Hi I'm Mike from Craft Supplies USA and
today I'm going to show you how to turn a custom ring using a two-piece ring
core. Turning rings is a unique project that
always impresses and we now offer these 2-piece stainless steel ring cores
from jdg. The design offers a nice contrast of metal and wood, making a truly unique piece of jewelry. They've got a comfortable radiused interior profile and the machining is so precise the seam is nearly invisible when
completed. The precise fitting of materials requires a very accurate way to turn the rings. They can be turned using tapered ring bushings, or for the
ultimate in precision we recommend the JDG Pro Ring Mandrel. It's an expansion
type collet with several steps machined for different ring sizes. They're
available in two sizes to fit the 2-piece ring cores and they'll fit a
wide range of our standard ring cores as well. For this project you're going to
need a two-piece ring core, a ring blank of your choice, some double-sided tape,
digital calipers, a ring mandrel or ring chuck of your choice, some epoxy and
standard turning tools and supplies. Before we go to the lathe we'll need to
make sure our blank has a flat reference face. Simply lay out some 220 grit
sandpaper on a flat surface and sand one side of the blank entirely flat. Now wipe
off the dust and apply double-sided tape to the flattened side. Now flip it over and mark the center for
drilling. At the lathe, mount a waste block, then true up the face using a skew. This will be our jig for drilling and rough turning the blank. Use a cone center to line up the center of the blank to the waste block. Apply firm
pressure so the tape adheres to the waste block completely. Now lightly rough turn the ring blank to round using a spindle gouge. Once the blank is round, it's critical
that we turn the blanks thickness just a hair over six millimeters wide. But, use your digital calipers here to
double-check your work, because this needs to be precise. Once we're just over six millimeters
wide, drill a hole through the blank using a drill chuck and a drill bit
that's about half the size of your rings diameter. Carefully use a scraper and
open up the inside of the blank until the core can just slip inside. and of course check the fit frequently
for a proper fit. Now take the core off the lathe and
remove any double-sided tape. It's critical here that the blank is exactly
six millimeters wide for a perfect fit. To do this, lay the blank on a piece of
sandpaper and sand in a figure 8 pattern until your blank is exactly 6
millimeters wide, and use your digital calipers often to check the width. Once we're spot-on 6 millimeters for
thickness, we're ready to glue the core in the blank. To glue them together, we
recommend using an epoxy for a flexible and permanent bond. Apply a generous amount of epoxy to the inside of the ring blank, then insert the two halves of the ring core. Use a mallet and lightly tap the two
cores together until they're properly seated. Wipe away any excess epoxy and
let it cure. I'll mount the Pro Ring Mandrel inside a collet chuck because I
want the most accuracy, however there are other mounting options that'll do the
job. Insert the ring core under the correct sized step and lightly tighten
with the hex wrench. Turn a flat profile with a skew, using the sides of the ring core as sizing indicators. And don't worry if you scratch out the
metal surface at all, because we'll buff everything out in just a moment. Once the wood and metal are perfectly flush, sand the blank through 600 grit. The ring core comes with a satin finish,
but I want a more polished look for my ring, so I'll apply some scratch free
polishing wax to both surfaces. I'll also polish the sides of the core,
so we have a consistent sheen. Now apply some plastic polish for the final sheen of the blank and the core, following the same procedure as the wax. The plastic polish works great on steel, plastic, as well as dense exotics and stabilized wood. I'm all finished, but I want the inside of the core to match the sheen on
the outside as well. Take the ring off the lathe and apply some masking tape around the outside to keep it from getting scratched. Then carefully secure the ring with a set of pin jaws. Use a wooden dowel and apply some scratch free polishing wax into the core. Do not under any circumstances insert your finger into the ring while it is turning. Now use the same procedure with the plastic polish for the final sheen of the ring. If you don't have pin jaws, you can also
use a Dremel with a small buffing wheel. Just apply some scratch free wax, then
polish the ring with the plastic polish as well. Once it's polished, you've got a
beautiful, unique piece of jewelry. If you liked the video, click that like button
and subscribe to our Channel. And if you need any supplies or rings, click the link next to me.
