Purchase one of our Dragon Ring Jewelry Components Blanks:
These blanks are unfinished. You can finish them anyway you desire. This tutorial will show you Metal Maven's process for finishing and forming these rings.
This is a close up photo of what the piece will look like when you receive your blank. There will be some dark carbon on the edges and slightly discolored areas on the surfaces that is easily removed with sandpaper or a Jool Tool.
Add Patina:
Metal Maven used Gosiba patina to darken the engraved areas on the dragon. You can use any patina you wish to darken those areas.
Metal Maven Tip:
When using Gosiba on these rings I used a small paint brush to apply the patina and then rinsed immediately with water. Doing this allows you to add patina to certain areas without getting any on the back. This also conserves the amount the Gosiba you use, and you won't be wasting it by pouring a larger amount into a jar and dipping your piece.
File the Neck:
Metal Maven used a round needle file to smooth the tightest curve of the inside of the dragon's neck. She then used an oval shaped needle file to smooth the other curved areas of the dragon's neck.
Remove Patina from High Areas:
Metal Maven used a Jool Tool to remove the Gosiba patina from the high areas. She also used the Jool Tool to smooth the sides and further smooth all the sharp edges.
If you don't have a Jool Tool you can use 800 grit sandpaper, and then 1000 grit sandpaper to remove the patina and further smooth the surfaces and edges.
Polish the Inside of the Neck Area:
Metal Maven used a cone shaped felt mandrel bit and some polishing compound to polish the inside area of the dragon's neck. This step is important, especially if this ring will be used as a yarn guide for knitting or crocheting. The inside surface of the loop made by the dragon's neck needs to be smooth so that the edges will not snag or cut the yarn.
Forming The Dragon Ring:
Metal Maven used a Pepe Ring Bender to form the dragon ring. She held the blank at a slight angle as she formed it so that the neck would not overlap the wing.
Metal Maven Tip:
When forming the ring the alignment of the head and neck should be directly above the body as shown in the photo below.
Tumble Your Piece:
After forming, you can use a rotary tumbler with steel shot, water, and a drop of Dawn to put a nice finish on your ring. If you want a higher polish, you can buff it with a polishing machine or hand polish using a Sunshine Polishing Cloth.
Finished Piece:
Here are all of the sizes as finished pieces ready to go into your display case.
