i'm learning how to make coin rings, evaluate this one for me please

[Hook]

after totally mutilating about a dozen clad halves, i tried my hand at a silver half. i'm not finished with this one yet, but its pretty close.

the one thing i dont like about a benjy coinring is, the date is so small and in a location that ended up getting partially cut off due to the size of the hole. this one ended up a size 13 , and is just a tad loose on my finger.

i bought a columbian half dollar, 1893. US minted for the chicago exposition. it will be my next ring, and i think it will make a good one.

so check out the benjy ring here and let me know what you think of the toning, the finish on the ring, etc.


PS....the last 2 pics are of the columbian half that will be the next ring made.

[giant056]

Looks like it's turning out really good Hook, the Columbian half will be an interesting one too.

[coinnut]

Real nice job on that half Hook. I have neither the talent nor patience to do one of those I received one of those Columbian half dollars from my neighbor, when I was a kid. I thought it was the rarest coin in the world

[del]

the toning looks nice on the Franklin , my Daughter wants me to make her a coin ring . i might attempt it if i had the necessary tools .

[Hook]

Giant and Coinnut.thanks for the vote of confidence. Its still a work in progress.

coinnut; i bought the columbian half simply because i really think it will make a killer ring. i sure hope i'm right. if not...oh well i can always sell it for scrap silver lol.

Del..its not difficult IF you have the tools. I dont mind getting with you and telling you what you'll need and where to get it. all in all , not really that expensive, and the great looking rings are fun to make.

I'll pm you my email address and cell #. gimme a call if you like and we'll get ya lined up!

[skribnodsister]

Oh Wow, that is really cool! Awesome Job!

[Tom]

That is really kewl, have not seen any quite like that! Any way you could post a few step by step pictures?

[giant056]

Some of the silver rounds that you can get are really neat but would probably be awfully soft for a ring probably.

[Hook]

That is really kewl, have not seen any quite like that! Any way you could post a few step by step pictures?

tom,how about a couple of videos that show the process? its really not that difficult, once you have the right tools .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q8aokoIH9Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvBdhj-XEQw <---this video shows a white hard nylon hammer. GET THAT ONE!!! LOL. I finally located it att harbor freight. i wont use any other hammer now except the rawhide mallet. and if you plan on doing big dollar rings, you'll need a lead weighted leather mallet. But the white one works great on half dollar coins.

its a race to get the coin folded down properly before you hit your ring size. the one tool i'm going to pick up soon is called a doming block and dapping set. using the doming block gives you a head start on folding the sides down, and gains you probably 3 ring sizes or so. check out other videos and they'll tell/ show you the same thing

[Hook]

Some of the silver rounds that you can get are really neat but would probably be awfully soft for a ring probably.

giant, i dont plan on using the silver rounds for rings. they are really big, and i think it would be really tough to wear as big a ring as i think it would be. in my opinion, a half dollar is plenty big enough

i'm going to murder one of my morgans just to see if it is wearable lol. i sure hope so!!

[Tom]

tom,how about a couple of videos that show the process?

As soon as I saw it it made perfect sense! Thank you for sharing, I'm gonna try it.

[slvrsrchr]

thanks for sharing, pretty neat stuff!

[Longhair]

I've given the process good hard thought, and I may have a solution to the issue of one side being thicker/thinner than the other.
It would require a totally different mandrel to start with, and a much smaller center hole to start with.
It is known to we who use hammers and anvils regularly that the material moves to the hammer, similar to solder moving to heat. So my idea is to actually use the mandrel effectively like a hammer, only you would strike the mandrel while working around the inside of the center hole. You're going to destroy the center anyway, so why not pack it, so that when you fold it over there is more meat in the center to stretch initially. Then as you perform the fold and the outside is packed while the inside is stretched, there would be less disparity.

I can make my own mandrel(s) and doming block easily enough, and I have more hammers than I can keep track of.

It's just a thought, but I might have to give it a whirl.

[Ole # 7]

That's REALLY sweet! I have a bunch of old Mexican coins to practice on. Thanks for the vids, Hook!!!

[Longhair]

I've given the process good hard thought, and I may have a solution to the issue of one side being thicker/thinner than the other.
It would require a totally different mandrel to start with, and a much smaller center hole to start with.
It is known to we who use hammers and anvils regularly that the material moves to the hammer, similar to solder moving to heat. So my idea is to actually use the mandrel effectively like a hammer, only you would strike the mandrel while working around the inside of the center hole. You're going to destroy the center anyway, so why not pack it, so that when you fold it over there is more meat in the center to stretch initially. Then as you perform the fold and the outside is packed while the inside is stretched, there would be less disparity.

Yet another way to pack the inside toward the outside w/o sacrificing any metal, would be to use a center punch. Pierce the center, and work it from both sides over a pine board opening up the hole until it fits on your mandrel. It might take re-annealing a couple of times along the way, but it might be worth it.

[Hook]

Yet another way to pack the inside toward the outside w/o sacrificing any metal, would be to use a center punch. Pierce the center, and work it from both sides over a pine board opening up the hole until it fits on your mandrel. It might take re-annealing a couple of times along the way, but it might be worth it.

that sounds like it couldwork ! i'm going to try that and see how it turns out. thanks!!

[Longhair]

that sounds like it couldwork ! i'm going to try that and see how it turns out. thanks!!

I'm just thinking out loud (so to speak). I've drifted enough holes in hot steel to know what it does, but I can only assume other metals work the same way to some extent. I'll be interested to see how it works for you, as you'll get to it sooner than I will.

Another thought.....
If you could jig it to contain the OD while drifting the center hole, the whole coin would stretch less, and more would be packed in the center as a result. I'm thinking something like a brass or bronze washer or bushing with the ID opened up to exactly fit the coin. It would snug itself tight into the hole soon into the process, and you'd have to drive it out afterward.