Glass Rings/Mandrels

[Shelley]

I'd love to make some glass rings..... Does anyone know how to do these so that the inside of the ring stays shiny? Also, where can I buy a ring mandrel?

Thanks everyone!
Shelley.

[kbinkster]

I do not use a mandrel for making rings. I make them from boro and do it free-style. You can probably do this with soft glass, too, if you wanted to. But, it will require better control.

Basically, you cut a small length of rod, punty up to the midpoint, and then heat it and move it until it forms a horseshoe shape. You work at getting the ends together until you get a circle-on-a-stick. Heat it evenly and use a reamer to enlarge the hole to the right finger size. If you enlarge it too much, then heat it so that it condenses back down. If you have a metal ring sizer thing, you can ream and check, ream and check until you get the ring to the size you want.

This is how you get a basic ring with the inside left shiny. You can add "jewels" and stuff if you want. You can also make a band, too, if you use a ribbon instead of a rod.

I learned this from a ring class taught by Avery Gross.

[Kraaloog]

Hi Shelly,

Check out 'www.stainedglass.nl, then 'webwinkel', 'beadmaking', 'benodigdheden'. You'll find these mandrells in different sizes, and also a complete set. It's a Dutch site, so the amounts are in Euros.