Opal inlay rings: how I make them. 

I approached from the other side, as an opal cutter who’s learning to set in custom jewellery. Either way it is quite satisfying. 🤪👍

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G’day mate, I’m not sure on that math, ring size charts will show the size and its corresponding inside circumference. I take the inside circumference and add 2mm for every 1mm of the bands thickness. In this case size ‘U’ = 20.02mm diameter = 62.89 inside circumference, a 1.2mm band thickness x 2 = 2.4mm + 62.89mm = 65.29mm, this is the length required. In your example you’ve added 3.7mm to the inside circumference of a 20.02 mm diameter. 20.02 pi = 62.89 = inside circumference, by adding 2.4 mm to a 1.2 mm thick band, you’ll get a 62.89 mm inside circumference. If you added an extra 3.7 mm, you’d end up with a size too big. The googled method says to use the formula you mentioned, but, it also says, “As the texturing process makes the band bigger, you will need to make your ring at least one size smaller than the desired finished size.” With this formula, you’d be correct, only thing is, once I’ve measured, I don’t lose anywhere near a whole size after solder and file/sand/polish. 🤪👍

G’day Scott, sounds like your Dad was part of the generation I learnt a lot from. With the pickle, it’ll react when cold, but, you can speed up the reaction by heating the pickle solution, reducing pickle time. I mixed up my pickle solution 6yrs ago, I only add water as it evaporates (noticeable when pickle starts forming crystals), I don’t heat my pickle (🤣) though I do drop the silver in while hot, and it’s still going strong. 🤪👍

Thanks mate, ,, 6yrs!! Jeez,, I've been wasting it,, still early in my learning curve. Love your channel man. I laugh while I learn

Yes. 🤣👍

I’m hoping to have atleast one ring ready for the Mudgee Gemboree. Yes, I had a mate learning to make the rings. 🤪👍

Good luck. 🤪👍

G’day Mz Jazz, the dopping wax is available at most online jewellery supply stores www.aussiesapphire.com.au/dopping-wax-select-from-brown-green-red-or-black for example, I use the green wax, and the dopping sticks can be any stick shaped wood, I cut down lengths of various diameter wooden dowel to about 10cm/4inches, for the size needed the hold the ring I cut the top off of a broom stick. 🤪👍

G’day Cat, here’s a link to the site I bought mine from, they specialise in epoxy resins, the colour I use is “Batman black” www.arttreecreations.com.au/products/epoxy-pigment-paste 🤪👍

G’day Ricky, I use an epoxy pigment paste “Batman black” here’s a link www.arttreecreations.com.au/products/epoxy-pigment-paste

After the inlay and resin have set in place, I dop the ring on a sawn off broom handle and use my vertical flat lap to finish the opal and silver flush up and polished. 🤪👍

@@theopalmills I see, thanks!

G’day Blake, I used Araldite epoxy, coloured with “Batman black” dye from “Art tree creations”. The polishing was a #3000 soft resin pad, then cerium oxide. 🤪👍

G’day Corey, pricing opals can be very difficult to do accurately. Asking others for their opinion can help for a rough idea, with more experience you’ll be able gauge better, based on what you know of passed sales. If you get and evaluation done, you’ll need someone reputable, for that you just need to ask your local pawn shop whose opinion/evaluation they trust for gemstones/jewellery. 🤪👍

@@theopalmills that doesn't exist where I live but thanks anyway. The opal miners association of Australia offers a subscription that give daily market prices for opal , how to evaluate them properly for sale ,by a points system and gives general news and updates related to mining and selling Australian opal...incase you didn't know that is a thing. They go well beyond the basic n1-n9 and b1-b5 scale. Be well .

G’day mate, I’m using a vertical flat lap, most machines should grind well with the right grit, allowing the wheel to do the work, pushing the stone into the wheel like a disc brake will wear the grit down quicker, as it’s how the grit is bonded to the wheel that deteriorates. Yes, use water, especially with silica dust being a carcinogen, causing cancer, and silicosis as the dust goes in your lungs but doesn’t come back out. 🤪👍

G’day Martin, pickle solution is a mild acid that cleans the surface of the silver especially for after soldering. 🤪👍

G’day Mick, from my understanding it’s made with brazing alloys, silver (86%), copper, zinc. 🤪👍

G’day Carrie, with the sides, I need them to be tight fit, so I make them slightly smaller and file to fit, or they move when soldering. Also I’ve never worked out the math for the 2 x 1 mm wire to bend to fit every size of a 1.2 mm ring band, that’s more for a mass production effort. For me, this was the quicker. 🤪👍

G’day mate, I’m using an 8 inch flat lap, made by Wuttke wheels, I leave a link in the description of all videos to the contact email. 🤪👍

G’day mate, it’s jewellers dopping wax, I use the green one as it’s formulated to a low melting point at 65 degrees Celsius keeping the heat as little as possible. There is a red wax also, but this is used for faceting as it has a higher melting point used for stones that can tolerate more heat. 🤪👍

G’day, unless mass producing, it’s quicker to wrap on a mandrel and mark to size, once you’ve made a few, you tend to know where to cut. 🤪👍

@@theopalmills Fair enough lol can't argue with someone who does when I'm someone who never has 😉

G’day Kevin, I’ve just added two links to the description in this video, one for the epoxy resin and one for the dye. 🤪👍

G’day, i don’t use the gauge system of measurement, I used 1mm sheet for the 5mm band and 1 x 2mm rectangle wire for the sides of the inlay. 🤪👍

G’day 🤪👍

Is it because I is simple? 🤣👍

I know right, I’m so embarrassed. 🤦‍♂️