Rings on a whim

[Eric Gourieux]

On a whim, I decided to make some rings. One has turquoise inlay. The white inlay is wooly mammoth ivory from a pen that I blew up several years ago. I'm still working on finishes. I've used Mylans Friction Polish and laquer. Neither holds up against water very well. I've worn the first and third rings, so they have a dull finish. Of course, washing my hands 60 times per day with alcohol gel doesn't help.

Your comments/suggestions are welcome. By the way, that is my daughter holding the pencil, not me. I would never let my fingernail polish get in that condition!



201919

[Dan Cannon]

These are really cool Eric! How did you go about inlaying that ivory?
Since you mentioned that you've done pens, have you played around with trying a CA finish on the rings? It seems like that would be a pretty durable finish, and would certainly give a nice gloss if that's what you're after. Just a thought. Either way, these look really nice, thanks for sharing!
Dan

[Eric Holmquist]

Nice job! I've been playing around with laminating a mix of 1/8" and veneer to make rings and it's a lot of fun. I have not worn them enough to mess up the finish, but used lacquer like you did on some of them. I am currently trying polyurethane. I decided to try something new for me and first spray the rings with one coat of polyurethane to seal them, then dip them in quick dry polyurethane. Well dipping does not make for a "quick dry" scenario. After 3 days some are still a might tacky. I think I shall wash them in mineral spirits when I get home from work and see if anything cured.

I never tried inlay on small stuff like this.

[Chris Burgess]

Wow those are great. I offer up a trade. You send me 2 rings and I will send some fingernail polish remover.....hahahaha. Kidding my girls nails get like that too and it drives me nuts.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Those look great. Well done.

[David E Keller]

Those are cool! I've replaced my wedding band with a wooden version a number of times, but past versions have all been broken or stolen... I need to make another. If you ever turn any stabilized wood, I've had good luck just buffing them with no finish at all. If(when) they get dull, a quick trip back to the buffer will brighten them right up.

[Jim Burr]

Outstanding Eric!! +1 on CA for a finish. I to run my hands through the alcohol rub a few dozen times a day. All my pens have CA on them and have yet to have a complaint. Really well done!!

[Eric Gourieux]

Thanks to all for your suggestions and comments. I'll try the ca finish.

David, I'm currently wearing one I made with cocobola and ivory. Buffed finish only. I kinda like the cocobola this way. Doesn't get too dull.

Dan, I'm including a picture to demonstrate how I inlayed the ivory. I cleaned up the block more that usual for demonstration purposes. They usually don't look this "pretty" before turning. On the end of the blank, I penciled in an outline of the ring, so you can see how much ivory will be in the final product.

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