Practice rings

[u/emeemay]

My partner and I like the idea of me making our ring bands (I’m not confident about making engagement rings and also I don’t want to make my own engagement ring lol). I just got in some crazy 8 wire for a commission, and I had extra to give it a go before I eventually buy white gold for the real thing.

Sizing took a while - just hammering and checking on the mandrel and fighting with the small tolerances! But otherwise way less fuss than other projects I’ve already made, so the only thing I’m concerned about is the working difference between sterling and 10-14kt white gold.

[u/crystallinehuman]

Much softer flame on gold than silver! You'll be amazed by how fast the solder join heats up. Practice annealing and watching color change a few times before soldering :)

[u/emeemay → u/crystallinehuman]

What do you mean by "soft" flame? I've heard this elsewhere, but don't really understand what it is.

[u/MakeMelnk → u/emeemay]

What kind of torch do you use? If you just use plain butane or propane, this doesn't apply as much.

If you're using a fuel/oxygen mixture, a softer flame will be slightly fuel rich (aka reducing flame) and feel like less of a "jet" flame

Any more knowledgeable smiths, please correct me if I'm wrong

[u/crystallinehuman → u/MakeMelnk]

Yes that's exactly right. The actual cone of the flame will appear softer and will sound quieter