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[Thief^]

As promised:

My first chain bracelet (it's copper):

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Silver byzantine chain:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Two WIP bracelets, about 60 rings of half persian 4-in-1 and 350 rings worth of dragonscale: (about the same length...)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Kirbypowered]

-All that stuff-

Well, the stuff about gauge seems kinda random, so I think I'll stick with fractions and whatnot, easier to keep track of. As for the ID I got, well, I coil my wire around this 2" metal prong thing (honestly the only thing I could find to use ), but I intend to get something more suited to coiling the stuff, like some metal dowels. I'll probably buy rings pre-made at some point too. Toothless pliers would be wonderful, especially when I get aluminum rings. It's a pain when they leave marks in the rings. I have a pair of mini bolt cutters to cut my rings now and they slice through it like butter, so I love them.

Rubber rings sound awesome, as they allow you to not have to use a clasp if you want stuff that just fits around your wrist. I imagine it'd be fun to have stretchy rings anyway. I'd also like to get a bunch of anodized aluminum rings, as colours are fun. As far as pricing goes, that likely won't happen for awhile, but it's probably be a good idea to get that stuff figured out now anyway. What you say makes sense too.

Finally, I will certainly be getting gloves. They'd probably save my hands a lot of pain in the future. For the first while, I'd used my thumb nail to bend the ring back into shape, using my pair of pliers in my other hand. Now I try to just use my thumb, so that's why my skin's toughening up. I think I can see how using two pairs of pliers would help, though it seems like it might be a bit awkward. Anyway, enough of my scattered talking nonsense.

Also, those are some awesome and shiny bracelets you've got there, Thief^.

[Girlinhat]

My galvy 16 gauge 1" rings, I can bend totally by hand.  They're thin enough and the rings are big enough that it's no stress to just start bending them.  After all, at that size it's just curved wire, not a proper "ring", and loose wire is very flimsy.  Then I got into 1/2" and could use a pair of pliers and a coin to push, but then towards 1/4" and some 1/8" then it starts to get impossible to bend even weak galvy.  Two pairs of pliers becomes very useful at around 1/2", and essential at 1/4" and smaller.  For things like stainless or titanium, then even big rings are very strong.  I've never seen a proper howto video or picture that didn't use two pliers, or some sort of 3" demonstration rings.

Thief^: I love that copper bracelet, except for the fact that it's copper.  Bronze or brass would be lovely~  I did a similar Byzantine too, with 20g 3/32" aluminum, rather hard to work micro but I love it.  And I want some dragonscale, but I don't think I can afford that amount of rings!

[Kirbypowered]

Ah yes, I made a pile of 1/4" 16 gauge rings and I can barely bend them. I still plan on using them for something cool, though.

Bah, now that I've extended the base E4-1 pattern for my I4-1 dragonscale bracelet, I want to just make it E4-1...Looks like I'll have to make both.

[Thief^]

Thief^: I love that copper bracelet, except for the fact that it's copper.  Bronze or brass would be lovely~  I did a similar Byzantine too, with 20g 3/32" aluminum, rather hard to work micro but I love it.  And I want some dragonscale, but I don't think I can afford that amount of rings!

Copper does have the risk of going green (and staining you green!) but this seems to be open enough that as long as I don't get it wet it should stay this lovely tarnished colour.

That ring scale you just quoted for byzantine almost perfectly matches the size of silver rings I used for the next byzantine bracelet I did, just I know it as 0.8mm / 2.4mm ID (I actually used ~21g / 0.7mm). The one I pictured is 1.0mm / 4mm ID (~18g 5/32"). I've also got a short sample of 0.5mm / 2mm byzantine (~24g 5/64") which is minuscule.

The dragonscale has cost me £30 so far, and has taken hours of work so it'll be worth a fair bit when it's done! In contrast, most of what I make with silver costs £10-£20 and takes maybe 4 hours at most to make.

This on the other hand I've just finished making on commission. Anyone want to make a guess what it's made from?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Girlinhat]

Sterling silver and rose gold?  Possible some stainless steel as shiny "filler", or gold plate?

[Thief^]

Sterling silver and (solid) 9ct yellow gold rings. It alternates 10 silver rings and then 2 gold ones, and despite it being 5:1 silver:gold the gold in it is worth several times what the silver is...

I'm sending it off for hallmarking soon (I'm a registered silver/gold smith with my own makers mark now!).

[Ultimuh]

Sterling silver and (solid) 9ct yellow gold rings. It alternates 10 silver rings and then 2 gold ones, and despite it being 5:1 silver:gold the gold in it is worth several times what the silver is...

I'm sending it off for hallmarking soon (I'm a registered silver/gold smith with my own makers mark now!).

Nice.. I wish I had something going.. not necessarily anything like that but still..

[kisame12794]

I am a registered Blacksmith and I just need to finish filling my touchmark. I made a thread like this and the link is in my sig.

[CatalystParadox]

Whoah, respect to the Professional Smiths in the thread.

[kisame12794]

Not professional, and I am more a weaponsmith than a blacksmith. I registered with the Ontario Artists Blacksmiths Association. Most of these guys are MUCH better than me.

[Girlinhat]

As I understand it, to "register" is to say "I can do a little and I have an interest".  It's not anything amazing, like being included into a primo guild, but it says it's a bit more than a passing hobby.

[kisame12794]

Pretty much although there are blacksmithing courses at some colleges and maybe universitys too?

[Girlinhat]

The local state university (I live in the same town) offers a ton of metallurgy courses, and displays some steel looking construction art outside.  Big pylons of twisted metal, rather pretty actually.  I'm certain they have hammer+anvil classes as well.

[Kirbypowered]

Welp, I finally have been able to make Elfweave. Do I get to be adequate now? I really do love this weave after making it, but that may just be because it was so painful at first, with all those floppy rings. First time I tried, my AR was about double what it should've been.

A friend of mine saw the E 4-1 bracelet I made and I swear the first thought to come to his mind was "Profit!" Now I'm just minding my own business making stuff while he and his entrepreneurial brain try to come up with weird ideas. I really have no idea what the heck's going through his mind, so I'll have to see where he's going with this. I'd really just like some nice new wire, that's all.