Scoops Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Hi all, Aplogies if this is posted in the wrong place, I'm a bit out of my depth here! My fiance and I are looking at attending a day long forging experience where we will end up with a set of steel wedding rings. I can't find very much about hand-forged steel jewellery on the internet so I'm hoping someone here can help! Basically, I would like to know if steel wedding rings would be any good (ie, last for our lifetime)? Would it lose its shape and integrity after a while? Would it be likely to succumb to rust? Would it be affected by constant wear and moisture from skin? As far as I can tell, it is not stainless steel (I e-mailed the forged and they said they just the rings will be made of steel) You can get a gold or silver coating applied but - because we wanted a dark, matte finish - we'd be looking to get it treated with something like ku-rust instead. Is this a terrible idea? Are there more questions I should be asking the forge before signing up? Any info would be greatly appreciated. We love the idea of forging our own wedding bands, but are not so keen if they're going to turn to rust in the next few years! Thanks in advance x Since you are asking about steel, and you posted in non ferrous metals section, it is the wrong place, I will move it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Quade Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Good Afternoon, I recently forged a pair of wedding rings for a couple out of dmascus steel and they are both very happy with the results. If the steel you are working with is anything like that and basically not stainless it will rust without taking steps to prevent it, but there are a couple of things you can do to fix it. You can do an outer ring of steel and an inner ring of a presious metal like silver or gold. The outside would still look excactly how you want but the inside and sides of the ring which actually touch your finger would be coated in gold and greatly help protect from rust. Another option is a chemical made for costume jewlery. Its bascially like a clearcoat spray paint which protects the piece from wearing off against your skin and in the case of the steel jewlery it helps keep moisture from attacking the steel. There may be other options but those are the 2 i know of. I have also seen a wood insert in place of the silver or gold but the same principal applies. If you do opt to use wood you need to make the wood one first and form the steel around the size of it instead. The gold or silver insert is so small that it wont really effect the fit of the rings much but wood will be moderatly thick and must be taken into account for size. The couple i made the rings for chose the spray. They had me make the rings for them because they could not afford the more typical gold ring and so they also could not afford an inner liner of the presious metal.The steel rings do have great durability however and will do the trick well as long as you maintain them. Good luck with your course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Check the alloy for nickel content and the wearers for nickel sensitivity! I had a fellow wanting to forge a set of copper wedding rings as he was a poor student. I refused and instead took my scrap silver box and we cast a slug of silver and then had him hammer out the rings with regular annealing. I would suggest lining with fine silver, sheet made into a tube and burnished in place; but it will wear bright over time even if treated with liver of sulfur. I myself am on my 4th wedding ring, all the previous ones are in my wife's jewelry box. They are silver and I wear them continuously and when they wear thin we get another---this one was purchased at the fleamarket in Frankfurt Germany. 32 years so far and I hope we're good for another ring! One last suggestion---try it out for a month ahead of time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoops Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 On 11/1/2016 at 4:40 PM, Dustin Quade said: The couple i made the rings for chose the spray. They had me make the rings for them because they could not afford the more typical gold ring and so they also could not afford an inner liner of the presious metal.The steel rings do have great durability however and will do the trick well as long as you maintain them. Good luck with your course. Thanks for that, it makes me feel more confident in signing up for the forging day. The place itself looks wonderful and they make beautiful bespoke items there, I was just unsure about the longevity of a steel ring. Do you have a name for the clearcoat spray? Sounds like that may be worth purchasing to be on the safe side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Quade Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Im not sure which product they ended up going with in the end but there were several options available on amazon. Protectaclear, Jewlery Shield and the like. I told them to just read up some reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 In addition to the above mentioned issues one problem with steel rings is that they are attracted to magnets. It is very disconcerting when you are working along and all of a sudden your ring is attracted to a magnet. I quit wearing one because of that. It could also be dangerous. But go ahead, take the class, learn some forging, then if you want you could make new ones using quarters and nickels. Mokume Gane is the term. See www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIlKgm74e04. Do a Google search for Mokume Gane for examples and more information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Forge your wedding rings they'll be a stronger symbol of your union than any others. They'll rust or require constant maintenance but what the heck even if you keep them in a jewelry box for special occasions they'll be special like none other. The rings Deb and I wear are not the rings we got married with, those are kept special. The ones we wear are Mokume Gane made by an old metal head friend Jim Binnion. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoops Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Thanks everyone for your responses, I think we are going to go for it! I guess they will take more looking after than other metals if we want them to last until we're old but it sounds as though it will be worth it! X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothBore Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Why not just make them from Stainless ? Start with a Stainless washer, ... and then follow the procedure used to form rings from Silver coins. