Ben Ritchie Metal Work

I realize now that i never posted a pic of the final Amulet so here it is.  Amulet Finished Continue reading Out of Order Post

Next you anneal the band and form it into a teardrop then you carefully hit it with a rawhide hammer until its an oval.  Make sure the connection between the bands is tight then solder them together. once soldered you use the ring mandible and the rawhide hammer to make it into a more perfect … Continue reading Making the Bands

To start the ring I had to measure my ring size and consult the chart so that I could cut the correct length of metal for the job. The width of the band is also important for the comfort of the wearer. ring prep Continue reading Starting The Ring

While looking up hollow forms this image sparked my interest and from there I thought about a kinetic piece that would bridge my knuckle using this type of design as the anchor points.  Continue reading The Inspiration for The Ring

After hearing what Arthur said about the gears and the width the ring would need to be I decided to scrap the first idea and start over.  Here are the new sketches. Double ring design Continue reading Rethinking After the Critique

My first idea for the ring project is to do a simple gear design that you could spin while wearing it.  These are the sketches (I know they are rough). Gear Sketches Continue reading Ring Project, Initial Thoughts

Sand the edges of the copper sheet so they are flush with the rivet then solder a jump ring to one of the pieces and a balled wired to the other.  Make the balled wire into a hook and work harden it to make it springy and hold its shape. This is the end product. Clasp … Continue reading Clasp Making 2

the first step in the process was to solder tube rivets to a sheet of copper. clasp in progress Continue reading Clasp Making

After consultation Arthur suggested to use spray adhesive and put the designs on the copper and cut them out from there.  This worked like a charm just as he said it would and here is the proof. The next step is to cut them the rest of the way out which includes details and all. Continue reading Eureka!

This is the design that I decided on for the amulet.  The next step is to cut out the successive levels from copper sheets.  Since I am unsure of how to do that I need to consult Arthur and see what he would do. Continue reading Final Amulet Sketch