connection. Riveted Spinner Ring PUT YOUR OWN SPIN ON IT by Jill L. Erickson Last summer I took a weekend workshop on traditional cold-connection techniques. My instructor, Frankie Flood, presented a great project on how to make a basic riveted ring. I ve adapted it a bit here, but the fundamental steps are the same. You ll learn how to use dividers to measure the ring s shank (band) and how to make a simple tube rivet. Once you ve made one of these rings, you ll want to make another and another. I ve also included some examples of low-tech ways to add texture to the shank and how to spiff up the rivet connection. You ll no doubt come up with variations of your own, so please write to tell us about them. Better yet, send us a picture of your spinner ring or rings! A ceramic bead spins on the tube rivet that holds this ring together x 1 in. (21 x 25.5 mm).

2 materials Sterling silver tubing: 14-gauge (1.6 mm) or.064 outside diameter, in. (38 mm) Bead: 5 64-in. (2 mm) hole Sterling silver sheet: 18-gauge (1.0 mm), half-hard, 4 x 1 2 in. (10.2 x 1.3 cm) tools & supplies Jeweler s saw, 2/0 blades; or tube-cutting jig Bench pin Sandpaper: 60 micron (220 grit) Dividers Cardstock or manila folder Needle tool Ring mandrel Bench shear (optional) Permanent marker Steel block Center punch Rawhide mallet (optional) Gauge (choose from): B&S gauge Calipers: digital or manual Drill-bit gauge Drill bit: 1.5 mm Wooden block (optional) Beeswax or lubricant Flex shaft Hand file: #2-cut Awl Dapping punches: 5 32 in. (4 mm), in. (6 mm) Steel burnisher Steel wool: 0000 See Safety Basics by clicking on How To at suppliers Sterling silver sheet, sterling silver tubing (Rio Grande, , Digital calipers (Contenti, , Cut the tubing. Use either a jeweler s saw with a 2/0 blade or a tube-cutting jig braced against your bench pin to cut a piece of 14-gauge (1.6 mm) sterling silver tubing approximately ¼ in. (6.5 mm) longer than your bead. (My bead measured in. [17.5 mm], so I cut my tubing to in. [24 mm].) We re starting with a piece of tubing that s long enough for you to cut down in a later step to make the rivets. Even so, use 60-micron sandpaper to smooth and even the ends of the tubing. Make a template. Decide how wide you d like your ring shank to be. (I made mine 9 32 in. [7 mm] wide.) Set your dividers to this width, and scribe a straight line approximately 4 in. (10.2 cm) long against the straight edge of cardstock or a manila folder [1]. Use a needle tool to make a centered hole approximately 3 16 in. (5 mm) from one end of the cardstock template. Insert the piece of tubing through the template hole and your bead. Bend the template into a stirrup, and slip the template shank on your finger to check the fit. Be sure to allow an extra millimeter for the thickness of the metal shank, and then mark the location on the template where you ll drill the second hole for the tubing. Remove the ring. Use the needle tool to make the second hole in the template, and trim the excess cardstock. Reassemble your cardstock ring and check the fit [2]. If necessary, adjust the location of the holes until you are satisfied with the fit. Then slip the assembly on a ring mandrel [3]. Make a note of the ring size. Make a metal strip. If you d like, you can add texture to your metal strip, which will become the ring s shank. Some textures should be added before you make the strip, others afterward. See Shank Sampler, page 4, for texturing ideas. To make the metal strip, set your dividers to the same measurement you used to make the cardstock template, and scribe a straight line a little longer than your template against the straight edge of 18-gauge (1.0 mm) sterling silver sheet [4]. Use a bench shear or a jeweler s saw with a 2/0 blade to cut along the scribed line. (For tips on using a jeweler s saw, visit and click on Metals under the How To tab.) Check the length of the template against your metal strip, and trim the strip to the correct length. Prepare the metal strip for drilling. Use your template and a permanent marker to mark the location for the holes on your strip. Place the strip on a steel block, and use a center punch to make a slight dimple at each mark [5]. If necessary, straighten

3 any bowing in the strip by placing it on its edge on the steel block and lightly hitting it with a rawhide mallet [6]. Drill the holes. You need to match the size of your drill bit to the gauge of your tubing (see Drill Your Way to a Successful Rivet, right). Because I used 14-gauge (1.6 mm) tubing, I chose a 1.5 mm drill bit. If you re not using 14-gauge (1.6 mm) tubing, see Approximate Drill-Bit-Size Equivalents, right, to find the appropriate drill-bit size for your tubing. Support the strip on your bench pin or a wooden block. Insert the drill bit into a flex shaft, and apply beeswax or lubricant to the bit. Keep the bit perpendicular to the strip as you drill a hole through each dimple [7]. Check to ensure that the tubing fits through the holes. It should be a snug fit. If the holes are too small, re-drill them, swiveling the bit slightly to enlarge each hole. Don t enlarge the holes too much, or drill your way to a successful rivet In order for a rivet to be secure, the tubing (or wire) you re using must fit tightly in the hole you ve made. To ensure that the hole is the proper size, use a B&S (Brown & Sharpe) gauge, a drill-bit gauge, or digital calipers to measure the thickness of your tubing. Then select a drill bit of the same thickness. If you don t find an exact match, pick a bit that will make the hole too small. If the tubing doesn t fit after you ve drilled the hole, drill again, wiggling the bit just slightly against the sides of the hole to make it a little larger. approximate drill-bit-size equivalents gauge millimeters inches drill bit # B&S gauge Drill-bit gauge Digital calipers