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing the process of forcing progressively larger steel balls through the "washer", ... and then refining the piece on a tapered punch / mandrel. Obviously, unlike Silver, Stainless would have to be worked hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 17 minutes ago, SmoothBore said: Obviously, unlike Silver, Stainless would have to be worked hot. But not fitted hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Stainless may need to be passivated after hot work to make it stainless again---not a hard process. Also please remember my post on checking for nickel and nickel sensitivity---you don't want your spouse telling folks how their wedding ring gave them a rash! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina N Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 Hi, I purchased a hand forged steel pendant and I am curious about the metal resting against my skin. Other than skin sensitivities is there a problem with wearing this item against my skin regularly? Is it possible it could contain lead and be absorbed through the skin? Is there any way to know or test it for lead? Thank you. Christina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 There are hundreds if not thousands of alloys of steel; not knowing which one it is makes the answer a firm Yes/No/Maybe. For instance some alloys are high in Nickel---do you have a sensitivity to nickel? Others have no nickel Some alloys contain lead; but are not too common and such alloys are generally are NOT forged! What did the seller say when you asked them; or even better the smith who created it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina N Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I heard back from the company I purchased the pendant from. My steel pendant was forged in Europe, most likely in the Ukraine. I'm assuming there could be lead in it. I'm wondering if there is something to coat in with that is safe against the skin? I think there is a kit available to test for lead? Would there be possibilities of any other material that I should be concerned about? Thank you. Christina Thank you Thomas for your reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 My wife and a close friend of hers a jeweler, forge jewelry and they say to coat it with urethane, it wears like iron and doesn't turn yellow. Most stores that carry paint have it. She says you can even use clear nail polish, but it will eventually need re coating. Would love to see a picture of your pendant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Here in the USA there are kits to test for lead in pottery or paint. I do not know if they will work on steel. If whatever country you are in has similar ones, you might contact them to see if they know. Also leaded steel doesn't forge well; doesn't matter what country it was forged in. Leaded alloys are not usually chosen for forging. Have you checked it with a Geiger counter? There was an incident along the US/Mexican border where radioactive steel was used for consumer products accidentally. As for a coating; "clear nail polish" has traditionally been used on metal items where you didn't want skin contact. It does have to be re-applied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Great Thomas, you just gave me a flash back to when Moby Dick was just a minnow and I wore a radium dial watch that was given to me by my grandfather. If it is a concern check with the fire department, many have Geiger counters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I live in an area where the elevation is a bit high, igneous rocks abound, our local water has failed for level of radionuclides before; and have been out to visit the Trinity site several times! Not to mention burning coal in the forge---coal is often high in radionuclides; why a coal fired power plant usually releases more radiation in a year than a nuclear plant does! Besides these extra tentacles; I haven't noticed any changes. I expect that the sunburns I got at the beach as a child are a bigger risk to my future health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina N Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Hey, thank you for all the comments and ideas everyone! I am in the US so I will check these ideas out. I will figure out how to post a picture. It's a hand forged steel Mjolnir (Thor's hammer for any of you Marvel fans). I have Celtic/Viking family heritage so I like all that stuff =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina N Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Bye the way, I love all your nicknames and descriptions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 It's also possible to have it backed with silver so what is in contact is the silver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I have both my Grandfather's pocket watches with radium dials. As a kid I wore a self winding watch with a radium dial, I was told it wasn't, couldn't be radium had been outlawed but Dad's geiger counter said otherwise. Speaking of coal fired power plants vs. nuclear power stations, a coal fired plant typically emits more radioactive . . . stuff a year than 3 mile Island has since it was built. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazyassforge Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Frosty, the treatment I’m getting right now is Radium 223. They watch over it like it’s plutonium! The dr said the rules are very strict. He also said that one sheet of paper is adequate shielding for it. They inject it into an iv when I get it. Fun, fun, fun!!! bd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Learn something new every day! I was pretty sure radium was awfully dangerous stuff to be injected with so I looked it up. WOW what a difference R 223 has a half life of 11.46 days and the R 226 made famous by the Curies has a half live of 1600 YEARS. No wonder my Grandfather's watches still glow in the dark. I'm pretty sure the gold cases were plenty of shielding unless the steady irradiation has changed it to a radioactive gold isotope. Paper is plenty of alpha particle shielding and doesn't become radioactive that I'm aware of without extreme exposure. How bad are the side effects? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazyassforge Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Well, frosty, I don’t enjoy the side effects but the side effects of not taking the stuff don’t look good either! bd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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