made this today - gold bypass ring in shape of a guitar
I started with a mock up in bronze ( much cheaper )
20 gauge ( 0.8mm thick ) is what I use i bronze or gold as I have a hard time bending things by hand with those 2 metals 18 gauge ( 1mm thick ) I use for copper and sterling silver as both metals are softer and not as springy
I drew the shape out on a piece of label paper
make it 3 inches long as you have to "bypass " the ends and anything shorter will look odd label paper is sticky on one side so its perfect to transfer shapes to metal for the cut outs
my trusted jewelers saw
I like to use a 6 inch saw frame ( distance from blade to the back of the frame) and 1/0 saw blades - they are very fine and will move well around the corners
cut out shape
I have several hole punch pliers with different punch out sizes - this one is a 3mm - you need a bit of strength to punch so I tend to sit on the end to make it punch though
added some texture
hardened steel punches and chasing tools will last you forever
number 2 file
I filed all edges to make the ring nice and smooth for comfort
foming the ring
I start out with bending the ring around the mandrel with my fingers and then pound it in shape with a non-marring nylon hammer , the head of the hammer has sand in it which gives you a bit more umpf you will work harden the metal when you hammer so it will hold its shape nicely
formed ring
cleaning up the inside with a flex shaft
its basically a dremel with a flexible hose the outside I polished with sandpaper first , starting with a 400 grit and then going finer and finer all the way to a 2000 grit and then ultrafine
finished
rocking :)
