The Easiest Way To Make A Ring

You’re looking for the easiest way to make a ring, and you have come to the right place!  There are countless reasons why someone might want to make a ring. Some might make a ring for its sentimental value and include pieces of something personal to them.  Another reason could be making a ring as a gift for someone you love. Others are looking to just create something beautiful that they can wear proudly.  If you choose to sell yours you can even make money!  No matter the reason, everyone wants their rings to look the best they can and (typically) take as little time as possible.  

If you truly want to make gorgeous rings fast and easy, you will need the proper tools to get the job done!  You can check out our Tools page for our recommendations on our most commonly used tools.  The common tools that will help when making almost every ring are: 

1.  A metal lathe.  One with jaws to hold your rings in place.  This is a link to one of our favorites to buy from Amazon.  You will also want an expanding ring mandrel to place your ring on when working on the outside of your rings.  You can replace a lot of the work you do on a lathe with a rotary tool if trying to save on cost.  However, this won't be the easiest method for making a ring since you will have to be more patient careful with a rotary tool.   
2. Other various tools.  This could include a rotary tool for rough sanding, pliers, files, clamps, etc.  
3. Secondary materials.  This would include super glues to hold materials in place or to bind multiple materials together.  Sandpaper of various grits ranging from as low as 200 and as high as 2000.  Non-flammable alcohol or water to keep your materials cool while you work. Finally, polishing compound to make your finished products shine!

I am going to outline three different processes to make a ring in this article.  Making a ring from scratch, using a ring blank and choosing your inlay materials, and using our monthly Supplies Subscription Box.  Each way can be done fairly easily with little to no experience if you have the correct tools. The key is following what others like Patrick have done, and getting better as you make more and more rings!  

1.  The Easy Way to Make a Ring - From Scratch

When making a ring from scratch there are infinite options!  You can take a raw material such as Damascus Steel, a hex nut, or a sheet of carbon fiber and use a lathe and ring mandrel to machine it into a ring shape.  Or, take materials like flower petals, gold flakes, or blue jeans and mix them with transparent resin for a 3D look. You could combine both ideas and machine a ring blank from any material, then use resin or super glue to inlay various materials within the band.  Another popular ring-making method is taking everyday materials like a coin, or a piece of wood, and bending it into a ring shape. You can get more and more creative from there!  

I took these pictures from Patrick’s video titled:  Making a Resin Cast Ring out of Glowing Flowers  

Step 1:  He mixes the components into a disc-shaped container. 

Step 2:  He then removes any air bubbles using a vacuum chamber. 

Step 3:  After that, he uses his lathe jaws to bore a hole in the resin disc at the size he wants. It will now fit on an expanding ring mandrel. 

Step 4:  Spinning it on the ring mandrel allows him to shave it down to the correct size he desires.

Step 5:  At this point he just needs to sand it and polish it to perfect the look!   

Another great example of making a ring from scratch can be found in the video titled:  Making a Timascus Ring and Flame Anodizing it!  Patrick makes a ring by cutting a disc from a rod of Timascus.  If you have the tools, the easiest rings from scratch are probably going to be raw materials machined into a ring shape.  The steps are fairly simple, you just need to provide the artistic creativity to make it your own beautiful masterpiece!  

Step 1:  Cut a disc from a bar of material

Step 2:  Machine out the inside of the disc to the size you want using the jaws of your lathe

Step 3:  Shave down the outside again using a lathe but with an expanding ring mandrel

Step 4:  Add desired effect such as bevels and flame anodization.  

Patrick has many other examples of making rings from scratch.  Here are a few of my favorite videos that fit this method:   

Making a Tritium and Damascus Steel Glow Ring

Making a 5000 Year Old Bogwood Glowring with a Carbon Fiber

Making an Acid Etched Superconductor Ring with Obsidian Facets

2.  The Easier Way to Make a Ring - Using a Ring Blank and Choosing Your Additional Materials

Using a pre-cut ring blank takes out many steps in your ring-making process!  This way you start with the basic outline of your ring and just need to choose what is going to make the cut in your inlay.  You can source inlay materials from materials you have on hand, your local gem store, a website like patrickadairsupplies.com, or anything else you come up with!  We also sell Ring Supplies Kits which allow you to choose all your materials and purchase them at the same time for a discount!  

I took the following pictures from Patrick's video titled:  Making a Diamond Dust Glow Ring  Follow this basic outline along with watching some instructional videos on how to make a ring with this method:  

Step 1:  Choose Your Materials!  After you have a ring blank, what will go in it?  Diamonds? Glow Powder? Color Pigment? Sand from your trip to Bora Bora?

Step 2:  Place any large chunks of material(s) where you want them on your ring blank using super glue.

Step 3:  Fill surrounding space in the ring blank inlay with any color pigment, glow powder, etc., and hold it together with super glue or resin.  

Step 4:  Sand the inlay down to be flush with the ring blank.  Start with very rough grit paper, moving up to ultra fine grit.  

Step 5:  Polish the ring to make it smooth and shiny!

Here are some example videos of Patrick making rings with a pre-made ring blank:

Making the EVERGREEN Glowstone Ring out of Cobalt Chrome, Emerald, Malachite, and Opal

Making 5 Opal Glowstone Rings

Making a Star Dust Glowstone Ring

3.  The Easiest Way to Make a Ring- The Patrick Adair Supplies Subscription Box

This method is similar to the previous two methods.  What makes it different are the steps that are already completed for you!  With the monthly Supplies Subscription Box, you have every step lined out for you in a video specific to making your ring each month!  You don’t have come up with an idea or source materials, we create the design and send ALL components in your box each month! We mostly work with ring blanks and inlay materials, but we do more complicated rings periodically too.  To learn more about the Patrick Adair Supplies Subscription Box click here!

We offer a bunch of perks for our Subscribers like a 25% discount on all purchases from patrickadairsupplies.com, exclusive livestream videos with Patrick, and an exclusive invite to our Supplies Subscription Box Facebook Group where you can collaborate with other subscribers!  

With the Subscription Box we keep it easy on your wallet too. The cost is only $49.99 per month and you get at least $100 of products from our website to make your ring each month!  To help you get started, we are including a free expanding ring mandrel and bottle of CA glue with any first-time subscription!  

Using the method to make rings doesn't provide as much flexibility or require as much creativity as the other two options.  It is not the best choice in every scenario, but it can be a great way to easily make 12 different and beautiful rings each year!

Here are some example extra-detailed videos we put out each month with the Supplies Subscription Box:  

How to make the Deep Space Ring (In-Depth DIY Tutorial)

How to make the Tucson Ring (In-Depth DIY Tutorial)

If you've read this article, you probably love ring making just as much as we do!  There are many different ways to get started, and many different methods to keep making rings!  All three options in this article can even work hand in hand if you are making rings regularly.  If you're just beginning, start today with one of our Ring Supplies Kits or with the Supplies Subscription Box!  Leave a comment below about your favorite method to make rings!