Handmade Ring Sizer

So, I have recently gotten into ring making and as I am a beginner at this, I wanted somewhat decent tools but didn't want to spend a fortune on them. I managed to get a ring mandrel online for a decent price but couldn't manage to find a decently priced ring sizer. Everything I found was between 15-25 dollars and I wasn't willing to pay that to figure out what my ring size was. I decided to put my creativity to work.

Here is what you need:

Wire (I used some pre-flattened craft wire I got on clearance that worked pretty well)

-most wires should work, but the steps may need to be altered depending on what kind you use

Wire cutters

Round nose pliers

Ring Mandrel (with size markings)

Hammer (I used a peen hammer)

String, wire or something to house the ring sizers on

Sharpie

Optional -

Soldering iron

With your ring mandrel and wire, find the marking for the ring size and wrap the wire firmly around the mandrel. Using the wire cutters, cut the wire leaving a 2 to 3 inch tail at the end of the formed ring.

Use your hammer to more closely fit the wire into the right shape. I suggest hammering the end of the wire down that lays against the mandrel so you have a smoother finished product.

While holding your formed ring firmly against the rind mandrel, take the round nose pliers and make a loop that comes off the end of the ring with the 2 to 3 inch tail you had left. Don't worry about making it pretty, this is just so you have something to hang the ring sizers from.

Repeat the previous steps for each ring size on the mandrel.

I had originally thought to engrave the sizes on the side of each piece, but it didn't work with the craft wire that I used. Instead, I used a sharpie to mark the sizes on each one and it hasn't washed off, so it serves my purposes.

Lastly, take some string, wire, key chain, anything you want to use and string your new ring sizers on it so they are easily accessible.

So, for a few dollars and a couple hours of your time, you now how a fully functional set of ring sizers.

My original plan was to solder it together so that it was a little sturdier but the craft wire i was using wouldn't have soldered unless I stripped the coating and that seemed like too much work so I left it as it.

Put the sizers back on the ring mandrel and make sure that it still fits well. Press it close together and use a marker to mark the spots that would need soldered together. Do that for each ring and solder each in place (not on your ring mandrel). This step may not work for every type of wire, so I suggest taking a scrap piece of the wire you are using and test it out on that first.

Now you have your own set of ring sizers for almost nothing.

Happy Crafting!!