Just curious if anyone can give me a idea of how best to make heavy
gauge rings for a bracelet ?
I’m thinking of forging out 6 gauge copper and sterling silver wire
with hammer texture and then somehow forming it into bold rings on a
mandrel which I would like to then make into a “one in one” chain
bracelet. I’m not sure what the best way to open and close the rings
will be as I imagine they will be pretty stout even after annealing,
or how best to solder copper rings closed. If anyone can give me an
idea on this I would appreciate it.
Thanks !
Brett,
Just curious if anyone can give me a idea of how best to make
heavy gauge rings for a bracelet ?
Same as for any jump ring, rat assed thin ones or really fat ones.
Hold it so that you are looking through the hole. Two flat pliers on
on either side of the slit, one twists away from your nose. Slight
sideways adjustment to close the saw kerf and then twist back to
aligned. With your fat wire parallel action pliers might be advised,
always an excuse to buy more tools 
jeffD
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand
You might find success with this…
hold the ring against the bench with the opening at 11 o’clock.
Mallet down at 12 o’clock. Flip it around so you can mallet the other
side of the opening down to the same level. As the gap closes you may
find it forms a ^ instead of ll. Simply slice thru or adjust your cut
on the next one to compensate.
If you’d like your tender fingers out of harm’s way, slide the ring
on a grooved mandrel but don’t run it up tight, leave enough slack
for the ring to form and the other links to nestle in the groove,
and mallet as above.
I'm not sure what the best way to open and close the rings will be
as I imagine they will be pretty stout even after annealing
I regularly use 8ga silver wire for rings with about an 8mm ID for
bracelets and I use a pair of neoprene jaw parallel pliers to open
and close them to avoid denting or marring the wire.
I made a bracelet last year using similar gauge wire (don’t remember
exactly what gauge), and I was able to align the jumprings using
chain nose pliers with the jaws wrapped in masking tape to prevent
marring. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was workable and the
minor marking was easy to remove. Later I got two pair of parallel
jaw pliers and it made the whole operation much easier and with less
marking.
To get the ring joins to line up such that the circumference wasn’t
stepped, or to remove a gap, I tapped the rings on a wood surface
with a small hyde mallet. To close a small gap, I alternately tapped
down on either side of the joint as close as I could, soldered and
then rounded it up on a ring mandrel. To even out a step I tapped
down on the higher side, lowering the step, and also closing any
small gaps.
I drew a picture to, hopefully, make it more clear.
http://www.ganoksin.com/ftp/jason_ring.png
Jason
My favorite way to close and shape heavy jump rings is to put one in
a round dapping block hole so it looks like it will fit but is still
standing just proud of the top. Smack it with a small steel or wood
block and it will close and true up all at once. It takes a little
practice to get the hole sizes right.
If I’m making a one in one chain I do the dapping block trick to
half of them. I put them seam side up in a charcoal block that I’ve
cut a bunch of notches into so that I can solder several at once.
Then I link the other half with parallel plastic jawed pliers doing
the sideways twist while pushing the ends towards each other.
I then place the links not soldered upright in the slots with the
previously soldered links lying flat on the block.
have fun and make lots of Jewelry.
Jo Haemer
www.timothywgreen.com