COIN RINGS - HOW ARE THEY MADE?

by Ron Judd on 09/27/10

Let  me start out by saying that I'm not much of a blog type person.  In fact I'm not even a Facebook, or Twitter type person either.  Don't get me wrong I have nothing against people who live for the next posting or text message. I guess I just don't  need to be that-in-touch with people.  I don't  even carry my cell phone most of the time. On the other hand, I have embraced my computer and the internet as a source of information and the word processer is a miracle.  I would never think of using a typewriter again.  It really amazes me how it all works.  Anyway,  I don't  think it's important to know how things work or how they are made to enjoy them.  Which brings me to the topic I have chosen.  "Coin Rings - How Are They Made?"       

 

The skills I have learned and developed over my lifetime have allowed me to work with metals and create interesting and sometimes amazing  objects.  Double Sided Coin Rings are a good example.  It's  amazing to think that they were once  flat, round coins. Yet there they are, three dimensional ring shaped objects with their intricate detail still in tact on both the inside and outside of the band.  It's only natural to ask "How Are They Made?"

 

Before I give you an answer, consider this.  If I was a magician and had just performed a magnificent trick or illusion do you think I would show you how the trick was done?  Maybe... you say.  Let me remind you, once the cat is out of the bag, there is no putting it back.  The illusion is gone and the trick is no longer unique.   When someone tells you "who done it" in a mystery novel, something is lost.  When someone tells you who won the football game you recorded yesterday before you have a chance to watch it, something is lost.  When someone tells you how a movie ends, something is lost.  Although there are exceptions, for example, parents wanting to know the sex of their baby before it's born.  You must admit it's much easier to buy baby things knowing the sex and painting the babies room is not going to be a last minute thing.  Is this a bad thing?  Is something lost?

   

If you really want to know how I make Coin Rings you could do a Google search on "How to make a coin ring".  The computer has all the answers you say. Well, not quite.  What you will find are lots of  "how to" blogs, YouTube videos, and forum posts on how to make a coin ring.  For the most part they deal with the old style coin rings made by soldiers and sailors during the war by tapping on the edge of the coin until the edge curls over and then drilling the center out to form a ring.  You may be lucky enough to find a tutorial on how to make a double sided coin ring.  Some of these go into great detail with step by step pictures and all.  I guess if you are determined enough, you"ll give it a try.  You"ll find it a long drawn out process that requires some special tools and most times the results are less than satisfactory.  I must tell you, I have yet to see the method I use presented on the internet or anywhere else for that matter.   These Coin Rings are unique and I for one, want to preserve the illusion as long as possible.   

 

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