4 it will be difficult to create secure rivet flares. Recheck the fit of the tubing [8]. File the ends of the metal strip. Use your nondominant hand to hold the metal strip against your bench pin. Position the strip at a 45 angle so that one corner extends about ¼ in. (6.5 mm) above the surface of the bench pin. Use a #2-cut hand file in an arcing and forward movement to round this corner [9]. Repeat to file the remaining three corners. Sand the metal strip. Place a sheet of 60-micron sandpaper on a flat work surface. Press the strip to the sandpaper with your fingertips, and move the strip evenly in a figure 8 motion to sand one side [10]. Sand the other side. Then sand to slightly round all the edges of the strip. Bend the metal strip. Position the strip on the mandrel, centering it over your ring size. Place a thumb over the center of the strip, holding it firmly against the shank sampler If you want to give your ring shank more pizzazz than a satin finish, try one of these alternatives before you bend the shank. Hammered shank Why it looks good: The ring shank s hammered surface complements the pearls. How to do it: Place your sheet metal on a steel block and use the ball-peen end of a planishing hammer to dimple the surface. Then cut and drill the metal strip, following the project instructions. Filed and stamped shank Why it looks good: The shank s filed edges and stamped sides accentuate the organic qualities of the carved bone bead. How to do it: Use a needle file at a 45 angle to make V-shaped cuts into the strip s edges. Add patterns by hammering metal stamps with a deadblow mallet or utility hammer. To minimize distortion, drill the holes after you ve added all the textures. Before you assemble the ring, give the stamped pattern more definition by patinating the shank with liver of sulfur according to the manufacturer s instructions. Decoratively drilled shank Why it looks good: The round holes in the ring shank echo the dots on the etched-glass beads. How to do it: After you ve drilled the holes in your metal strip for the tube rivet, drill a few more holes with various-sized bits. Keep the holes 2 mm apart from each other and 2 mm away from the edges so that the shank remains strong. Spiffed up with spacers Why it looks good: Spacer beads add interest to your ring even if you don t modify the shank. How to do it: Make sure that the tubing you re using fits through the holes in the spacer beads. Remember to thread the spacer beads on the tubing when you re figuring out how long to make the tubing. tools & supplies Steel block Planishing hammer Needle files Metal stamps Deadblow mallet or utility hammer Liver of sulfur Flex shaft, drill bits Spacer beads

5 The focal bead you pick will have a dramatic effect on the look of your finished piece. mandrel. Use the thumb and forefinger of your other hand to squeeze the ends of the strip toward one another, around the mandrel [11]. When the ends of the strip are parallel, slide the strip off of the mandrel. Measure, mark, and cut the tubing. Assemble the ring and turn it on its side on your bench pin. Insert the tip of an awl into one end of the tubing, holding the awl at a slight angle. Rotate the awl in a circular motion to slightly flare the opening [12]. (This flared end prevents the shank from sliding off the tubing when you re determining where to trim the tubing.) Holding the flared tube end flush with the shank, squeeze the ends of the shank together so that the bead is held tightly between them. You ll need 1.5 mm of tubing extending beyond the shank to make your rivet. TIP: When you re deciding where to trim a rivet, a general rule is to leave a length of tubing on each end that is 1 to 1½ times the outside diameter of the tubing. Use a permanent marker to indicate where to cut the tubing [13]. Remove the tubing from the shank, and use a tube-cutting jig [14] or a jeweler s saw with a 2/0 blade to cut the tubing at the mark. Use sandpaper to smooth the end. Set the rivets. Assemble the ring and place it on its side on a steel block so that the unflared end of tubing is face-up. To set the rivets, see Flare, Spread, and Roll, page 6. Be sure to work on both rivets simultaneously. If you complete one rivet before you work on the other, you may not have enough metal to make the second rivet. So make sure to flare one side, then the other, etc. When it s time to use the dapping punch, select one that s a bit larger than your tube s opening (about 5 32 in. [4 mm]), then switch to a slightly larger dapping punch (about in. [6 mm]) to further spread the collar out and down. NOTE: You may have to alternate between using the awl and the dapping punches to make the collar spread out evenly and to eliminate any rough edges. Use a steel burnisher with a rocking motion to roll over the edges of the rivet collars and smooth them down [15]. TIP: Lightly run your fingertips over the surface of the rivets to check that there are no rough edges. Your fingertips, rather than your eyes,

6 15 flare, spread, and roll To make a good tube rivet, you ll use a little finesse with a few hand tools. Be sure to work on a steel block, not on wood. Steel provides the necessary resistance as you work with the metal tubing. Figure 1 Use an awl to flare the opening of the tubing. Rotate the 16 awl at a slight angle in a Figure 1 circular motion, using even pressure to work the metal. will most effectively tell you if your rivets are smooth Figure 2 Use dapping punches to enough to wear comfortably. spread the flared opening. Again, use the tool in a circular motion. Start with a small punch and then switch to a punch that s a bit larger. This makes the opening look like a collar. Finish. Use 0000 steel wool to remove any marks from the shank and to give the metal a satin finish [16]. (If the steel wool snags on the rivets, you ve got a little more work to do with the awl, punches, and burnisher.) Figure 3 The curved back of a steel burnisher works well for rolling down the edges of the collar. Using a rocking motion, you can push the edges of the collar tightly against the surface of the component you are riveting and round them off nicely. Figure 2 Figure 3 Jill L. Erickson is an associate editor for Art Jewelry. She enjoys making jewelry from all sorts of media, including metal, metal clay, polymer clay, and found objects. Jill especially likes to combine more than one medium in a single piece. She says the spinner-ring project is great for practicing a few basic metalsmithing skills, and yet it allows for plenty of improvisation. You can reach Jill via at jerickson@ artjewelrymag.com.

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